A few more days now.....

 

Spring has sprung in the desert and everything is green and growing.    Birds are singing different songs, spring songs, and we even had a couple of Orioles stop by last week.

Pyrrhuloxia (or Desert Cardinal)  We call them "the cousins"

this little Ladderback has a face off with a bee for a hit of orange

Nesting has begun in earnest.   The sparrows have taken possesion of a roof tile and are busy making a cozy home for their eggs.     Unfortunately it seems to be a rather uneven home, slanted towards our patio and we regularly find tiny smashed eggs on the cement below.    Nature is not always kind.

Vultures swing by regularly to keep the desert behind the house clean and tidy.

a face only a mother could love

We haven't seen nor heard a hawk all winter but they're back!   The bird feeder gets very quiet and still when this guy arrives.

We've been enjoying our last weeks here.  In my last post  I told you about a Friday evening meal we hosted here for visiting Joodie and Mark, Steve and MonaLiza.    Smoked Prime Rib, outside on the patio? Laughing, bug identifying?     I didn't show you a picture though, I took none.    Since then MonaLiza shared one she took so I'll share it with you.....

Mona Liza had just shared some Filipino gestures with us and we were trying them out....looks strange, but we found the gestures useful......

The next Monday, MonaLiza and Steve hosted a brunch for us, (brunch instead of lunch because we had an afternoon Dr.'s appointment to get to,  thanks for being so accommodating MonaLiza), Joodie and Mark, and Ingrid and Al (travelers who've recently come off the road and bought at house in Sun City).   We had a veritable feast as Steve smoked two spatchcock chickens and MonaLiza made her famous Pancit.    The rest of the meal was pot luck and no one left hungry!

Dave moves in for his 6th Deviled egg half......

Oh Dave, let go of my pony tail!

Another night the four of us tried one more meal at the very nice Wickenburg Ranch's Jake's Spoon.   We decided that this would be our last try at this particular restaurant because, while it's a lovely space with lots of beautiful and spacious outdoor seating, the food has been very unremarkable.    The last time we had lunch there MonaLiza ordered a chicken salad croisant and almost sent it back, thinking it was tuna.....it was that bad.     This time, however, the food was spot on and we all enjoyed ourselves with plans to add it to our "go to" places next fall.     No pictures, except of the pretty sunset as we walked back to the parking lot.

 Last Sunday afternoon our neighbor across the road (the one with the horses)  invited us to join a neighborhood happy hour in their backyard.    Everyone brought something to eat and drink and the talk was of travel and summer plans.   We're all (except them) leaving this month.   One couple to British Columbia, one couple to Vermont, another to Montana, one to North Dakota.   

Beluga is sstarting to get excited and pokes her head out of her tight quarters whenever she gets a chance....She's  ready to go!   Just a few more days now.....