For the Birds

This week, life has been for the birds...in a good way. Sunday we discovered this mama dove building a nest right on top of my 10 year old spider plant.

Yesterday, when she flew off for a brief break, we saw these two beautiful eggs. I wonder if she is the same dove who built her nest in another hanging flower pot last year. She fledged two pairs of babies, although one of them flew into the pool and drowned.

Meanwhile, we have been inundated by all kinds of finches at our bird feeders, much to Sophie's consternation. Here, she's intently watching about 8 finches (you can't see all of them; they are just out of range of the camera) and chattering madly at them through the window all the while. There is one who likes to taunt her by flying close to the window. Every now and again, she makes a lunge at it, unsuccessfully of course . . .

On and On

"The road goes ever on and on."
~ J.R.R. Tolkein

"It's your road and yours alone.  Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you."

Those are the quotes for today's bell work.  I asked my students to describe the road they are currently traveling--literally and figuratively.  Who is going with you?  Where are you going?  Where do you wish you were going?  Why?  I'll be interested to see their responses.
During the school year, I'm on a road kind of like many here in Arizona--a straight shot getting you fairly easily from one spot to the others.  When I first moved here, a friend I had known in Boston (a city not known for it's straight, logical roads) sat down with me and described the road system here and said "you'll love driving here.  It's so logical.  You'll always know where you are and where you're going."  Wrong!  I have never been more lost and confused within a mile or so from my house or work than in this state!  You can be driving along on a road and suddenly you will dead end into a neighborhood.  So, logically you'd think you could go left (or right) and then right (or left) and then left (or right) again and find yourself back on your original road.  But no.  You can't get around the neighborhood so easily.  Instead, you'll find yourself lost in a labyrynth of twists and turns that have you going in the complete opposite direction from where you started.  Drives.  Me.  Crazy.

Then there are the mountain roads--north and south of where I live.  I'm not very good at driving on roads I don't know and that do not give me a fair amount of distance views.  Roads that have a lot of twists and turns are slow roads for me because I don't want to miss a curve and lose control.  The first time I drove north to Sedona and beyond took quite a bit longer than I drive it now.  And I didn't offer once to drive the hairpin turns of the White Mountains on our road trip East this summer.  Once I know a road, though, I travel it easier.  And faster.

So much for the literal road I'm on.  Figuratively, I start my day on a winding road that I have no idea where or how it will end.  For some reason, that doesn't unnerve me the way the actual unknown road does.  Perhaps because I've gone into this unknown so many times before.  Coming to Arizona was one such big adventure. But every day has its own journey with its myriad opportunities to wonder about the day's mile posts.  But that's a whole other story.  I'll have to leave that for another day.

On the Road Again

Rock formation in the White Mountains along the Salt
River

So.  I was going to fly home tomorrow to Boston/Maine to spend most of the summer with my parents.  But something happened on the way to the airport and I ended up in Albuquerque, New Mexico instead.  Well, it wasn't quite that dramatic, but I did have a change in plans and am now at the start of a cross-country road trip to Maryland with my friend Linda.  We are driving in her VW van and boy did we have an excellent first day, although we only went about 400 miles in 12 hours.  That's because we kept side-tracking ourselves, having first decided that we would take the scenic route 60 out of Arizona instead of the expedient route 40.  We do not regret our choice.

This is our VW van reflected in a Saddle Shop's window.

Love the name:  Drift Inn Saloon.  I also saw Rode
Inn Hotel!

Turns out there are many, many interesting things to see on the back roads of southeastern Arizona.  This is an area neither of us have explored, so we were all agog often.  Sometimes it was funny road signs, sometimes it was hilarious store signs or amazing sculptures made out of motorcycle parts or cowboys alongside a covered wagon or VLA telescopes (very large array) or throwback Western villages and towns or buffalo or pronghorn antelopes, or any number of other interesting things that kept us from making much headway.

We will make up for lost time tomorrow.  We will be good girls and stick to the highway as much as we can through the boring parts of Texas and Oklahoma.  But we don't promise to take a few side trips when we just can't stand it one minute more on the 75 mph freeway.  If we see a sign for a museum or library, we might just take off to see what we can find.

For now, though, our adventures have halted and we are spending the night in a Best Western Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  We had fun today, but were more than ready to stop for the night.  Tomorrow will be another adventure, I am sure :)

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

Hilarious signs at the Drift Inn Saloon

I've heard of "Open" and "Closed" signs.  Never saw
a "Shut" sign before!

For our friend Sara :)

Yes, we did go down this curvy road from the
mountain top into the canyon and back up!

"Rambo" (Artist named him!)

A genuine Rembrandt in the town of
Springerville on the border of Arizona
and New Mexico.

This sign caused us to turn around and go back
to see the little library in the middle nowhere
and nothing (see below).

Entrance to the Cabin Library.  So quaint!

A cowboy and his covered wagon.

Joe bear kept us company.

Salt River in the White Mountains of Arizona

Seventh-day Adventist Church in Springerville, AZ

The long and not-winding road!

Windmills

Barn near the quaint little library. 

Linda and Joe Bear, my companions
on this road trip.

Linda and I decided we were works
of art :)  We're in an art gallery
in Springerville, AZ.

We ate lunch in the Java Blues
restaurant.  Sign says "All Gamblers
and Fancy Women must sign up with the captain
before boat leaves for New Orleans!"

Comparison and Contrast

The difference . . . is huge:  Arizona versus Maine, humming birds to blue jays, sun to snow.  From one week to the next, there is no comparison, only contrast:

Desert Garden Stroll

A few months ago, a friend and I had tea at a charming tea room in the equally charming town of Carefree, Arizona.  The tea room, called "English Rose," was a delightful experience and I've been wanting to go back ever since.  Yesterday, I discovered that the town has a 4 acre desert garden, so I drove over to explore.

The drive itself, once you get within 6-8 miles of the town, is a botanical education with flora- and fauna- identification signs posted by shrubs, trees, and cacti.  The signs are large enough to read as you drive by.

When I arrived at the town center, I found an Arts & Crafts Festival going on, so the Desert Garden was a little cluttered for optimal picture taking.  Still, I don't think I've ever seen more beautiful cacti!

The town of Carefree is fairly new, incorporated in 1980s.  The following information is from its website.

• In the 1950’s, two entrepreneurs K.T. Palmer and Tom Darlington, formed a partnership and acquired the land now known as Carefree.
•      In the 1960’s, SkyRanch Airport and the Desert Forest Golf Club opened.  The first shops and restaurants were constructed and business commenced within the TownCenter.
•     In the 1970’s, a total of approximately 300 homes had been constructed.  Many of the roads in   and around Carefree were paved.
•      In the 1980’s, Carefree incorporated as a Town.
•      In the 1990’s, the population of Carefree increased to over 2,500 residents.
•      Today, Carefree’s population is approaching 4,000 residents.  The Carefree Desert Gardens and Amphitheater hold numerous community concerts and events such as world class art shows throughout the year.  Carefree celebrates 50 years of history and 25 years of incorporation.