What Was Lurking In the Bathroom

February 18, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

Well, okay, maybe lurking is too sinister a word, but truly the situation was both exciting and disconcerting. I’d heard rumours as we passed others on the trail; it was all the talk of Water Ranch the day we there. Something was in the women’s washroom. Now the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, […]

RV-Able: Water Ranch

February 17, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

I promised myself that this time I wouldn’t just take pictures of birds. The Water Ranch at Gilbert is so beautifully laid out with seven ponds surrounded by walkways and lush foliage, that I thought the groundskeepers should be honoured too, but when we arrived, having parked in the library lot at the side of […]

RV-Able: Feathered Friends

February 14, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

“Birding won’t be the same in Arizona,” Ric warned me as we pulled away from Texas. He’s right in the sense that we don’t have experts to turn to, but there just as many interesting and diverse species to be seen. Our first morning here, I awoke to what sounded like someone swinging on a […]

The Spirit of Wild Horses

February 12, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

We’ve come back to Coon’s Bluff in hopes of seeing the wild horses. The day is crystal blue, without a cloud in the sky. My heart is heavy. I woke up in the middle of the night, with the lines of a poem running through my head. Without turning on the light, I reached for […]

Hummingbirds!

February 10, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Arizona is host to up to 15 species of hummingbirds per year, and at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, we managed to see quite a variety. I mentioned in the last post that a Black-chinned hummingbird greeted us upon arrival, and I did manage to get a picture, but the light was not favourable, […]

RV-Able: Desert Botanical Gardens

February 9, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

“Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix have mobility scooters on a first come first serve basis!” I told Ric excitedly. I’d been itching to get out again and see more countryside, but my body and his knees have been protesting. The gardens open at 8:00 a.m. and we are forty-five minutes away, so we set an […]

Sunday At The Park

February 8, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

We’ve fallen into the habit of eating our big meal mid-day, and quite often out. While in Texas, we discovered Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen which offers menu items that appeal to both our palates. So, Sunday, we decided to look for a Cheddar’s. Phoenix is surrounded by smaller communities which look like a patchwork quilt on […]

RV-Able: Apache Trail

February 5, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

“I want to drive the Apache Trail,” Ric indicated as soon as we arrived in Arizona. “It’s a day long trip so we’ll have to make sure you’re comfortable: bring along drinks and food and blankets.” I googled it. It’s a forty-five mile trek through the mountains beginning from Apache Junction, where we are staying. […]

Dark Places

February 4, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

What creatures dwell in tucked away places…. hidden in the darkness… observing those of us in the light… do they fear us, as we fear them…. or have they found contentment? (I’ve been a little obsessed with holes – thank you to the Daily Post for offering the prompt ‘creature’ so that I could use […]

RV-Able: Taste of Water Ranch

February 2, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch is located in the city of Gilbert, Arizona and listed as one of the top ten birding sites in the area. We visited on a weekend, not quite recovered from our excursion to the RV show in Phoenix. There is limited parking and the place was buzzing with families, […]

Over It!

One day it’s so mild that I don’t bother with a coat, the next we wake up to snow on the ground. The plants pushing up through the soil seem a little more patient than me – as if they are humouring nature’s fickleness. I’m ready for clear change. A pair of finches just flew […]

Present Distance

I’ve lived the fog of distance –life’s highway a series of hillsdestination without promise Have learned that acceptance gains perspective,that climates change, and hope sustains,and that in the stillness dreams renew. Now I travel quieter paths, appreciatespace, have surrendered to a slower pace –certain that this too will change. (image my own)