Category: Personal

Day 2375

Thursday, April 4th, 2024

Dear Journal:

Today is looking like it could be our last Arizona adventure this spring, we are off early this morning enroute to Chris & Lynnea’s home in Globe. Lynnea is our immediate supervisor and is the manager of the gift shop for the Arboretum, she has been at the Arboretum for over 25 years. Lynnea and Laurie hit it off from very early on, they both speak their mind and if you ask a question you should be prepared for an honest answer.

I usually do the “Wordle puzzle every morning, or at least I try to complete it.

And there is nothing more depressing than not getting a single letter on the first word!

But also nothing more exciting than guessing the correct word on your second attempt!

Todays adventure started early this morning with some fresh perked coffee with a splash of Irish cream, followed by an omelet breakfast, as we prepare for the unknown. We don’t know exactly where we are going other that to the Globe area. We have put an address in the GPS and are heading off on an adventure.

Miss Laurie drove up to Globe and I snapped this photo while driving through downtown Miami Arizona, of the Mexican Poppies blooming. They are growing along the highway, either side of the concrete sidewalk.

After some confusion over the directions we eventually, got some follow up direction as well as a rescue pilot vehicle to guide us in. Lynnea had told us a number of times that the road to their home could be challenging, but I was not prepared for what I actually seen and experienced. Lynnea knew we were lost when we were late arriving, apparently we are known for being punctual. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but we do like to be on time and complete our commitments. In retrospect instead of an address we should have just asked for the GPS coordinates as we often find rural addresses can be incorrect no matter what guidance system you use but coordinates remain constant.

Chris & Lynnea live in a rural area north of Globe, their home is at 4100 feet of elevation and is located on a hill side with a million dollar view. Today we are going exploring into the Tonto National Forest that surrounds their home, we are using a Honda ATV that seats four, we have packed a lunch and a few beverages for the adventure and will take us a number of miles through many BLM trails. Here are a few of the phots that we captured along the way.

Well believe it or not neither Laurie or myself have ever ridden in a All Terrain Vehicle, and I expected to return all beat up from the terrain. But that didn’t happen i was surprised at how well it absorbed the trails that we encountered. Miss Laurie had time to do some rock hounding and we got to know our hosts a lot better, as well as the area surrounding Globe. We seen areas with native pottery, and could see signs of native life in many areas, it is also amazing how the this rugged but beautiful land is being grazed by cattle, as the local ranchers are granted grazing right on BLM land. We encountered many gates that had to be trans versed as we enjoyed the views and the ruggedness of Arizona.

We returned from our adventure mid afternoon and after a tour of their home Chris grilled steaks over a wood fire, and we enjoyed a wonderful meal while chatting about their next projects around their home. It is always an honor to be invited into someone’s home, and your don’t build a home in a location like this without wanting some privacy. So to have them take one of their days off to take us sight seeing was also a big ask. We are lucky to have people like this in our lives.

Day 2353

Wednesday March 13th 2024

Dear Journal:

Well 6:46 has now become what I classify as sleeping in, at least for me, I was rousted out of bed by Mister Sam this morning, he wanted the bedroom window shade up so he could watch the birds, bunnies, and chipmunks. He had already had his morning treats thanks to Miss Laurie who was up and had the coffee perking when I was awoken from my sleep. Oh well it is light out and the sun will peak over the mountain any moment, so I guess it is time that I was up. The smell of the perking coffee almost makes it seem like a good time to be up and a few moments latter after that first sip of coffee, my whole world seems to make much more sense.

A little television this morning as we enjoy our coffee and see that the folks up in Ontario are getting some spring weather this morning, We just hope it is going to be an early spring and that the nice weather is still there when we arrive in a month or so. Miss Laurie prepared an omelet this morning for breakfast, we will try and connect with some friends today, but as of yet have not heard from anyone. I’m going to hike around the Arboretum this morning, it has been a while since my last walk, and it is always a good idea to know where the best spots are for the weekend crowds, and I have not been as mobile as I would like to be this year, but I’m feeling good this morning.

Spring has obviously hit the Arizona desert as well as we have roses budding, cactus and yuccas blooming along with a splattering of spring flowers, the cotton wood trees in the Queen creek canyon are in full leaf and we have had enough rain that even the Ocotillo have leaves. A walk in the Arboretum shows that this warm weather has got everything bursting to life. Ayer lake is almost full, the area looks so much better now as the barriers have been removed and the water foul appear to be making this home. The Arboretum is busy today, not weekend busy but too busy for me to enjoy my walk, there were people in all of my favorite spots, and with spring break there was too much noise to see much wildlife, although there was a vermillion flycatcher enjoying some insects around Ayer lake, too far away for my iPhone to capture but great to observe anyway.

Well after my walk I settled into my recliner and started a new book this morning, I’m still experiencing problems with the Libby App and the Hamilton Library, I have been able to log in again and have got a few books but for some reason the reciprocity with other libraries is no longer in place, making it difficult to get some of the books that I want in the order that I want them. I have been reading a number of different serries and it just is nice to read them in the correct order, but now that I only have the one library to draw from I have a few issues getting the next volumes. I’m not sure what the problem is but I’m assuming it still has something to do with the Hamilton City hall hack last month.

After reading and sneaking a short nap while enjoying some lap time from Mister Sam, I figured it was time to get back to work on todays blog. I did not write one yesterday as I just worked around the coach while Miss Laurie went on a rock hounding adventure, I resealed Thunders windshield in prep for our trek north, and I ordered a number of items off of Amazon so I can finish a number of projects before heading north. The items should all be here next week, giving me a couple of weeks to get things finished off.