An Evening with Coyote

Ah, Sunset. I love to feel the sun on my face. I wonder what I shall get for dinner.

Hmmm, looks like those javelina are nice and tender.

Surely they wouldn't miss a little one now would they?

That one does look a little mean, but he can't be that fast can he?

Wow, he is pretty light on his feet

I wonder what his forty time is, he can close pretty fast

That's right you better quit chasing me.

I don't really fancy javelina anyhow.

Looks like squirrel is back on the menu! 

Easter in Duncan (a catch up post!)

Every couple of years the Duncanites try to move the easter egg hunt to my house.  My tiny 1/3 of an acre isn't nearly as fun as risking pokes and scratches on acres of desert landscape.  The weather is always lovely and cool with just the right amount of sunshine.  The lilac is always in bloom and so are the orchids, besides at this point it is long standing tradition.  Nona always does some fun $5 dollar money eggs the kids really look forward too.

Baskets ready?

Ashlee and I always hide the eggs.  Over the years we have developed a few favorite hiding places. This year Ashlee thought it would be fun to throw eggs into these large briar patch full of really scratchy, pokey plants.  Poor McCoy (below) is right in the midst of them trying to get an egg.

Fighting hard for the egg

Declan fighting his own fight for the egg

Archy gets the easier turf since he is younger and finds one on the woodpile

                                Sometimes you gotta climb trees to get to the good eggs

Archy in Mulberry Tree

 A wee butterfly stops by to say hello!

Lilac bush in the front yard

After all that hard work it's time to check out the loot and eat the chocolate before it melts more!

Left to right back row: McCoy and Archer

Front row: Zany, Declan, and Quinton

After all the hunting was done we headed out to visit Grandpa Agle's grave.

Putting in new flowers

Forks up for Grandpa who was a Arizona State Sun Devil, too!  

We miss you!  It's a good reminder at Easter,

 that it's only temporary we'll see and be with him again.

River Play in Gila Box

Rivers in Arizona have a tendency to slowly diminish until they are a mere glimmer of their former glory.  The Gila River almost disappears until the summer monsoons arrive refreshing it.  We decided to go to the Gila Box Riparian Area and enjoy a lovely swim before the river dwindles.  The water was pretty chilly but that didn't stop the boys and zany from swimming.

Quinton tries to talk Zany into going in the water

Declan in green, Quinton and McCoy bent down (Shadow Ash far left)

Finally got Zany into the water, she's shirtless like her brothers

Happy Archy

McCoy going for a real swim

Zany decides a piggy back ride is the way to go

While Archy was swimming he found a debit card in the water.  We actually knew the person it belonged to, we had bought our piano from her.  We contacted her and she had been there the day before swimming. She had already cancelled the card but she couldn't believe we found it.

Archy with found debit card

Zany didn't like the cold water for long so she spent her time on shore building a fairy house with sticks, rocks, and flowers

Zany with Fairy House

We'll have to go back sometime and see if any fairies have moved into their lovely home!

Fun at the Tucson Zoo

We decided to purchase a zoo membership since it was about as cheap as just going once.  Whenever we went to Tucson we would go to the zoo.  Pa went to this same zoo when he was a boy with his grandma LaVona Jones Hawkins who lived in Binghampton (which was the LDS community in Tucson back in the day) not to far from the Zoo.  We had talked about taking Pa to the Zoo with kids for a couple of years.  We picked a lovely day for it, and the animals were very active.  The Tucson Zoo is a perfect size and you can get quite close to the animals.

Part of the Zoo Party

McCoy, Zany and Archy getting a closer look

 Archy loves of animals of all kinds and was very excited to feed them.  When Archy gets excited he does flappy arms (his elbows are bent and his little hands and arms flap up and down).  Zany does the same thing but for her its when she is scared.  McCoy, Archy and Zany got to be a part of the feeding giraffe experience. 

Here is the experience in Archy's own words:

We wait in line, then we give them the token, Then we got our carrots, then we go to feed the giraffe. The giraffe was walking to us. Then he got a little closer, then the giraffe stuck his tongue out and he wrapped it around the carrot. Then he ate it. Zany was scared because she doesn't want to feed the carrot to the giraffe.  Dad help her to feed the giraffe. We pet the soft skin on the giraffe's side.  It feeled soft.  McCoy did it too. He feed the giraffe too.

Interview with Mom (Rhiannon) and Archy, again in his own words

Me: Archy would you do it again (feed the giraffe)?

Archy:  Yes

Me:  If you could feed any other animal at the zoo which one would you feed?

Archy:  Well the lions would be scary, but I want to feed the lion. Wait, would the zoo helper help me?  Would I have to climb in or get in to feed the lions?  Wait, I have to climb on the glass and drop it?

Me: They probably have a back door

Archy: Will I probably just throw it in?  I don't want the lions to get out.

Me:  What would you feed them?

Archy:  Lions like meat. I will feed them meat. I think they eat any kind of meat but I think deer meat.

Me: What is your other favorite animal at the zoo?

Archy: Peacock, because when you're eating french fries and walking it will follow you.

Me: Archy if you were in the zoo and people could feed you, what would you want them to feed you?

Archy:  French Fries and carrots, a ham sandwich, that's my favorite food

Getting carrots to feed the giraffe

Archy and Zany waiting for the giraffes

Brave Archy feeds a giraffe, while Zany and Eddy watch

McCoy's arm feeding a giraffe

McCoy (left to right), Archer, Declan, Zany and Eddy with a giraffe

We just love the penny stamps souvenirs and usually get them when we see them at various attractions. They are fun to crank and a cheap souvenir too.

McCoy cranking out his souvenir

Archy with a Zebra finally on display, most of the time the Zebra is in a back pen and Archy is disappointed but not today!

Zoo pals: Archy, Declan and Quinton who happen to match

Maybe next time we will see if Quinton and Declan are brave enough to feed a giraffe!

Noon Creek Picnic & Ladybug Saddle Hike

Spring in Arizona is a glorious thing, not because we had a hard winter but because we know: Summer is Coming.  Hot, hot days like today where it got a up to a 117 degrees and all of us just stayed inside the whole day and didn't go swimming even.  It was just too hot.  I tried not to feel guilty about it; I figure when it is in the single digits back east during winter people just hunker down and stay inside too.  Thankfully days of 117 are not to often.

This day when we all (including the Germaine's) went on a picnic it was in the low 80's just right for a hike and a picnic.   Noon Creek Picnic Area is a short drive up the mountain.  It got its name from back in the pioneer days, when the women and children would escape the heat by traveling up the mountain for the summer and half a day's journey by horseback would land you at Noon Creek where I supposed the pioneers ate a picnic lunch too.

Pa and Nona enjoying the day

Eddy and Zany 

The boys has so much fun climbing over the rocks

Quinton center, McCoy right, Archy middle, Eddy back

Zany trying an acorn, rare where we live, but quite abundant at Noon Creek

After our Picnic, we decided to check out some hiking trails

As the boys hiked they looked for javelinas since they saw quite a bit of javelina droppings.

What's this hiding in the brush?  

Not a javelina but a friendly Quinton

When we came to the Ladybug Saddle Trailhead our party separated. Most went back to our pinic spot and the rest (Ashlee, Rhiannon, Declan, and Quinton) went on to hike.

Ashlee and Declan

A rare photo in the wild of Ashlee, who usually is the designated photographer but I seized the camera so I could take photos of her trying out her new black diamond poles.

Lovely specimen 

(You say that when you don't know what the proper name is)

Dec, Ash and Quint

Quinton and Declan (red shirt) considering the descent

Another photo of Ash

We were happy to discover running water and a waterfall.

Declan crosses after Quinton

You wouldn't kick a guy while his down would you Quint?

It was a very nice hike and would be even more beautiful in the fall with the leaves changing colors. I am always wanting Ashlee to take up hiking with some plein aire painting.  That's my dream we hike, then we set up our little easels and portable paints and companionably paint together and then resume our hike.  Don't worry I'll talk Ashlee into it one of these days, sisters who hike/paint together, stay together (I'm pretty sure)!