June 27, 2013 Daybreak

Today's word: daybreak

Actually it's yesterday's word, I'm a little late.   As you can see, the sun hasn't even cracked the horizon yet, and Rosie's raring to go!  She's probably now going to get me up at 5 am in the winter, when the sun isn't even up at that time!

See, she's just patiently waiting for her boy to wake up.  Ha Ha, she's already attacked him with her cold wet nose in an attempt to wake him up!

This one is from a couple of days ago, when the word was sun.  This was on a smokey day, so everything is red and smokey looking.  Thankfully the winds have been blowing the smoke to the south of us for the last couple of days.  I hate it when I feel as if I've been smoking, and I don't even smoke!

This one is on the same day as above, I thought it was interesting how the wall across from the window was red from the sunshine.

June 25, 2013 Turquoise

Today's word: Turquoise

 The prettiest turquoise color I have ever seen was the Havasu Canyon creek below the falls.

This is a colored pencil drawing that I did of Havasu Falls, the middle of the three falls that are the typical destination for tourists.

Havasu Canyon is reachable from Hualapai Hilltop (parking) that is about 63 miles from Peach Springs, AZ.
When I hiked this canyon about 30 years (yes, that long ago, when I lived in Arizona!), there were only two ways in:  Hike the approximately 11 miles down into the canyon, or rent mules to go down.  I walked.  At that time there was no lodge, and no helicopter rides in (you could get a helicopter ride out if you needed to be med evaced, but that wasn't something you wanted to do) or out.  Supai village was there, and you could buy a soda.  What I got was postcards that I then sent to everyone, from down there, so that they could be stamped "Mule train mail" because the mail was hauled out by mule train.

The campground was usually not packed (it got worse after my first two trips as people found out about it), there was a spring coming right out of the side of the cliff wall for drinking water.  And the creek was cold for relaxing in..  No showers, though, and only tents and sleeping bags to sleep in that you had to haul in on your back.

The hike out, with all your equipment was a tough one, hot in the summer as only the desert can be, and long.  No place to replenish your water, so you had to haul enough to get you out, and water is heavy at eight pounds a gallon.  The hike from the canyon floor up the face of the wall was a real killer--approximately a 1000 foot elevation gain in about a mile.  It sure felt like I was going straight up the side of the wall!

Now, you still have to walk in, but there is the option of the helilcopter ride.  And there is a lodge there that you can reserve rooms and have a place to sleep comfortably, and indoor plumbing.  Much easier to hike since you don't have to take food, stove, tent, or sleeping bag.  Just water and clothes.  Must be soooo much easier.

I wouldn't trade the hike in and out, because it was definitely worth the trip.

You can see more information about this place here.

June 18, 2013 Sweet

Today's word: sweet

As in, this is a very sweet face.

Gnarly hardly ever shows any other side but sweet.  He sticks his sweet face in yours and drools.  He shakes his head and the drool flies all over.  But he never digs in the rocks, he doesn't sneak dirty socks outside, he doesn't raid the dirty clothes and take them outside.  He doesn't chew up toilet paper, he doesn't empty the trash and shred it  And most of all, when he wants out in the morning, he just paws the bed to let you know it's time to get up.

This face, no matter how sweet you think it is, hides a lot of mischief.

Missing something, look in the yard.  It might not be chewed to bits yet.  Want to sleep in in the morning, forget about it.  The nose is cold, and she thinks the way to wake you up is to poke it right into your face, preferably after pouncing on you in her exuberance.   She tears through the house playing with her toys, or with Gnarly if she can get him to play.  She torments the cats, she demands attention.  She digs holes, she rips up landscaping, she chops plants off at ground level.  She chews everything.  She catches and eats moths.  She keeps the place hopping!

June 17, 2013 Welcome home

Welcome home.

The sherrifs, as they checked, and double checked, and triple checked, left yellow crime scene tape on the mailboxes, or fence posts, or whatever was available to designate the homes that were safe to return to.  They didn't release an area to pre-evacuation status until every house in that area was accounted for.

We are still on pre-evacuation status, we went from no status to mandatory evacuation in one day.  Now we're on pre-evac, which just means that you can be at your house, but be ready to leave on a moment's notice if need be.  That's scary.

What was really scary was how fast the mandatory evacuation went from Hodgen to County Line Road.  It's a good thing that I went thru this with the Hayman fire.  (We never even got to pre-evac in that one, but since I was here alone, I started removing stuff early, just in case).

It makes you think of how insignificant you are.  How easily Mother Nature can totally disrupt your life.  How fast things can change.

It makes you think about what is really important, what can be replaced.  I am so thankful that I don't have to start over, that my stuff is still here.  My animals are all safe.  My pictures (and I have a LOT of them that aren't digital) are all in Bekka's garage, along with my important papers.  So are a couple of quilts and an afghan that my mother made-things I can't replace.

Today it rained again, that's good news.  But last night there were three lightning started fires in the burn area.  By early next week we'll be back to HIGH fire danger as the weather dries out and heats up.  I just pray that we don't see another one like this in a long time.

June 9, 2013 start of the day

Today's topic: the start of the day.

The start of the day.  At this house that is "by dawn's early light". 

Rosie, as soon as there is even a hint of light in the morning, is ready to go.  I'm not, but it is really hard to ignore the cold wet nose in the face, and the panting, squiggling puppy on the bed.  So that's when my day starts.  At 5:15 in the morning.   (Now you know why I go to bed at 8pm, even before it gets dark here.)

Gabriel doesn't get up that early.  He likes to sleep in until about 7:30.

But he does have to get up to go horseback riding.  Here he's steering Squirt thru an obstacle course made of  fence poles.  He is doing quite well at this.

Clyde is planting more flowers, and Rina is out there squealing for Betty and the brat to come back into view.

The strawberry rhubarb pie that Clyde is baking is almost done, and it sure smells good.  Made with fresh rhubarb from the plants in the back yard.

June 5, 2013 Cold (not the project365 word, but it fits the day)

Today, I'm choosing my own word: cold

As in, it was in the 30's when we went over for the riding and to give the horses their spring shots.  It was also foggy, overcast and humid.  Not a really great day for anything.

But, Gabe rode the horse for almost an hour in the cold.  He wondered what we would do if it started raining really hard.  I told him that the rain comes from the bottom of the clouds, and since the bottom was on the ground it wouldn't rain.  I think he believed me!

This is how he spent the rest of the day! 

The house was cold all day, and Clyde finally turned the heat on.  Imagine that, June 5th and we had to turn the heat on to stay warm.

Which is why the rootbeer slushies were so good!