ENJOYING OUR HIDEAWAY ON 96 RANCH ROAD.

While there are lots of prickles from the cholla cactus all around us, it is possible to walk as long as you watch where you put your feet.  I've been enjoying doing small loop trips around where we're parked.  Late afternoon yesterday and today I was out playing with the large moon and cactus.  Aileen suggested a drive yesterday afternoon so we took the car and slowly wandered further up the 96 Ranch Road where we enjoyed seeing the fluffy white clouds in the blue sky.  For a while it was a postcard day or maybe a Kodak moment! 

Prickly Pear Cactus.

Red-tailed Hawk, I took this through the open sun roof.

Red-tailed Hawk, I took this through the open sun roof.

American Kestrel.

Desert Marigold.  Just the one flower, no others in sight.

Tonight's sunset.

Yesterday afternoon drive up the road.

Yesterday afternoon drive up the road.

Yesterday afternoon drive up the road.

Yesterday afternoon drive up the road.

A robust Saguaro.

Our current location.

Our current location.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

 We continue to reside in our motorhome out among the cactus on 96 Ranch Road.  The weather has been pleasant other than a day of rain.  On Friday it rained most of the day so we didn't leave the motorhome.  The desert enjoyed absorbing about 1.25 to 1.5 inches of mostly light rain.  While there were a few spells of heavier rain, we didn't have any downpours so not as much runoff, more soaking in.  The desert has been very stressed this year as the area didn't receive much rain during monsoon season.

We've been enjoying our visits with Richard and Judy and yesterday Al and Laurie Foster who we met through Escapees on Vancouver Island several years ago dropped in for a nice visit.  They are currently in Mesa and will begin wandering around Arizona in the New Year.  So nice they saw on my blog that we were here.  We have been invited to share Christmas with Richard and Judy and their family and friends.

As you will notice in my photos we continue to enjoy our evening walks in the desert.  These nights we don't need a light as the moon is providing lots.

Red-tailed Hawk.

Red-tailed Hawk.

Evening walk photo.

San Xavier del Bac Mission south of Tucson.

Sunrise at the motorhome.

Looking out the door on the rainy day.

Another Saguaro casualty.

On my walk this morning.

DURING A VISIT TO MADERA CANYON I GOT TO SEE SOME BIRDS WE DON'T SEE UP NORTH.

This past Sunday we went to Madera Canyon which is south of Tucson.  Richard and Judy accompanied us and we made it a day.  There is a feeding area where the birds flit in and out of, so with a lot of patience you can sometimes get a decent photo of the individual birds.  The exposures are tricky because the birds are moving in and out of sun and shade.  They tend to not stay more than a few seconds in one place too so one has to be pretty quick on the shutter.  All in all it was a marvellous experience.

Brown-eyed Junco.  This is about as far north as they go.

Goldfinches.

Mexican Jay.

Female Strickland's Woodpecker.  This is at the northern end of its range.

Brown Creeper.

Acorn Woodpecker.

Bridled Titmouse.  At the northern end of its range.

Wild Turkey.

Gila Woodpecker and Male House Finch.

Male Lesser Goldfinch.

Male Painted Redstart at the northern end of his range.

White-breasted Nuthatch.

Female Hepatic Tanager.

THE DESERT CAME ALIVE YESTERDAY.

 We started the day with a nice sunrise.  I went riding with Richard J again today and helped lead our small group.  We took some obscure trails that used to be some of my favorites in past years and lucked out with a group of Javelina.  Javelina are also called Peccary and are a pig-like ungulate but they are not pigs even though they look alike.   They can reach about two feet high and weigh 35-55 pounds.  They are mostly vegetarian but will also eat lizards and dead meat.  Later we got to see a mule deer buck and some late fall colour along the Gila River.

Beside the motorhome yesterday morning.

Prairie Falcon.

Prairie Falcon.

Javelina, if you look closely there is a baby in the center.

Javelina.

Javelina.

Javelina.

Javelina.

Javelina.

Mule deer buck, he was hot on a doe's trail.

If you look closely you'll see he only has one foot touching the ground.

Pincushion cactus with off season bloom.

Along the Gila River east of Florence, AZ.

Along the Gila River east of Florence, AZ.