Verna and Bob's Weblog

Eclipse Excursion - Day One

Bob — Sat, 19 May 2012 02:21:12 +0000

Today’s the first leg of our excursion to Page, AZ to witness the May 20, 2012 annular eclipse of the Sun. We had a good trip that took us from our Wickenburg home, through the Saguaro forests along AZ SR 74 to I-17, thence north to Flagstaff, where we set up camp for the night among the tall conifer trees. Tomorrow, we head towards the ultimate destination with a few scenic stops along the way. Click on the image to enlarge.

Arizona Wildfires

Verna — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:08:58 +0000

This is the smoke billowing up from the Crown King, or Gladiator wildfire. The fire is about thirty miles northeast of Wickenburg. We drove up the hill north of our road where I took this photo. We figure that there is no imminent danger to us from that fire. Click on the image to enlarge.

Pollinators

Verna — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:15:21 +0000

Saguaros are in bloom all over town. These are not far from the post office where one saguaro has arms low enough that I can get my camera close. The bees love these flowers and are always nearby when saguaros are in bloom. Click on the image to enlarge.

Puppy Spa

Verna — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:52:23 +0000

When we go to the dog park all the dogs love it. But, it is dusty hot work. This is how Bay Bay cools off. It may be the bigger dogs water bowl but its his spa. Click on the image to enlarge.

Mama’s Day Present

Cabela — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:26:39 +0000

The three of us love the Mama so we got the Daddy to go and get something shiny for her. She likes shiny stuff.

The Daddy says this is a handmade turquoise and coral necklace and earring set. A man here in town makes these and sells them in the old part of downtown.

The Mama was surprised and liked the present. She got a card that the Daddy signed for Bear, Bay Bay and Cabela.

Click on the picture to make it big.

If You Can’t Take the Heat

Verna — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:39:24 +0000

. . . get out of the kitchen. Now that the outside temperatures are regularly above 90° and frequently above 100° (see inset in photo), I moved the baking chores to the patio. Meet my new best friend, the TOAST-R-OVEN.

We prepared our meal this afternoon mostly outside; I baked three potatoes in this oven and Bob grilled steaks on the outdoor portable grill. No heat in the kitchen!

Another (BIG) Sunspot

Bob — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:43:51 +0000

I’m still rehearsing for the eclipse next week. Yesterday, very large sunspot 1476 was strutting its stuff across the solar plasma (still is today, I believe). I stepped out to the courtyard and captured this solar disk image using the techniques for previous solar imaging. If you look closely, you can see sunspot group 1477 above and to the left - look for a pair of slightly dark spots at about latitude 45. Click on the image for full resolution.

Ocotillo Flowers

Verna — Sat, 12 May 2012 00:02:18 +0000

At long last, some of the ocotillo flower buds have opened. It turns out that the little birdies like to eat the flower buds, so it took a while for me to post opened flowers since I promised to a month ago. Anyhow, click on the image to enlarge.

More Saguaro in Bloom

Verna — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:40:44 +0000

This nice specimen is up the street from our road at the top of the hill overlooking north Wickenburg. Ahhh, spring in the Sonoran High Desert - just beautiful . . .

A Yellow Cholla Flower

Verna — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:11:37 +0000

Two years ago, when Bob and I were just buying the lot to build our ~~retirement~~ dream home, the wild cacti on the hill and in the wash behind the graded part of the lot were teeming with cacti flowers. That’s still true today. I walked up the hill a bit to get this image of a beautiful cholla flower. If I recall correctly, a reader and commenter on our other website says this is a buckhorn cholla, a.k.a jumping cholla or a dozen other names. Whatever it’s called, the flowers are gorgeous. Click on the image to enlarge.