Distract the spirits….

 

people honoring Pele (the volcano goddess), Boy Scouts  and fishermen marking trails, or people showing others where vortexes are – these are all explanations for why people do this…

I have come across rocks stacked like this in several areas I’ve traveled.  The  reason given so that the spirits have to stop and count the rocks so it distracts them and you can be safe seems the most interesting to me. I’m pretty sure these that I found stacked in Strawberry didn’t have anything to do with Pele – volcano goddess or soccer player.

Tightrope act….

 

When Annie and I made a wrong…I mean “creative”….turn one day in Payson, we came across this road that was built around this tree.

 

She very kindly found a place to turn around so I could take a picture of said tree.  As we were sitting and waiting for our turn to move back into traffic, I spotted this little fellow using his own alternative route around the tree.

 

Since there were a couple of doves making out on the “roadway” in front of him, he had to take a turn at the first pole.

 

 

Things got a little dicey there for a few yards, but he hung on…

 

Oops…watch out.

He got tired of us watching and stopped at the next pole and just chattered away until we finally left.

I have more squirrel adventures to share, but that’s enough for today.

Creativity and time run amok….

 

I had such a relaxing time at the cabin.  Annie had an idea for a fun project and we spent time scouring thrift stores for unique odds and ends.  You meet some very interesting people in thrift stores – patrons and employees.  I wish I had taken a picture of the “donation dog” who worked the crowd at one of the stores that was operated by the Humane Society.  Nila was such a sweetie. You couldn’t help but stick money in her apron. 

Anyway, here is my finished project.

It’s a wind chime and to keep it from tangling I hung it from the clothes hook in the truck for the trip home…that lasted about a mile before I pulled over and took it down.

We only broke two drill bits while drilling the ends of the spoons.

Did I mention my husband doesn’t like wind chimes???

Beetlemania….

 

These guys were all over the place up in Strawberry.  They liked the porch lights at night and then just hung out on the wall all day. They liked to sneak into the cabin whenever the door was open.  They don’t like to be messed with and hiss when you try to “help” them back outside.  They were pretty tenacious and hard as heck to get out of the hammock. I guess all those little barbs on their legs were made to hang onto things and they know how to do just that!  I haven’t got a clue what type of bug they might be. Maybe Judy at  Prescott Daily Photo is familiar with them and can let me know what I should really be calling them besides all the colorful names I chose. :)

Bob Marley….

 

Well, I’m back from Strawberry with renewed strength and purpose.  It’s a very good thing, Martha.  :)

I did, however, miss the mega blooming of my cactus.  And since some of you were interested in what it might look like, I thought  I would share with you what I got to see.

There were 14 blooms on it and even one of the little babies on the bottom had a bloom.  Darn!  But since the ever-observant Brian pointed out how the original picture kinda looked like the cactus had dreadlocks, Tracy dubbed this guy Bob Marley.

Sorry about the picture quality. I just used my little point and shoot and the lighting wasn’t the best.  It sorta makes my eyes go all buggy.  And speaking of buggy….I’ll share a little something with you tomorrow from my trip. :)

I’m very glad to be home.  I’ll be catching up with all my blogging buddies.  

What’s on your mind….

 

besides hair?

I couldn’t sleep…got a lot on my mind.  So I went outside to see what I could see.  Since it was 12:30 at night…that wasn’t a lot.  But I knew this cactus was getting ready to bloom any day, so I thought it kinda looked like a mind with something on it.  If I count right (and my Pop taught me to count right… nicely), there will soon be 13 blossoms on this little beauty.

 

I could see the lights of Phoenix off to the east….

No tripod and my small point and shot.  Sorry, not a great picture, but you get the idea.  I was being a little careful because I was barefoot in scorpion country at night.  So I kept using my LCD on the camera as a light.  The brightest picture I had that gave the most light was this little jewel….

 

  

Glad I didn’t step on him either.

I’m needing a little Strawberry time so I’m heading back up to Annie’s cabin before the summer’s over and kids have to get back to school.  I can use the time to pull my head out of…the sand and get my thoughts straightened back out.  I’ll be home on Wednesday. Until then, enjoy yourselves and remember to floss.

You don’t want to end up like this guy…on somebody’s wall somewhere with gingivitis.

Not one single Watermelon Martini was injured during the writing of this blog.  Although, one might get that impression. :) 

I’ll huff and I’ll puff….

 

Last Tuesday evening, when we had a terrible windstorm in our area, the awning was blown off our neighbors house, over their roof and into their power line on the other side of the house.

 

The tension from the awning being on the wire broke our line at the common pole we share in the middle of our two properties. Which meant we were without air conditioning or a well pump all night.  No well pump…no water…no water…no toilet.

 

Our hero had to go up in his cherry picker and fix things.

  

 

Then when his work here was done, off into the sunrise he went.

I’m so very glad he got here nice and early.  I know they worked really hard all night and the next day to get power back on for people all over our area.  

Grilled Onion Salad….

 

Okay, I’m going to put the link here for the Grilled Onion Salad I have been talking so much about lately.  The dressing that goes on it would make a wonderful marinade for all kinds of things.  Let your imagination go.

Grilled Onion Salad

I think that the salad is best served warm or at least at room temperature.  What you don’t eat right away, can be chopped and put into a stir fry dish or served over pork chops or chicken or your fingers. :)

Have fun and let me know how you like it.

Wonderings….

 

I’m wondering how it makes a hamburger so much better when you stuff delicious things inside it before you grill it. 

I’m wondering why I didn’t take my camera to Bill and Tracy’s when we went there for our Fourth of July celebration.

I’m wondering why Arizona made fireworks legal.

I’m wondering how many different ways I can enjoy the delightful Grilled Onion Salad I made.

I’m wondering why the Watermelon Martini is not our national drink.

I’m wondering if there is any way I can make it back up to Strawberry while Annie is still there.

Inspired by Betsy at a wonderful blog named My Five Men.

Just a little comparison….

 

Here is the trip to Strawberry in April.

 

Here is the same spot in June….

It’s amazing isn’t it?  Don’t tell Annie, but I really loved being in all the snow.

So much depends….

 

on blending in and staying still.

This is a baby Curved Bill Thrasher that is growing up in our backyard.  I spotted him coming out from behind one of the cactus yesterday morning.  It appears he’s wearing camouflage.  He must have passed through some spider webs on his trip around the yard.  I wanted to reach down and clean him up, but that would have been a no-no.

Nicole was the first to spot him and took this photo of him the night before.

Don’t you love his mohawk, Brian?  Made me smile.

An update on the Killdeer, when I came home from up north the momma bird was gone, the eggs were gone and I’m not sure what happened.  If they had hatched, I would think I would have found some pieces of shell, but they may have blown away.  I haven’t seen the momma and young ones yet, but I’m still hoping.    

Acting squirrely….

 

right now.  I’m very frustrated with a certain whatever named Blogger.  I started trying to catch up with all my buddies this evening and part way through the process, the big “B” decided I shouldn’t be allowed to post comments anymore. Big ol’ Error 400 or something such.  So please forgive me for not commenting, but I have been able to at least see and read all your posts.  So I am caught up and will be working forward from here.

 

Spotted…wildlife….

 

On first spotting this shy creature in the woods around Strawberry, I wasn’t sure what I had found.

She was doing her best to fade into the background and I’m sure wishing I would just go away.

She made a break heading for cover (and the back porch).  She’s quick, but I got a shot of her zipping through the pine needles.

After a lot of hard work and doggie treats, we were able to domesticate the wild beast.

She did seem to have previous training…possibly in a lion training act.

She eventually got tired of all the attention and….

tried to lick the camera.  :)

I’m back from Strawberry and will spend time in the morning catching up with all of you.  I’ve missed you terribly!!

I just need a little drink….

 

Do you think she’s having a conversation with the fly?  I didn’t even see the fly until I put the photos on the computer.  Actually there are two flies in this picture…well and maybe a little bird poo.  Sorry. 

 

Don’t you just love their little, itty, bitty feet?

Hope you’re all having a great weekend.  I’m sure I am up in the cool country.  Didn’t even take my laptop with me this trip.  But I did take my camera!  

Sweet and juicy….

The tomatoes are really starting to get ripe in the garden.  I’m posting ahead as I will be out of town this weekend and am trying to do a better job.  My brother had to rattle my cage again. :(
I plan on slicing these to have with our dinner tonight. I will add to the post to tell you how delicious they were.  I need to pick a few of the green ones so I can try Ciel’s recipe for Green Tomato Jam which was a favorite of her grandmother’s.
I plan on being gone from Friday until next Monday. Back up to Strawberry with Annie and Alice.  I am SO looking forward to this down time. So I've got some posted done ahead and I'll visit you all as soon as I get back.

It’s a jungle out there….

 

The grass was getting kinda high and hubby came home from work to mow it.  I had already made two trips out trying to get just the right picture.  Third time was a charm…but now I’m all itchy.  But on a positive note…I was able to lay down AND get up three times. Yippee!  That’s progress and I’ll take all I can get.

My blogging buddy Lizzie at Bellingham Daily Photo posted a wonderful picture of grass and I told her I was going to give it a shot too.  Now our grass is bermuda and only gets about six or seven inches tall.  But I was game to try.

Click on Lizzie’s link above and you’ll see some really nice grass.  

Silhouettes…..

 

I am not doing very well at this blogging thing right now.  Sorry, about that.  Between mom and myself, we have had lots of appointments this last couple of weeks. 

But while working at my desk this morning, I did spot these two little lovelies perched to protect their territory…the feeder.

One was keeping watch in one direction while the other kept an eye out in the other.

Now I think they’re just talking strategy.  I do find it funny that they never chase other hummers away from the flowers in the yard…just the feeders.  Maybe we should ponder on that awhile.

Kill, Dear?….

 

I’m not nearly as blessed with wildlife as my brother, Glen, but I do have fun with the birds and critters that live in my yard.

I noticed a bird sitting right at the edge of our driveway. This is our driveway….

If you were to draw a line from the top fence post to the left and stop at a little brown dot at the edge of the driveway, you would find this….

 

Do you see her there?  She’s right above the two green weeds. She has been there for several days and quietly moves away when we drive by and goes right back to this….

 

 

She is a killdeer and is so fascinating to watch.  I couldn’t get a closer shot of her in the driveway because as soon as I got to within about 100 feet of her, she moved away from the nest. Here is some information about killdeers….

“The nest itself is merely a shallow depression or bowl in the ground, fringed by some stones and blades of grass. The precious nest is well camouflaged, as the spots of the eggs disguise them as stones, and the simple structure of the nest resembles its surroundings.Like many other waders, Killdeer hatchlings are precocial birds and are able to see and forage soon after hatching^.”

“Their name comes from their frequently heard call. These birds will frequently use a distraction display ("broken-wing act") to distract predators from their nests. This involves the bird walking away from its nesting area holding its wing in a position that simulates an injury and then flapping around on the ground emitting a distress call. The predators then think they have easy prey and are attracted to this seemingly injured bird and away from the nest. If the parent sees that a potential predator is not following them, they will move closer and get louder until they get the attention of the predator. This is repeated until the predator is far from the nest, and the killdeer suddenly "heals" and flies away.”  Wikipedia

And here she is doing just that very thing….

 

 

It took her over five minutes to go back to the nest even after I had moved back up to the house.  I don’t want to disturb her anymore, but I'm hoping I get some shots of the babies.  I have seen them around the yard before.  They run along following her like little fluff balls.

I love to hear their call in the late evening.

How lucky can you get????

 

My oldest brother, Glen, lives in Tucson and has been featured on my blog as a guest photographer.  In one of the shots from that post, there is a bobcat up in a tree in his backyard.  It is one of a pair of kittens that were taking a stroll with their mother that day. That was back in May of 2010 and this year things have gotten even more interesting.

This is the mother of……

 

 

these two little cuties.  Can you imagine!  They live in a den under his garden shed.  These two are quite a bit younger than the ones he saw before. Some people have all the luck!!

He’s trying to not be too invasive about his picture taking so that the momma doesn’t move them somewhere else.  I’m looking forward to several more pictures in the future. I’ll be sure and share them with you.

I just can’t explain…

what has been going on with me.  I can’t seem to find my muse or my energy.  But as my brother (whom I listen to in most all things) has taken it upon himself to chide me into “fishing or cutting bait” because he has become bored with the same posting for almost two weeks….ouch….did I say “two weeks”?  That’s bad isn’t it?

This evening was really very lovely and as close to cool as we’ll see in a long time.  So I took my camera outside to play with my tripod and some light and night shots.

This is a fiber optic, solar powered flower.  It was a gift from my brother, Richard, and sister-in-law, Lisa.  It’s lovely in the garden at night.

 

I decided I wanted to play with long exposures and movement….

 

Guess what?  I had fun.  I enjoyed myself.  I moved outside of my head and quit thinking so much.  I think I’ll try doing that again tomorrow.  :)

Thank you, Richard, for poking me when I needed it.

And the winner is…

 

Kathy!!!  Yes, indeed it was “Riders of the Purple Sage” by Zane Grey.  You all make this so much fun and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

As Diane said, this bush is known by several different names.  I have heard them called Texas Rangers, Chihuahuan  Sage, Green Cloud, Silverleaf, and Convent just to name a few.  It is not truly a sage as it belongs to the figwort family and not the salvia family. (Don’t I sound smart! Thank God for Wikipedia)  I have always known the plant by the name Texas Sage and as it’s purple….well you get it.

Thank you all for playing!