The kids are in Key West

 

Here's a change from the desert scenery I usually show. My son and his wife are vacationing in Key West and sent these photos. I can almost feel the gentle sea breezes and warm ocean water, sigh.

And here's me (above left) near Key West in 1985, the only time I've been there. I went on an Outward Bound sailing trip because I thought it would build up my confidence. It didn't, but I made some good friends and weathered a scary storm. We were in an old whaling boat (below), which could be powered by two sails, oars, or by towing, which is what we're doing above. No bathroom, totally open, with a bunch of strangers. We spent about a week sailing from a small key (Little Deer, I think) into Florida Bay. Afterward we celebrated in Key West.

And here's some different scenery. This is the view from my ex's room in Tallberg, Sweden. He was supposed to be on a backcountry cross-country ski trip, but he injured his foot and ankle and had to bag it. So he's at a hotel until he can get a flight home.

And now we're in California, where my parents' house just went on the market. It was sad looking through the listing photos. They did virtual staging in the living room and kitchen, and I didn't like the white modern look they gave it. 

Signing off now with sunset photos from Tucson.

Have a colorful day

The desert is flowering and streams are full

 

Tucson's wildflowers are going wild, especially in my friend Sandy's yard, above. She didn't plant a single one of these poppies, but a few years ago they started popping up in her yard. Every spring she gets more, and this year they're practically a solid gold carpet! There aren't any in my neighborhood, sadly, and when I planted seeds they never came up.

But on my desert hikes I'm seeing plenty of gold flowers. I'm not sure what this bush is -- maybe brittlebush -- but there are clusters of poppies sprinkled along the trails among the saguaros.

These are on my favorite trail, Canyon Loop in Catalina State Park, which I've been told is featured in this month's Arizona Highways. I'll have to pick up a copy.

 

There are also some purple flowers. I think this is lupine.

And our recent rains and snow melt from the mountains have filled the streams and washes. Someone made a little pool beside this stream along Canyon Loop. Barb and I hiked it yesterday and had to wade through icy cold water at about four spots, but we didn't mind it because the weather was warm and sunny. This was my 18th hike since my birthday on my challenge to do 70 hikes for my 70 years.

Instead of hiking today, I spent a lazy Sunday morning outside with the New York Times and iced tea.

Have a colorful day

Road trip to California

I took my new car on its first road trip last week -- to visit my mom in Oceanside and then up the coast to spend a few days with my friend Carol. She's renting a condo on Balboa Island, which is across a little bridge from Newport Beach.

My big bag of peanut M&Ms kept me company on the road, plus I found a wonderful cafe in Yuma, Daybreakers Cafe, where I stopped for lunch both ways. It has this sign by its bake case:

Mom has settled into a routine at her assisted living place, where she reads her daily paper with a second cup of coffee every morning. The rest of the day she works on crossword puzzles. Her broken hip has healed, but she has to use a walker and is still doing PT to strengthen her legs. She's 94 and had never needed a cane or walker before she broke the hip.

Then I drove up the coast to visit Carol. I'd never been to Balboa Island and didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be a mixture of quaint old cottages and huge modern houses, all standing shoulder to shoulder, plus lots of tourist shops, restaurants and beautiful flowers everywhere. As you can tell by how we're dressed, the weather was sunny and perfect.

This is the view from a little ferry that we took. It only held three cars plus bicyclists and walkers.

We did a lot of walking on paved paths that go around the island. Here's the Grand Canal.

We caught this beautiful sunset on my first night there.

That's me among the crowd waiting to get a seat at Wilma's Patio, where we had brunch my last morning. Excellent French toast!

Color, color, color!!!

The blue house is the exact color of the sky. The house below is crammed with Teddy bears in all the windows and they're changed to fit the season and holiday. This time they were decked out for Valentine's Day. Someone taking pictures said there are more than 6,000 Teddy bears inside!

More color, color, color from the flowers! Some of these are on the island and some are at the Sherman Library & Gardens in nearby Corona del Mar.

No, we didn't go on a dolphin siting boat. This is a mural at Wilma's!

And now for a mystery. We found these two knitted objects in the condo and can't figure out what they are. We think they look like mermaid getups but we don't know what to do with the open part at the top. Any ideas? The colors are luscious.

Have a colorful day

Feeling better and catching up

Thanks to a visit to my doctor and antibiotics, my cold is FINALLY over and I'm coming back to life! Barb and I did a couple of slow wanderings through Catalina State Park, where the poppies are starting to bloom and the streams are running.

Yesterday afternoon we went back to Catalina for one of its free outdoor concerts, called Music In the Mountains. This time it was a Celtic group, the Out of Kilters, and it was fun!

The flowers are also popping up at my house. Remember, in Tucson the weather is springlike in February even though many of you have snow. I pulled out my flowery wool mat, one of my first wool appliqué projects many years ago. The yoga bunnies like the flowers.

In another update, I couldn't go to my gallery opening in Louisville because I was so sick and my flight was canceled anyway due to the big snow/ice storm. But I've already sold a piece! If any of you are in the Louisville area this month, stop in and see the show. Details at PYRO Gallery.

Here are two of my pieces in the show ...

... and one by Charlotte (above) and by my sister Terry (the heron). We took over the whole gallery and even though our work is very different it shows well together. As Charlotte said, "There's a lot of feminine energy."

And speaking of art and feminine energy, my little Juniper is really getting into painting! She has a well-supplied art section in their living room.

To wind this down, this is where I'm spending today -- in my sunny back yard listening to the birds and my fountain and soaking up the absolutely perfect weather. I suppose I'll go inside later to catch bits of the Super Bowl, since the Seahawks are playing, and to watch Bad Bunny, but mostly I'll be outside today.

Have a colorful day