Bright Orange

These barrel cactus are blooming in our Tucson yard.  They are exquisite! 

Flat Tires

Over the past nine years, since buying the ranch in September 2003, we have had at least 15 flat tires.  Our rocky driveway has probably been the culprit in 90+% of those flat tires.  All we can do is grin and bear it, get to the tire store as quickly as possible, and get one more new tire! 

Annual Checkup

Papa and I had our annual checkups this afternoon.  Papa found out he has a fractured ankle and toe from his fall on Oscar last week, but otherwise appears very healthy.  I was also deemed very healthy, with my weight in the same range it's been in my whole adult life, 115 today. Papa and I exercise regularly, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, very little bread, and small portions of meat.  Papa often says, "it's hard work staying alive."  Actually, it's a lifestyle that we seem to thrive in.

Ranch Dinner at Sunset

We ate dinner on the patio last night, with a beautiful sunset.  Colter, his Dad, Will, and Tanner moved cattle to the Patterson pasture yesterday.  They rode for twelve hours.  They arrived by 6:15.  We started with gazpacho, then had steak with roquefort sauce, salmon, French potato salad, green beans, stuffed red peppers, corn bread, and creme brulee with Reisling grapes.  Madilyn came in sequins, ready for a party!  Was a yummy dinner and a cool, breezy evening.

A Good Rain

Across the ranch we have had wildly varying amounts of rain this summer.  The far west end of the ranch has had 3-4" more than at our home.  We had a really good rain yesterday afternoon, about .60", enough to soak in but not run off.  It left potholes of water in low spots.  There was rain all around us for much of the day.  So beautiful and cool!

Grapes

I have been cooking grapes all afternoon!  Grapes were on sale this past week, so I picked up green, red, and purple grapes, many pounds of them!  What to do with all those grapes?  We've been eating them raw but it became clear that we couldn't get through them before they start to rot.

This afternoon, I roasted grapes in a bit of balsamic vinegar, which will be terrific on my Insalata Rustica.  I simmered grapes in reisling wine for over an hour and then made creme brulee.  We are having guests for dinner tomorrow night, so creme brulee with simmered grapes spooned on top will be our dessert.  I am going to rinse more grapes, stem them, and throw them in the freezer in a ziplock bag for cool snacks.  My last grape concoction of the day was a grape and plum tart, with parmesan and sliced almonds sprinkled on top.  Our dinner!  I made a dent in the grapes today, but there are still more!  Grapes and more grapes!

Journeys of a Lifetime

We have a National Geographic published book, titled Journeys of a Lifetime, 500 of the World's Greatest Trips.  The book has gorgeous photos and pertinent advice, with chapters written by mode of transportation or type of trip.  Journeys of a Lifetime is a coffee table book at our house, so we look through it often and reminisce about favorite trips and look forward to others.

Favorite journeys... Morrocco, riding a camel in Petra, sailing the Dodecanese islands of Greece, staying at Nisbet Plantation on Nevis, Paris and Venice every time, exploring the south of France, Portugal, cruising around Cape Horn, walking amongst the penguins on the Falkland Islands, staying at historic haciendas in Ecuador, Christmas Eve mass at the Vatican, hiking on the Amalfi Coast, sailing in the Bahamas and the Grenadines, driving from Carmel to Big Sur, the quiet of Canyon de Chelly, National Parks - Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, Bryce Canyon, on and on.  So many wonderful places!  So many interesting conversations along the way!  So much learned...  What are your favorite journeys? 

Happy Mom Happy Family

Claire has been writing Happy Mom Happy Family blog for over a year.  Mostly she writes about their family adventures.  They are living in Amman, Jordan.  Read about Emerson's blue eyes 

and the curiosity of the children she was playing with at Dead Sea Spa Hotel.  

Emerson and Colby are thriving in Jordan.  

Papa Injured

We have been fortunate to have few injuries since being on the ranch.  Papa fell and hit his head in a big wind the spring of 2005, that left him with sensitive and tingling feet.  On Wednesday of this week, while riding Oscar, he had another accident.  This time Oscar stumbled going up a steep hill and fell on Papa's left foot.  Papa was meeting Colter early that morning, so he went ahead with plans.  They pushed cattle a few miles and Papa got back home by early afternoon.  His foot is black and blue, his ankle is swollen, and he has a few dings on his leg.  Happy to report three days later that he is getting better.  Update - Papa's ankle and a toe are fractured.

Coues Deer

Coues deer, also known as white tail deer, are plentiful on the ranch.  This morning as I was hiking, three Coues bucks ran down the road in front of me.  They stopped and watched me for a few minutes before running down into Rattlesnake Canyon. 

Gila Monster

As we were leaving the ranch a few days ago, Papa spied a Gila monster on the side of the road.  We quickly turned around and chased the Gila monster on foot, trying to get a good photo.  He/she was quick, darting under prickly pear and grasses.  He/she was about 18" long.  Gila monsters are the only venomous lizard native to the United States, but they are so slow that they are not much of a threat.

My Pottery

Over the past few weeks, I have taken a pottery class at the Tucson Clay Co-op.  I still have several pieces to glaze.  I brought these pots home today.  I was pleased with the glaze colors.  My philosophy is that glazing removes most sins or blemishes, sort've like wearing make up.  I've enjoyed the people I've met in the class and the time I've spent in open studio.  I like throwing pots!

Walking Stick

This walking stick insect was on our screen door a couple of days ago.  I measured it at 6.5".  A large walking stick!  My research shows that walking stick insects are of the Phasmatodea family. Phasmids are herbivorous, feeding mostly on the leaves of trees and shrubs.  They cannot fly, so their movement is contained to a radius of a few hundred yards.  Seems he/she will be staying nearby. 

Dust Storms

Over the past few months, I've seen more dust storms than ever before.  While traveling last week, we drove through a dust storm near Shiprock, New Mexico.  It was a frightening experience.  The visibility was very low, our Hummer was rocking from the wind, and we had to be careful about other traffic.  About 30 miles before getting to Shiprock, we saw a rainbow.

Quilt

I received in the mail yesterday a new quilt made by Grammar.  It is a red flower garden 

with brown polka dot backing.  It is beautiful!  Grammar has made quilts my whole life.  

She spends hours upon hours piecing quilts.  This one is really special.

White Sands National Monument

Papa and I visited White Sands National Monument this morning.  White sand goes on and on in a wide valley surrounded by mountains, covered in clouds this morning.  One of the most striking things we noticed was the silence.  There are no leaves, no birds, just silence 

and a really bright glare.  White Sands is beautiful!

Visit to Park in Beaver Creek

We made one last visit to the park in Beaver Creek this morning, before leaving Whitney, Corey, Toby and Greta.  The air was crisp and the grass freshly mowed.  We enjoyed being outside. 

Vail

After breakfast this morning, we drove to Vail and bought lift tickets.  We took the 

gondola lift to the top, had lunch, and hung out on top of Vail Mountain.  It was a beautiful day, 

cool, and everyone on the mountain was enjoying the day.  Another great day!

The Osprey at Beaver Creek

We met Whitney, Corey, Toby, and Greta at the Osprey at Beaver Creek Resort this morning.  We enjoyed lunch on the outside patio of a restaurant in Beaver Creek Village, then we parted ways while Toby and Greta napped.  Papa and I took the ski lift up the mountain, and hiked the four mile Overlook Trail back down.  Upon our return from hiking, we enjoyed time with Whitney and Greta.  As soon as Toby woke from his nap, we all went to a nearby playground until dusk.  I brought building blocks and a few other toys, so we played until bedtime.  We enjoyed our day!  

Drive from Durango to Glenwood Springs

Yesterday we left Durango by 10 a.m. and drove north past Silverton and Ouray along the San Juan Skyway, and then east to Glenwood Springs.  We particularly liked Ouray and the little village of Redstone.  We drove over 10,000'+ mountains and along rushing rivers.  We passed through several historic towns, through farm and ranch country and several coal mines.  Most of the roadway was lined with wildflowers.  Was a beautiful drive and a beautiful day!

We arrived in Glenwood Springs near 5 p.m. and came upon a local Farmer's Market.  Most of the vendors offered samples, which led us to buy a variety of items, from freshly made habanero tamales, pastries, Australian style yogurt, and backyard grown ripe peaches.  We enjoyed a picnic style supper with all our Farmer's Market purchases.  We stayed overnight at the Hotel Colorado, built in 1893.