I'm a retired educator (teacher/principal) who moved from Northern California to Payson, Arizona in September, 2010.
This blog will chronicle my adventures as I explore a different ecosystem and build my new home.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Arizona Fun Facts


Arizona has 3,928 mountain peaks and summits, more mountains than any one of the other Mountain States.

All New England, plus the state of Pennsylvania would fit inside Arizona.

Arizona's disparate climate can yield both the highest temperature across the nation and the lowest temperature across the nation in the same day.


Road runners are not just in cartoons. In Arizona, you'll see them running up to 17 mph away from their enemies.

The longest remaining intact section of Route 66 can be found in Arizona and runs from Seligman to Toprock, a total of 157 unbroken miles.


Billy the Kid killed his first man, Windy Cahill, in Bonita, Arizona.

Prescott, Arizona is home to the world's oldest rodeo, and Payson, Arizona is home to the world's oldest continuous rodeo, both of which date back to the 1800's.

The five C's of Arizona economy are: Cattle, Copper, Citrus, Cotton and Climate.

More copper is mined in Arizona than all the other states combined, and the Morenci Mine is the largest copper producer in all of North America.

The amount of copper utilized to make the copper dome atop Arizona's Capitol building is equivalent to the amount used in 4.8 million pennies.


Out of all the states in the U.S., Arizona has the largest percentage of its land designated as Indian lands.

The best preserved meteor crater in the world is located near Winslow, Arizona.

The average state elevation is 4,000 feet.


The Saguaro cactus is the largest cactus found in the U.S. It can grow as high as a five story building and is native to the Sonoran Desert, which stretches across southern Arizona.

A saguaro cactus can store up to nine tons of water.

If you cut down a protected species of cactus in Arizona, you could spend more than a year in prison.

Rainfall averages for Arizona range from less than three inches in the deserts to more than 30 inches per year in the mountains.


Petrified wood is the official state fossil. The Petrified Forest in northeastern Arizona contains America's largest deposits of petrified wood.

The Sonoran Desert is the most biologically diverse desert in North America.

Kartchner Caverns, near Benson, Arizona, is a massive limestone cave with 13,000 feet of passages, two rooms as long as football fields, and one of the world's longest soda straw stalactites, measuring 21 feet 3 inches.


The only place in the country where mail is delivered by mule is the village of Supai, located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

You can carry a loaded firearm on your person, no permit required.

Arizona has one of the lowest crime rates in the U.S.

On June 6, 1936, the first barrel of tequila produced in the U.S. rolled off the production line in Nogales, Arizona.


Arizona has 26 peaks that are more than 10,000 feet in elevation.

Arizona has the largest contiguous stand of Ponderosa pines in the world stretching from near Flagstaff along the Mogollon Rim to the White Mountains region.

You could pile four 1,300 foot skyscrapers on top of each other and they still would not reach the rim of the Grand Canyon.


The two largest man-made lakes in the U.S. are Lake Mead and Lake Powell, both located in Arizona.

The 13 stripes on the Arizona flag represent the 13 original colonies of the U.S.

There are 11.2 million acres of National Forest in Arizona, and one-fourth of the state is forested.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Ah..choo!!!! Juniper Pollen


Randy used his iPhone to catch a Juniper at the golf course releasing it's pollen. 
We have been miserable with allergies this month. We're not sure how long it is going to last.




The Juniperus family has 70 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. Folks in AZ use the term "Cedar Fever" to describe this allergy season. The Pinon-Juniper Woodland produces pollen that can be carried 40,000 feet up into the atmosphere and can be transported 50 miles from the source. We are surrounded. We are taking allergy pills, tree pollen, and a nasal spray…….we are still sniffing and have runny noses and eyes. We are not alone…..practically everyone in Payson is suffering.

Note: the video seems to work on a computer and not on an iPad or iPhone.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Cooper's Operation


Cooper had a cranial cruciate ligament tear in his left leg. He had a TPLO which stands for tibial plateau leveling osteotomy. It's a surgical procedure that makes a change to the biomechanics of the knee to reduce pain and instability. The vet consulted with us for a half an hour and outlined the procedure. His practice is the only one in AZ doing this procedure.


We were able to watch the surgery from home via the Internet. The operation took 3 hours. During surgery, a curved cut is made near the top of the tibia (shin bone). The top of the bone is then rotated to eliminate the slope on the top of the tibia (this is where the "leveling" comes from).


A plate is applied to hold the tibia in this position while the bone heals. The threads on the head of the locking screw mate with the threads in the plate hole to form a rigid, fixed-angle construct.


This procedure allows less friction between the construct and the bone and is intended to preserve blood supply and promote faster healing.


Cooper is a bit funny looking right now. He is not putting much weight on his leg but that should get better each day. He is on an antibiotic for 5 days and a pain medication for a month. We have 50 days before they x-ray to see how the bone is healing.


He can only go on short leash "elimination" walks for 6-8 weeks…….ugh! He is unhappy about being left behind when Argo goes off for a run.


Not sure how much he understands about all this…….hope the 50 days flies by!

Sunday, January 25, 2015

The Bridge at Roosevelt Lake


On Saturday we went on a hike with a Tonto National Forest Volunteer Ranger to the bridge at Roosevelt Lake. The lake is a large reservoir formed by a dam on the Salt River.


It's located 40 miles northeast of Phoenix in the Salt River Valley (75 minutes from Payson) and is the largest lake located entirely within the state of Arizona. It is 22 miles long and 2 miles wide. It's a popular place for boaters and fishermen.


We climbed up a steep, rocky path to try and get some photos from the top looking down at the dam and bridge. At the moment the lake is at 32% capacity. We need to have a wet February and March!


The bridge was named one of the top 12 bridges in the nation in November 1995. It is the longest two-lane, single-span, steel-arch bridge in North America.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Luminaries and Snow


We took a trip to the Desert Botanical Gardens while my mom was visiting so that she could see the luminaries and listen to the musical groups.


This is always a beautiful event that takes place during the month of December in the garden.


There are thousands of luminaries throughout the garden. It is quite a sight.



There were twelve musical groups to listen to scattered around the garden…..everything from jazz to Dickens carolers.


Randy and Mom posed for a bad iPhone photo at the Music Museum in Phoenix. It is a top notch museum. Mom was excited because the head phones allowed her to hear the music without her hearing aids.


On the 31st we had a snow storm……we got 14 inches.


I took mom home to S.F. and got stranded in Phoenix on my return. I spent New Year's Eve in a Comfort Inn. I was able to make it up to Payson on the 1st, but it was a slow drive up from the valley.


The snow is beautiful. It was 6 degrees this morning and the high will be about 36 so the snow is definitely sticking around.



Where is the wood pile? Luckily we have another pile of wood on the deck so we can wait for the snow to melt. We have been using the fireplace a lot this week.


This is a shot of the museum where I volunteer on Fridays and some Sundays. Green Valley Park was gorgeous. On Friday the park was full of families playing in the snow.