We have new neighbors

John got some good pictures of our new neighbor and neighbors-to-be.   They are in the cactus right outside our dining area window.   Mama and Papa keep an eye out for trouble while caring for the pretty blue eggs.    I think we have Walt to thank, since he kindly has multiple bird feeders right next door.    Mimi thanks Walt too as she now has new material for her "bird TV".   In the cactus garden on the other side of us we have another resident who is not quite as cute but still interesting.

Update: 3/10  

this last one is hard to see but it is of one of the baby birds.   The second one is underneath. 

Friends from home come for sun and warm

Gary and Darcy Shull decided to come to Arizona for a visit and also to soak up some sunshine and warm weather.    Well we had a great time and lots of laugh but not so much in the way of warm.    All four of us will always remember the year that it snowed all day on February 20th in Tucson.    San Xavier del Bac is the mission from 1692 in the picture on the left.    The picture isn't fuzzy.   That is a driving snow that makes it hazy.   Gary and Darcy are at the top of Gates Pass where we usually have lovely sunsets not snow covered ground.   The wind blew the snow in one direction so one side of the saguaros are coated in snow while the other side is not.

It was a cold and clear day on Thursday so we spent the day at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.   The hummingbirds were very active, staying warm but John managed to get this guy sitting still.    The raptor show was great and not too cold as long as you were in the sun.

Good friends both new and old

One of the great things about retirement is having the time to spend with old friends and also to make new friends.    Our first year at Desert Trails we were next to Bob and Barb Z and made friends quickly.     On our trip east, we stopped on the way home in Door County for a visit and have been keeping up in Tucson in the winters.   Barb is a creative and talented seamstress and quilter.    A fun hobby of hers is making Raggedy Ann and Andy carrot top dolls.    She offered to make a pair for Isabelle which was an incredible gift.  I can't wait to see what Isabelle thinks.

Now my project is to convince them that it is time to come visit us in Washington so we can spoil them like they have spoiled us.   

Pictures of Isabelle

We may have been slackers when it comes to taking photos this year but Shannon and Christian definitely have been holding up their end.    Every week we get pictures of Isabelle and it is a good thing since she is growing and changing so much.   We have a weekly Skype video call that helps Nana and Grandpa keep up on her changes.    So here is a selection of Isabelle at gymnastics (she can somersault now), at Mt Hood, and with friends at a Valentine's party.

Odds and Ends from Tucson

We don't seem to take many pictures in the winter unless we are on a hike or someone else is kind enough to take them and share.    Note to self...... take more pictures or everyday life.    Now that we have spent most of 4 winters in Tucson, we have seen the major sights.    This year we have branched out a bit to see some new things.   One example is the Mirror Lab at the U of A.   We took a fascinating tour of the lab with our friends Reve and Susan.    The docent was great and answered an amazing variety of questions.   We got to see the polishing of a 28 foot telescope mirror, a process which takes months.   We also saw how they molded them, moved them within the facility, and transported them to their sites.    

We also are enjoying the lecture series at the U of A.   Last year it was titled "Living Beyond 100".   This year it is "Genomics".   There are six lectures in the series and we are halfway through.    All have been interesting, but some are easier to understand.    The scientists do a good job of simplifying the material for the average person but the detail can be complex.   My main take away so far is that within the next decade humans will have their genome created at birth and that information will be available for their medical care.  We are not like machines with software, instead our genetic code mutates, adapts, and changes to help us live in our environment.   Sometimes what works medically for one person doesn't for another.   For example, medications vary in their side effects based on our genetics. The pandemic lecture was scary and eye opening.   I like that we are stretching our minds in our retirement.   Living in a university town gives us access to great resources.

Scrabble is another way to expand the brain a bit.   On Fridays, we have a fun group of women who play for 2 hours.    This week we expanded our weekly game to include lunch at Tohono Chul Tea Room.   
 
Every day John and I try to get some exercise.    Hiking is our favorite way, especially since John is training for an English Coast to Coast walk in May  with LeAnne and Christine.    We hiked in Tucson Mountain Park with Matt and Madonna and saw this spectacular crested saguaro.   As you can tell the weather has been sunny and lovely blue skies.    But the winter has been colder than normal this year.   We prefer sunny and warm but will be happy with sunny and cold.

One of the fun parts of living at Desert Trails is our feathered friends.  The neighbor has a collection of feeders that means that we have lots of birds.   Mimi loves to sit on the back of the couch and watch.   We call it her "bird TV".  There are cactus wrens, cardinals, road runners, quail, goldfinch, several kinds of hummingbirds, and a pair of resident owls.   You can hear them whoooo-ing most mornings and evenings.   They even pose for pictures.