Ocotillo Blooming

The ocotillo bush on our lot is in bloom.  When we arrived in November it looked like some brown sticks coming out of the ground.  Now those "sticks" are covered in bright green tiny leaves.  At the tops of each of the branches there are pretty orange blooms.  All kinds of birds have come to enjoy the nectar in the blooms.  We've had our hummingbirds, a few kinds of warblers and some gnat catchers along with a few doves trying to enjoy them. 

I managed to catch the crud that's been going around.  Terrible sinus infection that I think started from the bad dust storm we had.  This has been the windiest and wettest winter we have experienced here.  Every time nice weather comes we think its here to stay but each time we are fooled.  I think by the time it gets nice and warm it will be time to move north and experience cool weather again for awhile.   
 

Hiking Pics

We've been taking a few hikes to the east of where we live.   Just a few steps and you feel like your out in the middle of the desert far from all the housing.  We had some beautiful weather for a few days - warm and no wind.  The nice weather didn't last.  California's stormy weather spilled over to us.  We got a very windy day that really blew up the dust.  These mountains in the pictures disappeared behind the dust cloud.   Then the rain came and it rained for a full day and a half.  It hardly ever rains that long here in the winter.  Now the ground is really soaked so we are probably done gold mining. 

Its been busy in Yuma -- a rodeo and parade and model airplane show.  Lots of activities to keep the winter visitors occupied.  There are 4wheelers everywhere - they can drive on the roads if they are street legal -- turn signals, lights, etc.  Of course half of the ones on the road aren't street legal.   They form little caravans and go out in the desert- just another fun activity to keep busy.  Our neighbor is into golfing so he's always gone off to play even though its a desert there are plenty of golf courses. 

Saguaro Cacti

These are my favorite cactus of the Arizona desert.  Not sure you can see it but in the top picture close to the top of the cactus is a hole.  Birds actually make nests in these holes.  Its starting to get a  little green around here because of bits of rain we've gotten.  Its strange to see green grass pushing up through the dirt.  It never gets very tall before it dries out and dies. 

February is the busiest month of the year for Yuma.  We can sure tell the difference at the store and just trying to drive anywhere.  I will be glad when it dies down toward the middle of March.  We plan to leave around the first of April although we won't go very far very fast. 

Celery Fields

It wouldn't be Yuma without pictures of some sort of vegetable growing.  I've never seen celery grown before so it was kind of interesting to see fields of it growing.  The last two months have been lettuce fields as far as you could see and broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.  Now they are letting the broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage go to seed.  They bring in the beehives to put around the flowering plants.  I guess the bees get to take advantage of all the plants going to seed.  The rest of the fields are growing alfalfa.  I guess parts of the north country need some fresh hay to feed their livestock. 

We have accepted a job for the summer in Cascade, Idaho.   Its a little town north of Boise at about 4800 feet.    The campground we are going to is right on a river and close to a lake.  It sounds like a beautiful place.  There are lots of forest service roads to explore.  It's not supposed to be very hot there in the summer although there may be mosquitos.  We start around May 1st so we will be leaving here in April and take at least three weeks to make our way up there.