Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas!

My birthday is right before Christmas, almost always has been.....but that's another story.    My mother almost named me Holly.     I'm an only child so you know my birthday was always celebrated muchly, don't cry for me, but it IS right before Christmas.    Presents wrapped in Christmas paper, everyone singing carols instead of happy birthday.    No balloons, just christmas decorations....waaa   waaa  waaa 

I won't share my number this year, but Dave made sure I had a wonderful day.     We drove up into the mountains to Prescott for lunch.    It was a beautifully sunny and relatively warm day with enough snow around to be festive but not enough to cause trouble. 

 I always enjoy the drive up through the switch backs and into the pine trees.       Lunch was delicious and pretty at Farm Provisions.     

interesting black and white farm paintings, including a very disconcerting cow photo in the restroom
which will not post, no matter how hard I try...hmmmmm

No, MonaLiza, I did not eat the orchid.     After lunch we did a few errands and ended our stay at Lynx Lake.     We had the place to ourselves as we walked along the shoreline looking for birds and ducks.  No Mandarin Duck this time, but flocks of energetic Merganzers zooming around the middle of the lake.  We could hear their muttering from the trail!

When we arrived home I found a birthday delivery from Jesse and Erin....the most lovely arrangement of pink and blush roses that brought lots of friends to fill the house with their fragrance.

Note the flowers are not Christmas colors....they're birthday colors....girl birthday colors.   

The next day we took a spur of the moment drive into the desert, down Constellation Road here in Wickenburg.     The road is paved from town before turning graded (ocassionally) dirt for miles and miles into the desert and mountains.     Across washes, up hills, over cattle guards, up a mountainside on a very narrow, twisty dirt road 10 miles to our destination.   The Goldmine Experience, World of Music Theme Park....... Let that sink in.

 I joined a FB group called Wickenburg Bulletin Board....it's very gossipy but occasionally something interesting comes up.    The reason for our drive down Constellation Road was because of a post on that bulletin.    One that had 50 or more comments.    If you're interested, google it, you'll think that another western style Disneyland is coming to the desert.      So do a load of people here.    They haven't taken the time to drive out to see just what is there though.     We couldn't believe our eyes.    We checked the mileage to be sure we were in the right spot.     Yep, The Goldmine Experience all right.     I can't imagine who will take the 10 mile rough road and up/down the mountain to get there.    I don't know what is actually down at the bottom, we saw a small, very small cluster of buildings (?) and tarps, a number of old mining entrances and tailings piles, and a spiderweb of narrow dirt tracks.   The sort of place we've learned to avoid in the desert.   Private Property says the signs along the "road".      It is set to open Jan 4 (for a free tour) says their website.     I will wait with baited breath.

On our way back, however, we found a real treat....a Saguaro with a large crested arm!    We usually set about to find these beauties and here one was, just standing there along Blue Tank Road (another dirt road) just waiting for us to notice.

Other than that, nothing exciting is going on.    We're spending a quiet Christmas cooking and reading and doing a Christmas Nutcracker puzzle.    I'm working on "eyes" today.

Lewis is a little under the weather.   Perhaps he ate too many mashed potatoes?

Merry Christmas to you all, and we wish you a Happy Healthy New Year.

Hmmmm....here's the bathroom cow.   How'd he get here?