Two things happened this year that made this birthday very special. I turned 62. That means my first Social Security check will be coming in March. And, the Hathaways came to visit from Salt Lake.
As usual, I got so caught up in the moment that I didn't take enough pictures, but I hope these will suffice. And if you're wondering why these appear on this blog, just think of travels as broader in scope than going to someplace where you don't actually live.
Ruth, Aaron, Kiersten and Eli arrived on Friday afternoon the 18th and left on Monday the 21st. We packed a lot of stuff into those few days. Aaron said we wore him out. We also got to do some good visiting.
One thing we did that I didn't and indeed couldn't get a good picture of was to follow Kiersten's suggestion to go out to the house at night. We had never been there late before. The moon was full and it was amazing. We discovered that there are absolutely no lights toward our major view direction to the south and southwest. At least there weren't that night. I was thrilled.
We had no functional flashlight with us, but the moon was so bright we really didn't need one. We went up to the shop deck and the stairs appeared to be spotlighted by the moon. The only bad thing about the moon being so bright was that the stars weren't so brilliant. Now we need to go out at about 10:00 pm on a dark moon night to really see them.
We actually took these pictures as the Hathaways were leaving, but they give a good idea of what the landscaping around the airport is like and how great this family looks. That's Trout and me and Kiersten and Eli.
And this is Trout with all the Hathaways.
This is in front of the house we're renting, and yes, that bush is blooming and that sun is shining.
Here are Kiersten and Eli in front of the house. Kiersten is being very careful with that white thorn acacia.
As usual, the kids were entranced by Guido. Here Eli is trying to join him in one of his favorite hangouts, the kneespace under the desk.
And Guido helped Ruth show Trout some good yoga poses for his back.
One of the highlights of their visit was a trip to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The Desert Museum concentrates on flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert. We timed it for the raptor free flight. One of the birds released was an owl. Here he is on the handler's glove.
Then he flew very close to where we were standing.
And Guido helped Ruth show Trout some good yoga poses for his back.One of the highlights of their visit was a trip to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The Desert Museum concentrates on flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert. We timed it for the raptor free flight. One of the birds released was an owl. Here he is on the handler's glove.Then he flew very close to where we were standing.
It was so windy that he didn't fly as much as we hoped. He tended to hang out in this tree.
Trout's favorite bird in this demonstration is the ferruginous hawk. You can see why. They are absolutely beautiful and are the largest hawk in the US.
Unfortunately, Aaron and Eli missed the hawk because the owl took so long to get moving. But they saw some of the other animals including the ones below.
Trout's favorite bird in this demonstration is the ferruginous hawk. You can see why. They are absolutely beautiful and are the largest hawk in the US.
Unfortunately, Aaron and Eli missed the hawk because the owl took so long to get moving. But they saw some of the other animals including the ones below.This is a bobcat. You don't have to go to a museum to see these guys around here.
These are javelina. You can see them in the wild, too.
This is an ocelot. I haven't heard of anyone seeing them in their backyards yet.
We showed the kids and grandkids around town, so they got to see the rattlesnake bridge, Meyer Street, San Xavier del Bac mission and Kelly who stayed with them when he and Trout were in Salt Lake in August.Here's some of my stock (I took them) photos of Meyer Street. You can see me in the mirror.
Kiersten said no houses should be these colors. Such conservatism in one so young.For my birthday we went to Casa Vicente. It's a Spanish restaurant complete with Flamenco guitar and dancing. We had paella. I thought Kiersten would be the one fascinated by the dancing but it turned out to be Eli. We also went to three other must eat places: Todd's at Ryan Field, El Charro downtown and Beyond Bread. Aaron wanted a franchise in Salt Lake.
And no family visit can end without driving over the best dip in town on Freeman. You have to do it at least 3 times. Ramona and Jason have also been treated to that experience. Two families down, three to go!
