The last days

Friday, April 17, I woke up, realizing this was close to the end of my vacation.  Last days, sad days.  But wait.  There are still a few great, sunny, fun-filled days, aren’t there?  You bet.

I spent a lot of the day at the Peeps, but then mounted my sweet ride and headed to Verlie and Joe’s.  It wasn’t too bad considering it was a Friday and people get crazier when it’s coming up on the weekend.  I arrived not too long before Verlie did, let the little dog, Jazzy, out to do some chores and then it was time to order in some supper and visit.  We had some plans for the weekend and we needed to get them all mapped out.  Plus I had to do some laundry and get some packing done before I left on the jet plane Monday morning.  Too much to do, not enough time to play.

On Saturday morning I got some things done and then Verlie and I rode off to meet an old friend, Jerry, at a Cracker Barrel (yum) in Casa Grande.  We left early as we needed to gas up and we wanted to be sure we weren’t late.  We arrived at 11 a.m., about 45 minutes early.  Jerry had beaten us there.  Good grief.  Early birds.  Old people are like that. 

Jerry, Verlie and me.  Great meal, great friends, great visit.  The rocking chairs weren't bad either.

What a wonderful reunion.  We had some lunch and then sat out on some of the rockers Cracker Barrel has and proceeded to visit for another three hours.  It was so much fun … chatting about times past, the things we’d done together, or not, other friends.  What a super time.  But it, too, came to an end, so Verlie and I headed for the barn.

Another Saturday night … warm, sunny up until night falls, warm.  Oh yeah, I was still loving this. 

Sunday, April 19, my last day.  Oh no.  How would I deal with the cold weather at home, although I think it had been in the 40s.  It was still cold to me, who was used to 80s temperatures.  I’ll think about that tomorrow.

Verlie and I were heading south, to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson.  We had a pleasant drive down chatting as only old friends can do … continuously and finding new topics constantly.  How do we do that?  Old friends … that’s all I can say.  I have some of those and cherish each and every one of them.

This statue and her babies greeted us as we entered the museum.  There are lots of statues, both large and small, setting around, some in places you'd never expect, like on a concrete wall.  It certainly adds something as you then start looking for them everywhere.

The museum is close to the Saguaro National Park, the Pima Air Museum and not too far from the Titan Missile Museum.  There’s so much to see in such a small area.  But the desert museum is what’s on the list for today.

Beautiful flowers were everywhere ... the desert, you say?  It's spring and they're starting to bloom.

There are several pieces to the desert museum pie … a zoo, an aquarium, desert displays, reptile displays, and one of the best … the hummingbird aviary.

In we went, through two doors and plastic chains hanging like a sheet at the interior entrance to help keep any from escaping, or other types from getting in where they don't belong.

Verlie and I spent a lot of time in the hummingbird aviary, looking at these beautiful little creatures, flying along so quickly, their wings flapping so fast you could only see a blur.  Some were setting on nests, and some even hovered near us at times.  It was a beautiful thing to see.

These little guys were hard to catch in flight. 

Sitting hummingbirds are easier, but they still move quickly.

I couldn't help but marvel at how much they get to eat in a day ... some may only be about the weight of a single penny, yet eat the nectar of 1,000 flowers to get water and the 8-10 calories a day required to survive.  For an average-size person that's 300 pounds of food and 150 gallons of water a day.  Wow!!!

 

This little guy was proving he could get the nectar while totally ignoring those of us who were watching.

Hummingbirds are unique in that they can hover for long periods of time and fly backwards.

On cool nights, some can lower their heart rate and body temperature, dramatically conserving energy.

 We wandered into the reptile area, and left even quicker.  There were too many snakes for me.

There were lots of other things, plants and birds, to see.  And I'd rather look at these than reptiles.

Another aviary had lots of other colorful birds.

The mottled wings on this one were cool.  He certainly blended well with the scenery.

This one looked like some type of duck and was busy calling out ... or complaining.  Hard to say.

One of my favorites ... a red headed tanager.

The zoo called to us and we saw the black bear and a mountain lion that was pacing in front of a little girl that was on the other side of the glass.  The mountain lion had heard little girls taste like chicken and it appeared eager to test the theory.

Momma and baby.  Awwwwhhhh!!!

I guess this is daddy.

Prairie dogs ... no fear.  What you looking at me for?

This bear was pacing back and forth as the entrances to its cave were blocked off.  I expect folks were in there cleaning.

This mountain lion photo was taken through glass.  She was very intent on the little girl ... maybe hoping for a fresh, tender morsel for lunch???  She was a beautiful mountain lion. 

This museum was another one that should be on your list to visit more than once.  I certainly intend to come back again.

Dragon fly??  Cool color.

This cactus made me think of a tuning fork.

And then we were headed out and back to Gilbert.

Then it was home, a bite to eat, and the final packing ordeal for me.  I finally got it all finished, and there  was time for some last conversation before bed.  Good thing I'd mailed home a couple of boxes.  There was no room left for anything more, no matter how small.

I awoke Monday morning, April 20.  The time had arrived and Verlie drove me to the airport where we said our good byes.  I’d heard the weather at home was not so great.  It wasn’t.  I should have stayed in Arizona.