Writers cramp?

Our friends Bud and Jo went back to Canada, eh, on Friday.  We dropped them at Sky Harbour Airport in the early afternoon.  By the time we got back to our aluminum chalet we were already missing them.   We will have great memories of their visit to keep us company.  Thanks guys.  You're the best!

Bud and Joanne on top of Mt. Ord.  (Photographer - Dana McKee)

Bud, Jo, Dale, Russ and Dana at Granite Reef

Even though we are now on our own we must soldier on and continue our adventures in the Valley of the Sun, and beyond.  I would have posted a couple of days ago but I just couldn't get started.  I thought I had writers cramp.  Turned out to be a Bunion on my right foot.  I can write again, but will do so at a pedestrian pace.   Don't want to run afoul of my editor.  But where to start?  Then as I was tapping my fingers on the keyboard, searching for inspiration I saw that there was a Bryan Adams concert playing on PBS. We watched and enjoyed.  What a tremendous body of work he gave us.  So, Around the World, and around the block, everywhere I go, this kid wants to ROCK! 

It's hot here.  Really HOT.  Okay, I know I promised many times not to go on and on about our weather, but really.  It is hot!  We are eating all of our meals outside now.  Yeah, in the shade.   The temperature goes below 70F or 21Canadian, and we are chilled and start looking for a fleece jacket.

How hot is it? The cows are giving evaporated milk.  The chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs.  The trees are whistling for the dogs.  Okay!  Enough of the bad jokes.


There have been many birding highlights this week, including my golf game on Sunday morning.  We play nine holes at Sunland golf course.  It is a short course.  4 short par 4's and 5 par 3's.  On Sunday I golfed my last round with the Royal Canadians.  It was my best 9 holes of the season. 3 birdies.  I started out with a birdie on hole number one, followed by a triple bogey on home number 2.  I then went; par, bogey, bogey par, birdie, par, birdie.  Great way to finish the season at Sunland.  My last golf outing will be this coming Thursday morning at Superstition Springs.  I have no expectations for that, my last golf of the year in Arizona.

Now that we are "empty nesters", we have had some time to kick back, relax and socialize with our friends on the block.  This has included several happy hours followed by good food and a bit of a headache in the morning.  

Our birding for the week netted only one new "lifer" for Barry but we did manage to add four birds to our Arizona year to date list.  New birds this week are:

1. Lucy's Warbler (Life Bird - no photo)
2. Cliff Swallow
3. Lazuli Bunting
4. Guilded Flicker

It was a pretty good week for bird photography.  I had another photo "faved" by Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Birdshare on Flickr).  The photo was the Mallard-Mexican Intergrade Duck.  I managed to get a few photos of other birds this week and I he posted several.  I hope you enjoy them.

Looking ahead, we are counting down the days of our last week here at the resort.  We leave in 6 days.  We have too much to do this week to dwell on the past 2 1/2 months.  I will be doing a rewind of our stay in a later post.  The week ahead will involve more cycling.  We actually rode this past Saturday for the first time in 2 weeks.  It was great!  Knocked us both out for the rest of the day but we were happy to be on the bikes again.  We are planning 2 more rides this week.  We are birding tomorrow with friend Dale.  Thursday I have golf in the morning and then we have our last block party in the afternoon.  Friday is Dana's birthday.  We will start with a bike ride and end the day with dinner at Vito's Italian restaurant.  Saturday we pack and clean.  Sunday we depart and head south for 7 days at the Birders Casitas in Green Valley.  After that?  Too far out for speculation.

Well, time to wrap this post up.  I hope everyone is healthy and livin' your dream.  Oh wait.  I forgot to mention that I went to a Canuck/Coyotes game last Thursday.  I had a great time with brother Mike and friends Bob and Bob.  I should also give a shout out to Team Canada for winning the Brier.  Now that was curling at it's best.

All for now.  Enjoy the photos!

Barry.

One of my favourites this week, Avocets at Gilbert Riparian Preserve

Cactus Wren exiting a nesting site

Canyon Wren picking up nesting material

Cliff Swallow constructing mud nests

Cooper's Hawk over the Salt River

Guilded Flicker.  Similar to the Northern Flicker but has a cinnamon cap and a larger black bib.

Harris's Hawk in the desert along the Bush Highway.  He was not happy with my approaching him and his mate.

Paper Wasp at Gilbert Riparian Preserve.  This is a beneficial insect that eats caterpillars and other pests.

Vermillion Flycatcher (female) at Coon Bluff Recreation Area