This “Snowbird” season got off on a wrong foot for several reasons. First, it was more difficult and aggravating packing and readying the motorhome for the trip. And then, each of us had dental work in early January, delaying our start. Consequently, it seems like our time in Arizona this season never quite caught up—something was missing. It’s hard to put a finger on it, but part of it may be that a good number of HSV folks who regularly spent the winter in Palm Creek have gone elsewhere or decided not to winter away from home. And for me, I feel that my pickleball game is not where it should be, and I can’t get motivated to work on it. Kay would agree that since it’s our last year here, I’ve sort of already checked out, even before the season began. We have two more weeks here at Palm Creek, and then it’s off towards home.

Kay played pickleball Monday, but I canceled lacking any interest in playing. I finally returned to the courts on Tuesday, playing a mixed-doubles round robin. 

Kay played again on Wednesday, and we attended the “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” concert in the evening. The Elvis impersonator show was just okay, though the vocalist did have a good voice. He made way too many silly jokes during the songs.

Sweetwater Wetlands beckoned on Thursday, and I was able to photograph a number of birds during the trek. Highlights included this soon-to-be mama hummingbird sitting on her nest.

Another was this Song Sparrow.

And yet another was this Lesser Goldfinch.

And this Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

This Cooper’s Hawk was hidden high atop a nearby tree.

A Vermillion Flycatcher is always a sight to behold. This one was pretty far off.

And finally, this Pied-billed Grebe was swimming in an adjacent pond.

Other birds observed were Yellow-rumped Warblers, miscellaneous Sparrows, and Gambel’s Quail.

Following the Sweetwater Wetlands “shoot” I traveled to the US Forest Service Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. Little did I expect it to be so crowded, and the shuttles were booked solid for most of the afternoon. From there, the day’s trip took me north to Honey Bee Canyon Park. Honey Bee Canyon Park is a protected desert ecosystem in the middle of an urban area. Many species of cacti grow there, and there are petroglyphs and other cultural treasures along the 3.2 miles of trails. It proved to be a great stop as I hiked the “out and back” north trail to the petroglyph site.

Along the way, a few birds perched on rocks and cacti, but the 28-200mm Tamron lens was grossly under powered. 

And, how about this Coyote?

Even a few wildflowers were blooming.

On Friday, I processed photos, Kay shopped, and we played pickleball with the Bushee’s followed by dinner at Barro’s Pizza. Saturday proved to be a “dead” day for the both of us.

We enjoyed an afternoon watching skydivers on Sunday at Skydiving Arizona at Eloy, Arizona, just a few miles south of Casa Grande. It is the largest skydiving facility in the United States. There were lots of “jumpers,” mostly young. We enjoyed their swooping inane sliding to a standing landing. The jump zone was probably the most crowded with both jumpers and spectators that we have seen in our 5 years here in the desert.