BIRDS, RIDING AND HAPPY HOUR

We don't seem to be having much free time yet and we certainly aren't bored.  I went geocaching on Sunday on my bicycle and picked up 70 caches and some very sore butt and leg muscles.  I pedaled my bike over 32 kns (20 miles).   I ATVed Monday and Tuesday and plan to take Aileen out tomorrow since the forecast for Friday is not good.
When I got home Sunday afternoon, it was just in time to go to Ken and Marie's to play cards.  Since we had an odd number with the addition of a lady on her own named Jacquie, we played Sets.  Aileen stole the first game from Marie who had been leading and in the second, I stole it from Aileen so our house took both games.
I've been asked to help with the Caliente photo book this year by contributing some of my photos and to take specific photos of group.  Yesterday I took a picture of the prime rib cooking crew in the clubhouse then at our ATV potluck last night I took a big group shot of those attending our event.  I am to take photos at the church Sunday morning.
We cooked a turkey yesterday for the potluck using our electric roaster and today we did a batch of chicken drumettes in the roaster for the happy hour.  We will soon have more Colorado friends arriving and there will be more card games.

        

I spotted this Turkey Vulture over in Casa Grande one day.  I was amazed to have a couple drivers stop and ask me if that was an eagle!  Since the vulture is often portrayed as the scavenger in so many stories in the southwest, I thought most people would be very familiar with them.

He was perched on the top of a utility pole

This Curved Bill Thrasher was singing Mitzy and I a nice melody

While geocaching along the Florence-Kelvin Hwy on Sunday, I stopped to take some cactus photos.  I liked the contrast between these two Saguaro skeletons and the healthy specimens behind.

On Monday I went on the club ride over the mountain to Superior.  This is looking back out our way showing some of the country between Florence and Phoenix.

Once you get over on the Superior side of the mountain and down in the lower areas, the road is very rough and rocky

We took a break on a side trail

There were a dozen machines that made the ride

We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Superior

My group dropping down off the Little Spine on Tuesday

Partway through Box Canyon on Tuesday

I managed to spot this young Bighorn ram perched up on the ridge

After a while he moved along and posed for us

We have been going to rotating happy hours on Wednesdays with a few of the ATV group.  Since we don't have enough room at the motor home to host any type of event, I rented the Annex patio today.  I had to do a major cleanup as it hasn't been used for some time.  I hung a few Christmas lights to make it more festive.  The ladies had their own corner

 

And the guys had theirs