A Few Days in Abilene

On our way home from Arizona we stopped to see our favorite Grandkids and their parents.  When you have only two, they can be your favorites.  I got to go to Scouts with the boys and watch Mack make a pencil box.  Daddy let him glue it.

Like Legos, Plus Plus also comes out of Scandinavia.  Here are a few characters that our characters made with their Plus Plus pieces. Each piece is the same shape, unlike Legos, though they are colored differently and they store in a clear plastic tube when taken apart.  Why didn't I think of that?

We got the Grands binoculars for Christmas and they got to try them out at Abilene State Park.  How do you know if they really got them adjusted right since you can't see what they see?  Oh well, they will figure it out sooner or later.

The State Park is a favorite for the kids but I have to say that Texas ought to be able to have a more attractive place for a state park.  What you see in the background is pretty much it.  Of course if you have memories of Hawaii, which we all do, nothing else compares.

It is fun to see how they love to explore the trails and notice things around them...

or on the ground... 

or in the stream... The State Park is near the funky little village of Buffalo Gap.  Apparently the buffalo did roam there and used the park as a watering hole.

Picnic anyone?  In February?  Yep, it was nice enough for a picnic lunch... it will be awhile before we have one.  It was below zero when we got home. 

The CCC boys built this water tower after they built a swimming pool and restrooms for it.  It seems the water tower was needed because there wasn't enough water pressure to flush the toilets in the changing rooms; so why not build a water tower to solve the problem?  I think maybe the government continues to "fix" problems it makes like this today.  

Final days in Arizona - 2018

We didn't get to walk the lake in Scottsdale as much as we would have liked, but always enjoyed it when we did. 

This beauty was at the Riparian Preserve; the best birding site in Maricopa County, so it claims.

The Costa's Hummingbird is new to me, but I like any bird who sits still for its photograph.

Can you tell it was chilly the day we went birding with M's sister?  All in all we had a wonderful five weeks with above normal temperatures and much needed (for us) sunshine!

We made a quick trip to see Frank Lloyd Wright's western studio and home. 

I was sorry I didn't get a better picture of these two from Tucson, but we enjoyed our day with them and ate lunch at Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert.   

Old Town Scottsdale is always a fun place to visit. 

My cousin and wife from San Diego came for several days and we had a wonderful visit.  Wish they lived closer but they aren't moving toward North Dakota and we aren't moving to California!  

M said that these two love birds reminded her of us... yeah, right.  Actually as I recall,  I think that it was I who said it.

A visit to Fountain Hills was a first for the Californians.  Interestingly, they said Arizona seemed much cleaner than their area in Southern California.

While walking around the lake in Fountain Hills I spotted this Vermillion Fly Catcher.  I wished that someone had taken a picture of me getting these pictures.  I was standing on a steep slope and couldn't keep my balance when I was looking through the lens finder of the cameras, so Cousin G grabbed my belt from behind me and held on to steady me so I could take the pictures.  I am sure that was quite interesting for passers-by.

What a beautiful bird and to watch it flit down from the perch and grab an insect on the fly and return to the perch is a show in itself. 

I was up early enough to see the rare Blue-Blood eclipse of the moon.  Hard to get a decent shot without a tripod.

On our way out of Arizona we met a couple from home just coming to Scottsdale for the month of February.  The ladies used mile markers and cell phones to set up a meeting in the middle of nowhere in Northern Arizona.  Such a fun way to end our great five weeks in Arizona.