Verde Estates Swimming Hole

 I snuck this sunset in because I liked it.....taken from our south facing deck.

We signed up for a Parks and Rec. Outdoor Photography class. The class was a dud but the area we were in was nice.

This area is called Verde Estates and is only a 15 minute drive from our house.

There is a swimming area with a bit of a beach and picnic tables.

And a rope swing which looked like fun.....very cold water  this time of year.

We spent a few hours taking photos.....didn't learn much from the instructor but enjoyed ourselves just the same.

Fire!

The Sunflower Fire is about 18 miles south of Payson. These photos were taken from our deck yesterday afternoon.

Helicopters were flying over our house (we live near our small airport) all day yesterday. It is a difficult area to fight a fire.....rugged terrain, not many roads and rattlesnakes to top it off. Plus it is so dry here now and very windy. We shouldn't be having so many fires this early in the season. It does make us worry.

Elk Visit

Look who paid us a visit early yesterday morning.

Cooper was barking his head off, of course. You can see how big these bulls are in comparison to Cooper's size.

They are bulking up and getting themselves ready for mating season.

Cactus in Bloom

Cooper and I walk every evening. (Randy walks with him in the a.m.) I took these cactus photos around our neighborhood a few evenings ago.

The cactus are little bursts of color in the landscape.

Some are just covered with flowers.

Others just have one or two blooms.

I went a little overboard taking photos.....with my iPhone. (Not bad.)

They are just gorgeous. Don't you agree?

Garden Area Progress

This bed has a variety of tomato plants in it. I so hope we have a good crop.....I can taste them already!

Randy is working on the irrigation......yucky job.

These bags have pepper plants in them. They work really well.

This bed has plants that will attract bees and hummingbirds ....Yarrow, Lantana, Mexican Primrose and Salvia.

 Randy put weed cloth down between the beds and then covered it with dirt/granite. We need a bit more dirt.

Quite an improvement......let the growing begin!

No More Freezes

We are moving the plants out of the greenhouse on to the deck as there is no more sun in the greenhouse. We are hoping that we are done with 32 degree temperatures for a while. Today the high is 80 and the low was 45.

I wish we had more room for these plants inside although I think they will enjoy the outside for a change.

These tomato plants are ready for garden beds.

Matt, the builder, picked up a load of wood for garden beds. Randy's shoulder is feeling up to building them now.

Randy planted garlic in two square foot garden beds we bought at our local nursery. It seems to be doing well.

A neighbor gave us some Iris bulbs to plant and they came up and a few have started blooming. The animals (deer, elk, javelina, rabbits, etc. don't seem to bother Irises.)

Randy has been trimming the trees that were on the property. Matt is going to bring us a trailer so we can load it up and take it to the dump.....which is free on Saturdays.

Can you believe it?  Randy built these yesterday. A friend is coming over to help him place, level, and trench them. We ordered some dirt and that will be here on Saturday. Maybe we can plant on Sunday!

Mom Rides the Verde Canyon Train

On mom's birthday we took a ride on the Verde Canyon Train.

 The cliffs and rock formations are incredible.

The train is very comfortable with couches to relax on inside the train and open viewing cars for picture taking outside.

Snacks and drinks are available on the train. And guides point out interesting sights.

We did see an Bald Eagle perched on a tree beside the Verde River. I obviously did not get a picture of him as I had no time to focus and click.

Mom Visits

My mom came for a visit and we took her to the Desert Botanical Gardens in Tempe.

The cactus are in bloom now and just beautiful.

 This cute little guy was munching on this cactus.