March Madness

Well, I don't have any basketball pictures, even though, I am a huge fan, and New Mexico and Arizona did give us cause to cheer. I was expecting company from out of town and was busy scouting birding areas and other nearby tourist attractions. This particular Saturday I went to Catalina State Park north of Oro Valley. What a really great place for hiking and birding. They also have great areas for RV's. I took the birding path, because my Canadian friend Brock was soon to arrive. These were the pictures that I took on my walk.

You can barely see the moon in the arm of this saguaro to the left.

Looks like a nice easy path; however, it does change in the next picture. Instead of having you hike up a path, they conveniently constructed some stairs. Also got my shadow while taking the picture.

This is a view going up the other side. Hard to watch for birds while you're making your way, but the dedicated birders that I know would do just that.

So this is how insane life in Tucson can be. Of course, it grew without my permission, and right across the street from the State Park is the Oro Valley Market Place which is a really nice shopping mall. They were having a car show and one of my photography groups Shoot It Raw was meeting here to take pictures. There were hundreds of people there snapping away, and I never did find anyone from my group.
I have a fondness for Bugs as many others do judging from the shot.

My mom and dad had one of these Buicks only it wasn't a convertible.

Before NASCAR became popular, we always listened to the Indy Race on Memorial Day while doing lawn work in Albuquerque.

This is what I guess is termed as a "selfie." I don't know if the shadow counts as an added bonus.

Evidently this guy's wife insisted on having a Bentley. I guess I should have gotten a shot of the whole car, but the price was so staggering that my eyes glazed over...Hundred of Thousands! Yikes, back in 1999 to boot. Oh well, this is what make car shows interesting and taking pictures a bonus.

Another Desert Museum Day

Since my friend Ed Fenton was nice enough to take care of my flowers while Karen Keating and I went to Antelope Canyon last week, I took him to the Desert Museum, because he had never been. I promote the museum whenever I can, because I'm a member and they give us free guest passes and other perks like free ice coffee and tea when we want to take a break. We had an excellent docent as they all are, and Ed was impressed learning how to use his camera. At some point, I realized I didn't have my cell phone. Thinking I probably left it in the car, I didn't worry too much. After all, you know how seniors are! We left the docent to enjoy our coffees on the patio, and then did the butterflies and humming birds. The butterflies were non-existent, and the hummers were too fast for my mind that had already started to worry about my cell phone. When we got back to the car and searched for my phone by Ed calling my number and establishing that it wasn't there, my blood pressure must have been astronomical. I let the people at the ticket booth know what my problem was, plus the docents who immediately banded together by calling one another and putting the word out. Ed and I re-traced our path, and I really felt that someone would readily see a purple cell phone lying on the ground. The window people gave me a local Verizon number to call from their phone book, and we dejectedly returned to the car and decided to head to a Verizon store. I had a Verizon number to call, but the guy was in New York and hadn't a clue how to help me. My phone book number locally turned out not to be the store that I last visited. As we were headed to town, Ed's phone rang, and miracle of miracles, the phone had been found in the parking lot. The young lady at the entrance window had enough smart sense to call the last missed call, which was the time that Ed called so we could find the phone in the car. After retrieving the phone, we headed to Olive Garden for soup, salad and WINE. However, I did take a few pictures.

The above is a Western coral bean.

Same flower...different stage of bloom.

Can't stop taking pictures of plain old petal cactus.

I'm Back

So, I've been viewing other blogs and everyone knows that there are a lot out there. Originally, my main focus was to let my children know where I was in my travels. Now that I've settled down this past year except for day trips and occasional long trips, I've been very lazy. I've been taking pictures left and right and making new friends without benefit of sharing. Shame on me. I plan to remedy that. By the same token, I plan to speak my mind from day to day about various things and maybe not show any pictures. I love Facebook because I can keep up with family, particularly my sister's family and my late husband's, but everything else is so in your Face. It's the good with the bad, and I know I have the option to modify what I see, but lazy must be my new modus operondi. Other things that are happening are that my motor home and Tracker are up for sale, plus the house in Elephant Butte. Tomorrow I'm taking another friend to the Desert Museum, because he's never been and I have lots of visitor passes. Plus it's a really great place. At this time of the year, you have to go early morning. Our temps are already heading into the triple digits.

Well, I guess I couldn't post without at least one picture. This is my friend Patrick Moore who recently visited me from Truth or Consequences. This is the top of Kitt Peak, an observatory west of Tucson. I had never been there. The scenery was truly incredible. Unfortunately, the telescopes that were on our tour were not working that day. Great pics and fun anyway.

Remembering Ginny Nylen

Virginia Nylen passed away in Tucson, Arizona on December 11, 2013. Ginny was born September 8, 1939 in Trail, BC, Canada to Ralph and Mary Scriven. She went to school in Olds, Alberta and then Swift Current, Saskatchewan. After graduating with her RN degree from Calgary General Hospital in 1960, she worked in Santa Barbara, CA, then moved to Oahu where she and several of her CGH classmates lived together and worked at Queen’s Hospital. She married in 1962, and lived on the Big Island for four years. While raising a family, she obtained her BS in nursing, and then her Masters in Public Health. She also continued to work as a nurse at Castle Hospital, Salvation Army Addiction Treatment Facility (ATF), Drug Addiction Services of Hawaii (DASH), Ask a Nurse, and ultimately at Hawaii State Hospital. In her retirement, she has spent time both in Hawaii and on the mainland, and for the past 8 years, she has kept a motor home on the mainland, travelling throughout the United States and Canada, and making friends along the way. She has also made trips to Asia and Europe and has been on several cruises with family and friends. Ginny gave freely of her time to such worthy causes as the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, and the Presbyterian Church Mission. Predeceased by her parents, Ginny is survived by her children, Reyn, Randy and Heather, and by her grandson Noa, all on Oahu. She leaves behind her brother Morris (Carole) Scriven, and sister Linda (Colin) Sumner, as well as numerous cousins in Canada. Ginny is also survived by a host of friends and acquaintances both in the US and Canada, all of whom will miss her sharp sense of humor, her honesty, her wisdom and her willingness to help people. In accordance with Ginny's wishes. her ashes will be scattered at Chinaman’s Hat in a private family ceremony.

The above is a copy of the obituary that Ginny's daughter Heather sent me.

I first met Ginny at Desert Haven, an animal rescue place, where we were both volunteers in New Mexico. After I got my motor home, we would plan to meet at various destinations and always had a wonderful time. She and Colin and Linda are responsible for me being at Mission View here in Tucson. They literally helped me move from New Mexico. I always called Ginny my Guardian Angel; she was always there to help. My blog post for Thanksgiving has, I guess, our last pictures of Ginny.

This is a scrapbook page that I did for her when she visited me near Yuma in 2011. Her smile says it all.

Today was the family's memorial at Chinaman's Hat. Rest in Peace, dear friend.

Copper Canyon Trip Friday

This morning we had another great breakfast and everyone was ecstatic because they were able to connect with the rest of the world from the lobby. Our bus took us to the old Casas Grandes where Paquime the ruins and museum are located. The town site had a square and an old church, but the money was at the museum, so that's where we headed.

Carlos started giving us a very interesting lecture about the ruins, but we who wanted to take pictures took off and did exactly that. One lady from Australia said, "I can Google this!"  

The pictures above are two views of the same thing. The bird (top right) is in both pictures. I think he liked getting his picture taken. Part of the ruins look like mud with vertical lines; that part is original. Any stone work is done to hold the original stuff together and preserve it. I don't know if they have treated the old stuff to keep it from melting in the elements or not.

The last picture is a bit of poetic license. I took the shot from inside the museum through a window. The area was a courtyard. My regrets: I didn't take pictures of any pottery, nor did I buy any. What I saw just didn't grab me.

Back on the bus, we headed for the border and Agua Prieta where we would eat lunch. It was a hair-raising ride through a mountain pass on a two lane road full of semis. Before we entered this stretch, Carlos told us that just six miles away was Flowing Wells, NM. They are building a road that way so traffic would not have to suffer this horrendous bit of highway. Lunch was good, but I tasted the fruit-flavored water and asked immediately for bottled water. I suspect that was my downfall, because Saturday morning I awoke with Montezuma's Revenge or a severe intestinal flu. Back to the trip: crossing the borders, both Mexican and American was relatively easy and we were soon on our way to Tucson via Bisbee and Tombstone. 

Karen picked me up at the hotel, and Marilyn and Maria followed us home so that my two new friends could spend the night, because hotel rooms were scarce. We had fun drinking wine and showing Karen our new treasures. I hadn't seen the pretties that Marilyn and Maria acquired at the museum and was green with envy. The next morning I'd be green for another reason.

Reflections: it was a great trip meeting new people and seeing the sights that I always wanted to. Need to learn more about tours. Thirty-seven people on one bus is probably seventeen too many. More breaks are necessary if you're going to cover long distances. All in all. I'm glad I did it!

Copper Canyon Trip Thursday

So I got bored with the numbering! Our bus down the mountain took us to Creel where we had time to shop and see the square. I always like to take pictures of churches. Instead of having an historic church on the square, they had this very modern one. The first picture is the front of the church and the second is the back. Notice the fancy confessionals and what I'm assuming is a choir loft. On the left front was a side chapel which could be completely closed off, and I figured was for parents with small children (I don't have a picture). Someone in this town must have money. I'll have to Google it to see what fuels their economy. Should have paid closer attention to Carlos's lecture.

As you can tell by now, I love to take pictures of ordinary people, and evidently these people were used to tourists. Some even asked for money; some of my fellow travelers volunteered to pay them. I don't know if they had market day every day on the plaza, but it was full of vendors with not just tourist items, but household items.

In this shop I bought an apron for my friend Karen who loves to cook. It has Indian designs and appliqued Tarahumara Indian dolls on it. Below is our LOSER bus! Not really. The company that Carlos evidently worked for was called A CLOSER LOOK, but the marquee was scrolling and I caught a funny.

This is a picture of my friends Maria and Marilyn. Maria's husband doesn't like to travel, so he's at home taking care of Maria's two horses; Marilyn is a somewhat recent widow with a successful real estate business who travels extensively any chance she gets. The restaurant where the picture was taken is in a town called Guerrero in the heart of Mormon country. Our food was delicious and since they have miles of apple orchards, we had hot apple pie with homemade ice cream for dessert. I did indulge.

Our stop for the evening and our farewell dinner was in Casas Grandes Nuevo. The hotel was like an American one; I had just gotten used to the quaintness of our other ones and was rudely brought back to the real world. The closer one gets to the United States the more they want to mimic American culture; I guess they think that's what Americans want. I preferred absorbing their culture. On the bus that afternoon, we were shown a video explaining how the Indians make and fire their pottery. Before we went into the restaurant for dinner, two local artists demonstrated how they fire their beautiful creations. It's rather primitive, more like lighting a bonfire. After dinner, the gentleman with the pony tail which I think you've seen in at least two pictures volunteered to be the auctioneer for several pieces of pottery. My friend Marilyn got the first, and even though Maria tried, she was outbid in her attempt. Not to worry, we'll be able to buy some at the museum tomorrow. Marilyn had the honor of having her picture taken with the artists and the other winners. Back at the hotel, everyone was trying to connect to the Internet. We were supposed to have service on the bus, but it was so slow as to be non-existent. Tomorrow is going to be another long day of riding and not knowing how long it will take us to get across the border at Nacho.

Copper Canyon Trip Day Six

Several of us hiked to the edge of the canyon rim to see the sunrise this morning. We were not disappointed. The second picture is of the first hotel ever built at the canyon. It is very beautiful, but does not always have water. The owners of the hotel where we are staying have their own access to water as you will see later.

This is one of the Indian dwellings down in the canyon. It is very rocky, but they find a little soil to have a garden. The Tarahumara Indians were supposed to give us a basket weaving demonstration after breakfast, but didn't show up. Carlos said that was normal, so he took us to an elementary school in the village. This was so much fun. The students were first through fifth grade and so well-behaved, but you could tell by their eyes that they were holding back their mischief.

They danced for us probably something similar to our square dancing. One young lady with a wonderful voice sang a solo. Two boys demonstrated how they train for their foot races which the Indians are world famous for. Don't you just love it when I end a sentence with a preposition? The whole group sang the Mexican national anthem. Then Carlos asked us the sing our national anthem. There were only three couples who weren't from the states. I was so proud of our group; we sang our hearts out, and I was misty-eyed at the end.

We had such a wonderful group of generous caring individuals. They purchased items and donated willingly for any cause suggested. We naturally gave to these children who performed for us and made us so welcome. Each of us also received a personal note with a message and sample of their handwriting and art. We were all so touched.

Next we went to visit the granddaughter of a seer. She is evidently learning to take her grandmother's place. Four of my companions volunteered to let her tell them what their physical problems were. She was very entertaining. The rest of the family was there to sell. The shawls below were beautifully woven, but that's not why I shot the picture obviously. That little boy was just too cute!

This is the tram that was supposed to take us to the bottom of the canyon, but it's not completed yet, so they took us to a point somewhat lower and toward the middle. About 15 or 20 of my companions chose to do the zip line and said it was a real blast.

This fellow is playing the fiddle right there on the very edge. Naturally, there were more vendors.

Our next stop was a picnic/barbecue lunch next to the spring-fed lake that our hotel owned. It was very pretty and had a rock formation that reminded us of Stonehenge.

This was how we roughed it for our lunch. Notice the shelter, tablecloths, and large area where they cooked our brisket. Also my two new friends from San Diego, Maria and Marilyn.

After lunch I elected to go on another guided hike of the rim of the canyon and we met some cave dwellers. You can see that their home is built into the side of the canyon wall. It's not that evident in this picture, but the canyon wall is blackened from their outdoor fires.

Another cutie who seems to be in charge of selling those rocks. Does his mother know how close he's sitting to the edge?

Back to the hotel dining room for Happy Hour, a good dinner, and a gent playing the guitar for entertainment. Our last night in the canyon. After breakfast tomorrow, our big bus will meet us at the bottom of the driveway and take us to our next destination.