Springtime in Arizona 2012

Among our activities this year have been neighborhood clean-up projects for two-three hours once a week. There are many empty lots in the area that need attention. Friends from our community put on their gloves and help with tree trimming, picking up debris that has blown in, and generally spiffing up the place! Of course many hands help make a daunting task a lot easier! We all feel it is an important activity and this definitely provides great exercise!

Visits from friends makes each week a great new adventure.  Here we celebrate another day in the sunshine with Ron and Barb as they too are escaping the "liquid sunshine" of the Northwest.

This spring we continued the work on the back lot which now is combined with our house property.  Here Ken runs a trencher that was used for inserting the irrigation, water, and electrical lines.  We also know precisely what it feels like to move 10 ton of river rock!  This was delivered by truck, and we placed it in "creeks" along the perimeter that will allow for run-off of the rain during the summer monsoons.

We understand that in 2012, the cactus are blooming earlier.  Certainly these very stickery plants have gorgeous blossoms this spring.  It is amazing how fast this prickly pear cactus has grown in just one year.

Once the temperature hit 105.6 degrees we knew it was time to head north!  On the way we enjoyed a visit with friend Gerry who lives at North Ranch in Congress, AZ.

Our trek north included meeting up with friends Rich and Debi in Las Vegas for a couple days of fun and games!

Here Ken is all smiles over his Royal Flush...the first one in YEARS!  Of course when you are playing at the monetary level that he was...it doesn't even pay for 1/4 tank of diesel.  But...we had a good time and now are headed on north to our next adventure of prospecting.  Stay tuned!