Up Close and Personal

Morning 3 mile walks around our AZ

community are getting challenging as there

are only so many "routes" you can take, so as I

listen to my music on my  iPhone while my "Runkeeper"

app keeps track of where I've walked & my mileage,

I take  photos and often a theme develops...

At a distance, these little flowers looked like

blossoms that had blown off of another

 plant and landed here.

Not so as you can see from this close-up. 

They were very small, only about 1 inch across.

 This cluster of color grabbed my attention

as did the detail of each independent blossom.

(I'll have to find out what it is.)

This prickly pear purple Beavertail Cactus

invited another up close & personal look...

as did the detail in this cactus which is growing

along the edge of the walk right behind our home.

It's going to be fun watching this Beavertail Cactus as it continues to

bloom and bloom.  Most desert plants have thorns,

but in the spring they put on a spectacular color show and

invite all passers by to take a closer look!!!

Shades of Blue and Green

One way to keep from getting too Blue during the

current social distancing, in response to Covid-19, is

to go for a drive.  So  yesterday we tried it again.

(Remember you can double click on any photo

to enlarge it and then use the "back arrow" to return.)

The clear blue cloudless sky was 

a beautiful contrast to the spring green grass, bushes

and Saguaros that covered the hills.

Of course there's always time for Don to try and

find another geocache or two.

This beautiful loop drive took us up and down over many

steep grades and climbing to over 5,500' elevation as  you

can see from the following video.

Time for the driver to catch his breath

so we stopped to find another geocache.

And no drive would be complete without a

little dirt driving

and an opportunity to photograph a 

colorful thistle to compliment

all the shades of blue & green!

Roosevelt lake is about 22.4 miles long and has a 

128 mile shoreline.

Hard to find a better lunch spot than this... 

Especially one with a somewhat flat rock table.

The Roosevelt Bridge looked great, especially without

any cars interfering with the view.

Don decided to look for another geocache at 

the entrance of Tonto National Monument since the

park was closed.  He didn't have any luck, but I did...

I didn't even know that Owl Clover grew 

in AZ, but here it is!!!

I also had an opportunity to shoot this video of

Roosevelt Lake by standing  on a cement bench next to

a large wall which made the process easy.

Then we headed for Globe where we picked up

Highway 60 West to Gold Canyon, completing

our 150 mile loop.  

Northern Gannet

We recently watched a TV show about the Northern Gannet,

 one of the largest seabirds of the North Atlantic.  And, it was spectacular

 as it plunged into the sea in pursuit of fish. 

With a spear-like bill and spiky tail, it looks "pointed at both ends", 

They can dive  from a height of 98 feet, while achieving 
speeds of 62 mph as they strike the water.  
They can dive as deep as 72 feet, and use

their wings and feet to swim deeper in pursuit of fish.

I was so impressed I researched it further and decided to make 

 a paper collage piece (which I'd never done before). I took snapshots

of some textured, variegated paper, for the background

and cut out the shape of the two birds.

Thinking about other processes I knew (stained glass, mosaic

and tapestry weaving) I used different shades of the highly textured paper

for the background.  This was glued to a shiny black poster

board to create the look of grout or solder between the paper shapes.

The finished 9" x 12" project, will be framed in

a rosewood frame with non-glare glass.

Other interesting facts:  They have air sacs in the face and chest 

under the skin, which act like bubble wrap. 

cushioning the impact with the water.

The position of their eyes is far enough 

forward on the face for binocular like vision. 

allowing them to judge distances accurately.

Social Distancing

Social Distancing is enjoyable when you jump

in your car and drive a dirt road to pick up

a few geocaches and take photographs.  Today's

post captures yesterdays "distancing".

Queen Valley is about 17 miles away from where 

we live.  As we passed the golf course, the pavement ended.

Don had looked for a geocache here, near Elephant Butte,

in 2015 but didn't find it.  (The elephant is resting on

the ridge facing east in this photo.)

Ahhh - Success this time.

A number of years ago someone tried to develop 

this remote area by selling 40-80 acre parcels and some 

beautiful homes were built in the area around Elephant Butte.

Some looked like this, while

others looked like this.

While exploring the area, Don found

another geocache.  The hint was look for the

rocks.  Well, there were lots of rocks in the container

but he found it hidden under a log!!!

After considerable distancing on this dirt road, the

car was looking pretty grimy so we headed back to

civilization and paved roads, stopping here and 

there so I could take some flower photos.

The most prolific bloomer of the day was the

Hedge Hog Cactus.

 Hey, that reminds me I knitted some "Hedge Hogs" for

my 2 granddaughters, Cassie & Megan 12 years ago when

they were 13 and 14 respectfully.

Back on the pavement near the golf course

we stopped for yet another photo.

These 2 images were carved on a couple of

Fan Palms near a golf course lake.

All in all a great therapeutic day.  When we arrived
home, Don took the blower to the car since we had
been to the car wash a few days ago and turned this

into this!!!

Wandering continues... with a purpose

Todays wander included purpose... geocaching,

and the trail was only 7 miles from  home.

To start with we walked the power line

 and then deviated from

the main "trail".  Don got 2 geocaches!!

We walked about 2 miles and we saw a vole
and 4  lizards, which means trouble
because they are what rattlesnakes eat...
so we had to keep our eyes peeled!!!

Fortunately the trail was wide and easy which allowed
plenty of time to look at the scenery instead
of watching for snakes.  A red-tailed hawk
flew off his perch atop the power pole and
continued to circle us for much of the time.

This large saguaro was severely damaged
with only it's internal "ribs" holding it together.

The flowers  "Desert Globe Mallow"  thrive in
the heat and they are everywhere now since we had
sufficient rain this winter.

These are Desert Marigold - very pretty

 The "after life" of the desert Cholla provided an interesting

window thru which to view the Superstition Mountains. 

The opening at the left edges where Preying Hands

Trail leads.  I have hiked up there many times, and you

have a great vista point to enjoy as you eat your lunch!!!

Wandering Aimlessly...

I headed out at 9 a.m. again this morning

to do my daily three 18 minute miles 

(because I am a goal setter in case you forgot).

It's all we can do here in our community due to Covid-19.

The good thing about wandering is 

enjoying the local AZ flora...

This is an Ocotillo - a spiny scarlet-flowered
dessert shrub which looked beautiful silhouetted
against today's blue, blue sky.  And it is a mecca
for the hummingbirds...

The branches are interesting, but it has mega-thorns!!!

The Saguaro  (pronounced se waro) is a giant cactus which
can grow to 66 feet, with branches like a candelabra and
is native to AZ  It can take 10 years to reach 1" in height.
By 70 years it can reach 6 1/2' and finally start to grow arms
When rain is plentiful it can weight between 3200-4800 lbs,
and they can live to be 150 to 200 years old. 

This is a Saguaro with a band-aid.  A colony of
bees decided to nest in this particular saguaro
very near the activity center, which called
for major surgery to get rid of the hazard it created.

And I couldn't resist adding another tribute to the

Argentine Cactus who is really starting to show off...

These beautiful blossoms sadly only last for
one day.  The have a diameter the size of
a large hand!!!

A "5-C" Kind of Day

AZ is known as the 5 C state for its 

Cotton, Citrus, Cattle, Climate & Copper

and I think they missed another "Cloud Formations"

Anxious to escape our confinement (as most of you
are also experiencing as a result of Covid-19),

Don and I climbed into our Honda CRV 

for a colorful drive east on Hwy 60

 and then South on Hwy 177.  

The clouds continued to cooperate as we headed towards
the Ray Copper Mine.

FYI, the mine consists of a 250,000 ton/day 

open pit mine with a 30,000 ton/day concentrator, 

a 103 million pound/year solvent extraction-electrowinning

operation, and associated maintenance, 

warehouse and administrative facilities. Cathode copper

 produced is shipped to outside customers and 

the Asarco Amarillo Copper Refinery.

People have been digging for precious metals

 in Arizona for a long time. 

The copper color was enhanced by cloudy skies
and the color green.

And the color of the tailing piles could
definitely be an inspiration for a quilt. 

By 1863, nearly a quarter of Arizonans were mining

 for metals. Obviously, copper ore is still mined in 

the state today.  

Native Americans

 used gold, silver and copper for tools,

 weapons, jewelry, and painting pottery. 

And, they aren't the only ones...
My friend Nancy Finn of CA created
this stunning coiled copper necklace
for me to wear at my Grandson's wedding.

It was definitely a copper colored day...