Life on the High Plains

 A few days ago we went in search of the Salt River wild horses again.  This time we started at the Phon D. Sutton Recreation area in the Tonto National Forest. The trail we chose was the Salt River Nature Trail Loop.  We were hoping it would take us down by the river where the horses would be getting a drink.  That wasn't the case, but it's always fun to explore new trails. The informational signs at the trail head referred to this as a Riparian Area.  What is a riparian area you might be asking?  Well, it's an area along a natural watercourse that is distinctly different that the surrounding area.  Riparian areas account for less than 1% of the land area in the western U.S.  The vegetation and soil are distinctly different than the surrounding area.  Riparian areas provide a habitat for many endangered or threatened critters in the western desert areas. This was a great example.  The riverbanks were deep with lush vegetation that was t...

 Today we put on our hiking boots and went in search of Wild Horses. The herd is managed by the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group near Mesa, Arizona.  It's located in the Tonto National Forest.  My dad was a forest ranger on the Tonto when he was stationed in Payson, AZ.  I love the desert plants here especially the saguaros and the tree in the foreground.  Is that a Joshua tree? We could see evidence of lots of horses in the area. I love the big red rock in the background. The trail was about 3 miles long.  I took dozens of saguaro pictures, but never spotted any horses. I'll definitely return to this area until a wild horse is spotted. I'm loving winter in Arizona....I may never go home. Linking with Skywatch Friday

One of my favorite things about the holidays in Phoenix are the lights at the Phoenix Zoo.  You can visit them through January 15th so last night we joined the kids for a walkabout. Palm trees, cactus and a beautiful sunset. We have nice zoo lights at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but the Phoenix lights fall into the "great" category. As an added bonus you get to see Javelinas at this zoo and they were very active at dusk.  I just hope I never encounter one while on an Arizona hike. I highly recommend a visit to the Phoenix Zoo if you're ever in the area. Linking with Skywatch Friday!

 We made it to Arizona, or as I like to call it--Paradise.  We are now settled into our site for the next three months.  It was quite a task to get the trailer backed into our space as there are neighbors on both sides and the streets are very skinny.  With the help of our neighbor Irv was able to get it backed in and straight. We're staying in a 55+ RV resort that is comprised of three villages--Fiesta, Val Vista and Los Ranchos.  We are in Fiesta.  There are 1500 sites here that are a combination of what they call park models (permanent homes) and RV sites. There are all kinds of activities here and most of them are included in our monthly fee.  I played my first ever game of billiards. When we arrived the resort was decked out for Christmas.  So many new plants to learn.  What type of cactus is this? There are citrus trees everywhere.  The rules say we can't pick them if they're on someone's property, but the city of Mesa has citrus t...

 Our horses are spending the winter at a boarding stable while we snowbird in Arizona. Yesterday morning we got them ready for the short journey to the stables.  Of course they needed to arrive looking beautiful to impress their new friends so they got a good grooming. Surprisingly, they were both quite clean so all that really needed to be done was to comb their tangled manes and tails.  Then it was time to load them up. Loading horses in the trailer can sometimes be quite an ordeal.  When Jillian was showing Doc he could be quite a pill when trying to get him into the trailer.  Since neither of them had been in the trailer for a few years we prepared for the worst.  I suggested loading Jasper first and guess what...he hopped right in.  We never had two horses in the trailer at the same time before, especially two big boys, and luckily there was enough space for both. Then came the real test...loading Doc.  Again, he walked right in probably beca...

 Anyone who knows me very well knows that my favorite artist is Vincent van Gogh.  He is an impressionist artist whose works can be recognized from across the room thanks to his distinct brush stokes. Was I ever excited when my daughter got me tickets to the Immersive van Gogh Experience in Denver.  Although my birthday was in March our tickets weren't until October.  And then we were affected by Covid so the tickets got moved to early December. I loved this quote of van Gogh's that was on the wall when we entered the venue.  "What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"  Vincent certainly had courage to try painting techniques that were outside the box for his time. When you enter the exhibit it is two large rooms that are showing the exact same scenes.  There are a few benches, but most everyone sits on the floor in socially distant circles. A video that is about 45 minutes long displays Vincent's work all around you.. I was in heave...

Last week our church sent out an email asking for help laying wreaths for the Wreaths Across America event that took place on December 18th. The Pikes Peak National Cemetery is located just down the road from us on the high plains of Colorado. This is a new national cemetery that only opened in 2018.  It is 374 acres that will eventually provide the final resting place  for 95,000 eligible veterans and their spouses over the next 100 years.  As you can see from the above picture, there aren't a lot of plots in use yet. The community turnout was fabulous even though it was a balmy 22 degrees.  There was probably one volunteer for every two or three graves.  We picked up our wreaths and located an empty row. The veteran's name is engraved on the front of the stone along with his or her rank and places they served in combat.  (Service member and spouse are buried together, one on top of the other whether is ashes or caskets.)  What I thought was really co...