Apparently, there is some truth to the expression "Spring Chicken" Now is the time to get the chickies. A couple feed stores in the Verde Valley had little colored ones for Easter. Max came home from school after hearing of this, and HAD to have a chick. SO, after a little searching(they're very popular), we found a store that had some baby chicks, and not the colored Easter kind. These are nicer, and we got a few different varieties(Ican't remember what now). A total of eight, most likely all hens. We'll add a rooster a little later. The woman was very helpful, and we got set up with water and food dishes, feed, and eight chicks for forty bucks. Not a bad deal. the boys spent part of their Easter money from Nana and Bapa on this little endeavor, so it's all theirs. We should have eggs by Halloween!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
pool progress
This is an attached garage that we are turning into a room for the kids. Video games and whatnot. This door looks out onto the front of the house. I finished texturing today, and hopefully will get it all primed and painted tomorrow. the boys chose the colors-orange and blue.
This is from the other side, looking out onto the pool....
Tomorrow the pebbles get put in. Water will go in on Monday. WooHoo!
This is from the other side, looking out onto the pool....
Tomorrow the pebbles get put in. Water will go in on Monday. WooHoo!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tucson
We headed down to Tucson for the last bit of Spring Break. Eric and Max actually flew to Houston, and drove a car back that Eric's Bro gave him. Pretty sweet, and gets way better mileage than his truck. Anyway, Doug and I drove to Tucson after we dropped them off at the airport. Max and Eric met us there the following night after a long drive.
I spent a little time in Tucson many years ago when my sister Cathy lived there. It was fun driving around and recognizing stuff. We had Mexican food at a restaraunt we used to eat at 20 years ago.
We also spent a nice afternoon with Cathy's Dad and his wife(Dad Coon and Nancy). They have a gorgeous house up in the Catalina foothills on the north side of town. It was great to see them, and I hope they come up and visit sometime.
Tucson is completely different from CV. Right in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, the plant life is SO cool and different from anything I am used to living around. Technically, the Verde Valley is grassland, not desert, but some desert plants grow here.
When Doug and I got there on Friday morning, we hit the Desert Museum. It's kind of a zoo/museum/botanic garden all in one. Doug enjoyed the venomous reptile show, with a Black Tailed Rattlesnake(there are 18 varieties in AZ) and a Gila Monster. The cactus garden was my favorite, although they had a pretty cool selection of rocks and minerals. Most of the following pics were taken at the Desert Museum.
This was on the road on the way to the museum. The wildflowers were blooming, so the desert was quite colorful. That's kinda why I wanted to go down there.
It's a little early for most of the cacti to be blooming, but this barrel cactus wasn't paying attention to the calendar.
I spent a little time in Tucson many years ago when my sister Cathy lived there. It was fun driving around and recognizing stuff. We had Mexican food at a restaraunt we used to eat at 20 years ago.
We also spent a nice afternoon with Cathy's Dad and his wife(Dad Coon and Nancy). They have a gorgeous house up in the Catalina foothills on the north side of town. It was great to see them, and I hope they come up and visit sometime.
Tucson is completely different from CV. Right in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, the plant life is SO cool and different from anything I am used to living around. Technically, the Verde Valley is grassland, not desert, but some desert plants grow here.
When Doug and I got there on Friday morning, we hit the Desert Museum. It's kind of a zoo/museum/botanic garden all in one. Doug enjoyed the venomous reptile show, with a Black Tailed Rattlesnake(there are 18 varieties in AZ) and a Gila Monster. The cactus garden was my favorite, although they had a pretty cool selection of rocks and minerals. Most of the following pics were taken at the Desert Museum.
This was on the road on the way to the museum. The wildflowers were blooming, so the desert was quite colorful. That's kinda why I wanted to go down there.
It's a little early for most of the cacti to be blooming, but this barrel cactus wasn't paying attention to the calendar.
This is a Century Plant, a type of Agave. It blooms once in its lifetime(more like 25 years), and pretty much kills itself in the process. At the end of the bloom, it tips over and spreads it's seeds.
This is a crested Saguaro. I forget why it grew this way.
The funky tree on the right is called a Boojum Tree. I think it looks like something out of the X-Files. The plant on the left is an Ocotillo, and gets bright orange flowers on it's tips.
The funky tree on the right is called a Boojum Tree. I think it looks like something out of the X-Files. The plant on the left is an Ocotillo, and gets bright orange flowers on it's tips.
These are Totem Pole Cactus. One of my faves, besides of course, the Giant Saguaro, my all time favorite cactus. I must go south to see them in bloom in May or so. The flowers only open up at night, so you have to look early in the morning before they close up.
Saturday, Doug and I went to the Pima Air and Space Museum. They have a HUGE collection of old aircrafts. We took a tour around the outside, then checked out a few of the hangars. Doug took about 200 pictures, and enjoyed the guns and bombs and stuff on the fighter jets.
On Sunday(Easter), we all went to Old Tucson Studios, a touristy little spot where they film westerns, and have little shows and stuff. It was entertaining, and everyone had fun. I am on a search for a cowboy hat to keep the sun off my face. I really don't think I'll have a problem finding one around here.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Vernal Equinox
Happy Spring!! Today is the Vernal equinox, when the day and night are equal in time. I've heard the two equinoxes are the only days when you can stand a raw egg on it's end, so we got a little garden going. The boys are on spring break this week. Tomorrow Eric and Max go to Houston to pick up a car from Eric's brother and drive it back to AZ. Doug and I are going to hang out in Tucson. The wildflowers are blooming in the desert now, so I want see. It's a little early for cactus blooms, but it should still be pretty.
Monday, March 17, 2008
dragon
Saturday, March 15, 2008
photoshop
Doug and I took a walk down to the river the other day. He resisted, but I made him come with me, and we ended up having a lot of fun. It's about a half mile to get to the access point, but we took a "short cut" through the brush that Doug found. It started out desert, and ended up riparian habitat. Kind of felt like walking through Harms Woods near the river. I'm sure we will stop getting the creeps after we go down there some more:) Doug had horror movies on the brain.
The little clump in the foreground is a chopped bamboo grove. All the stalks were piled up nearby, so Doug dragged one home with him. It was close to thirty feet long! Everything is starting to green up around here. It's hard to see in the picture, but the trees have that spring green color on them.
OK, so in my quest to get my jewelry business started up again, I need to take photos of my work to submit to juries, also to show on my future website and here. With the new set up, it is possible to hang the earrings, but I needed to figure out how to block out the hanging things. So, I got a PhotoShop 30 day free trial to see if it was something I needed. I guess it is, and after some tips from a friend(thanks John) and a lot of experimenting time(I'm sure that's not over), I figured out how to do what I wanted, and ended up with a pretty good result. Above is the photo as it was shot. Below is the result of my photoshopping.
So anyway, these handcrafted, sterling silver earrings have a celestial motiv, are about 1 3/4 inches long, and cost $45.00. With the price of silver so high right now, I might have to rethink my pricing.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
handcrafted jewelry
I just got a new photo set up for the jewelry, with a new background. I think it looks pretty good.
Just put my shorts on so I can photograph some more pieces out in the sun!
This necklace has a Sedona red rock with glass bead accents. The green beads are made out of recycled coke bottles. It is strung on a leather cord and has a sterling clasp. The words PEACE LOVE SUNSHINE are stamped on the back of the pendant.
Just put my shorts on so I can photograph some more pieces out in the sun!
This necklace has a Sedona red rock with glass bead accents. The green beads are made out of recycled coke bottles. It is strung on a leather cord and has a sterling clasp. The words PEACE LOVE SUNSHINE are stamped on the back of the pendant.
Monday, March 3, 2008
hand crafted jewelry
I have been collecting heart shaped rocks for awhile now, and decided they would be cool in some jewelry. I can't remember where the heart came from, but I found the dangling rock in Kodiak, AK, when Cathy was living there.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
day hike
A woman who works at The Fool on the Hill in Jerome told me about a cool rock hunting spot way out on Salt Mine Rd right near our house, so today, we went on a little adventure. I'm not sure if we actually made it to Rodeo Flat. When the pavement ends, so do the street signs, so we were just driving and getting out of the truck at various spots along the way. The boys were too chicken to hike with me, so they waited with dad in the truck most of the time. They did get out at the old salt mine on the way home. On the beginning of our trip, we saw some people climbing up here, so they figured it was OK. Critters are their main fear, so we just have to get out there a few times, and they will get over it. City boys!
This was the view looking north eastish. The snow covered mountains are the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, where we go to ski. It's about 50 miles away. The red rocks of Sedona are right in front of SF Peaks. Part of CV is in the foreground. Our house is out of the frame to the right. We are kind of standing where I aim the camera for sunsets at home.
macro lens
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