Family

Corona de Tucson

July 23, 2022

On Wednesday (July 13) our second oldest son, Joe, and our sweet, daughter-in-law, Jena, arrived at Tucson International Airport all the way from South Carolina with grand babies, Felix and Edith, in tow for seven glorious nights.  

Felix (will be 6 years old July 30 and going to first grade) and Edith (will be 2 years old Oct. 1)

Joe and Jena

We were in the middle of an excessive heat warning, but no one let that interfere with our fun...just being together and having a great time.  I like the way Joe and Jena go with the flow...the flow being Felix and Edith.  Getting out early on these rather hot days is crucial.  Some days we were out the door very early and other days it just didn't happen.  It had been just under two years since we had seen Joe, Jena and Felix...and Edith was not born yet. 

Day 1:

Felix and Jena are faithful followers of the blog and know all about saguaros. Seeing them in person was at the top of the list.  The Sonoran Desert Museum was the destination for the day. But not before an Arizona sunrise, a good stretch...

  ...and a hearty breakfast.

The reptile exhibit is close to the entrance and our adventure began there.  Unlike their Gigi, these two like creatures that slither, creep and crawl.

The museum is full of things for little ones to enjoy.  We dug for fossils...

 explored a bat cave...

sat quietly and watched the hummingbirds...

meandered along the path enjoying the landscape...

    

played at Pack Rat Playhouse...

perused the aquarium...

had a picnic and popsicles...

and crashed !

We oohed and aahed and admired the saguaros and other cacti, but the spinytail iguanas stole the show.  They are not native, but were introduced to the museum in the 1970s.  They have not expanded/survived beyond the musuem's grounds.

   

Day 2:

Friday was a sleep in and lazy morning.  Our destinations for the day were Bricks and Minifigs and Mildred and Dildred...both toy stores.  Joe and Felix are LEGO enthusiasts to say the least.  Bricks and Minifigs is a one-stop aftermarket LEGO store.  They buy, sell and trade anything LEGO.  

Bins are filled with all shapes, sizes and colors of bricks with lots of specialty pieces included in the mix.  They are sold by the tub or bag.  

Joe and I quickly learned this is serious...we all pitched in to find pieces we thought would be useful and fun to build a truck.  

  

Mildred and Dildred has been our go to place when shopping for the kiddos.  We can always find something unique there and they ship.  

 

That afternoon was pool time...

and LEGO time for Joe and Felix.

Joe's truck

Felix's helicopter and truck

Day 3: 

We were up and out the door at 6:30 for a walk on the golf cart path in our neighborhood.  

Then it was off to the Pima Air and Space Museum.

The afternoon was spent mastering bubbles in the backyard.

Day 4:

Felix really wanted to go to Tombstone and Sunday was the day.

We enjoyed the show at the OK Corral, meandering the streets, lunch at Big Nose Kates, ice cream, and a real dust storm.  Felix might just be a cowboy at heart...his cowboy hat and boots didn't fit in their suitcase to travel to Tucson so we improvised at Big Nose Kates.

Day 5:

We spent Monday morning visiting with an extra cup of coffee, catching up on things around the house, Jena did laundry, and we made a grocery store run.  The plan for the day was lunch...you guessed it, El Charro.  What a nice surprise to learn that children 10 and under eat free. 

Afterwards, we spent an hour or so strolling down historic 4th Avenue.  We perused (and enjoyed the AC) thru several stores.  Pop-Cycle (over 100 local artists with a theme paying homage to Tucson and the west), Del Sol (American Indian pottery and jewelry, hand-woven rugs, take home trinkets, and much more), and Generation Cool (vintage pop culture items from the 1980s and 1990s).  Generation Cool was definitely a favorite...especially for son Joe.  He has every single action figure he owned as a youngster from Star Wars to GI Joe to Batman and Robin and more.

After naps, we played Prickly Pairs (It's just like Go Fish, but the cards are pictures of assorted cacti and instead of saying "Go Fish" you say "Take a Hike"), and put together a puzzle. 

Day 6:

Up before the sun...because no trip to Tucson is complete without seeing Saguaro National Park.  We chose the closer to home East/Rincon Mountain District area.  It was a nice drive on Cactus Forest Drive with a couple of stops.  First, the Nature Trail (tarmacked for the stroller).  

Second stop was Javalina Rocks for some rock scrambling and amazing views. 

Before heading home, we made a stop at the Visitor Center.

After dinner, we enjoyed the late afternoon glow and sunset at Gates Pass.

 

It's no surprise our week flew by.  Lots of laughs, sharing, adventures, more meals at the big table, more pictures than I can count, and memories to last at least until another visit.  

We sure do love these little munchkins !

Until next time, may your dreams come true...

your goals be reached...

and your adventures be fun.

Share the love...

and always share the rocker !

HAPPY TRAILS !

Shades of Green

Corona de Tucson

July 8, 2022

Early morning walks just seem to get the day started around our house and have become a part of our daily routine.  We have several choices for routes thru the neighborhood/cart path for a 2.5 - 3 mile loop. 

One thing about Joe and I, if we don't get up and go...the get up and go usually fades away.  It's not uncommon to see hawks enjoying their breakfast, coyotes (sometimes 2-3 at a time) on the move, and bunnies out for a morning hop.  My favorite is the early morning glow.

And thank goodness, we have received enough rain to turn the ocotillos green...it doesn't take much water for the leaves to burst out.  

Speaking of rain, we have only had a few showers this month. Some of those showers have been windy, heavy downpours that flooded our street.  Some of those showers have been nice, long steady rains...the kind of shower we can enjoy  sitting on the patio.

It is still early in the monsoon season, and I remain hopeful.  

The backyard has definitely seen a drop in birds.  The babies are all gone.  The butter bites still go quickly, but the oranges last through the day.  The regulars...Cactus Wrens, Cardinals, Gila Woodpeckers, Curved-bill Thrashers, Sparrows, and Finches still keep us busy.  

Occasionally, the Orioles make a stop.

And this week we have enjoyed a new visitor at the feeders.

It's real name is Pyrrhuloxia, but that is a mouth full to say so I just call it a Desert Cardinal.  All About Birds describes them as "closely related to the Northern Cardinal".  They are a "crisp grey and red with a longer elegant crest and stubby yellow bill".  Out little visitor is a juvenile...hence, less red highlights and a darker bill.  The crest caught my eye first. 

Fourth of July was quiet.  Baked beans and burgers...sort of a tradition for us...were on the menu.  I made the best baked beans ever.  The old family recipe calls for molasses and brown sugar among other things and they are slow cooked...about 2 1/2 to 3 hours in the oven resulting in a yummy glaze on top.  Truly a meal all by themselves.  We watched The Patriot on TV.  Thank goodness for pause as I found myself running out to see the fireworks about half way thru.  Someone in the neighborhood put on a colorful display, but my favorites were the ones from town way off in the distance.   

Last weeks post was all about family. I had a few pictures I wanted to share, but didn't.  Beautiful shades of green from Madera Canyon...

That's a wrap for this week.  If the stars align we will have family flying in next Wednesday...Felix and Edith and their sweet mama and daddy.  Stay tuned !  Until next time, 

 

HAPPY TRAILS !