What is Colossal to You?

 


Colossal...extremely large! Today for us it was the view...









miles and miles of beautiful desert view! My idea of the perfect place for lunch. Of course, no lunch in the desert is without entertainment...colossal fun to watch!

A tiny Harris' antelope squirrel...

...and his much bigger cousin, a rock squirrel.

            

A curve billed thrasher ( I think...help Judy!)...

...caught in flight...huge for me!

But colossal...finally a picture of a Gambel's Quail. Do you know how fast they are?  They are beautiful! This is the male. He has copper feathers on top of his head, a black face and white stripes above his eyes. Still hoping for a better shot of the top knot.


 



 And yes, a tour in a colossal cave. Actually, it was quite neat. It is a guided tour that takes about 45 minutes. The temperature inside averages 70 degrees.

 Colossal Cave was used from 900 to 1450 by the Hohokam, Sabaipuri, and Apache Indians. It was rediscovered in 1879 by Solomon Lick. He was searching for cattle when he discovered the entrance.

 Since then, it has been the object of interest by people ranging from train robbers to a President of the University of AZ .


The first tours were taken in 1923 with ropes and lanterns and lasted 2 days! Today, thanks to the CCC the cave has walkways and lighting.

 

It has been a nice day for the Taylors. Hope your day was too!

 

 

We were treated to a fireworks show a few nights ago...not sure where they came from. It wasn't colossal, but always a thrill to see them. Thanks for visiting today.

 

Y'all come back!

Time...it is a flyin!



Wrecks

Sally

Dover

Jack

 Can hardly believe we have been here in Tucson almost 2 weeks. It sure doesn't take long to settle into a nice routine...just ask our four pups. They have become quite comfortable here. Daily play time at the doggie park every morning for about an hour... long, lazy naps... and  picnics at supper!

 Joe found another great camera shop. We stopped at Greg's Camera Shop a couple of days ago. We had the great pleasure of meeting Gary Jue. Some of his photography was on display at the camera shop. He loves butterflies and oh my, what beautiful shots he has made with the camera. While there, with Gary's help we made a purchase. I got a Tamron SP AF 60mm Di II Macro 1:1 lens for my Nikon 3100. I have to say, when  I saw what Judy's (travels with Emma) friend, John, photographed with his, I have wanted one. With a $100 rebate, we went for it!  As you can see, I still need lots of practice. But it is fun to get really, really close to what you are photographing! Maybe one day I will have dew drops to capture!

Not a lot going on in the desert these days. We took a couple of short rides and walks.

This was a ride through the Rincon Mountain District. We saw more and more Saguaro with buds...

Did you know all cactus fruit is edible. I have never tasted cactus fruit, have you? Barrel cactus fruit is the only cactus fruit without spines. It can be picked and eaten right off the plant. Should I try it with lunch next time?  I bet this little fellow did!