A Vaca...

Queen Mine RV Park

Bisbee, AZ

Fall has arrived, but it doesn't feel like fall yet.  

I counted 13 more days in the mid to high 90s for Corona de Tucson.  No complaints...it is the desert after all.  I was wishing we could send some of the sunshine east to help dry things out from Helene.  We have children with no water and no electricity near Greenville and Joe's brother and sister in Spartanburg are the same.  No downed trees and home damages in either place...we are so thankful for that.  

Our week began with a celebration.  Chocolate and celebrations go hand in hand.  

We each had a different cheesecake.  My choice was Reeses Peanut Butter Cup!

We met Andra and Jamie last Sunday for lunch and to celebrate their first anniversary.  The year flew by.  

Joe had an early appointment at the eye doctor and we stopped at Baja on the way home for brunch.  Yummy Monsoon Benedict for me and blueberry pancakes and eggs over easy for Joe.  

Fresh avocado, smoked bacon, grilled tomatoes, and poached eggs,  with a yummy basil pesto hollandaise sauce 

Back at the oasis, a handsome Red-tailed Hawk waited patiently for breakfast in the top of the pine tree.  

And the Broad-billed Hummingbirds are keeping us busy replenishing the feeders and aren't very nice to the other hummers.  The poor little Black-chinnned hummingbirds don't get much nectar these days.

Sally has a new bone.  She keeps hiding it all over the house.  It was barely sticking out from under our bed one day, in the corner beside the futon one morning,  and under the kitchen table one afternoon.  It makes us happy to see her busy with a purpose.  

The rest of our week was spent taking our time to get ourselves ready for a little vaca.  For years (and years) I have been wanting to see Bisbee.  We have had reservations a couple of times and had to cancel...once for snow and once last year when we lost Dover and Jack.  The stars aligned this year and here we sit at Queen Mine RV Park excited that we have plans for a Mine Tour on Tuesday,  excited to see friends on Wednesday and lots of exploring to do.  If you have a favorite thing to do in Bisbee or a favorite lunch spot, please share.  

Bisbee is 86 miles from the MH storage with only 34 miles on I 10 East.  The rest of the trip took us thru Benson and Tombstone on Historic Hwy 80.  From November 11, 1926 to October 6, 1989, the Arizona segment of Route 80...also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway...shaped the west as a major transcontinental highway and was an important highway in the development of Arizona's car culture.  This historic route once began in downtown San Diego.  Today it is only 72 miles beginning in Benson and ending in Douglas.  There is a strong sense of western history, buildings from the 1800s, cowboy spirits, copper mining history, and a majestic marbled staircase as you traverse this Historic Arizona Road.   

Queen Mine RV Park is the only rv park in Historic Bisbee and within walking distance.  It is a cozy little hill top park with only 25 sights that form a circle around the perimeter of the park.  It is full hook-up (30 amp only) with mine pit views, mountain views and city views.  The lights from Bisbee were so pretty last night.  And I can't wait to go exploring ! 

I'll close for now...until next time, 

Happy Trails! 

Patiently Waiting...

Corona de Tucson

September 7, 2024

That's right...two more weeks and it will be officially fall.  I don't know why this year I am especially excited to be putting out scarecrows and pumpkins...I love fall and all the colors that go along with the season.  Not today, but yesterday, the morning air at first light seemed a bit cooler as Sally and I stepped out the door for her first outside for the day.  I think Sally even noticed the difference and how nice the cool fresh air felt. 

It's been one of those busy weeks at our home...my hair is a little shorter than it was last week, Joe doesn't have stitches anymore, and the eye doctor says Joe's eye looks a little better than it did three weeks ago. Joe is still on antibiotics...capsule and drops...and the contact was replaced to protect the cornea.   Of course along with busy weeks comes yummy things to eat.  Tuesday, after my haircut and a little shopping, we had a yummy lunch at Wildflower.  

It was nice enough to sit on the patio for lunch. 

I sure enjoyed my warm lobster and artichoke salad with grilled asparagus, roasted tomatoes, greens and the bestest truffle vinaigrette dressing served with bread and pesto.  Joe chose fish and chips and we shared Bars of Sin for desert. 

After the eye doctor on Thursday, we stopped at Baja for breakfast.    Every time we go to Baja, I order the Liege Waffels...they are sooo yummy.  So, I made myself try something new.  If you like Benedicts, Baja offers 13 different choices...from Classic to Arizona Snake Bites.  I chose the Monsoon Benedict and was not disappointed.  Toasted English Muffin layered with fresh avocado,  smoked bacon, grilled tomatoes, and two poached eggs all topped with house made basil pesto hollandaise, arugula and balsamic glaze.  

I ate every bite!

We enjoyed walks on the cart path and logged in just under 10 miles this week. I have had issues with my heal and finally it is much better.  

Sometimes we cross the street on our way home.  See the row of homes (roofs) way off in the distance on the right side of the picture?  We live on that street much further and out of sight on the right side.  Our home backs up to what was the 10th fairway. 

This is the cart path that meanders behind our home...

Back at the oasis, we completed a project that had been on the back-burner for way too long.  Joe has been the best motivator and friend to encourage me to display some of my photos.   It's no secret I love the birds so I chose a few favorites...some water birds from San Diego and some backyard birds from home.  It was a trial by error sort of project as I began to sort thru pictures and order photos in 8X10 size.  For what I had pictured in my mind, all the photos needed to be vertical and all the frames the same.  I am very happy with the finished display hanging in the foyer.  

It's a lot harder than it looks like getting all these photos in a straight line and evenly spaced......

 

The birds are usually waiting...not so patiently...for food and water when we finish our walk.  I start the coffee and Joe starts the backyard chores. 

Our backyard is really small and I think photos make it look bigger than it really is.   After years and years of Georgia living with an acre lot that was constantly needing attention, we enjoy the size and simplicity of our desert oasis. 

Hail during last Saturdays monsoon storm...

 And our sweet Sally....

Back in North Carolina...there has been an out crop of saguaros !

Felix, Edith and their mom and dad enjoying time at Aunt Jill's in NC.

Aunt Jill and Edith...

That's a wrap on our week.  Until next time,

 HAPPY TRAILS!

St. Philips Plaza Market

Corona de Tucson

October 7, 2022 

The historic St. Philip's Plaza is a Tucson landmark...well known for the beauty of its Spanish-style cobblestone patios complete with fountains, rose gardens, and towering eucalyptus trees.  In addition to boutique shopping, galleries and restaurants, there is an open-air market every Saturday and Sunday year round.  The summer market is small and doesn't get much attention due to the hot temperatures.   The winter market (10:00-3:00 every Saturday and Sunday), however, has over 100 canopies filled with tables celebrating "everything Tucson"...potters, painters, photographers, silversmiths, metal art works, woodcrafters, rock, mineral and gemstones collectors, jewelry, plants, and clothing.  We are always looking for "westernie" things to use in our home and the market offers lots of choices. 

Last year, we met Scott Carlson, a local potter, at the market when we purchased a utensil caddy and spoon rest from him for the kitchen counter.  The launch for the winter market was this past Saturday and his was the first canopy we looked for.  

Scott had an all new collection with all my favorite colors and amazing textures.  We bought a couple of mugs to add to the collection and a vase we couldn't walk away from.  

Randy had never been to the plaza and Randy had never had a Sonoran Dog...oh boy, oh boy...you know what that means !  He picked us up and we all enjoyed the beautiful morning, laughs, and perusing the plaza.  Afterwards, we were off to BKs.  I'm pretty sure he liked the dog...

 Monday morning, Joe and I both had appointments at the dermatologists...Joe goes every 3 months and I am on a 6 month schedule.  Joe faired much better this visit with only 3 biopsies (and my fingers are crossed they are all negative) and to my surprise, I had 1.  We were done with our appointments around 9:15 and it was off to breakfast at Baja Cafe.  Once again, we were too late for their famous liege waffles.  So Joe settled for pancakes and I really splurged with a cinnamon roll French toast.

One of those pieces was boxed up and went home with us...

Both (pancakes and French toast) are served with two eggs cooked to order, your choice of bacon or sausage and hash browns.  We waddled to the jeep !

Back at the oasis, Tuesday was a windy/rainy/stormy day as Orlene made its way north from Mexico and brought much needed rain.  

I have had fun trying to photograph hummingbirds this week.  It seems the sun is never right to capture their shimmer...I only get a glimpse and then they are off.  It is definitely a challenge to get a decent hummingbird photo in focus...shimmer or no shimmer. 

Just look at those tiny little feet.  Did you know that hummingbirds come from an order of birds called "Apodiformes"?  The term comes from a Latin word meaning footless.  They do have legs and feet, it is just that their feet don't stand out as a visual feature of their anatomy.  Because they are such excellent fliers, they don't need to walk and hop like many other birds. They have four toes on their short, knee-less legs. Their toes are quite lengthy compared to their legs and are used for perching, scratching themselves, fighting and building nests. 

Hummingbirds are remarkable in many ways, and one of them is that they have exceptional eyesight.  They can even see colors undetectable by the human eye...

A good look-out perch is important to hummingbirds.  They also perch in safe and secure places at night.  At night they enter into a state called torpor...an inactive state in which their heart rate and breathing rate are reduced to conserve energy.  They may even find themselves upside down...their legs and feet are sufficient to allow them to stay upside down clinging without falling.

On many of our morning walks, we see a male Vermillion Flycatcher.  His brilliant orange-red color is easy to spot.  This week, this stocky, generally solitary little fellow appeared on our fence during coffee.  I was so excited as it was so unexpected.  Flycatchers feed on insects...often catching them in midair by quick flights called sallies.  

We offer a nice variety of seeds, nuts and suet...

...but the insects are scarce.  He was only there a couple of minutes or so before he flew to the bush on the other side of the fence.

 

On one of our walks this week, we rounded a curve on the cart path and there stood a huge mama javelina in the middle of the path.  We stood still...she stood still...and then she figured that perhaps we were not a threat.  She had three babies enjoying their breakfast on a large prickly pear plant a few feet away.  We could barely see the tops of their heads as she walked toward them.  I don't carry the big camera when we walk and was so surprised by the encounter (I always walk in front) that I couldn't get my phone out of my pocket to get a decent photo on the path.  She had moved on when I finally got a not so good picture.

The pups are all well.  Sally and Dover had rabies and yearly shots this week. 

 

   

And Jack held down the oasis while they were gone.

The days fly by...and another week is already in the memory bank.       

So, until next time...

HAPPY TRAILS !