We decided to return to Arizona today after a couple of days at the old house. As we drove through Blythe, I took this photo of a date palm orchard next to the interstate. Click on the image to enlarge.
California
Golden Poppy
This poppy was growing out of a crack in the patio sidewalk of the California house. No kidding! Just before we left here in April, Bob sprayed Roundup® all over the backyard to kill the weeds that grow out there. Somehow, the poppy seeds managed to find the cracks in the sidewalk where this pretty flower is growing today. There are several places where poppies are growing, literally, like weeds, out of the cracks. Click on the image to enlarge.
Tiny Orchids
We were cleaning up weeds and stuff in the California House back yard today. I paused a moment to snap this photo of one of the tiny orchid clusters still in bloom. Click on the image to enlarge.
Travel Day
Cabela, Bear and Bay Bay rode to the California house today. For the most part, they were OK with the commute. Bay Bay still has a bit of anxiety, but settled down after a while and everyone rode OK. We stop twice during the six hour trip to let the dogs stretch and do whatever comes naturally. Click on the image to enlarge.
Yard Maintenance Day
Well, today was the day I set aside to do some yard maintenance on the California house. There were weeds to pull/spray, three palm trees that had drooping fronds and/or fruit pods to be removed. There were several runaway cereus cacti plus one umbrella tree both of which were hanging over the property line.
Image: pile of stuff we took down – click to enlarge
I started on the weeds and graduated to the palms after that. When I finished trimming the trees, Verna and I tackled the umbrella tree and the cereus cacti. The pile seen in the image will stay where it is until the next trip out when I will chunk everything up into refuse container sized pieces. Another option is to hire a crew to do that and haul everything. We’re still thinking about it.
After a visit to my Mom’s for her 92nd birthday tomorrow, we will head back toward the desert on Tuesday with scheduled visits to Joshua Tree National Park and our “river rat” friends (Jim and Karen) on the Colorado River. We can’t wait to leave the cold temperatures, the marine overcast and drizzle behind.
Family Visit Day
We had a busy day today, but it was worth the traffic and everything to visit my sister and her family. We also visited my Mom for a while.
When we were at my sister’s house we saw my nephew and his wife and their little girl. Grandma (my sister) is holding her in this photo. Click on the image to enlarge.
