About Those Ribs

I honestly don't think there is a better way to cook pork than to smoke it.  Ribs in particular are my favorite.

There's probably as many ways to cook ribs as there are people in the world.  I'll give you my recipe in a bit.  In the meantime, while the racks were soaking in all that lovely Mesquite flavor, I was fixing STUFF.

My sprinkler irrigation lines have a section that runs down to the water station.  It's one of the favorite play toys of the javelinas.  Cute little guys, right?  But very destructive.  They will root around and upturn everything in your yard.  They make big holes in the ground and bite everything they can get their big teeth into.

The plastic line comes through my cinder block fence at just the right height for biting.  I can't tell you how many geysers I've discovered from teeth holes.  With Dan's help, we fixed the lower portion by adding PVC pipe.  Now it was MY turn to add the same pipe to the top section.

I had a little trouble fitting a ten foot section into my Jeep, but made it home in time to do the repairs when it was 103 degrees.  I don't think I've ever changed clothes so often!!  

So .... I cut out the bad part, made TWO connections adding in a new section since the line was now too short, and slipped it all into the PVC pipe.  Bite THAT my little friends!!

Eventually I'll find something to disguise the pipe, maybe just cover it up with rocks and gravel .... when it's 20 degrees cooler!!

Speaking of "pigs" ... here's the two racks just before hitting the smoker.  Put them on the racks at 225 degrees for two hours with smoke.  Take them out, wrap them in foil and back in the smoker they go (no smoke this time) for another two hours.  

Take them out again, enjoying the lovely aroma of burning mesquite, open up the foil and smear your favorite barbecue sauce all over.  I like Sweet Baby Ray's, but whatever your favorite is, works perfect. 

After another 30-60 minutes, take them out and let them rest for a few minutes.  Open up and dig in!!!  I didn't even have time for a picture before we cut them up, ready to devour!!  

Dan did a great job ... they were perfectly tender and oh so tasty.  In no time, all you could see was bones!!  Nurse Patty made some delicious potato salad and cole slaw to go with it.  YUM YUM!!!  

The best part is we all got leftovers.  There's another piece in the fridge just calling my name.  The worst part is cleaning the racks for next time.  It's worth it though.

On the schedule for today is ..... wait for it ..... the installation of my RV COVER!!!  Yay!  I'm so excited!!!  It's going to be an interesting day as it's overcast and storms are predicted, along with that lovely lightning I like to photograph.  I'm not sure how this is going to shake out ... we may have to wait a little before standing up on that ladder holding big pieces of metal.   Not ME mind you, but the installation guys.  Pictures coming soon.

Wineries and More Horns!!

For all those that read the winery story, I removed all of it due to the disparaging remarks from the wineries.  The information I posted came from Wikipedia and wine growing sources.  They said all of it was completely false.   In the meantime, I won't be going back as I had planned to actually taste their wine.  There's nothing like those kind of remarks to kill patronage.

So ... on with a more interesting topic ... pronghorn antelope!!!  After passing by the wineries, I headed off to Empire Ranch to check out Doug Laning's favorite parking spot.  In all the times I have ventured there, I have never seen any antelope, although Doug has posted several pictures.

There I was, just driving along and what should I see but this guy!!  I hit the brakes and jumped out for a picture.  He wasn't the least bit concerned.

I sat very still in the car while he wandered across the road.  What a beauty!

He stopped on the other side, not looking at me.  I'm not going to look ... I'm not going to look.  I scanned the hillside, thinking there must be more, but he was the only one I found.  He wandered off as I headed on down the hill.

After traversing the washboard gravel road, I finally made my way back to the boon docking area.  There was no water in the creek, but the road was very rough from monsoon rains washing across the gravel.  Big mud puddles were everywhere.  At a warm 85, this is probably not the time of year to camp here.  Doug's site is just to the left.

With no more critters in sight, it was time to head back to the house.  It happens I had a couple of slabs of ribs left over from the huge Costco purchase and Mr. Chance has agreed to smoke them today.  

After thawing them out, I rubbed mustard all over every square inch.  It doesn't add flavor, but it does help the rub mix stick really well.

Lots of brown sugar, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and an overnight in the fridge and voila!   Ribs ready for the smoker.

It's going to be a fix-it day while the ribs cook.  Or maybe I'll just snuggle with the puppies on the couch.  

By the way .. it's almost D-Day for the RV cover!!

Southern Arizona

Edited:  Gosh I guess I hit a nerve with the wineries in Elgin.  All the information I posted came directly from Wikipedia and the internet.  They said all of it was completely false and threatened to sue me.  

I might have tried their wines and spent some time telling everyone how awesome it was, but now I will never know because I won't visit them. 

I have to admit, I was MUCH more interested in these two guys than I was the wineries.  I've heard of pronghorn antelope in this area, but have only seen one fleetingly while driving by.  I came to a screeching stop when I saw these guys on the top of the hill.

Obviously they saw me too.  With no place to park, I just stopped in the middle of the road.  Aren't they magnificent?  

I'm guessing this is a female.  She was more wary than the male was.  I was so excited I could hardly stand it.  

On the way back I stopped in at Doug Laning's hangout, Empire Ranch.  If only I could have a little house there!!

I Have Even MORE Visitors!!

Grunt grunt!!  I KNOW THAT SOUND!!  I grabbed my camera and slipped out the door.  It's 3:55 am and the light is just beginning to break over the mountain.  That means it's dark outside!  It took me two quick seconds to change all the settings on my camera, to no avail.

These guys are fast!  I mean seriously, I've never seen anything move like this before.  I suppose that's what keeps them alive around bobcats and coyotes.  Sorry for the blurry pictures.

It's been almost two years since I actually caught one on camera, but I know they have been around.  The last time I had a geyser just outside my fence, it was because they bit a hole in my line to the water station.  That's why Dan suggested the PVC pipe.

That helped, but at the very top near the fence, the pipe is exposed.  It's obvious they have been snooping around again because it was disconnected, meaning I was watering the desert nicely.

They both took a quick drink and were off like Flash Gordon.  That's when I spotted THIS beauty.  He refused to pose for me, so this is the best I could get.  A ruby throat maybe?

It was a VERY busy morning, as even more visitors showed up unannounced.  This roadrunner is a young one that I've been keeping a close eye on.  I have a nest of baby dove in my palm tree, and I'm not about to let him get near.

At long last, I actually got OUT of the house yesterday.  Although I have a few ghost towns way down south to see, I got a very late start.  That happens when you blank out and put a huge load of laundry in the washing machine, only remembering you wanted to leave early when it was full of water.

I decided to check out Elgin instead.  It lies along the Babocomari River, although to be honest I never saw any water.  There is an incredibly unique little Characidae fish that lives there, extremely rare they say.  This sign into town doesn't exactly remind me of little fish!!  It looks like Elgin was a good time with the ladies!

Elgin has known the like of Gene Nelson singing Oklahoma, Glen Ford and Van Heflin riding the 3:10 to Yuma train and John Wayne in the movie Red River, driving cattle across the land.  I rather imagine this is because there are maybe 100 people living here, making for lots of filming with no cars or telephone poles.

There's really not much of the town left, but a few houses survive.  I can sure see why they chose this location.  There must be water around because it's green and beautiful, even in the summer.  By the way, it was a lovely 85 degrees on this day.

Elgin was established in 1882 along the Santa Fe Railway running the length of Sonoita Creek from Benson to Nogales.  Jesuit Priest Padre Kino had come this direction in the 1700's, encouraging his followers to develop the area.  In 1853, the Gadsen Purchase made this part of the United States and the land rush was on.

In the late 1850's mining became the name of the game and Elgin flourished.  Trains soon brought in ranchers who recognized the value of huge tracts of land with railroads close by for shipping.

In 1926 however, the tracks were washed out near Patagonia, and the railroad came to a halt.  Mining and cattle ranching followed suit.  

What has come along in the last few years is an amazing growth in wine making.  Who knew?  Apparently someone thought this ground was exactly like that of Italy, with weather to match.  Hoping it would become the wine capitol of the U.S., vineyards began popping up everywhere.

That's tomorrow's story however.  If you want to check out this new trail of business, take a designated driver with you.  You're going to need someone sober!!

No ..... It Can't Be True!!!

So ...... I walked outside last night to catch the last few rays of the sun and thought to myself ... gosh, it's cooled off a bit.  This is VERY nice ... even comfortable.  I sat down and watched the puppies wander about the yard.

When I got inside, I thought I would see just how cool it was.  WHAT???  92 degrees and I'm thinking it was COOL???  Something is definitely wrong with me.  It can't be true that I've adjusted to HOT!  I went inside and turned the AC up, just because!!

Here's another one I discovered the other day.  You really wouldn't think the toilet paper companies would be scamming us, would you?  Well yes they are!  In order to keep all the hoarders supplied with the most important product on the planet, they have SKINNIED UP THE ROLLS by over an inch!!!  Who knew you were getting less for a lot more money??  That's my did-you-know fact for the day.  That's what happens when you stay inside too long.

I did get out long enough to catch this fire burning in the same place the other BIG Arizona fire was finally stopped.  I don't know if it was a recurrence or another lightning strike.  I don't see it this morning, so hopefully they got it out again.

What CAN be true is this was a bumper crop year for quail.  All day long, bunches and bunches are hitting up the water.  At this stage they are all teenagers, not really sure what to do but scatter like crazy if they hear a noise or see movement.

More and more bunnies are showing up too.  Many more than last year.  I haven't seen the jackrabbit, but there are plenty of cottontails to take his place.  Talk about wary, they move two inches and wait .... move a couple more inches and wait .... with those ears moving right and left.  

Yesterday there were 22 quail in my back yard.  They especially like the lawn after the sprinklers have come on.   I think there were ten in this little group, with another 30 or so hanging out in the front under the big rosemary bush.  It's so darn cute to see the teens dig with their feet and take a dust bath.  They kick up dirt everywhere!!

For the coup de gras, guess who showed up?  Chippy's cousin!!!  This is a white tailed antelope squirrel.  I've only seen them once or twice.  They are very tiny and blend in too well with the rocks and sand!!

Here's a little better picture from the internet.  Cute little guys!!  

One thing we have seen is a lot of lovely sunsets.  There have been many days of forecasts calling for rain, none of which have happened.  Instead, the cloud cover has made for gorgeous viewing.

I've determined I must get out of the house today.  In spite of the heat, I think it's time for a road trip.  

Oh Deer, Oh Deer!!

It's been overcast a lot in Tucson lately.  That hasn't done much for the heat, but the days are more bearable in the shade.  It does make for some amazing sunrises though.  Every morning I sit with my cup of coffee on the patio, listening for the birds and scanning the horizon with my big shovel by my side.  You never know when a snake may wander in.

All of a sudden .... LOOK .... DEER, OH DEER, DEER!!!  I quietly rushed inside to grab my camera.  I admit, the first few pictures didn't turn out quite as I expected.  The camera was still set on Neowise.  Lucky for me, these guys were thirsty!

Look at the velvet on these beauties!!  I get excited every time I see them.  In no time, they drank the water station dry.

This was the leader of the pack.  What a rack HE had!!  

I snuck back outside and over to the sprinkler valve so I could turn it on again and fill the bucket.  They drank all of that and more.  The babies were thirsty!!

It looks like maybe two generations of bucks hanging out together.   There was not a doe in sight.  After drinking their fill, they wandered off down the hill.  Gosh I love seeing these guys!!

That little morning excitement made it easier to deal with Dish Network who magically raised my rates at the exact same time they charged for my baseball package.  Oh ... my rate went up ... must be the baseball.  Check a little deeper Nancy ... they raised my fees $35 a month.  

Granted, I have three "houses" hooked up with them, but for the last two years I had a guaranteed rate of $70 a month.  Where did the time go???  It of course took a lot of persistence and THREE people before I talked them into lowering it back to $70 a month for another two years.  No refunds of course so I lost about $140.  There really should be a bell in your head you can set to go off and remind you of this stuff!!

With that having taken over an hour on the phone, I was starving.  Lets cook a package of bacon on the barbecue.  Since trying it once before, I decided to go the easy cleanup route and put foil on a pan.  I hooked up my last little green bottle.

Too bad I wasn't a little more observant.  I don't know how, but I must have brushed up against the turn-on knob.  When I went back outside to begin cooking, all I smelled was gas.  RATS!!  I drained the tank.  

So ... after scrounging through every cupboard in the house, I found one more bottle of green.  I know it's hard to tell here, but that's a hot dog beside the piece of bacon.  I know they are a little black ... I mean I wouldn't know what to do if something didn't burn.

The pan of bacon stayed on a tad bit too long.  I do like my bacon crispy!!  It was delicious!!!

I did a little sewing and snuggled with the puppies on the couch.  I have to say I'm getting completely spoiled by Cooper, or maybe it's the other way around.

And so another day has passed in beautiful HOT Arizona.  It couldn't have been any better than seeing deer in my back yard.  Now ..... what to do with 11 more slices of slightly charred bacon.

Neowise Where Are You?

It's not often that I will stay up late at night to get a picture.  Mostly because no matter what time I go to bed, I always wake up at 4:00.  I have to be honest, I would do it for critters, but for a light in the sky?  Not so much.

So here I am, camped out on the back lawn, waiting.    And waiting.    And I waited some more.  It soon became clear that clouds were covering the suspected area and I was getting nowhere.

For whatever reason, the NEXT evening, it would be visible about 45 degrees to the West, right below the big dipper about an hour after sunset.  I camped out again in 95 degree heat.  No one said photography would always be a walk in the park.  

Here's my image.  Can you see it?  Me either.  I sat out there for two solid hours swatting little bugs and moths, to get a beautiful picture of the big dipper.  It really is there ... maybe if you click on the picture to make it bigger?  

Just for kicks, I did a 30 second image.  This is probably the closest I'm going to get to the Neowise comet.  It shows just how fast the earth is really moving.  In 30 seconds, it moved that much to make these stars look long like a comet.

There were some nice cloud formations ... this was another 40 second take.

Yes I stayed up AGAIN last night, to no avail.  When I try to figure out the timing with paper and pencil, I'm pretty sure it's visible, but at something like 11:30 at night.  Five hours sleep just doesn't get it for me, so here you go.  This is someone ELSE'S image taken over Mt. St. Helens in Washington.

It's a very cool picture of something they say you won't see again for 6800 years.  

What I DID get an image of was this very young coyote.   I like this better than the comet anyway!!  He came very early in the morning just as I happened by the window.  Their hearing is so good that the click of my camera stopped him mid swallow and he stared right at me.  Not the best of images since it was very dark and I was having a hard time getting the camera to focus.

One more quick drink and he was off.  He just didn't like the mad clicking as I took 20 pictures.

It's been way over the top hot, so staying inside is the game of the day.  I probably look out my window 150 times, you know, just in case something walks by.  And walk by it did!!!  More pictures tomorrow!!!

Critters Moving Right Along

One thing about living in the desert, the critters are fleet of foot and VERY wary.  It's hard to get pictures of anything that moves faster than a gila monster.  Just the same, I keep my camera right at the back door.

Honestly I don't know how these guys can live in this 107 degree weather!  Especially the fuzzy bunny rabbits!  Wasn't I surprised to look out the sliding glass door and spot THIS guy.  I haven't seen a jackrabbit in 40 years.  Way back when, we used to have hundreds of them on the ranch.  As soon as they moved the huge contingency of Hmong people in, the rabbits disappeared, as did anything else that might resemble food, including crawdads, bullfrogs and catfish.

At any rate, this guy has a big pair of ears for a reason.  As soon as I snapped the first picture, even though I was inside the house, he heard that click and instantly stopped.  WOW!!!

The quail on the other hand, although a little skittish, could care less.  These are pretty tough little guys.  I watched one yesterday take on a really large road runner and chase him clear off the property.  I had no idea quail were so aggressive!!

Once the morning fray was over, I proceeded to get something done.  I need to register my truck in Arizona.  I tried online, but that was a big waste of time.  I'll just call instead.  Whoa .... almost an hour and a half later, someone finally picked up.  

I know everything is shut down due to the virus thing, but instead of laying those people off, why don't they set them up at home for answering phone calls?  I guess that would be too simple.  Anyway, lucky me got an appointment to have it taken care of.  The Voodoo doll must be occupied elsewhere.  I'm even getting an Arizona ID.  

By then, it was lunchtime.  Time to burn something to eat.  It's really hard to get a grilled cheese sandwich browned to perfection.  I spent the rest of the day finishing up this quilt.  

In the meantime, I've been completely obsessed with getting pictures of the Neowise comet.  I have a cool little app called SkyView Lite.  You can open it night or day and it will show you exactly where every star is, including all the crazy names they have.  Look for Gemini they said.  Prophetic since that's my birthday month.

Every morning when I went out at 4:00 to catch it, there were clouds in the Northeast.  No bueno!  NOW the only way to see it is to look to the NorthWEST after the sun goes down.  

So this was me ..... waiting and waiting .....

At least I got a nice sunset picture.    

Neowise decided to stay hidden and my camera battery died.  Better luck next time.  If you're in a dark place for the next couple of nights, you might be able to see it to the Northwest, just below and a tad to the left of the Big Dipper.  I'll post some REAL pictures of it tomorrow, along with another guest at my water station.