North Dakota? Not!

Well, I would like to say these are shots from ND but you know better.

Actually they were taken Saturday on a trip to Gold Canyon and were scenes from a very nice golfing resort.

No, I haven't taken up golf but the couple we were with has been golfing for quite a few years.

Lee and Marsha were two of several couples from ND we ran into while in Phoenix. We had fun exploring the area and taking in a baseball game. We are home now, but the ground still looks like it did when we left... white.

A Gorgeous Day in Phoenix

Today we went to a City of Phoenix Botanical Park. Not much was blooming but I noticed a bird carrying a worm into the middle of this cactus.

Before too long out popped this head... a Cactus Wren had made a nest in this prickly cactus.

I think the Cactus Wren is the state bird of Arizona.

Then we headed to Scottsdale for a little shopping. After finding a parking place, we walked around a bit.

There were some flowers blooming probably because of watering.

Even a flowering tree was blooming.

The highlight of the day was meeting up with Brian and Bev (Vic's cousin) who are visiting from Calgary. We had also run into them on one of our Hawaii visits on Oahu. Back home in ND there is a blizzard raging. Hard to believe!

Flying Things in the Desert

The desert has some beautiful flying creatures. This Vermillion Flycatcher is one of them.

Apparently "birders" from around the world come here to catch a glimpse of this beauty.

A local birder knew just where to tell me to go and find him and sure enough, he was there. No, it wasn't at a zoo, but the edge of a group of soft-ball fields near some trees.


Outside our hotel another sign of Spring... doves nesting in a nearby tree.

What would the desert be without Quail.
This one high-tailed it out of here when it saw me. Looks like it's Easter Bonnet is already purchased.

I would call this a Flicker but it probably has a Southern name.

This Curved Billed Thrasher has a beautiful song like his Northern neighbor.

The Acorn Wood-pecker already made a debut on the blog. I spotted him in the Madera Canyon south of Tucson.

I don't know that I had seen a Verdin before. They seem to be nectar drinkers and was going at this bloom on a cactus.

They are tiny birds with a patch of reddish-orange on each wing.

These flying things aren't really part of the desert but were cruising around in preparation for an airshow. They are the F-4 Phantom, the P-38 Lightning; and the P-51 Mustang.

Desert Hike

I am beginning with a poppy from the Arizona Inn to give some color.

There isn't much color in the desert right now as it seems dormant, dry, and lacking any color.

The desert flowers are dependent upon rains in the fall and it appears there has been little of that.

How these huge Saguaros survive from year to year is amazing as they seem able to store water when necessary for the dry years. I have learned that I can't be looking through a viewfinder all the time for fear of running into one of the many prickly shrubs.

Every step has a mishap waiting for the one not paying attention.

I have concluded that the Lord made these desert plants with stickers because if He hadn't, they would all be consumed by the critters for the moisture they contain.

Imagine backing into this baby!

The next series of shots shows what my new little Lumix can do. Do you see the mountain range in the distance? We noticed some green color near the top and wondered what it was.

Looks like it may be shrubs or some kind of plants growing.

A closer look yet shows they may be trees.

And a still closer look on a nearby summit shows that there are trees up there after all. Whew, am I glad for the camera because it saved me a hike all the way up to find out!

We decided these folks had the right idea. Nice vista to wake up to and go to sleep looking at each day. Not sure the campground will be full in July!