Otomi Jacket

I saw Otomi embroidery for the first time several years ago, at a friend's home in Sarasota.  She had a large cover made for her guestroom bed, with many different embroidered animals and flowers in various colors.  Otomi embroidery is folk art, made by hand, primarily by Otomi women in the Tenango Valley of the Hidalgo region of Mexico.  Each piece is unique. 

A few weeks ago, as I thought about getting something special to wear to an event this fall, 

Otomi embroidery came to mind.  I found a seamstress in Tucson.  I bought a large 

piece of Otomi in Zocalo, a Tucson shop full of custom Mexican work.  A few weeks later, 

I have my new Otomi jacket!  I will wear it with black silk pants. 

Otherworldly Clouds

We've had cloudy days for over a month, with spectacular sunsets. 

Giant Grasshoppers

Giant grasshoppers have been jumping all around the ranch.  With all the rain we've had, there's plenty for them to eat.  This guy is 3.5" long!  He's also quite colorful.

The Book of Cowboys

A neighbor in Tucson gave Papa and me a gift of The Book of Cowboys.  The book was his as a little boy and he has kept it his whole life.  It was copyrighted in 1936.  The illustrations are bright and colorful, beautifully done.  We look forward to sharing it with our grandchildren.  

Thank you, Chuck!

New Dale Bags

Papa has been working over the past month, to make new bags for Claire, Whitney, Amy, Emily, and Sarah.  He used new designs for each.  We hope they like their new Dale bags!

Flamenco Guitar Competition

Papa and I went to Casa Vicente last evening for the 6th annual Tucson Flamenco Festival's Guitar Competition.  We had tapas and sangria for dinner, while nine guitarists played various pieces in the competition.  We've gone to the Flamenco Festival before and we attend performances of the UofA Master's Guitar Program, so we had seen several perform before.  It was an enjoyable evening.

Goodbye to Bob

A couple of months ago, we bought a new Polaris Ranger.  We like to keep our vehicles in the garage, so adding a vehicle made it tight.  We decided to sell Bob.  We listed Bob on Craigslist, and voila! he was sold in days.  We drove Bob into town on Saturday and met his buyer, a nice guy from San Diego who bought Bob for his brother.  We'll miss Bob!

Trip Across the Ranch

Papa and I rode across the ranch this morning.  It was a nice morning, with clouds hanging over the mountains.  The ground was wet, after 1.50" of rain fell over the past few days.  Grass and wildflowers were full of seeds and blooms.  We made a circle of the ranch and arrived back home by early afternoon.  Scenes from our day...

Sunflowers

Papa and I drove into Willcox this morning.  These sunflowers were worthy of a roadside stop. With the Winchester Mountains crowned with clouds behind them... they were stunning!

Dew

Dew is rare in the desert.  The humidity was 92% early this morning.  We had rain late yesterday.  All the ingredients were present to make dew!  The grass all around the house was dripping with dew this morning.  Moisture was in the air much of the day, with intermittent showers.  A spectacular rain shower graced our view early this afternoon.

Remnants of a Hurricane

For all the energy spent on local weather, the rain was spotty over the past couple of days and we had about .50" at our house.  Rainfall across the ranch ranged from .25" to .75" while others within a 50 mile radius got up to 4".  We are grateful!  We woke up to clouds all around with sun peaking through this morning.  As the day has worn on, we've continued getting light rain.  Maybe the remnants of Hurricane Odile will linger.

In the Eye of Hurricane Odile

I woke up at 6 to find us in the eye of Hurricane Odile.  It was relatively calm, with clouds pouring over the mountain and sun lighting clouds to the south.  It was a beautiful morning, while waiting for the bands of rain to arrive.

Note to Lulu

I received this note from Emerson a few days ago.  She dictated this thank you to Claire. 
I love how we are holding hands in her drawing.  Thank you, Emerson.

Clouds of Hurricane Odile

Hurricane Odile hit Baja California this morning, with devastating effects.  During the day, the storm moved north onto mainland Mexico.  This evening, Odile's clouds are nearer the ranch.  The sunset this evening was spectacular!  Every time we looked up, the colors changed and became deeper. We're watching over the next few hours, hopeful that Odile will bring moisture to the ranch.

Fruit of Prickly Pear

The prickly pear in our house yard is loaded with plump purple fruit.  Looks luscious!

Two Bucks

Papa and I walked down the hill to the Rock House late this afternoon.  Along the way, we came upon fifteen deer, scattered in small groups, with a good size buck among them.  We stood and watched them while they watched us.  We noticed a second, small buck, standing next to the big buck.  Its a treat for us to see two bucks.

Beauty of September

We have had good summer rains and the ranch is at its best, with grass waving in the breeze, creek beds damp or wet, fall wildflowers in bloom, and clouds holding in some of summer's moisture. 

September 11

This day is a somber day for most Americans, as we remember the disaster of 9-11-01.  Certainly, I remember where I was at the moment I found out about the Twin Towers.   Each member of our immediate family was in a different place, and we were anxious to connect and say, "I love you." 

September 11 was also the birthday of my favorite aunt, Rhea.  Aunt Rhea passed away in October 2012.  I still think of her every day and miss our phone chats and visits.  Our oldest daughter is named for Aunt Rhea and two of our granddaughters have her name as their middle name. 

September 11 is a reminder to make the most of every day.  Live, laugh, take care of ourselves, give thanks, and play hard. 

Flying Home

We enjoyed six days/nights visiting family, with Audrey for three nights in Chicago, then with Brian for three nights in Dallas.  We visited the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.  We enjoyed meals together, playing make believe with Lauren and Taylor, and Cranium with Emily and Sarah.  Papa and I had a long lunch with my dearest friend, Linda, in Dallas. 

The flight home was uneventful.  As we neared the Winchester Mountains, we looked out the window to get a glimpse of our house, with lots of clouds all around.  Beautiful!

Fort Worth Botanic Garden

We flew from Chicago to Dallas late yesterday afternoon.  We arrived at Brian and Amy's house 

by 10 p.m. and enjoyed a late dessert together.  We talked until midnight, then got up this morning and drove to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.  We walked through the garden and across the street to the Japanese Garden.  We fed koi, smelled the flowers, and watched butterflies and geckos.  

We had a wonderful time spending the day with Brian, Amy, Emily and Sarah.

 

Chicago Botanic Garden

We enjoyed a morning visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden.  It was warm and humid, perfect weather for a nap in the stroller.  Little Taylor slept for almost two hours.  Lauren skipped through much of the park, smelling the flowers, pumping water, and checking out the vegetable garden.  We had a picnic of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with freshly picked apples.  A bumble bee found Lauren while we were picnicking and cut our visit short.  An ice pack fixed her right up!