Corona de Tucson
September 8, 2023
We welcomed September 1st under a flash flood watch. It was a wonderful rainy day although the flash floods never happened...at least not at our little oasis.
Sometimes, the best part of a rainy day is the day after. Saturday dawned with cool temperatures, gorgeous blue skies and that wonderful earthy scent in the air...a perfect combination for a morning walk in the desert.
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| Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro NP-East is a longtime favorite... |
Thursday was a day date. We wanted to try a new restaurant, but first made a stop at Gather for the fall opening event. Fall isn't exactly "in the air" just yet as summer's heat is still lingering, but it won't be long. Fall colors have always been my favorite colors and what's not to love about cool nights and warm days?
The lunch choice for our day date was a new to us restaurant we wanted to try. Ghini's French Caffe and Bakery has been voted (by locals) as "Best of Tucson" for the number one place to eat breakfast for six years in a row. It was a hard choice deciding what we wanted to eat...a variety of crepes, croques or French toast. We both decided on the Croque Madame with creamy béchamel and Gruyere topped with an over easy fried egg. We splurged and shared a rather large strawberry shortbread dessert covered in a mound of whip cream and lightly sprinkled with cocoa.
Back at the oasis,
it's nice to see wildflowers and green along the path on our morning walks.
We had a couple of Harris' Hawks flying overhead this week. They have never perched on our fence, but they did take a "look-out post" in the pine tree next door. They flew in as a pair and left together. It is pretty awesome to see them in flight with a wingspan of 3.5 to 4.8 feet.
The hummingbird feeder has been especially busy. I really like the small feeder for these hot days. At the end of the day, the feeder is empty and no nectar (which I make) is wasted. These busy little birds are the first to show up every morning...hovering and waiting for me to get busy !
and the suet feeder stay busy as well.
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| Two of my favorites! |
Sally and I are usually the first out every morning. Sally makes sure all is right with her world...
while I fill the thistle and suet feeders and fresh water in the birdbath.
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| It doesn't take long for the Lesser Goldfinch to realize their feeder is full. |
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| We love these no-mess large cylinder seed blocks. They weigh just over 4 pounds and last 10-14 days. |
That's a wrap on our week...
When you mentioned the day after the rain, the first thing in my head was the smell. A few words later, you said the same thing. I do love the smell of the desert after a rain.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Jim…Great minds think alike. I love the day after a really good rain…especially when we can spend it in the desert!
DeleteI agree the smell of the desert after a rain!
ReplyDeleteYou captured so many fall colors and with the cactus in bloom, your corner of the desert looks like a desert garden.
Nice description of breakfast, but no picture?
Good morning Jeff…I have always been drawn to falls’s gorgeous earthy colors. The spots of color from the blooming barrel cacti are a nice touch in the desert landscape this time of year. I love the crowns! I don’t have much luck taking photos of food…never the right angle or too close so I didn’t even try…but I do wish I had captured the strawberry shortbread. It was gorgeous (and yummy!)!
DeleteThe picture of the crimson-crowned barrel cactus is just lovely....the colors are fabulous. A French bakery and cafe in Tucson! Dave always orders the Croque Madame when he sees it....was yours a good rendition? I agree with Jeff - no picture? I prefer the Croque Monsieur.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Sue…and thank you. The golden color was pretty, but I agree the crimson color was my favorite too. The Croque Madame was yummy, but I have nothing to compare it too. Neither of us had ever eaten it before. Now you both will have to come to Tucson and tell us if it was a good rendition…👍. My photos of food never turn out like yours do…😩.
DeleteThat's a whole lot of gold finches! The first bird photo is comical--poor guy, he is wet!! Glad your temps have cooled! We've been on a little trip so I'm late in commenting. Sweet Sally and Jack! Where do you purchase the solid round bird suet?
ReplyDeleteGood morning Janna...I can't wait to see your gorgeous photos! The finches empty their feeder everyday...such tiny and busy little birds they are. We buy all our bird food from Wild Birds Unlimited. We are regular customers at the store on Tanque Verde just around the corner from Costco (the one on Grant). If we don't get to town, they have a great "order on-line" website.
DeleteWish we'd gotten more from that last rain storm as I miss the daily passings we enjoyed last month! I'm so mad I kept forgetting to get pics of our blooming barrel cactus and now they are past their prime. Thanks for sharing your aMAzing blooms - what a treat! I'll have to add a thistle feeder to our bird dining room as we've only seen a couple goldfinches since our return. Jack looks so content soaking up the sun, and of course Sally is always just too cute!
ReplyDeleteHi Jodee…and thank you! It is hard to believe monsoon season is winding down. We didn’t get nearly the rain we got last summer & the summer before that. My fingers are crossed hard for rain (and some snow would be wonderful) this winter. I love the lesser goldfinch which makes the mess from the feeder worth it. The dove spend the whole day under the feeder devouring all those tiny seeds that drop.
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