When we returned from running errands today, we were greeted by a covey of quail on and around the courtyard wall. We have seen them do this before, but this is the first time my camera caught them in the act. When we first arrived, there were five or six on the wall but as I approached with the camera, they started to retreat toward the wash. Click on the image to enlarge.

One of the more positive things about our new (to us) shooting facility is that it is in a very scenic location in the high desert hills outside of town. We went to the range last Friday and I took some pictures of the range and some of the scenery in and around the area. Bob created the slideshow seen below. Click on the image below to start the show.

This is where I go to shoot - what does your range look like?

The Wickenberg Sportsmen’s Club, where we went to practice shooting today, is less than a fifteen minute commute from our little house. It’s a short distance but the route takes us out to the east side of town where there are wide-open desert spaces.

Image - Desert Delight - click to enlarge

This scene is the view across Constellation Road just outside of the entrance to the club’s shooting facilities. Note the very happy saguaro cactus on the right and the hills and mountains in the desert beyond. It’s just beautiful!

Verna and I decided to drain the spa for the winter season. Even though we are likely to get 70° + days during the winter months, we figured that keeping the spa heated up would be a losing proposition.

Image - ice chunks coming out of the hose - click to enlarge

I hooked up the hose to the drain on the spa after running the other end down to the wash west of the house. I was mildly surprised by the chunks of ice coming out of the hose as the water started draining. I should have expected that since there was a layer of ice floating on the water in the bucket under the RV drive hose bib.

After we got the spa drained, I went to the spa manual and read the section about winterizing. I have to get out the shop vac and remove the water standing in the spa’s internal pipes to avoid freezing damage.

I saw a bumper sticker in town the other day that said “RETIREMENT IS A FULL-TIME JOB.” I’m beginning to believe that very thing.

Yesterday, I went to the clinic where I had the minor surgery performed two weeks ago. The surgeon removed the stitches from the incision he made to remove suspicious tissue that may have contained additional carcinoma. The lab report was good. They found no more basal cell tissue.

The surgeon brought a student in the treatment room to observe the suture removal and to discuss the technique used for the procedure. He referred to the process as subcutaneous suturing. The Better Half was in the room and told me that he clipped off a knot at the bottom of the incision and then pulled the knot at the top to remove the remaining suture.

You can view the incision with the sutures at this post. You can view the “after” result by clicking in the rectangle above right. Voila! the subcutaneous technique left very little scarring. It is nothing like the spiderweb scar that a former surgeon left on my back a few years ago.

I haven’t posted one of my nerdy 3D pictures for a while, so here’s one I took today on our shopping trip to the Valley Metroplex.

There is a roadside rest stop a few miles southeast of Wickenburg that is situated along the banks of the Hassayampa River. The area is habitat for riparian wildlife unique to this part of Arizona.

The tree trunk in the foreground is a mesquite, with a variety of other vegetation in the background. We did not see any of the birds or woodland critters today, but this is still a pleasant spot to pull off of US 60 for a rest.

Click on the thumbnail image above to see the full-sized 3D anaglyph. In case you don’t have a pair of red/cyan 3D glasses available, you can see the 2D image here.

I took my truck in for service today. Verna came to pick me up while the work was being done. There is an antique store right next door to the auto place, so we went in to look at the “Treasures” within. There was some interesting and very old stuff. Verna gave away a lot of stuff to her son just like we saw in the store. Click on the image to enlarge.