The Secret Hideout

Just like all good bank robbers, this bunch of outlaws has their own secret hideout in the hills above Tucson.  This one comes with all kinds of names like riparian, hydrologic and bedrock.  Suffice to say it's a creek that runs year round ...... in the desert.  Who knew?

We headed out early in the hopes of catching a train unawares.  It certainly would have been better if we were on horseback.

I doubt the bank robbers of old paid much attention to the saguaros.  These were probably babies when they rode by.

Around the ridge we went, bushwhacking across the canyon to the train tracks.

March 20, 1880 the first train rolled into Tucson over these tracks.  Well not THESE tracks, because I'm sure they have been replaced several times, but this is the exact same route.  

Today it is part of the Union Pacific Railroad.  By the way, two days after the shooting of Morgan Earp, Wyatt hunted down and killed Frank Stillwell in the Tucson rail yard.  

Somewhere along the line they discovered the tsunami's of the desert called flash floods and built this underpass in 1925 to allow water to flow into Cienega Creek.

Unfortunately taggers have found this location and made a big mess.  I just don't understand how defacing someone else's property is entertaining.

We crossed under and headed off down the gully.  This is looking back at the underpass.

We finally spotted the Arizona's SUPER bloom!!  I guess it's still a little too early with the snow and all.

Surprisingly, there is water flowing down the creek bed.  Dan said he's never seen water this far south of the dam.  I thought about robbing these two, but alas, they flew away before we could get close.

Why are we surprised that there is water here?  Because Pantano Dam was built in 1911 to divert water through a system of pipes for irrigation purposes.  Now owned by the Vail Water Company, the water WAS used for the golf course.  That completely cut off the supply of water below the dam.

Here's what the dam looked like many years ago ...... lots of poured concrete and MUCH more water than we saw.

Unfortunately we discovered the taggers had found our secret hideout.  Gosh this makes me mad!!  At any rate, you can see how the water has undermined a lot of the concrete.  

This is where the water is diverted into a concrete waterway, which eventually dumps into a piping system that runs a few miles to the golf course.  Dan said the last time he was here he could hear water running through the pipes.  

I'm happy to report that Mother Nature won out on this deal, even if it took her 108 years.  There must have been a few epic flash floods because the back side of the dam is completely full of sand to the very top, as is the pipeline leading out and down the wall of the canyon.

With no more water being diverted, it is falling over the top of the dam and down the stream bed, as it should be.  That's why we ran into water so far down the hill.  I LOVE IT!!

In the end, we didn't get to rob anyone.  The train came by a little too fast for us to jump onboard and I don't think Union Pacific guys carry much cash.  Maybe another day.  There's more to tell about our little jaunt, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.  

Do NOT Move the Furniture!!

I didn't mention the Homeowner's Association meeting we attended the other night ... the Chance Family and I.  It's very appropriate that it is held at the Catholic Church so everyone will mind their p's and q's.

St. Rita helped us tremendously by keeping the rowdies at bay.  With only about 20 people in attendance, you would think it would go quite well ... and it did this time.  There was no hour long discussion about whether chickens are considered livestock or not.  Livestock are NOT allowed in the subdivision of one acre and larger lots, but someone keeps hearing roosters crow.

On the other hand, we can do just about anything we want as far as buildings are concerned, just don't paint them purple or turquoise.

It was a VERY long night.  Do you have these plugins in your house?  Do you have the nice smelly things underneath that evaporate with the warmth of electricity?  Yup ... I did too, but now tragically, they are all in the trash.

I took this one down (with bottle attached) and set it in a large decorative bowl.  Over time as I moved things in and out of the bowl, I knocked it over on it's side.  Do you know what happens then?  All the juice flows out into the bowl, on and around everything IN the bowl.

Luckily the muffins were in a zip lock bag.  Not so for the dog meds, the onion, the garlic and the bird bananas.  What a mess THAT was to clean up ... and right at bedtime.  I've washed my hands six times and they STILL smell flowery.  That alone would have kept me up all night ... and it did.

I had decided to move the furniture in the bedroom to allow me to sleep on the OTHER side of the bed.  My mattress isn't the best in the land and there's now a two inch dip on one side.  Too bad for me I remembered to do it just before bedtime.  And Cooper was watching.

Don't you wish you knew DogSpeak?  If he could say anything, it would have been to NOT move the furniture.  Cooper became a nervous wreck.  I tried to get him to stay on the dippy side, but he stood on my chest and licked my nose for ten minutes, in spite of his involuntary trip across to the other side.

I got up, tripping over the shoes I forgot to move and trying to find the light.   In desperation, I went back to the dippy side.  It didn't matter.  He wasn't having any of this furniture movement idea.  At long last I gave up and drug a quilt to the couch, where we spent a fitful night as I tried to keep my smelly hands away from my face.   

Otherwise, it was a good day as I scoped out Harbor Freight.  Not that I wanted to, since it's a very long drive, but Ace Hardware didn't have the 3 inch long cotter pin I need for geocaching.  It's used to roll up those teeny tiny log sheets for replacement back into the container.

Harbor Freight didn't have them either, although they did have a nice box of 555.  Probably not really that many in the box, but it weighed five pounds.  I'll never need that many, so I passed.

It's nice to have all your supplies together ... knife, needle nose pliers, side cutters, tweezers, extra log books, rattlesnake bite kit, you know, all that important stuff.  At long last as I wandered through TJ Maxx, I spotted the perfect container.  A backpack about twelve inches high with lots of pockets.  

Now all my "stuff" is in one spot.  I'll just leave it in the Jeep for those spur of the moment geocaching trips.

Spring has finally sprung around here.  The quail are back at the water station and the ocotillo are starting to leaf out, covering up their stick-like arms.  

Before too many snakes come out to bask in the sunshine, Patty Dan and I are going on a hike down through the canyon below our houses to check out the Secret Hideout.  My geocaching bag with a snakebite kit and bandaids just might come in handy.

Geocaching At The Escapade

I was up bright and early, not because I wanted to be, but because Barbara and Tom Westerfield were putting on a seminar at the fairgrounds in Tucson.  Geocaching is the name of the game.  It's a fun way to get you out of the house and moving your body.  Sometimes really fast when your hair gets caught up in a tree and you think it's a big spider!!

There were so many newbies attending the seminar that I volunteered to help them get set up with their iPhones.  Androids are Barbara's specialty.  I was so busy, I completely forgot to take pictures.  Here's an example of what you need.  Basically, your phone and a pen will get you started.

Unfortunately, flip phones won't work.  You need something a little more high tech.  Go to Geocaching.com, sign up with a name you like that isn't too long because some of those log sheets are teeny tiny.  My name is CaCowgirl.

Your phone will show you the location of every geocache in the area.  Sometimes, like around the fairgrounds, there are hundreds.  Pick one, click on it and follow the arrow.  Once in the vicinity, most will have a clue, like water water but nothing to drink.  That could be a sprinkler, so you go pushing and pulling up all the sprinkler heads until one comes loose in your hand.  You might find a cache this tiny ...... or bigger like this plastic bottle ...

or as big as an ammo can.  The first order of business is to sign the log sheet and log it as found on your phone.  You can take any of the goodies in the can, but only if you leave something in return.

Once everyone had it down, Tom and Barbara had hidden eight caches around the buildings for everyone to find.  I gave a hint here and there to help them find the prize.  You can get really involved and try to find every single one, or you can just go out when you are bored.  Be careful in the desert however ... you might get your hair caught in a tree trying to find that one inch container hanging from a branch.

BOF (Birds of a Feather) groups are available to sign up with if you would like company on your travels.  There is lots of opportunity to hang out with people who have the same interests as you.

And who should I meet while walking around the building?  Lynn and Dave Cross, along with Margie who was manning the Geocache BOF table.  Sign up is free with Geocaching and you can get lots of help at their rallies in Quartzsite and Yuma.

I made my way around the vendors, right on out the door heading to the Ice Cream Truck when I spotted some amazing copper sculptures.  For the most part, they were free form, poured while liquid, then colorized by adding heat.  No two are alike.  This little guy was playing my song, so he came home with me.  So did that 2-cup caramel sundae with a cherry on top.

After their second seminar, Barbara, Tom and I had lunch at the Cantina.  The place was packed to the brim with 15 people ahead of us in line.  Good thing we were in no hurry.  I finally got my order, but Barbara and Tom did not.  

Fifteen minutes later after I watched probably a dozen orders be delivered, I jumped up and caught a waitress.  Seems someone put the wrong number on the ticket.  They apologized and made the entire order over again.  It was okay .. we had no place to be and the food was quite tasty.  

It's a rest day for me ... I packed my heavy camera all over the fairgrounds and never took it out once.  I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be heeling to one side, or listing .... whichever.  

My pest control guy is coming this morning at 8:00, so I'm off to make myself presentable.  No use scaring the help half to death.

It Was A GREAT Day!!

Good Morning Arizona!!!  Finally the wonderful warm days of Arizona have returned.  I was up with the puppies at our normal 4:30 and got a nice welcoming from the full moon.  Actually not quite full, but it sure was bright!!

My first order of business was to find out how to proceed on my motorhome windshield replacement.  It has a nice big ding in the middle, rather distracting when I drive, and starting to spread.  On the way here, I got another one.  Time to have it replaced where someone actually carries the glass.  There's nothing in my neck of the woods in California.

After an hour on the phone, I accidentally dropped the call, which turned out to be a good thing.  When I called back, I got a happy girl ready to approve anything I wanted.   With my OK in hand, I headed off to the Escapade at the fairgrounds to find Mobile RV Glass.

The place was packed to the brim with rigs.  There's not a single electrical hookup available and hardly any place to park.

I asked how many attended, but the count had not been completed.  Being familiar with the fairgrounds from the horse shows, luckily I knew where to find a tiny spot for my Jeep.  Off I trotted to the vendor area.

Mobile RV Glass was the last vendor I spotted, with three good looking guys standing there just waiting to sign me up.  I filled out the paperwork, but have to wait for one more phone call from the Duncan Company, even though Progressive is my insurance carrier.  It feels pretty good to have NO deductible for a $3,000 project.  Once that call comes through .... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.  They will install the first of next week.  

After that, what could be better than dinner with these two great friends.  Barbara is putting on a geocaching seminar today and I'll be front and center.  I never had so much fun as when I drove with these two clear to Bangor Maine, geocaching all along the way.  It's a great way to learn so much history about any place you are.  Geocaching is worldwide and a very fun treasure hunt.

Patty and Dan picked me up and we met the Westerfields at Serial Grillers for dinner.  Not long ago all they had was a food truck.  Now they have four brick and mortar locations throughout Tucson.  It's just what it sounds like .... "serial killer" names are on the menu.  I had the Taken Lives panini, but was torn between that and American Psycho.  The names will give you a chuckle.

They have great sandwiches, huge really amazing salads, burgers and some of the best fries in the country.  The onion rings aren't too shabby either.

So I'll be off this morning to the Escapade to thank them for bringing such great weather to Tucson.  I'm hoping to meet up with several friends and maybe meet more new ones!!

Burning Things

As you know, I'm REALLY good at burning things.  Mostly food.  It was an extremely lucky St. Patricks Day because my corned beef and cabbage (without the cabbage) came out perfect in the slow cooker.  That means that for the last two days, I've had corned beef hash for breakfast and I didn't burn it not ONE time!!

My neighbor likes burning things too.  I'm pretty sure it's garbage because it stinks terribly.  Unfortunately, all the smoke seems to head my way, keeping me off the patio.  Such a beautiful day yesterday ... hardly any wind at all.  So of course we spent it indoors sewing, chatting and passing on the latest in quilting.

By the way, the quilt that won the big prize ... you must be a MEMBER of the Hall of Fame group before you can enter your quilt, so the number of participants was limited.  

Hoping the smell of MY burning would waft on up to my neighbor, I spent some time working on gourds.  This shows the sticky patterns you can buy, rather than drawing everything yourself.  They are very dark because I already burned the images into the gourd.  Knock on wood, so far I haven't burned myself at all!!

Peel the residue off and here's what you get ... ready to be painted, or not in my case.  It takes time to build up a plethora of colors, and at $7 a bottle, it's going to take awhile.  The good news is a bottle will probably last forever.

Since I had no pattern for the feather, I did have to draw that one myself.  I'll be painting it very soon.

Here's an interesting discovery I made last year.  This is the Linear Garden, brainchild of the gentleman whose name escapes me, who lives across the street.  He's a junk collector who likes to display his wares.  Most likely because his wife said either he or the junk was going outside.

Traveling southeast on Toughnut Street, turn right and go down to the lower parking lot.  Stay to the right and make a right hand turn up Skyline Drive.  It's basically a one lane road going up the hill.  Just around the first corner you will find the garden.  There's room to park in front of his house if you wish to saunter up the hill.

It's not junk ... it's GOOD stuff!  I can hear him now.  If he's out in the yard, stop and say hello.  At any rate, it's definitely unique.  Keep going on around and you will have a great view of Tombstone, ending up back in the parking lot.

Today I'm off to the Escapees Escapade, even though I have to pay $20 to enter.  I'm in need of a new windshield for the rig before I switch things around to lower the cost of insurance.  Right now I have no deductible.  

Hoping to catch up with some friends and check out a couple of seminars.

Who Knows Why???

I got a rude awakening when I went to do laundry the other day.  I usually leave the lid open on my washing machine, but this last week it was closed.  Wasn't I shocked when I DID open it and saw movement in the bottom of the barrel.  What????  It was a 2 inch long scorpion.  How the heck did THAT get in THERE????

Seriously, they can't climb up the slick side of the machine, can they?  Did he fall from the sky?  Just HOW are they getting in???  It's too darn early in the year to have these things and too darn early in the morning for me to have to deal with it.  

My longest pair of kitchen tongs carried him to the sink where he immediately went down the garbage disposal.  HA!!!!  Got you now!!  As I turned on the water he tried to come back up, but I was faster on the draw with the switch.  DEAD SCORPION .... ground into a million pieces and down the drain.  Yes, I DID think twice about selling out!  My other house does NOT have scorpions.

So it's back to being skittish for me ... I now look under every blanket and rug and don't sit on the floor with the puppies any more.  Patty came to pick me up for the quilt show in Green Valley, which was a nice distraction.

These ladies are serious about their quilting.  This was a crazy huge quilt with literally a thousand pieces, not only hand quilted, but HAND SEWN.  Can you imagine?  I would have been done after the first block.

This pattern called dresden plate was made with men's ties.  Very cool!

There's no rhyme or reason in my book for some of the awards.  They have professional judges who have their own criteria I guess.  Maybe some day it will make sense to me.  This quilt won the big prize.  It's going to the local Hall of Fame, wherever that may be.  

In MY opinion, this or several of the others should have won.   

This was my favorite!

There were several of these quilts called thread painting.  The faces were made from different colors of thread sewn so close together it looks like a painting.  Kind of weird actually, but I'm guessing you can tell who they are.

Apparently we didn't win any of the gift baskets we bought tickets for because there were no late night phone calls.  I did pick up a melange of fabrics for my stash.  No, I don't have any idea what I will do with them ....... YET.

You've seen this one on my blog before.  It's a fairly popular pattern.  In fact, it's one I have the pattern and material for, and will start on when I return to California.

It was a great day, beautiful sunshine and NO wind in Green Valley, which sits at a lower altitude.  When I got home, I scanned the house with an eagle eye to be sure there were no nasties lurking in the corners.  

It's meet up time with the girls for chitchat and sewing today as I gear up to attend the Escapade currently happening at the fairgrounds.  I can't wait to see friends who are attending!!

I'm Addicted To Food

I no more arrived in Tombstone than my stomach said it was time for lunch.  It was only 10:00, so I proceeded to get in trouble first.  I spotted this kids saddle in the window and just HAD to have a picture.  

This is what I rode from four years old to about nine, tapaderos and all.  That's the long covering over the stirrups.   My saddle didn't have quite as deep a seat.  Too bad because it probably would have saved me many bruises from falling off when the horse turned back and I did not.

Somehow I missed the NO PHOTOGRAPHY sign.  I've no idea why not unless he stole this from someone.  I got THE LOOK so I quickly exited right and out the door.  On the way, I spotted the sign.

That's when I looked up and saw ..... BAKERY.  There was no way I was going to pass THAT by.  A new business in Tombstone?  I'll gladly help keep you going.  They really didn't have much to offer except cinnamon rolls, huge brownies and a few cookies, plus coffee and hot chocolate.  

It was a very chilly morning, so I opted for THAT cinnamon roll please and a cup of scalding hot chocolate.  Truthfully I was not impressed with the roll that looked like a cow pie.  After the first bite however, I was hooked.  Unfortunately they do not give you a knife and fork, so I carefully unrolled each little piece and stuffed it in my mouth.  I'm just SO addicted to food!

I'm here to tell you, that's one of the best cinnamon rolls I've ever eaten.  When I told the proprietor so, she gave me a big hug.  Seems her husband makes them.  I took half with me and bought one for the road.  Now to figure out what's in it so I can make the same.

I headed straight for the Bird Cage Theatre and spent WAY too much time inside, hoping a soiled dove would magically appear in my camera frame.  That's another story for another day.  At 11:30 I headed off for Big Nose Kate's, girlfriend and confidant of Doc Holliday.  If you want to have fun, this is a great place for lunch.

I should not have been so enamored with the Bird Cage.  This place was packed to the brim and not one single seat was left.  There was however, a table for four.  Just as I passed the doorway, I was accosted by a gentleman asking what kind of camera I had.  He disappeared just as quickly after I said Nikon.

The next thing I know, he and two others came in behind me looking for eats.  Knowing he was a camera buff, I asked if they would mind having another person at their table, in which case all four of us could sit down immediately.  They agreed.  

You meet the nicest people in Tombstone.  Terrible picture, for which I apologize.  The open door made for WAY too much light.  This is Paul, his wife and her brother.  He was a broadcaster for the Green Bay Packers, having retired a few years ago.  Now they travel around Arizona in their RV during the winter.  This was their first experience in Tombstone.

Unfortunately for me, since they were SO crowded, there was not a menu to be had.  The waitress spouted off a bunch of sandwiches.  It was so loud and noisy, when I heard pastrami, I thought Reuben.  I was apparently wrong.  It was okay, but was missing all the meat.  For $14, I could have had THREE cinnamon rolls.

I finally wandered off down the street, leaving them to their lunch.  The Red Dirt Shirt Company had sold out of their long sleeves ... not surprising considering the freezing temperatures ... so I opted for this horse variety.  If you're going to visit Tombstone, you might as well help the economy a little.

Arlene's is a favorite store, with lots of jewelry and decorating items.  In fact, they have taken up two huge buildings in town.  The ladies are so nice, I purchased these two small rugs.  They are quite inexpensive compared to anyone else.  They are hand made wool and run $20-25.

One of my last stops was next to the Harley Davidson store.  Yup ... motorcycles in Tombstone.  It's a favorite destination for the perfect Tombstone shirt.  That's where I found this hat for my civil war costume.  It's probably not exactly in the time zone, but it's close enough.  Unfortunately I'm not sure I can still FIT into the dress it goes with.  WAY too many cinnamon rolls.

There are still some interesting photos of Tombstone and stories of the old west to pass along.  In the meantime, Miss Patty and I are headed off to a quilt show, after I partake of the last vestige of cinnamon roll.