Sunny, Hot, Blues Skies in Scottsdale

Mc Dowell Sonoran Preserve

Enjoying the Morning

Only in Sierra Club Territory

Evie and her Fa

Laura and Claire

Dinner at Claire and Henry's

The Pool Gals

Up at 6:30, to a room filled with light, turned on the coffee, walked outside, scared away all the birds in the yard, mostly quail and mourning doves, settled down in my chair after pouring my coffee, to enjoy the morning dawn.  The  sun is up over the horizon to might right, slowly enveloping the hills to my north, partly in shadows, with light.  They are brown, with tuffs of green, and some kind of bush or cactus.  There's a bit of delicious chill in the air,  knowing what's coming later in the day.  Right now it's a perfect 53 degrees, but will jump to the mid 90's by this afternoon.

We had a great morning walk yesterday with Henry, through the Mc Dowell Sonoran Preserve, a series of paths up into the hills, of varying lengths, modest degrees of difficulties.  When we arrived at the parking lot, it already had 25 or 30 cars, as it's a popular spot for people living in the area.  There's an entrance with rest rooms, maps, water, and any info you might need for the walk.  We took a path for about thirty five minutes, up a mountain, so that we had an amazing view to the south, of  Phoenix.  The path was gradual, so we were able to walk it easily, with a few stops for water, though some people were running it.  If we had continued, we would have made a loop around the mountain and it would have taken over two hours.  As it was,  our hike took us a little over an hour and that was enough, as we were getting hot even at 8;00 in the morning. The trail is mostly dirt, sand, and rock, with various types of cactus and bushes dotting the landscape to the left and right, creating a southwestern kind of beauty I love, such a contrast to the green of Chautauqua.  The contrast of the brown, mostly rocky landscape, with the verticals of cactus, create an interesting silhouette against the blue sky, the mountain side.  There is something restful about it, a simplicity, a lack of color and complexity, that settles the mind.  As we walked, we met lots of hikers, mostly women at this time of the day, some running, some walking dogs, some with other women, all with water bottles or hydration packs, enjoying the morning.  By the time we returned, the parking lot was full.  On weekends, Henry mentioned it's almost impossible to find a place to park unless you get there very early.

On the way back, we stopped at Einstein's for some bagels, then Henry dropped us off and we relaxed with Dad and Dot, then had lunch on the porch.  We stayed at their house till about 2:00, then headed over to Claire and Henry's to enjoy their home, pool, and wonderful hospitality.  Henry literally met us with strawberry daiquiris and we lazed about the pool most of the afternoon, occasionally snacking on chips and guacamole, jumping in the pool, braving the sun for a few minutes, and just enjoying the leisure of a Tuesday afternoon in Scottsdale with little you have to do.  The good life.  Claire and Henry's home is very southwestern, a large courtyard around the pool, a couple bedrooms, a kitchen and family room, even a mother in law suite off the pool called a cacita, or something like that.  It's so cool and comfortable, both inside and  out, that it was hard to believe it was in the 90's.  I can see why they stay here a good part of the year.

For dinner, Claire made Spanish rice, salad, an various sides to go along with tortillas, as Henry grilled chicken breasts and marinated  skirt steak for dinner, all great and very filling.  We could hardly get up from the table, we were so full.  We, then sat outside, enjoying dusk and early evening sky, the night slowly cooling and then headed home around 9:00 after a great day.  More of the same today, I hope.

On the Way to Claire's Home

As I sit here finishing my coffee, the quails have become braver, are pecking in the stones about 15 feet from me, looking for bird seed or some of yesterday's veggies.  I love the hanging feather from the heads of the males, curving slightly over their foreheads.  Why are males always the most attractive of the various species?  The mornings around here are surprisingly quiet, the only sounds of birds and occasionally, traffic off to our right, on the major boulevard, about a quarter mile away.  Also, an occasional runner or walked will go by, just beyond Dad and Dot's yard, as there is a nice walking path which follows the aquedcut which brings most of the water to Phoenix, from both the Colorado River and the moujtains of California.