Back to school...blah, blah, blah

It's going to be HARD to go back to school today after our weekend over in Arizona! We saw some amazing things, from Fort Apache to the Salt Creek gorge and canyon, and horses grazing in the White Mountains near Lakeview...sigh...but, with 5 horses to feed, it's off to work I go! :-(

Camelback Resort~That's My World 053111

We didn't stay here this weekend, but were down the street, so Saturday morning I drove over to Camelback Resort for my morning walk. I saw lots of quail (even 1 baby one!) and rabbits. There were quite a few other birds around, including cactus wrens. We're going back in July and we'll spend 3 nights at the resort. Hubby can sleep in and I can do my morning walk! :-) That's My World for Tuesday, May 31, 2011. To view That's My World, please go to: http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/

Cactus garden at Superstition Mountain museum~Cactus Monday~053011

Hubby and I FINALLY got to stop at the Superstition Mountain museum yesterday afternoon. We've missed seeing the inside our last two trips because we've arrived too late and it has been closed. But, yesterday we arrived about 2:30 p.m. and it was open, so inside we went. But, first we had to take a tour of their cactus garden. OUCH! That was a lot of cactus. And, they had some really mean-looking cholla, too! Can somebody tell me~How do you train your horse to avoid cactus? Cactus Monday for May 30, 2011. To see other Cactus Monday posts, please go to: http://painteddaisies.blogspot.com/

Fort Apache, Arizona

Hubby and I stopped at Fort Apache, which is on the Apache reservation in central Arizona. We had driven up the Mogollon Rim to find and rent our cabin during a week in August and we got a nice one with a large porch that faces the national forest. Apparently elk come down from the hills during the night, so we should have some interesting sightings! And, speaking of sightings, I believe I saw a ghost yesterday at Fort Apache! Hubby had wandered off, taking his own 10,000 photos and I was alone, wandering around when suddenly a young girl of about 8 or 9 years was walking next to me. She was talking, too, although I couldn't hear a word she was saying! Apparently she had quite a bit to say...I just couldn't hear it! DARN! She was blonde and her hair was in ringlets. She wore a black, long sleeved jacket over a black and white dress or skirt, which had quite a few petticoats under it! It was red with black velvet-like swirls on it...????? Weird, huh? That place always gives me the creeps. It is always windy up there and you can just FEEL the presence of the departed. HA! My husband thinks I'm nuts and is busy telling our children that I have gone off the deep end! (I HAVE NOT!!!!) Anyway, here are some photos of the fort...what do you think?

Weeds and Grasses~Sunday stills Challenge~052911

Sometimes I drive down a different road to the horse ranch up in our local mountains where I board the herd. And, on this morning, it was alive with wild grasses and mustard in the background! I frequently see ravens out in this field and an occasional coyote. It also is FULL of meadowlarks, but I can never get a photo of one of them as they are very camera shy! Sunday Stills Challenge for May 29, 2011.

Mikey~This one is for YOU!!! Arizona Rattlesnakes

Hubby and I drove from Scottsdale to Payson, then up to the Mogollon Rim today. We stopped at our favorite ranger station at the Mogollon Rim and I saw this huge poster of Arizona rattlesnakes, so I just HAD to take a photo of it for Mikey! And, as I went tromping through the weeds and grasses today in my TENNIS SHOES (ACK!), I listened carefully, but didn't see a single rattlesnake all day. Oh, wait...no, we did see one that attempted to cross the road in the afternoon, but it was already dead by the time we arrived and I had 8 cars behind me, so I just went around it...poor thing! Anyway, Mikey, this post is for you!

Camelback

We are over in Scottsdale for the weekend. And, I awoke at 4:00 a.m. today...sigh...so I got dressed, checked out a few blogs (thank goodness for The 7 MSN!) and headed out the door by 5:00. I drove down to the Marriott Camelback Inn, parked the car down by the lobby, and walked (hiked) up to the top of the mountain behind the hotel. Phew! Guess my morning walks are REALLY paying off as I wasn't winded at all! I remember a couple of times I got so winded that I didn't even make it to the little Western town up behind the hotel. That's pretty bad. But, this morning, I had enough energy to hike up there and to take one of the trails (that is, until I LOST the trail and wound up in a bunch of cholla! ACK! I was out & about for about an hour and a half and I waited until the sun was up. My companions were quail families with teenagers running around and 1 baby quail! I saw rabbits, some real cute baby rabbits, and a noisy parrot which was loose and screaming around the hotel flower gardens! Here are some pics from this morning. Enjoy your day!

Problem solved and beautiful palm tree

Okay, I cleared out my cookies and that has seemed to solve the problem! YEAH! I just switched from one blog to this one without any problems. Thank you all who suggested this remedy. It seems to be affecting quite a few bloggers! And, I spotted this beautiful palm tree one afternoon here in the desert as I was returning books to the local library. I had my little COOLPIX (the one I thought I'd LOST in the school parking lot!)...I found it 3 weeks later in my car, under my floor pad. It still works and I replaced the batteries. However, I see spots on my photos, so it probably needs a good cleaning!!! Enjoy your weekend. We are heading back over to Arizona for the holiday.
Oh, and for my desert friends~~Do you EVER remember having so much wind? We've had almost nothing but windy days now for...3 weeks! I asked hubby, who grew up down here and he told me he doesn't remember winds like this since the 1960's!!! That's 50 years ago!!!
~~Cheryl Ann~~

Something is wrong with Blogger! Argh!

And I can't sign out of this account to update my other two blogs, Deep canyon, or Deserts and Beyond! ACK! I went to blogger "help" and signed in and others have the same problem...so if you follow either of those blogs, I'm just waiting for Blogger to fix the problem! In the meantime, school is dragging along day after day...we're ALL tired and getting cranky. We would REALLY like school to be over for the year! I'm out taking a morning walk whenever I can. Unfortunately, the last two days here in the desert have been so windy that I haven't been able to, but today the wind is calm and I'll be able to enjoy these views of the desert. UPDATE: Blogger STILL hasn't fixed this problem and others are complaining. Really, I'm ready to move to Word Press!

Gigo grooming

Despite being a thoroughbred, Gigondas is a very easy keeper. She's never colicked (...knock on wood...), she's easy for the vet and ferrier, and she's easy to groom. She has very tight hair and I've never trimmed her mane (can't you tell?). Also, I've never trimmed her tail. It just seems to remain the same length, year after year! She never gets tangles in her mane and it always lays straight and flat. No frizzles there! I'm thinking about having my trainer start on her this summer. Gigo has been saddled, but we've never ridden her. She reared when my previous trainer tried to ride her and we haven't tried to ride her since then. Instead, we've been working on desensitizing her and working on her manners. Her problem is that she can be explosive and I'm just not equipped to deal with that, especially after my fall. She also bolts when I take her down to the arena, so I'm working on leading her around to other places, talking calmly to her, and walking, walking, walking. She wants to run everywhere, whenever she can and when I lunge her, she gallops. Hmmmm....she needs a LOT of work! But, summer is coming and then I'll have time to work with her myself and work her with my trainer, too. Looks like I have my work cut out for me this summer! When I got her from the horse rescue, she was VERY mistrustful of humans and wouldn't let anybody touch her face, ears, or mouth. Now, she will allow me to do so and when I groom her, she lets out huge sighs.

Spa day part 2~That's My world~May 24, 2011

Scout is a very easy keeper. And, she sheds out pretty much on her own...just a couple swipes and she's done. Plus, her mane is easy to take care of, too. Cali also is an easy keeper...she brushes out nicely, but her mane is thicker and longer than Scout's, so it does require some brushing! She never gets tangles, however. I DO need to give her a bath in a couple of weeks because her tail could stand a good shampoo and conditioning treatment. Scout HATES water, but Cali will come up to the hose when I stand and fill their water trough! In fact, she sometimes STANDS in the water trough! (silly girl!)...she absolutely LOVES water! So, after school is out (in 3 weeks)...ALL of the horses will get a bath! FINALLY! But, this weekend, they all got brushed and groomed and cleaned up! Here are some pics showing Cali's beautiful mane. That's Scout in the bottom photo, but all the others are Cali. That's My World for Tuesday, May 24, 2011. To see other worlds, please visit: http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/

SPA day!!!

Yesterday was SPA DAY up at the ranch and I started with Gigondas. Remember, she didn't even like to be touched a couple of years ago! Now, she stands and lets out BIG SIGHS when I brush her! Her mane is very easy to keep. She never gets tangles in it and her tail doesn't seem to ever grow! I've never trimmed it! (unlike Sunni's whose tail has to constantly be trimmed!) Is there some reason for that? I noticed that all the horses went through their mineral blocks, so I'll have to buy more this week. She sure came out nice and shiny, eh? I brushed her Saturday and gobs of hair came out, so Sunday, I brushed her again and she came out all coppery and shiny! :-) ALL the horses need a shampoo and bath, but that will have to wait a couple of weeks.

Moon in the sky~Sunday Stills Challenge~052211

When hubby and I drove to Arizona last weekend, we spent the afternoon driving through the Superstition Mountains. By late afternoon, the moon was rising over Superstition Mountain and I saw it out of the corner of my eye, stopped the car, rolled down the window, and took this pic. Sunday Stills Challenge for May 22, 2011.

Brush, brush, brush!!!

Oh, my goodness! I FINALLY got up to the ranch today and the horses are all shedding. Massively! I patted Gigondas and tons of hair came off! And, by Friday, here in the desert, it will be 100 degrees, which probably means 80 up in the mountains! ACK! I need to go back tomorrow and brush, brush, brush them all! Only 14 more days of school and I am OFF for the summer! That means HORSE TIME!!! FINALLY!!!! You know, it is frustrating to be so darned tired after school that I can't drive up and spend time with the herd! But truth is...I'm so exhausted after school that I literally do NOT have the energy to battle that darn mountain road! Too many accidents up there...But, with only 14 more school days, summer will be here soon and I'll have all the time I want to be with the horses! :-) Here are some pics from today's visit! That's Gigondas coming over to me for scratches and a good brushing!

Little hummers

The ranch owner loves birds and she has several feeders around her porch for hummingbirds. I don't always remember to check on the little guys, but when I do, there are plenty of them around, like on this morning. One male is so busy protecting his territory that he has to chase off all the others! He manages to keep himself pretty busy! I love to sit and watch their antics.