Life on the High Plains

 On our drive home from Cave Creek I wanted to make a little side trip to the small Arizona town of Eagar where I had lived as a youth when my dad was stationed there in the Forest Service. The first stop was the old homestead.  Keep in mind that I left here when I was 11 which was 50 years ago.  As a kid you remember things differently than maybe they actually were.  It took me a couple drivebys before I realized this was our house.   When we left here in 1971 this house was a beautiful avocado green color, typical of the times.  My dad built that carport this is attached to the left side of the house.  Through the trees you can see a small structure.  This is actually two side-by-side sheds.  The shed on the right was located out in the pasture when we moved into the house.  My dad and brothers moved it from the pasture to its current location by rolling it on large logs that were used as wheels.  Yes, it's true and they all ...

 On our last day in Cave Creek I got to do some plein air painting! We went out to Cave Creek Regional Park to find the perfect spot.  We drove around until I located the perfect subjects for my painting.  In plein air painting you have to limit your scope so I had to choose only two of the magnificent saguaros in my view. By the way, this park is fantastic.  If you're a camper they have a really nice RV park there.  I definitely hope to camp there sometime. Luckily the spot I chose had a picnic table nearby so I had a place to put all my stuff since I didn't bring my camp table and chair.  Irv was happy to hang out and read his book while I went to work. I hadn't realized he also took photos throughout the day. The first step is the very first grade-like sketch of the main focus.  This is done in burnt umber which I then wipe off and let dry for a few minutes. It was a warm Arizona day, at least it was to us Coloradans.  It was in the low 80s whi...

While in Cave Creek last week we decided to head out on the Dragonfly Trail for a short 1.8 mile loop through the desert.  Below is the trail we planned to follow. It started in the Jewel of the Creek Conservation Area.  There was a small parking lot at the trailhead, maybe 8-10 cars could park there.  We got there early enough to grab one of those spots. We were well prepared with the water and snacks that a short 1.8 mile hike requires. It was a beautiful, well-maintained trail through spectacular desert foliage. There are so many types of desert foliage that I know nothing about.  I'm going to need a book before I move to the desert. Of course, the saguaros are the crown of the desert. The trail was very well marked (or so we thought). Beautiful rock formations too! Irv kept telling me it was too chilly for the rattlesnakes to be out yet.  I chose to blindly believe him. Look at all those arms twisted around each other.  I think that long spiny thing is ...

 On a recent trip to Cave Creek, Arizona we got to spend some time in the desert.  On this hike we not only got to enjoy the desert, but also a creek bed.  Isn't it amazing how the ecosystems are so closely intertwined? This was the first chance I've had to use my "new" camera.  Before Christmas I took my Nikon D5000 to a local camera shop for a cleaning.  We we told the guy who does the cleanings was out for awhile due to a death in the family.  No problem.  After six weeks or so we got a call that we needed to come down to the shop.  When I got there they told the sensors in my camera had been damaged during the cleaning.  They offered to replace it with a D5200.  What was I to do?  They could have paid me the value of my camera which wouldn't have been much or I could just accept the replacement which is what I chose to do.  The thing that sucked is that still charged me for the cleaning.  Not the best customer service....

We recently hit the road for a quick trip out of town.  We stopped in NM to visit family and then headed to Arizona for a week in the sun. I'm not one to just jump in the car and drive as fast as possible to a destination.  I like to stop and smell the roses along the way.  On this trip we made a stop at El Morro National Monument in NM. When we arrived it was a balmy 27 degrees and the white stuff was falling from the sky.  There's no better time to have the place to yourself. A very nice park ranger met us at the visitor center (through a plexiglass window) and told us a little about the park.  Afterwards we headed out on the only trail that was open to get a look at this beautiful sandstone rock and the 2000+ signatures that adorn it. You may be wondering what is special about El Morro other than all the signatures.  Well, for hundreds of years it was the only reliable water hole for 30 miles.  Because of this it was a favorite camp site for hundred...