I'm an Arizona resident!!!

It seems like a lifetime ago that I pulled on my Happy Trails sweatshirt in chilly Gig Harbor to begin the drive to Tucson, but it was only Saturday. In the past four days, we (Dave helped me move and did most of the driving) drove down in two long days Saturday and Sunday, spent Monday camped out at the house and buying necessities, had the movers unload everything Tuesday morning, and today I'm unpacking while Dave reassembles furniture and fine tunes the house for me. 

It was raining when we pulled away,

which made it easier to leave.

It went from rain in Washington to snow on the mountains in Utah to  red rocks in Arizona.

My new home state.

We stopped at Sedona for old times' sake and to get pizza. We drove to one of our favorite trail heads and ate in the car, then drove the rest of the way to Tucson and got in after dark.

Here's the sunset the next evening from my front porch. There are palm trees! Ever since I was little I have wanted to live where there are palm trees!

I've had Mexican food every day.

The movers unloaded 12,000 pounds yesterday in 3 1/2 hours. They got here early to beat the heat and were done by 11 a.m. Great guys. Now I'm hustling to make the house comfortable.

This morning, there was a delivery on the front porch -- Godiva chocolates from a friend back in Washington! They went great with my morning coffee.

Here's why we get started

early in the morning:

I have a lush desert back yard. Once I get settled, I'll study up on desert plants. Here's the view from my back window while I'm taking a break in my big overstuffed chair. That's a sun shade to the left, and it sure comes in handy.

Here's something from an Instagram post that I'm embracing. I love my new life!

 Have a colorful day

The movers came and Happy Earth Day

The movers came Monday and loaded tons of my stuff onto their van. They hustled for seven straight hours with only brief breaks and then took off, headed to drop of two other loads and then meet me at my new house in Tucson next week.

They did a great job of carefully wrapping all the furniture in moving pads.

My sewing room, below, will probably be someone else's family room.

So now I'm living with a folding camp chair in the kitchen with one empty box for a table and another for a foot stool.

The only other "furnishings" are my self-inflating air bed, a box end table and an old stool and lamp that are both going to be left with someone who can take them to Goodwill when it reopens. It's actually very comfortable. I like the simplicity, although a couch to stretch out on in the living room in front of a TV would be nice.

It's also Earth Day!

I've been going on three-mile walks almost every day on the golf course in our community, which is normally closed to walkers. It's gorgeous. Yesterday I went on two walks totaling almost seven miles. I don't think I'll be doing that when I get to Tucson because it's supposed to be 100 degrees when I arrive.

I always see a red-winged blackbird in this marsh.

Clouds and water are something I won't see much of in Tucson. I'll miss the water, but not the clouds.

The other day I saw about 10 baby ducklings paddling along with mama bringing up the rear. A couple of the babies took off onto land to explore and I worried about them until they headed back to the pond.

This is me relaxing in my camp chair tonight with a bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough dip brought over by a friend. The salty pretzels used as dippers really set off the sweetness of the dip. It's made with powdered sugar, brown sugar, butter and vanilla. Delish!

 Have a colorful day

A beautiful, bittersweet spring

The weather here in Gig Harbor has been stupendously glorious this week, and every day I've been walking on the golf course that's closed to golfers. Spring blooms are bursting into color and the sun is warm and gentle.

I passed this shrub trimmed into a

giant bunny in a back yard!

After today's walk, I stopped down in the harbor. The mountain was out! I only have one more week to enjoy all of this and then I take off for Tucson. 

It'll be very bittersweet, leaving good friends in the most beautiful time of the year here. Summers are what we live for in the Northwest -- and dread in Arizona. But a new adventure is waiting in the desert sun and there's no turning back now.

Have a colorful day

Introducing my grand bunnies

Here's a belated Easter treat, some pictures of my five grand bunnies who live with my daughter in Spokane. I miss their furry little bodies! Julia posted their Easter photos on Instagram along with a description of each one's personality. She's a totally devoted bunny mom. Here's what she says about them.

CHARLIE: Also known as Charlie Cha Cha, Choo Choo, and Charlaylay. I adopted him from a shelter four years ago because he was surrendered for being sassy and a little bitey. He sat at the shelter for over a month before I found him. His name was Bugsy, but I let my other rabbit at the time, Bailey, pick his new name out of a hat. He's my sweet bean, and I appreciate his sass.

DILLY: OMG. This bunny. I adopted him a year ago (after Bailey died) from a family who was overwhelmed with kids and pets. They had named him Daffodil because they thought he was a girl. He's my tender, sensitive, ballerina boy who likes pink and soft blankets. He is Charlie's main squeeze.

WILLOW: My tall, thick, lady bun with an amazing jawline. Total model material. The day after Easter last year, I found her parents huddled under a car in the rain and took them in. They had five babies a couple of nights later, and Willow is from that litter. She is 100% sweet. No sassy side on this one.

WALNUT: My little chonk. He is also from the abandoned bunny litter. He is mostly sass with a little sweet mixed in when he's tired. The only way he likes to be held is if I spoon him on the couch, facing the back of the couch, under the blanket. He is a mama's boy.

MAPLE: AKA Me-Poooooooo. Yet another from the abandoned bunny batch. I was supposed to rehome her, but obviously I fell in love with her panda cheeks and kept her. She and Walnut are BFFs and live together. She is 100% sweet. Prefers to be held while I'm standing up and rocking gently She trained me to come hold her when she rings a string of bells in her pen.

"I'm outa here."

Have a colorful day

Getting outside

Good morning, day ??? of self isolating. We've had a streak of gorgeous weather, so I got outside for some walks. Our governor says it's okay to get outside for exercise, as long as you're not in groups and are staying at least six feet away from others. That wasn't a problem where I live.

A silver lining of this pandemic is that golfing is now prohibited on the neighborhood golf course, so I can finally walk on the trails. Up until now, walkers were only allowed out there before 7 a.m., and I'm not a morning person. So it was a real treat to walk among the ponds and stands of trees.

It was also interesting to see the back yards of the houses on the course. I'm sure there's a story behind this guy. 

These two boys rode their bikes down for some fishing.

I also went on a beach walk for the first time in ages. It was a warm, sparkling day and the beach was practically empty of humans but full of sea life visible at the low tide.

The biggest treat was seeing an Orca -- the black thing in the center, above. They're also called killer whales, but they are actually the largest type of dolphin. I think there might have been a few, but only one was visible at a time.

I only saw one sea star. A few years ago a wasting disease wiped most of them out, but now they're coming back.

The white sand dollars are dead, but the black one below is alive. Live sand dollars are covered with very fine cilia that appear velvety black or dark purple. When they die, all that is left are the white exoskeletons.

This pink blob is a nudibranch, a type of mollusk. It was about two inches long.

You can see the snowy top of Mount Rainier, about 40 miles away,  above the trees on the left.

Back home, this is where I keep the Kokopelli face mask that Carol made for me because I'm moving to the Southwest. Isn't it cute? She sewed a wire in the top so I can shape it around my nose and make it fit snugly. I haven't made face masks because my sewing room has been packed up for a month. I didn't foresee having the virus explode when I did that packing.

 And finally, this last one is called: "Quarantine calories don't count, and neither does unkempt hair."

 Have a colorful day