When turtles fly….

 

I took a road trip with my BFF, Annie, yesterday.  We hit the road and had lunch at Anita’s in Wickenburg, cruised through Congress Junction, climbed (in the car) Yarnell Hill, breezed through the town of Yarnell and then spent lovely hours in the Kirkland – Skull Valley area.  We did end up finally making it to Prescott and (of course) The Gurley Street Grill for sweet potato fries!!!  Just on the edge of Prescott is Watson Lake and there’s a very nice park there.  It was a breezy day and the kids were out with their kites.

 

 

 

 

Brian, this is the one I should have saved “Kowabunga” for, huh?  My son, David, loved The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I kinda think you might have liked them too. :)

This one looked so beautiful in the sky.

 

I so wished I didn’t have a cast on my foot!  I would have been right out there with the kids flying a kite.

Kowabunga!!!

 

                                                    Hope you all have a fun-filled weekend!!!

 

Happy Birthday, Leslie!!!

They went that a way…..

 

This is a shot I took the day Tracy and I went to the duck pond. I have seen this cactus for years and it always makes me think of the title of the post. Tracy thought it looks like a horse at the top.

What do you think?

Of course, now you can see all the dust on my lens. Such is life. :)

Got to take the girls to school.  

Flower caviar…

You'll have to look close to see the caviar.

Sunshine and flowers….what else?

 

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.”
Joseph Addison

On point….

 

This goose was standing in this position for several minutes the day Tracy and I went to the park.

It made me think of a ballerina….really. No, I was not on drugs legal or otherwise!!  I have proof…of a sort.  Here’s Tracy’s post with the same bird.

You know you’re a shut in….

 

when you start taking pictures of pictures.

Recently, Sharon at Phoenix Daily Photo, posted a picture of the Phoenix Indian School.

Which reminded me of pictures I had seen of it in a book with historical photos.

 

The book is  “Early Maricopa County 1871-1920”

 

This shot is for Ramblin’ Kathy because I think this is one of her favorite houses….maybe…not sure.

There once was a…..

 

My stab at a limerick….

 

 

There once was a lady from Goodyear,
Whose broken foot put her on her rear.
“If I don’t soon get out,
And get moving about,
I’ll  be as big as a barn, I fear.”

 

I would love to have my friends give me there shots at this.  I was afraid to use purple…nothing to rhyme with it…unless you did some creative spelling. :)

And the winner is….

 

A friend of mine at Bellingham Daily was kind enough to pass this award to me and I would like to pass it on to Diane at Desert Colors.  There are so many wonderful blogs out there and I’ve made so many new friends since starting my blog. The world is a good place filled with lots of wonderful people.

 

You so deserve this, Diane.

Sad news in the neighborhood….

 

Recently we had a storm blow through late one night.  Sadly, it brought down the Mr. and Mrs. new home and brought a tragic end to their family.  They haven’t tried to move back in, but hopefully, they found somewhere else to start over.  :(

Random shots from the lake…

 

Just an assortment of photos from the lake.

She was a beauty and full of eggs. We put her back.

 

Not everything flying over the lake was a bird.

 

“Let’s go faster, Dad!”

 

Saw this while stopping for gas in Cave Creek on the way to the lake.

 

You can tell it was a dusty drive to the lake.  Peace out! 

Spreading their wings….

 

Here are a few of our feathered friends I got pictures of at Bartlett Lake while on my fishing trip with my family,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, maybe they weren’t ALL spreading their wings.  I’m thinking this is a pair of the elusive Ostrich Ducks….  :)  

Soaking up the sun….

 

Yesterday afternoon I made it down the steps and outside to soak up a little sun. Millie, the wearer of nasturtium berets, decided she’d join me.

Here is some of my world as seen from my chair.

My Freesias are blooming but I’m not ready to venture out and see them close up.

You all know of my love of dragon flies. This one soaks up the sun also and then glows at night.

Nasturtiums are a favorite of mine also. In part because through last year’s photos of Nasturtiums, I met Ramblin’ Kathy and we have become friends.  Life is good.

Gettin’ busy!!!

 

If you remember my recent post about home building in Phoenix, you’ll understand what this is all about.

The Mr. and Mrs. have lost no time in bringing a family into their new digs.  This photo is courtesy of my lovely daughter, Nicole. There was no way I was going to get up the ladder required to get the shot without disturbing the eggs.  Hopefully, we’ll have a picture of the little ones squawking to be fed soon.

PS:  Thank you all for your kind words and wishes. I’m vowing to stay away from the pity parties from now on and I’m only using the vicodin at night.  Thank you all for keeping my window on the world open.

Clipped wings…

 

Here I sit in my house, in my chair, in my pity….I want my wings back. 

But on a good note, I did manage to figure out how to take my shower today and I have seen several episodes of “Criminal Minds” that I’ve enjoyed. Okay – that’s all I’ve got. :)

Flying high…..

 

but grounded.

 

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Somehow I messed up and reposted the picture from my foot injury in December, but no. This is my left foot – that was my right foot.  The left foot is broken.  Happened this morning while unpacking from our camping trip. It now has a temporary splint on it and I see the Orthopedic man on Wednesday to find out if I will need a pin or just a cast. Really I’m not as much of a klutz as the evidence indicates.  But this does alter a lot of my picture-taking plans for the spring.

So, with the Vicodin kicking in I’m flying high (when I’m not sleeping), but I’m grounded.  I’ll be quite the sight helping my mom along….me with my crutches and her with her walker!  Just gotta laugh.

Welcome home!

 

This is the beautiful sunset that welcomed me home after our trip to the lake.

 

I’ll be back into the swing of things tomorrow. I’ve missed my blogging buddies!

Heading for the lake….

 

My family and I are headed for the lake for some fishing and family time. I’ll be offline until late Wednesday. I’ll check up on all of you when I get back and see what you’ve been up to.

Although, Tracy was right and I did miss a lot of the ducks landing on the water. I did manage to get a couple. :)

 

I’ll see you all when I come “slipping” back into town on Wednesday!!!

While on safari….

 

on the Serengeti, I spotted this Trepidacious Omnivorous Elephantous.  A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, for sure.

Luckily, I was accompanied by my colleague The Intrepid Turtle Whisperer.

Don’t get too close….they snap you know.

With no thought for her personal safety, she moves in closer.

Closer still.  Oh, I can’t look!!

Amazingly, I was able to pull her back from the brink of death before she made the supreme sacrifice for science.

Of course, she may have her own version of this story over at Life is a Road Trip.

The things one sees…..

 

while waiting for the light to change.  A “lovely” burst of spring color. :)

What is cerise???

 

I have noticed this link on Mary Beth’s Small City Scenes before and decided today was the day to find out what my fairy name might be.

 

Your fairy is

Cherry Goblinglow

She brings riches and wealth.

She lives in fruit orchards and vineyards.

She is only seen in the light of a full moon.

She wears red, cerise and purple berry colours and has gentle green wings like a butterfly.

 

Okay, what the heck is cerise?  I had to look it up and was pleasantly informed that it is a deep almost blood red color. I’m liking that. I have to admit, I’m liking the part about bringing riches and wealth too. I need her to hurry up and arrive. :)  Not really. One doesn’t want to tempt fate.  Who knows what might have to come about to make that happen. I prefer to keep things where they are right now.

Now pardon me, while I go find some fruit of the vineyard.

Flash…Home Building Mkt. in Phoenix on the rebound.

 

There has been a recent “flurry” of activity in the Home Building Market in Phoenix.

The Mrs. spots this promising lot while on her way to the local spa for a beak and nail polishing.  Remember in real estate the three most important words are “location, location, location.”

She quickly shows it to her hubby.  You have to be on your toes in this “fast moving” market.  (Especially on a windy day!)

He’s right on the ball and  sets about staking a claim and begins appropriating building materials.

And before you know it – it’s Home Sweet Home!

Which means, of course, I have to get new clothespins and something to keep them in until the family is raised and heads off to college.

This bachelor is new to the game and doesn’t understand how open to the elements his home location will be.

The wind keeps “huffing and puffing and blowing his house down”. 

And, yes, that thermometer reads about 75 degrees. It is lovely weather right now, but as you notice, it goes up to 120.  Believe me  there will be days this summer it is pegged out.

I’ve been experimenting….

With Tracy’s help and guidance, I’ve been playing around with some HDR photos.  Here is one that I’ve managed to save as a JPEG and can download here.

 

 

I’ve enjoyed doing this and plan on getting some more shots and playing around some more.  I need to study the program I’m using and see if I can save the pictures in a format other than TIFF.

It’s Friday!!!

 

Good morning, world!  It’s Friday!  I hope everyone has a wonderful day and that everything you put your hand to comes out just as you desire.

 

We had some wonderful contestants for “Guess That Novel!” I loved all your guesses and thought some of your ideas were awesome.  It’s worth going back and checking out all the comments from yesterday. You are all so creative. People were being a bit cagey about naming the novel without really naming it so others could continue to guess. You guys are all so kind, but guess away – it’s okay.

Drum roll, please……Diane from Desert Colors is our winner.  She correctly “guessed” the novel was “Cannery Row” by John Steinbeck.  Thank you, Kathy, for prompting me to get on the ball (and you can participate at any time) and thank you, Tracy, for giving me such a great idea for the shot. I LOVE you people!!

It’s Back…

 

I’ve missed getting out and doing “Guess That Novel!!!”  With some prompting from Ramblin’ Kathy and inspiration from Tracy, I’m ready for another installment.

So, here you are….have fun!!

Home Security…

 

This home sweet home probably has very little to worry about from intruders.

You are my sunshine…

 

Smiles….be happy!