Wind Cave hike at Usery Pass Mountain

Another hike up to Wind Cave at Maricopa County Usery Pass Mountain. This time with Sandi, her daughter Tina and her two children, Mia and Evan.

The warning signs didn't scare anybody.

It's amazing how green everything is in the Sanoran Desert

Hiding behind granite boulders the size of cars.

These natural formations were carved by wind and water erosion but it's more exciting for the kids when you explain that wild animals are responsible for them.

Signs of Spring.

We feel like tour guides on our favourite desert hike. Yvonne and I have climbed this mountain with over a dozen different visitors.

Couple Nights in Las Vegas

We left our warm & cozy desert oasis in Mesa for 3 fabulous days in cool & hectic Las Vegas. Plenty of time to catch up with Paul and Maryanne who were there attending a trade show. We also had time to see a couple first class shows.

I am not much of a gambler and that was made very evident when I lost $35 simply waiting for an elevator in the Treasure Island Casino.

Maryanne made it her mission to show us every nook and cranny along the 'Strip". We enjoyed every minute of it.

Caesars Palace

I didn't bring my camera to the Burton Cummings Show and I'm sorry for that. Paul and Maryanne were the youngest "Rockers" in the crowd which was 90% Canadian.

What is the significance of the 15 fingers?

15 is the number of times Maryanne has attended the Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil Beatle performance of "Love". She knows all the tricks including how to snag front row seats for the show when you've paid for 3rd balcony seating.

Snoozy Coyote in our Mesa backyard

Last night Yvonne casually said; Robert, check out the rabbits curled up sleeping in the back yard. 

Rabbits are a common sight. Coyotes, not so common but not the first we've seen.

I slowly pulled the window shade open to get a better view but it noticed the movement.

Healthy looking animal. And it should be, given the number of wild rabbits and birds that also call Leisure World their home.

 Knowing the importance of stretching before strenuous activity, it started a series of Coyote Yoga moves.

Where the Down-Dog got it's name.

While on the subject of wild animals in Leisure World, Yvonne and I watched in awe as an animal much like this Coatimundi walked across our back patio a couple days ago.  It was double the size of a full grown house cat, predominantly dark brown with a thick bushy tail. We thought that it could have been a Ringtail Cat but it lacked the stripped tail. We both had a good look at it but did not manage to snap a photo. This image was downloaded from the Internet.

The Hummer and the Flicker

Maybe it's just the rain but it seems a bit boring now that Joel and Amy have gone back to Slocan and NYC.

Mexican Fan Palm

Ruby Throat Hummingbird on Yvonne's insect-proof feeder.

He's not happy with me being so close but hey, don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Northern Flicker, big bird with big attitude!

Amy & Joel Visit and we take a Desert Walk

The last week of 2015 was special for us. Both Joel and Amy managed to find time to visit us in Sunny Arizona.

Making Pizza after a hard afternoon on the Pickleball Court. Those NYC tennis lessons really helped Amy out with her PB game although she'd never played it before.

I thought I'd experiment a bit with some retro Black & White photos of the desert.

Dormant Ocotillo Cactus

Photo ops everywhere you look.

Like the song goes…….and all that he could see, was the other side of the mountain.

Cholla Cactus clusters on Yvonne's shoe and no easy way to deal with them.

Note: In the future, keep a pair of pliers or large tweezers in the truck.

2015 Yard plants

We planted a little Mexican Fan Palm in the back yard this year. It will eventually grow to 80 feet in height but probably not in our lifetimes.

Intimidating looking character. Needles are at least 1" long.

Life at 1671

Wintertime….. and the living is easy….

Yvonne enjoying a late breakfast on the patio.

Our four-year-old Arizona Sweet and Washington Navel orange trees have responded quite well to our threats. Between the two, they have produced around 25 oranges. Too early to tell if they'll be sweet and seedless as promised.

All of these guys have a story to tell. Some are wild, others are rescue pups, some are arms recovered from a fallen cactus and one is from Home Depot.

This Indian Fig was only 6 inches tall when we moved here. Today, it's over 6 feet.