Mostly Arboretum
Meetings and discussions, and computer work, such as this banner for the tree sale—3 feet wide by 12 feet long, to be stretched across Main Street.
Meetings and discussions, and computer work, such as this banner for the tree sale—3 feet wide by 12 feet long, to be stretched across Main Street.
The morning bright and warm, so outside work such as compost shifting and dirt shoveling. After lunch, an Arboretum meeting, and then, in the afternoon, building eight replacement soil block seed-starting trays. The old ones are decades? old.
The afternoon reverted to cloudy, cool, and windy; but for dinner, tofu based stir-fry, which was just as tasty as could be. We seem to be placing ever more emphasis on pulses.
Garbage night here in Whitewater, what we call a Twofer because both the garbage and the recycling toters go out to the curb. It’s my policy on Thursday mornings to not get up until I hear the garbage truck go by. What decadence.
The first of the hundreds that are going to be planted at the Arboretum.
Some of our order were delivered to a friend who manages the Cambridge Tree Project, in Cambridge. Five Osage orange, one sweet gum, and one Rugged Ridge maple.
Loaded into the back of the truck then unloaded at the back of the Whitewater city garage and heeled into a bed of pea gravel. To be planted in the not to distant future.
…but not the snowdrops.
Picked the e-bike up from the shop where it had been hibernating since early March (after a tuneup). Gave it a bit of charge and then went for a spirited ride, in spite of the clouds and chill.
…spring, birthday, Easter. Egg hunt part of the fun.
Red velvet cake by Katy
Photo by Renee
…on a snowy day.
Much of the day also devoted to getting our wifi/internet service re-established after the AT&T breakdown that occurred sometime while we were away.
Too busy building animal pens, horse corrals, and marine acquaria to take many photos. We counted all the farm animals in one bin—8 cows and 15 horses, among many smaller creatures.
A different location, upstairs, is home to manta rays, orcas, dolphins, and sharks. The boys know their animals as well as they know their trucks.
Rain, sleet, and eventually, snow. Not quite what was expected. The rationale behind a trip the last two weeks of March is that you depart In winter and return in spring.
L o n g drive, including a punch through a squall line at about Champaign, but we made it. Back to this little patch of ground, of all the vast many across what is still quite a big world.
…even with a huge tailwind (the state is just too big.) But, we made it into Arkansas, and even a few miles beyond Littlerock (just as the sun was setting over Walmart).
…to walk the beach and have some lunch.
Boat-tailed grackle
Sunny, warm, and windy, with a little humidity (which actually feels good).
Palm and live oak on morning walk
Art show
…at Paradise Key.
After an afternoon of re-exploring Rockport. The town appears to be fully recovered from Harvey. Quite a few upgrades, but still very familiar. And busy.
…and the green of live oaks. Made it to Rockport.
And, as usual, right into basketball.
…In other words at Fort Stockton, Texas. Fabulous drive on Highway 9, from Portal to El Paso—beautiful east-west tarmac through a vast landscape right along the border. Desert all the way. Here are a few shots by Sue of the oasis Hacienda Joyal.
Sky island on the east edge of Arizona. Home and hideout of the Apaches.
Drive, hike, sit under the Arizona sycamores, lunch at an amazing restaurant in Portal.
…San Pedro River. And the chance to meet pen-pal Mike (who is a docent) in person. Two hours of fun, watching and listening to a great variety of birds.
Then, over to a river I have long longed to see—the famous and significant wildlife corridor which flows north out of Mexico.
A cottonwood just leafing out along the river
Mike and me
And, a check on my bucket list—wading in the San Pedro
Then lunch at Thuy’s Vietnamese restaurant on Bisbee, where I had, in addition to great food TWO glasses of had squeezed lime juice, and got to try out a little very rusty Vietnamese.
Followed by a fabulous dinner hosted by Mary Jane and George. The conversation lively and long.
A one mile walk each way through white-thorn acacia to the awful wall.
Lots of other desert flora, too. Cholla, mesquite, yucca, sotol, paloverde, greasewood, ocotillo.
Made it to Bisbee, after an interesting stop in Silver City, and a fantastic desert drive which included dust storms. And, once here, a delightful birthday dinner in Sue’ s honor. More photos tomorrow.
Twenty-eight miles of precipitous road, with many hairpin turns, from here to the cliff dwellings. Strenuous hike up to the dwellings. Beautiful all the way.