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I arrived home last Wednesday. Sky came down on Thursday to help me unload. What a great job she did! Now all I have to do is clean my rig in my leisure time. I'm expecting Mike, my handyman, to come fix the drip in the shower faucet. I'm catching the water in a bucket and putting it on my bushes in the courtyard. I can't afford to waste any of this expensive Elephant Butte water.

While I wait, let me take you on a tour of Organ Pipe National Monument. I hiked the Desert View Trail alone without my walking stick. I was just too anxious to take pictures. The visitor's center is dedicated to a slain park ranger.

I'm no expert, but maybe the wind did that to the cactus. The poor guy below is dead, but they don't believe in burying them.

This was the only cactus bloom that I saw. The flowers below are just a few of the many. This really is the best time to visit the desert.

The two previous pictures give you an idea of how rugged the mountains are. There is evidence everywhere of illegals coming through. Next stop Tucson.

Crater Range and Ajo

I must apologize for telling everyone that there was lava rock on the road near Organ Pipe. My mistake! What I was remembering was Crater Range a little north of Ajo. My pictures aren't that good, because it was the wrong time of day. Maybe this picture will give the feeling of craters on the moon?

Next to flowers, I think dead trees are a photographer's favorite.

Old habits die hard. I found a fresh survey marker and had to take a picture.

The Ajo Heights RV Park was very clean and well-run. This a garden/horseshoe area with lots of trees and cactus. The birds were singing, but I didn't get any pictures, just the two unoccupied birdhouses and a rustic wagon.

The wind was blowing one day, so I toured downtown and took some pictures of Immaculate Conception Church. I couldn't resist the architecture and the bright blue sky.

Blogus Interruptus

Sometimes Blogger gets cranky! On President's Day we continued on to Felicity, CA, just across the highway from Pilot's Knob that I've hiked twice. Felicity's claim to fame is being the center of the Universe. It's a beautiful work in progress of an etched in marble History of Mankind. This me with my foot on the mark.

This the building from the outside. I actually have a certificate showing that I was there.

Here's my friend Bernie. She asked the photographer to do a close-up. We found one of the etchers at work, and he shared some insight about his job. For instance, he has a second job as cook in a restaurant for the necessities of life.

I watched this church being built over the years. It sits on a man-made hill with a tremendous view. Supposedly non-denominational, but it has a Catholic flavor and a graveyard that says "consecrated" ground on a nearby sign. The church was dedicated by a priest and bishop.

This stair portion has something to do with the stairs going up to the Eiffel Tower. I think this too is a work in progress.

The next day I took Bernie to Martinez Lake because she had never been and I'm a sucker for acting as a tour guide. Here's one or some of my flower pix from there.

On my last 4-wheeling trip, our last stop was Baker's Tanks. Norma and Bernie posed to add some significance to an otherwise uneventful trip.

Next stop Organ Pipe National Monument. Right now, I'm off to a photography club meeting.

Blog Police

Well, it's a good thing there is no such thing, I think! I had so much fun last month that I just didn't have time to post. Fortunately, I downloaded the pix in a timely manner. Here are a few to re-cap my adventures, mostly done on four wheeling trips. Here's a shot of my friends Quinten and Norma at the Betty Lee turquoise mine.

This the group at lunch time. Then we hiked up the arroyo to another abandoned mine.

I always wanted to go to a Renaissance Faire and they just happened to have one at the Wetlands Park in downtown Yuma. These are my friends Doreen, June and Curtis. I guess I don't need pictures of what's going on around us. Just look in the reflections on their sunglasses.

I just loved the clothes and butterfly whatevers.

We had a surprise birthday party for our friend Bud who celebrated his 91st birthday on February 1.

That's his son from Deming, NM. Bud's getting ready to give Barb Thompson a big hug. You got to watch these young guys!

For years, everyone had been talking about what a great tour the Yuma Territorial Prison had. My friend Bernie and I went there one day and were not disappointed. The tour guide was great.

This is a roadrunner trying to get on the grounds. You can't tell but he's outside an iron fence.

I had been wanting to go to Talking Rocks forever. It's an area on the Indian reservation where people go four wheeling and on up to Slot Canyon. At Talking Rocks, people use big rocks to make their names or whatever on the desert. We didn't go up to Slot Canyon, because we didn't have enough manpower in the group. It was just Quinten escorting Norma, Bernie, June and me. Here's June and Norma's claim to fame.

This group Desert Ratz has their own monument out there. I had to dress up the picture with some pretty ladies.

President's Day, Bernie and I went out to the Dunes to see how many funsters were still there for the long holiday.

To be continued.....