A few weeks ago, we bought this Devil’s Tongue barrel cactus at the garden shop. We expected to have more of the nice bright yellow flowers produced by our other Devil. Surprise! This one is hot pink! Click on the image to see full size.

Today was my retirement farewell party thrown by the company. I invited friends, colleagues and family to the back room of The Sizzler for a luncheon and send-off. I posed with my Mother-in-Law, Janie, for this photo.

On our way back from the trip ro Reno, we stopped at Manzanar, a former incarceration camp for Americans of Japanese descent. In the gift shop, these beautiful examples of a traditional Japanese art form, Origami, were available. I picked this one out - a Japanese Crane, the expression of good luck. Notice the origami cranes in the pattern on the paper. Click on the image to enlarge.

Over the years, we enjoy having these beautiful long-lasting Phalaenopsis, or “moth” orchids. This is a photo of a second-generation moth sprouting from an orchid we got last year. It’s the first one that successfully bloomed for a second year. And we’re pleased since it is also a very pretty orchid. Click image to enlarge.

The Arizona and California Railroad was originally constructed between 1903-1907 by the Arizona and California Railway. The line between Matthie, AZ, and Parker opened in June 1907. By 1910 the line reached Cadiz, California.

As late as 1937, there were several daily passenger trains on the line: #170-117 and #118-181 operated daily between Phoenix Union Station and Cadiz, with connections to Los Angeles and San Francisco; mixed trains #210-233 and #234-209 operated daily between Mobest Yard and Parker; and mixed trains #25 and #26 operated daily except Sunday or Monday connecting at Rice for Blythe.

We are looking at property near the original eastern terminus of the ARZC railroad.

Photo credit: Verna (taken from US Route 60 paralleling the track not far from Salome, AZ.)

Our recent vacation took us to Reno, Nevada. We came back via US Highway 395 through the Owens Valley, just east of the towering Sierra Nevada mountain range. One of the interesting scenic stops along the way is Mono Lake, where strange alkaline formations known as tufa, protrude from the lake bed and shoreline. This is a panoramic image taken from the south shore at a point closest to some of the major formations. Click the image above to see full sized panorama.

Mono Lake is said to have formed at least 760,000 years ago when the Long Valley Caldera erupted. God forbid that should happen again, since life in America would be quite different - or perhaps non-existent - as a result.

Spotted in the back yard today under the bird feeder. Western scrub jays are common in California, but not very commonly seen in our yard. About 20 years ago, the jays seemed to be around more, probably because our former neighbor, Larry, used to feed them peanuts. Bob has seen them take peanuts, shell and all, out of Larry’s hand.