Arizona to Texas (Lakehills, TX)

I have quite a few photos to share.  I have missed being in the southwest desert and being able to view Mother Nature in action.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the northwest, but the foliage is so thick that it is hard to see even a bird sitting in the tree above me!  

Before we left Benson, AZ, we had a couple of visits from Ma and Pa Quail with their brew of chicks.

I counted nine of them one evening.  Ma and Pa were funny about getting our attention away from the little ones by running back and forth while making sounds.  I used my 500 mm lens so they would feel comfortable enough to move their little ones from one bush to another.

The cats?  They would watch, but for the most part found it too hot to chase after the birds.

On one of my morning walks, I noticed a Roadrunner (RR) standing at the edge of this site.  From this angle, you cannot see the owner of the Minnie talking to his cat.  The cat was ready to go in and was sitting on the step waiting for the door to be opened which the owner was taking his sweet time doing (according to the cat).  

In the meantime, RR was slowly moving closer towards the two.  He seemed quite curious and managed to get within a couple of feet when the door opened for the cat to enter.  The cat's owner said that usually there are two roadrunners following his cat around.  Both birds seem very curious about his cat, but never get too close.

We spent one afternoon walking the trails in Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve.  We haven't been there since our camp hosting days in 2013.  The place looks great.  They have added new artwork around the office area.  The hummingbird thought this was an excellent idea to have artwork near the feeder.

The improved wider trails had new signs making it easier to follow along with plant info and history.  The new manager has done an excellent job and I would recommend stopping by if you are in the area.  A great place to view wildlife and bird sightings.  Although, we did not have much luck since it was later in the spring for wildlife migrations.

We left Benson a couple of weeks ago.  It took us five days to get to the Thousand Trails RV Resort on Lake Medina.

Dusty was happy to hear we were settled in for the next three weeks.  He was tired of being used as a pillow during our travels.

We spent one day walking around Bandera, the Cowboy Capital of the World.  

I love visiting the old Bandera General Store.  It is a small store packed full of unique gift ideas, salsas, jams, and used boots.  Plus, they have an old-fashion soda fountain. 

gently used boots in all sizes

I also visited Gone Quiltin' in Bandera.  It doesn't look like much from the outside, so I was surprised to see how big it was on the inside.  Filled with a wide variety of fabrics, notions, and books complete with a longarm room and a classroom.  I'm not sure how I missed this great gem of a quilt shop the last two times we were here!  You can bet that I will not forget the next time I am in the area!

shells on the table from Lake Medina

The first time we were here, this lake was nothing more than a stream at the bottom of a steep valley.  We even saw cattle grazing in it.  It certainly is nice to see it filled, but the water is noticeably going down due to usage and hot weather.  I would not be surprised to see this lake drained by the time we come back through the next.

Doe eyes

Okay, a few more photos of the deer in the campground.  The deer do not fear the people since we are allowed to feed them corn bought at the campground's office.

Twins!

Even the fawns are not as shy as most wildlife.  Mama came up begging for food while the little ones watched from a distance.

I look forward to my morning walks with hopes of seeing a fawn.  I have had quite a few sightings.

On The Cutting Board

Since the afternoons are too hot and muggy, I have been spending quite a bit of time indoors with my sewing.  I finished four Happy Campers and....

 applquéd another quilt top.  I think I will call this one Baby Sweet Pea's Garden.

Well, I am in the middle of appliquéing the vine on another quilt top, so I better get back to it.

Happy Quilting!

No More Cold Fronts (Sedona, AZ)

I spent some time watching up to five hummingbirds swarming around our front window.  They have been so busy at the feeder that the cats have become quite blasé about all the activity.  In the meantime, I am refilling the feeder everyday to keep up with the hungry little guys.  This is the first time I have had so many hummers in one spot.  I would love to stay longer just to watch them, but it is time to move on.

We spent some time in Sedona this week.  I just love the views the people have here.  I know I would not get much work done because I would spend all my time staring out the window.

The cold front was finishing up so it was a little windy and chilly on the day we were in town, but the clouds added more drama to the already dramatic landscape.  I'm hoping this will be the last cold front for this spring.

I love what they did to the javalina statues.  This one is my favorite.

Actually, there are quite a few statues.  Sedona is just oozing with artistic talent.  So much imagination, but this place is just too busy.

Shopping and eating can take a while with the crowds.  Yet, everyone seem to be very relaxed and happy.

Including this big fellow.  He looked quite happy to be out for a walk.  His owner was telling another admirer that his dog had back surgery a couple of weeks ago.  He certainly healed very well.  What a cute guy, but I would not want his food bill!  Biiig food bill...

We all scream for Ice Cream!.....sorry, it popped into my head as soon as I saw this statue.

On The Cutting Board

I'm working on a couple of wall hangings.  I will try to post them soon.  I'm also working on another quilt for donation.

I started listing my finished mug rugs on Etsy.  I'm doing one a day with hopes that I will get more views that way.  So far, I have posted two Uncle Sams because July will be here quite soon.  Oh, and one rabbit.

Travel day tomorrow!  We are heading for Las Vegas then on to Zion National Park.  According to some reviews, we should have good Verizon reception, but how good will it be for our WiFi is another question.  Anyway, I hope to post while we are there.  If not, I will as soon as we are in a good location.

Happy Trails!

Clear Vista Views (Cottonwood, AZ)

We needed to get out after the cold front that came through this area, so we drove north of Sedona, AZ to Oak Creek Vista on 89A.  I think the best views are in or near Sedona, but I did enjoy the drive all the way up and back again.

At Oak Creek Vista, we checked out the vendors tables filled with Native American artwork exchanging talk about the best weather we have had all week.

Quite a panoramic view from the Vista.  I had more photos, but this is my favorite...

There were apple trees blossoming near the highway inside a state park.  Really amazing to see them in a canyon area surrounded by red rocks.

The last two photos are just north of Sedona.  I found the trees as interesting as the landscape.  I'm not sure if they are alive anymore, but they were very gnarly and droopy.

The red rock is so amazing here especially against a blue sky..eh, maybe next time there will be less clouds.

On The Cutting Board
I'm trying to get my finished projects loaded onto Etsy.  With some luck, I should have them all loaded, but not posted/listed before we leave here.  I plan to release them one at a time.

This lamb is from the "Born In A Barn" series by Fayette Terlouw.  I made two of the lambs.  Next time, I plan to make the lamb more round and less curvy.  It'll also make it a little bigger.  This is my smallest mug rug right now.  I also wanted to do something a little different on the backside, sooo.....

......I added a tail and "Especially for EWE".

I also finished "Just Chillin'" Penguin.  Isn't he cute?  The penguin is designed by Laurie Furnell.  I hope to incorporate a few more of her penguins into some more quilted ideas.  

A wall hanging..or appliqued to a quilt...  Oh, I'm sure I will think of something.

Happy Quilting!

Castles in the Air (Cottonwood, AZ)

We visited the Montezuma Castle and my first impression was a "Wow" moment.  I have been to Mesa Verde twice and I guess I never tire of seeing the old pueblos.

 I wish we could visit the inside and see the view from above.  Plus, I just love walking around the ruins trying to imagine what it was like to live there.

Of course, I can't imagine having to climb up or down to my home everyday with water and food except that I would be in very good shape.

There was one cactus blooming outside the Visitor's Center.  The deep colors caught my eye as we were heading back.  How did I miss this beautiful cactus as we were heading outside?  I guess my head was already in the clouds!

Look at the center of this flower....it is almost a shade of lavender with lime green.  Hmmm, sounds like a great color combo for a quilt - bright red, lavender, pale yellow, and lime green.  Oh!  I'll have to keep that one in mind the next time I search through my stash!

We also visited Tuzigoot.  This two-story pueblo is built 120 feet above the valley.  Now, that is quite a panorama view.  We were able to walk among a small portion of the ruins. The floors are cement instead of dirt with only the remaining walls.  One building did have a ceiling, so it was a little harder to imagine the old living quarters.  Still, it is worth the visit.

The museum was quite interesting with many found pieces of woven cotton, baskets, and pottery.  Some of the woven cotton was so small that I found myself getting closer and closer to the glass....no, I did not leave a nose smudge on the glass!  I did steam it up though.

Have a great weekend and Happy Trails!

An Odd Interlude (Cottonwood, AZ)

The weather turned very bad today with high winds that brought cooler temperatures.  I wish I could say we had lots of rain, but the rain was barely getting the ground wet.  Since we were having such odd weather, we decided to spend the day inside our cozy home.  I pulled out my sewing machine and worked on a couple of quilts while watching some old DVD movies.

A couple of days ago, we were going to visit Montezuma Castle, but the small parking lot was full, so we will go back later this week.  Instead, we visited the Montezuma Well.  Yep, I took a few photos.  The water is a beautiful shade of blue-green...lovely.  The water seeps up through the rocks into this deep well.  It receives over 1.5 million gallons a day and holds over 15 million gallons.

This was a perfect desert oasis for animals and humans.  We saw a few ducks swimming around despite all the people.  The cliff dwellings are actually inside the well's wall.  You can see them on the left side and the well on the right.  They say people lived here more than a 1,000 years ago.

Cliff Dwellings and the Well

Over the years,  30 rooms were built along the rim.

Close-up of Cliff Dwellings

The well also has a natural outlet to keep it from overflowing.  The following photos are the man made canal on the outside wall leading to Beaver Creek.

Outlet to Beaver Creek

And one more of this leaning tree that I thought the bark was quite interesting.  The tree is more horizontal than vertical...that's why I left it in landscape.

Odd Interlude by Dean Koontz

This one was a little odd.  It is like Odd Thomas was traveling along to his next destination and had to stop to get some rest.  Except instead of rest, he is busy once again fighting strange forces.  Definitely an interlude, because this story doesn't seem to connect to the last two stories except for Annamarie  and his ghost dog - Boo.  Annamarie is even more confusing in answering Odd's questions.  I'm hoping in his next book Annamarie will start revealing her past and who she is without all the riddles.

Anyway, I found this to be a typical Odd sense of humor and even more fun - Odd meets his match in a 12 year old girl.  She thinks and sounds a lot like Odd, but without the help of ghosts.  I would love to hear more about her someday.  Maybe Mr. Koontz will start a new series just for her.

Odd finds himself in a small town run by a sadistic mind-controlling person and of course, the only person that might be able to help them is Odd.  This was a short and easy read.  If you enjoy Odd Thomas, I'm sure you will like this one too.
Deeply Odd:  May 28 release date.  Can't wait!
and now, back to my sewing machine.......Happy Quilting!