Fall 2012 in AZ

COTTON PICKIN' GOOD TIME! That was the newspaper caption that featured the tour we took shortly after arriving back in Arizona City.  We were led to a local farm on a tour that look us right into the fields that are within a couple miles of our home.  Indeed this is a very different crop than we see in the northwest!

Though we observed the harvest, the entire annual production was discussed in detail. Of course water is a big issue with this crop.  The John Deere picker, like all modern combines, is extremely complex and spendy!  

The cotton picker can harvest six rows at one time.  This machine can harvest 100 acres of cotton in one day...indeed a huge difference from what historically we read about picking cotton.

When the hold (bulk tank) was full, the cotton boles were dumped into a boll buggy (machine on right). The buggy then moved up the field to an awaiting compactor where the buggy's hydraulics dumped its load.  

The large compactor (on right) compressed the boles into a huge block of cotton that evidently weighs about 18,000 lbs. 

The cotton module is tarped by the workers and is later transported to the cotton gin for processing...removal of the seeds and debris.  We were told by the tour guide that one module would make around 14 bales of ginned cotton.  One bale would then make about 215 pairs of jeans or 313,600 dollar bills.  Did you know paper money is mainly made of cotton?  We didn't!  We were intrigued with this farm product and can truly relate to all the dynamics... family farms everywhere share  the element of risk and lots of hard work!

Within a few miles of our house is another business...Skydive Arizona!  This past week  there was a national championship competition at this site.   Teams came from all over the USA and the world.  Though we had visited many times previously we had not seen the big screens previously.  This weekend we could view the live video of the jumpers that you see in this photo as they left their planes.  They performed many acrobatics in the air prior to opening their chutes.  Obviously WE are down below looking up!

From the ground, one doesn't see the jumpers until the parachutes are opened.  You could get a "crick in the neck" if you spent too many hours in this position.

We had a great afternoon with friends Ray, Mary, Sue, and Joyce.  Actually we took some close-up photos of the jumpers and laughed about how we could photo-shop in our own faces.   Hmmm...stay tuned!  Actually Sue and Mary want to jump so there may be more photos coming! 

One of our current activities is working on the back lot that we have added to our home site a year ago.  Here Ken plants a desert Palo Verde...the non-thorn version.

Joanne is flexing the muscles as she plants one of four Mexican fan palms along the back walls of the lot.  There is still much work to be finished.  Wanted help?  Come on by for a visit; we guarantee some excellent exercise!  :-)