The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles of walking paths traversing 21 acres of desert landscape. Our main goal in visiting the museum was to see the Raptor Free Flight program. In this program, only birds native to the Sonoran Desert are flown. The birds fly so close you can feel the brush of feathers as they whiz by, completely untethered, and without any jesses (leg straps)! The demonstration was awesome, as the raptors fly in the open desert.

We joined Dan, Pat, Arnie, and Toney in the packed queue for the demonstration. After a brief introduction, the first raptors to fly were Chihuahuan Ravens. These birds are known for being exceptionally intelligent birds; they can recognize faces, and, being incredibly playful, have been documented stealing windshield wipers off parked cars to goof around with them. (NOTE: You make click or double click on each image to enlarge it.)

Next to fly were Crested Caracara. We have seen them previously in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. When seen from a distance it is often mistaken as a bald eagle. The Crested Caracara looks like a hawk with its sharp beak and talons, behaves like a vulture, and is technically a large tropical black-and-white falcon.

Fifteen years ago there were only about 80 known nesting pairs of Gray Hawks in Southern Arizona. Through riparian conservation efforts, and practicing wise use of the land those numbers have increased to nearly 200 nesting pairs. The Gray Hawk is a predominantly Mexican and South American species, though a small population migrates to spend the spring and summer months in southern Arizona. It is found in lowland riparian areas and mesquite bosques, and specializes in reptilian prey, especially lizards.

One of my favorites, the Harris’s Hawk is the only raptor species in the world that hunt as a family using strategy similar to that of wolves; they are one of only two truly cooperative hunters in the raptor world. They will live in pairs in the tropical areas, or places where prey is abundant; in areas like the Sonoran desert where prey has a lot of good cover, they have been documented in groups as large as 9 birds. They will take turns harrying a rabbit or squirrel, chasing it out of cover towards other family members, etc. Although the Harris’s Hawk is found in the southern half of Arizona, southwest New Mexico, southern Texas, and all through Mexico and South America, cooperative hunting is only observed in the Sonoran Desert region of their range.

Sunday was golf day for HSV folks here at Palm Creek; today it was a plain scramble. The wives choose a paper slip with one of the husband’s names, and they partner up. Today, Bev Graham and I played as a team, and she is a good golfer. Though tied on scoring, we beat Kay and Gary Star for 2nd place based on scoring difficulty of holes played. Afterward, we enjoyed a great happy hour on the Graham’s patio overlooking the 18th hole. Not a big fan of the NFL, we missed the great playoff game between Kansas City and Buffalo; such a shame one had to lose.

Monday was a resumption of pickleball, and Kay and I both played, despite my not feeling 100 percent. Our allergies—caused by dust—this year have been debilitating. Though we don’t feel terribly bad, we don’t feel good; It’s always something. A big potluck was held at the Tennis pavilion to celebrate Helen Baggett’s birthday, and meet and greet kew arrivals. As always, the food was great and the conversations was even better. Laurie and Dale Furney, our street neighbors here at Palm Creek for three years, joined us at the potluck; just this last July they moved into a newly built house in Hot Springs Village; what a small world, and they play pickleball, golf, and bridge—doesn’t get much better than that.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), we travel to the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum specifically to watch the raptor free flight program. The Desert Museum is an outdoor museum with birds, butterflies, wild animals know to inhabit the desert, cacti, etc. Here are a few photos, in advance.

So here we are, mid-January, with high temps in the high 60s and lows in the 40s. The Arizona sunrises and sunsets are spectacular, and the skies are mostly cloudless, i.e. clear, during the day, and the humidity is around 30 percent. Activities at Palm Creek are so plentiful that there is not enough time to do all that one wants, particularly when “one” spends six days a week on the pickleball courts, sometimes playing tow different sets of games. Indeed, it doesn’t get much better.

While I’m thinking about it, here are a few more photos from the visit to the Gilbert Water Ranch on January 12. Just click on an image to enlarge it.

Sunday was our Hot Springs Village couples’ 9-hole golf match. It is so much fun, particularly the 19th hole at someone’s place.

Immediately after happy hour, our street “Desert Spoon” had a street party, and it was great getting to converse with neighbors (typically, we’re so busy that time doesn’t allow for much visiting). Interestingly, a couple at the end of the short street—our neighbors for 3 years—just built a house in Hot Springs Village, spending 6 months there and 6 months here at Palm Creek; we had not met them before.

The rest of the week was all about pickleball. I played twice on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; this old body doesn’t handle that much physical activity well! Kay played four days and her knees suffered the consequences. On Tuesday, I bit the bullet and got a haircut—actually, it was more like a scalping—at about a half inch! Kay says I look younger, but I sure miss the curls.

On Wednesday, we played bridge with the Seitz’. We played duplicate style, and reviewed the plays after the game was played. Their knowledge of the game—both bidding and playing—is way beyond my level of competence; I felt so ignorant (I used to be a good duplicate bridge player 40 years ago, but that was then). At the least, perhaps we can learn something.

The HSV group at Palm Creek played pickleball Friday afternoon, and there were some very competitive matches. Norm and Barbara Bushee have really picked up their game since arriving; in fact, Norm is becoming a terror on the court! After pickleball, the group was joined by recent arrivals Don and Helen at Barro’s Pizza.

We danced to the sounds of DJ and the Midnight Sun Saturday night. They were good, if not a bit old (even by our standards), but after all the pickleball this week, I only lasted just short of 2 hours, much to Kay’s chagrin.

Kay played golf with the Palm Creek Women’s 9-hole League On Wednesday, while Dan, Arnie, and I traveled to the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert to photograph birds. No new birds were observed or photographed. Though a number of birds were captured in flight, I’ll save those for posting in the next blog.

We had a great morning of photography, and then made our way to Autonation Collision for an estimate to repair the Honda. And then it was back to Palm Creek in time to play pickleball.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday found us playing pickleball. And since we play at different times, we go different directions for about half the day. The other half finds us generally hanging around the RV with Kay reading and me piddling. Though we stay busy, our lives are really pretty dull.

The new year started off in great fashion on Saturday, January 1, with a win by the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Outback Bowl. Hopefully, the team is on its way to long-longer term respectability.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were all about pickleball, as Kay and I each played everyday. And, I got a new paddle (just like the other that was “misplaced” except for color). Kay diverted her interests to golf on Wednesday, playing in the Women’s 9-hole league here at Palm Creek. It has been a real joy to watch as she progressed from having never played to being a decent golfer.

We were both back to pickleball Thursday and Friday. This pattern continued for the next several days, though we did travel to the greater Phoenix area on Saturday afternoon to shop for dark roast coffee beans at Trader Joe’s and miscellaneous food items at Costco. Costco was a madhouse, with shoppers more dense than I have ever seen—a bit claustrophobic in fact. On Sunday afternoon, we joined the Seitz’s, Starr’s, and Graham’s for a 9-hole partner’s scramble; spouses could not pair with one another. It was a fun outing, and all came by our place for beer, wine, and popcorn. Sunday evening we attended a concert, “Not Fade Away Rock and Roll Show,” and it took the band almost 30 minutes to get groovin’, and finally playing songs with which we were familiar. Their high tenor singer was fabulous, as was the drummer, and both rhythm and lead guitars were excellent.

Monday and Tuesday were pickleball days, though Tuesday was so windy that Steve and I cancelled the 3.5 Partners round robin. Kay and I went out to lunch, and afterward, after dropping her off at the craft show, I was returning to the motorhome when a guy backed out of his carport and into the passenger side of the Honda. It was all I could do to not say a dirty word. Kay spent the rest of the afternoon taking care of insurance claims.

June’s rainy weather turned into hot, muggy days as July came. Kay continued sports activities, committee assignments, and spending a lot of time at the Diamante pool. We both worked the Spa City Classic pickleball tournament at the Hot Springs Convention Center. And then, while playing pickleball in Hot Springs Village, I re-pulled the left hamstring; two back-to-back hamstring pulls essentially shutdown golf and pickleball for me for the rest of the summer, though I continued to make photographs, Kay amped up her golf playing and time at the pool. Life was settling down and returning to near normal, and then the Delta variation of COVID arrived, essentially setting us back to ground zero. Ridge and Aker came to visit in mid-July, and we had a great weekend planned. However, on Saturday after breakfast, I began to feel feverish and achy with a slight headache and sore throat, all symptoms of COVID19, DELTA VARIANT. And, even though we have both been vaccinated, there were several hundred people at the pickleball tournament, and we guessed that the majority had not been vaccinated. Kay rushed the kids to meet their mom and their weekend with us was cut short. Though the symptoms persisted for a few days, I tested NEGATIVE. Back to “normal”, we made a quick trip to Memphis to visit with Jenny and her family, the first time we had seen them in almost a year. COVID again impacted our lives as the month long trip to the United Kingdom scheduled for late September was rescheduled.

The humid 100° days in late July transitioned into August, and prohibited virtually all outdoor activities. Having reviewed our “life” list, we decided to cart trip to the Northeastern US, cycling Rail Trail Hall of Fame trails along the way, including theTunnel Hill State Trail, Illinois, Monon Trail, Indiana, Cardinal Greenway, Indiana, the Allegheny River Trail, Pennsylvania, Pine Creek Rail Trail, Pennsylvania, and the Island Line Rail Trail, Vermont.  Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine were our target destinations for this road trip. Vermont highlights included Queche Gorge, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP, and the quaint village of Woodstock.

In New Hampshire we really enjoyed Franconia Notch State Park, and spent a couple of days hiking several trails to see waterfalls, pools, terrific views.

Maine has always offered an attractive “come visit” message. Baxter State Park, home of Mount Katahdin (northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail), presented a good chance of seeing and photographing a moose, but we were thwarted. After Baxter State Park, we drove to the upper corner of Maine and traveled its eastern coast to Acadia National Park. Maine proved to be hot, with temperatures in the 90s, and very crowded. 

After leaving Maine, we drove south crossing through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut before driving through the heart of New York City, New York, at 5:00 PM, rush hour! And then, it was on to the New Jersey Turnpike, passing near Philadelphia, and driving through Delaware, my 50th state. Our target destination was Richmond, Virginia, where we spent a couple of days with Nan and George, Kay’s sister and brother-in-law. And then it was back through Tennessee, visiting family near Nashville and Memphis, arriving home on August 23. The rest of the month involved golf, and photography, as both hummingbirds and butterflies were found in fairly large numbers. 

Early September was much like late August. However, we flew to Seattle on September 9 to visit friends Ralph and Debbie. They drove us on a tour of Olympic National Park—both the mountains and the rain forest—the west coast of Washington, historic southwest Washington and northwest Oregon, and the Columbia River Gorge. While all the sights were breathtaking and the wineries awesome, the highlight of the trip was visiting with Ralph and Debbie—we really like them!

Ralph and Debbie drove us to the airport in Seattle where we caught the Norwegian Encore, cruising we to Alaska via the Inland Passage. Since we had done this previously, we concentrated on relaxing and enjoying the Broadway style shows, especially Kinky Boots and Choir of Men. As an aside, on the Norwegian ship we felt perfectly safe from COVID with a requirement for vaccinations and pre-testing for all passengers and crew. 

After being home for a few days, in mid-October we drove to East Tennessee. Traveling via Memphis, we again visited Jenny and her family, and spent a few day in Pigeon Forge celebrating Ridge’s 10th birthday. It was a fun experience, particularly the wild rides at Dollywood, short hikes in the Smokey Mountains, and quality time spent with Karyn’s family. In late October, Kay and I received our COVID booster vaccination.

November was all about family, medical appointments (because we spend the winter away from home), and photography. We watched Ridge play soccer—he’s good—as well as Aker, playing her first year. Jenny and her kids spent a few days with us prior to Thanksgiving, and it was the first long visit with her and the three kids in almost two years; The last time they visited, Linc was only a few months old and Sutton had not been born. Dan Olson and I left the day afternoon after Thanksgiving for a photography trip via motorhome to southeast Arizona, making stops along the way to photograph unusual places like Monahans Sandhills State Park and the canyons found within the Chiricahua Mountains in eastern Arizona. We were not disappointed; thousands of photographs were made, including one of the Elegant Trogon, a bird I had been “chasing” for 3 years.

Kay began December by decorating the house for Christmas, and according to friends, outdid herself. She decorated extensively with trees—three large and eight small—various ornaments, figurines, lights, and other holiday memorabilia. She hosted a couple of parties, including The Book Club, and had several overnight visits with girlfriends. Meanwhile, Dan and I continued photographing birds and canyon vistas in the Chiricahua Mountains, Sandhill Cranes at Whitewater Draw, and numerous birds at Ash Canyon, Hereford, and Patagonia in southeastern Arizona. Several new to us birds (aka LIFERS) were observed and photographed. We arrived at Palm Creek on December 8, where a return to pickleball was much anticipated and enjoyed. Several trips were made to nearby birding hotspots—Riparian Preserve at Gilbert, Boyce Thompson Arboretum at Superior, and Madera Canyon—and thousands more photographs were made. We flew back home for Christmas, spending time with kids and grandkids. Kay and I flew back to Arizona on December 29 to spend another sun-filled winter season at Palm Creek Resort in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Though we made the best of a difficult situation, life DID NOT nor HAS NOT returned to normal. COVID repercussions has altered our way of life, and made us extremely cautious. We miss the social interaction experienced before the pandemic. Our foreign travel has essentially been quelled, with the attendant loss of $$$. We’re not optimistic that we’ll ever be able to travel outside the continent again. If only selfish people would have gotten the damn shot and followed recommended medical protocols!

This year, 2021, has been filled with blessings, and lots of ups and downs. 

While residing in Palm Creek in Casa Grande, Arizona, we traveled to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on the US/Mexico border in southern Arizona, in early January. We also ascended Mount Lemmon near Tucson, by auto. Of course photos were made frequently, and we both played lots of pickleball and golf. 

In February, Madera Canyon was visited in hopes of seeing the Elegant Trogon, but no such luck. Near the middle of the month, Kay and I got our first COVID vaccination. A trip to Yuma, with lunch in Mexico, was made, mainly in search of Costa’s Hummingbirds. We were rewarded for the long drive with photographs of several nectaring on blooming shrubs. I “blew out” my left knee playing pickleball, making for a lot of down time from both pickleball and golf. A number of trips were made to the Phoenix area to visit the Phoenix Botanical Garden and the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert, AZ—one of my favorite places to take photographs.

Back to Madera Canyon in early March, again “chasing” the Elegant Trogon, we observed and photographed our first Broad-billed Hummingbird up close and personal; the Trogon escaped us again. To say our winter at Palm Creek was subdued because of COVID would be an understatement as we rigorously followed recommended protocols. We returned home immediately after getting our second COVID vaccinations in mid-March, hoping for some normalcy, but no such luck. Time with grandkids was disciplined and sparse. Kay returned to the golf course and all of her social activities, but my blown-out knee still needed time to heal, thus no pickleball or golf. Instead, a number of trips were made to local hot spots for photos of wildflowers and emerging butterflies. 

March turned into April, and wildflowers availed themselves to the camera, but the number of butterflies and dragonflies was way down compared to a normal year, and few opportunities to photograph them arose. Kay kept busy with golf, PEO, and church activities, and I gradually began playing golf and pickleball, and managed a cycling trip on the Delta Heritage Trail. We still maintained a disciplined COVID posture towards the kids and grandkids, seeing them rarely, but FaceTiming frequently. 

Kay and I made a spur of the moment trip to northwest Arkansas the last day of April and first couple of days in May to visit Crystal Bridges, and really enjoyed the time away from our new, but quiet, routine. We especially enjoyed the Farmers’ Market in Bentonville; it was filled with activities, young families, and a sense of vibrancy we’ve observed in “big” cities. A few butterflies and dragonflies began to emerge, though no new species were seen or photographed. We did get to spend quality time with Karyn and her family during the Memorial Day weekend, and it was especially poignant in as much as Ridge did his first solo trip in a kayak. 

Normally good weather in early June gave way to almost daily rain.  And just when we though we were out of the woods with respect to COVID, Kay was potentially exposed; she attended a luncheon meeting and sat next to a lady who herself had been exposed to a person testing positive. However, Kay tested negative. The rest of the month was full of golf, pickleball, and church activities. And then, as the month neared its end, I pulled the left hamstring playing pickleball—no golf or pickleball for a few weeks.

Up early, 3:30 AM on Tuesday, December 21, we grabbed coffee, CPAPs, and carry on bags and drove to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Finding the already paid for parking was a bit of a challenge, but Dan’s navigating skills got us there. The plane left on schedule, and we made it to the Little Rock airport, via DFW, at about 2 PM. Kay and Pat were waiting to pick us up, and we arrived back in the Hot Springs Village about an hour later. 

Wednesday was the “calm before the storm” as I enjoyed the massive Christmas decorations Kay had erected, as well as the assorted cookies, candies, and cakes! We had cocktails and dinner with Jim and Ginny Passe, friends who we haven’t seen in two years because of COVID restrictions and  travel; it had been entirely too long.

Our family Christmas celebrations began in earnest on Thursday as Kay and I traveled to Memphis to  spend a few hours with Jenny and her kids Harper, Linc, and Sutton. It is amazing that she manages a 9-year old, a 2-year old, and a 1-year old as a single mother, but she does. (Kay and I are blessed that all of our kids are good parents.) Watching the kids with their gifts was a hoot. Harper was in shock when she opened and saw the new iPad and cover; now she won’t have to share! Linc loved his trucks and doggy sleeping bag. He had the truck carrier disassembled in record time, and couldn’t wait to crawl into the sleeping bag. And Sutton loved Linc’s gifts too, despite get some girly gifts and lots of pajamas. Back home after almost 7 hours of driving today, we rested and prepared for the next big event.

Christmas with Kay’s family was celebrated Friday, Christmas Eve with a brunch followed by gift exchange at Karyn’s. Again, it was truly fun watching the grandkids. Ridge had a look of disbelief when he opened and identified the new iPad. And then, Kay had wrapped and stacked inside one another, several boxes with a gift paper for he and DD (that’s me) to shop for soccer shoes this coming spring. Aker loved her gifts but was really thrilled to find out she would inherit Ridge’s old tablet. It was a really fun morning with good food and great family time, though we sure missed Kaden and Diana.

Back at home, we enjoyed a brief rest before going to church for Christmas Eve service, a tradition Kay and I began before we were married; we’ve only missed one or two in 21 years. Following the candlelight and communion service, we enjoyed a new tradition started after moving to Hot Springs Village, spaghetti dinner with Jim and Jackie Morris. By the time early evening arrived, we were pooped and ready for bed.

Kay and I opened gifts on Saturday, Christmas morning. We reached the age several years ago where we blessed to already have what we need and want, so there were few surprises. But, it was fun all the same. And then, Christmas was over! And, deconstruction of holiday decorations began. With three large trees and seven smaller ones, it didn’t take near as long for the both of us to remove ornaments and take down and store the decorations.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were spent preparing the house for our prolonged absence, though not a lot had to be done.

Friday was a pretty quiet day here at Palm Creek in Casa Grande, Arizona. Without Kay, I’m not into the swing of things just yet, and I sure miss her being here. Mixed doubles round robin pickleball games were played on Saturday—I really like the game, and strive to get better, though fun is the second main objective of playing; the first is not to get hurt or injured!

Gilbert Water Ranch, aka the Riparian Preserve, in Gilbert, Arizona, was the order of the day on Sunday. We arrived there about 9 AM, and birds were eagerly feeding on seeds and berries.

We made our way to Pond #5, set up stools, and began photographing shore birds immediately. Today’s goal was to practice “birds in flight”, and it proved to be quite challenging. It was humorous watching the Pelicans fish, and then swallow them in a big gulp. 

Even a Cormorant got into the action.

The Pelicans shared the pond with Herons, Egrets, and other shore and wading birds.

Hummingbirds were active as well, though it was difficult to capture them in flight.

Monday was the last day of pickleball until after Christmas. The games were fast, but fun, testing my endurance and stamina. Hopefully, I can play myself into better shape. Much of the day was spent storing “stuff” during my upcoming absence. Photographic equipment was cleaned and stored, computer files were backed up, and the motorhome tidied up a bit.

Dan and I have had a great 25 days of photography related activities, having shot and processed thousands of photographs, but it’s time for the both of us to return to Hot Springs Village until after Christmas. And, I’m looking forward to seeing my honey.

A “mixed” 3.5 level pickleball round robin was scheduled for Tuesday morning, but rain all last night resulted in the matches being canceled. However, a number of us joined higher level pickleballers and formed a substitute round robin. The group was made up of lower level 3.5s (called the 3.5 Creek level here at Palm Creek), the higher 3.5s (called the 3.5 Palm level), and a number of level 4.0s. The action was fast and furious, and perhaps the most fun I’ve had playing pickleball.

For the life of me, I can’t remember what happened on Wednesday (this is being written almost a week later). There were no pickleball games, no photography, no big chores, etc. Maybe Wednesday didn’t happen!

On Thursday, Dan and I traveled to Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, Arizona. With the addition of the Wallace Desert Garden, Boyce Thompson Arboretum now holds collections of desert plants from the United States, Mexico, Australia, Madagascar, India, China, Japan, Israel, South America, the Middle East, Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Arabian Peninsula—all told 3,900 taxa and 19,000 plants within 135 acres of gardens. (Note: Deserts make up about 25 percent of the earth’s surface.) Situated on 343 acres of scenic upland Sonoran Desert with nearly five miles of trails, The arboretum is Arizona’s oldest and largest botanical garden and one of Arizona’s top tourism sites.

“Armed” with camera gear, we began hunting birds and butterflies in earnest. No new birds were “captured”, but several birds presented themselves for photographs.

A number of other interesting subjects were photographed.

As the day’s temperature warmed, the butterfly action improved.

Three “LIFERS” were photographed: Gray Buckeye, Mexican Yellow, and Realkirt’s Blue.