Road Trip

Papa and I left Tucson yesterday morning, on a road trip, to northern Arizona.  We stopped first in Prescott, for lunch with Mary and her friend, Pam.  We also went to the Leather Worker's Trade Show at Prescott Conference Center.  Papa left with a few new leather tools.  We continued north through Jerome, Clarkdale, and Cottonwood, to Sedona.  The ride was beautiful, with clear skies.

We stayed overnight in Sedona and started fresh this morning, first hiking the Devil's Bridge Trail, which culminated in us hiking both under and over a natural bridge.  We did a short hike to an overlook of Cathedral Rock, and finally to the Chapel in the Rocks. 

We drove up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff in the afternoon.  We stayed at the 

England House Bed and Breakfast, a stone house built in 1906 and beautifully updated.

Cactus Spines

Just as Papa and I were going out the door for dinner, the sun was shining through the spines of a cactus off our dining room patio.  The spines were glowing and golden.

Early Spring in Tucson

We are spending a few days in Tucson this week, after volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club on Tuesday. We're meeting pairs of BGC kids for lunches and dinners, to talk about their specific situations, and we're taking care of some much needed cleaning and repairs at our Tucson house.   The weather is perfect with spring flowers starting to bloom!

Wildflowers Starting to Bloom

Over the weekend, Papa and I hiked and rode around the ranch on the Ranger.  We went south and west on separate outings.  Wildflowers are beginning to bloom.  We had numerous deer sightings.

Trash Duty

A ranch guest once asked us, "do they come pick up your trash?"  Papa replied, "there is no they.  We burn our own trash."  Before I started construction on our house in 2004, I had a trash pit dug, so that we could keep the construction site clean.  It is still our trash pit, and Papa burns our house trash, along with yard debris, every couple of weeks.  Papa was on trash duty yesterday morning.

Stray Calf

Around noon yesterday, we noticed that a calf had gone through the fence and gotten into the wrong pasture.  After lunch, Papa saddled Pablo and tried unsuccessfully to move the calf back to our home pasture.  The calf would circle around and run farther and farther away, while Pablo got more and more excited and less able to round up the calf.

By late afternoon, the calf was coming back toward our home pasture.  Papa saddled Oscar, rode up the ridge, and this time moved the calf back into the pasture.  She had calf friends across the canyon waiting for her.  Oscar is sometimes "the Grouch" but he is always dependable.

Cloudy Sunset

We were in Tucson from Tuesday to mid afternoon Thursday, volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club, having breakfast and dinner with friends, and going to several appointments.  As we got closer to the ranch, the sky was heavier with clouds.  The sunset was colorful, with deep red and orange.  We're happy to be back home!

Monday Hike

We have had extraordinary weather over the past week, with daily temps reaching the 70's.  We've spent time outside every day, working in our yard and hiking.  Our Monday hike was up a ridge we see from our house, about a mile away.  It is a grassy ridge with beautiful views.  The views across the ranch remind us of how remote we are.  We are grateful to live on Winchester Ranch!

New DALE Bag

Papa made my new bag over the past week and finished it in time for Valentine's Day.   I love it!

Bisbee

Papa and I had lunch in Bisbee on Friday, after our visit to Whitewater Draw.  Bisbee was founded 

as a copper, gold, and silver mining town in 1880.  Today it "is a free-spirited place with a thriving arts/music/hospitality scene, amid a remarkably well-preserved historical architectural setting,"and a population of 5500.  We walked about town, enjoying the beautiful day and the architecture.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy 80th Birthday!

Time with Horses this Afternoon

Papa and I took the Ranger up the next ridge from the house, this afternoon to look for agave.  Our horses were grazing in the creek and ran behind the Ranger to the corral. 

Whitewater Draw

"Many people visit Whitewater Draw each winter to experience the memorable sights and sounds of more than 20,000 sandhill cranes. These birds spend the night standing in Whitewater Draw’s shallow waters to evade predators, and then fly out each morning to feed and socialize in the surrounding area. They return to Whitewater Draw in the afternoon and evening. The number of wintering sandhill cranes in the area has increased dramatically since the 1950s, probably in response to the abundant food (primarily corn) available in harvested grain fields. This area is now the best sandhill crane-viewing site in Arizona.  In addition to sandhill cranes, Whitewater Draw’s waters attract many kinds of ducks, geese, herons, egrets, shorebirds, gulls and terns."

We visited Whitewater Draw yesterday, arriving just after 11, after reading on a birding forum that the sandhill cranes return each day between 11 and 1, after feeding in cornfields up and down the Sulphur Springs Valley.  The birds returned to Whitewater Draw like clockwork.  It was amazing to watch!