Around Esperanza Estates

Quails wander all over our complex.  These guys were munching on something in the flowerpot.  Quails usually hang together with a group, a covey or bevy ( google says).  If one ever gets separated from the others , it calls in a panicked tone that sounds like, "Where are you?"  If there is no answer, the tone escalates to a higher pitch, "Where are you." Finally, the sound approaches a really painful tone "WHERE ARE YOU?"  Funny little birds/

There's a two new pretend owls as yard decorations

Mr RoadRunner and I were on the same path.  

He refused to stand still for a good picture.

We found out that our Silver Sneakers cards ( from AARP) work at the Green Valley Gym

Gorgeous sunset

2016 Tubac Art Festival

Tubac is an artist "colony" type of small town with many specialty shops and good restaurants.  Early February the town hosts an art festival.  My pictures do not show all the booths or the other 500 shoppers wandering about.  Lovely day, but plenty warm - 84.

There are really only 4 streets with stores but the booths lined both sides of all the streets.  These free rides helped to see everything.

Same free ride but an open wagon.

Super sized cowboy or maybe El Caballero

Another very large decoration

Someone dedicated this to us snow birds!!

First time I've ever seen an Owl southwestern style flowerpot!!

Madera Canyon

This is our favorite our picnic place, about 20 minutes from Green Valley.  It combines incredible mountain views, rocky outcroppings and a merry little stream.  Snow on the mountain top.

 It's an ear popping drive up 5400 elevation.

 This is my favorite little stream.  There's not too much water running now, but when the snow melts....

 The snow will have to melt before we try this trail.

 This is the view of the "Old Baldy".

That's Green Valley down there in the valley.

 Madera Canyon is a wonderful bird watching destination.  These are Mexican Blue birds

A red headed wood pecker wandered in for a snack.

Wild turkeys on the right hang out for anything that spills on the ground.

Esperanza Estates hiking trail

One of the best parts of this complex is the hiking trail that runs behind the town homes.  It's a sunny day, but windy.  I still need a jacket.

 We have retention basins in Illinois and Wisconsin to control rain run off.  This is the "wash" that will handle a lot of water during the monsoon season in Arizona.

 Shady areas with benches are placed along the hiking trail.


The real mountain view.

 Serious prickly pear cactus patch.

 This is the newest addition to the trail, a pizza oven and new trees - Flowering Plum, Chinese Elm, Bonita Ash, Arizona Hybrid Ash

This home owner can't wait for desert flowers.  These metal ones will have to do.

"Ever Changing Brain " Humanities Senimar University of Arizona - 6 sessions

Some of our snow bird friends recommended seminars here in Tucson at the University of Arizona.  This seminar, the Ever Changing Brain was completely booked in 1 hour.  Registration began on Nov 23 and I signed in at 7pm on Nov 23 only to find that registration was closed.  Silly me.  I forgot this demographic would call, not sign up on line.  Still I took a chance to email if there was a waiting list.  So did about 100 other people.  Luckily, the professor had an open Wed morning and agreed to schedule a second class.  We left Kenosha Jan 21 so we could get here for the first class on Jan 27.

Sunny day but still only 40 degrees.  The campus is lovely. This is the parking garage located across from the Humanities Classroom

Here's our classroom.  Not to worry.  It fills up.  We always arrive early to get a good seat although the front and side screen are very large and easy to see. Class starts at 10 and finishes at 12.

We have a syllabus with recommended articles to read and 2 books. Last class is March 2.

“Rethinking the brain: How the songs of canaries upset a fundamental principle of science,” by Michael Specter. The New Yorker, July 23, 2001. Available at https://www.msu.edu/course/psy/401/Readings/WK6.Supplement%20- %20New%20Yorker%20Article.pdf . 

 “The challenge of connecting the dots in the B.R.A.I.N,” by Devor et al. Neuron, Vol. 80, pp. 270-274, October 16, 2013. Available at http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0896627313008064/1-s2.0-

The 2 books are wonderful - and encouraging.  There are so many new advancements in how the brain works.  

Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind, by V.S. Ramachandran, M.D., Ph.D., and Sandra Blakeslee. HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. 

The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science, by Norman Doidge, M.D. Penguin Books, 2007.

After lunch at Panda Express we caught the 1:35 showing of Spotlight, about the newspaper The Boston Globe's investigative reporting on child molestation by priests.   Very sobering and disturbing, but reassuring that the issue was finally brought into open and criminal behavior is no longer covered up.

2016 Lake Havasu, Arizona

Three hours north from Yuma is Lake Havasu.

Desert but no cactus.  It always surprises me that plants vary depending so much on the elevation.  One constant is sand, though

 Some might get bored with the desert landscape, but the variety of mountains always amaze this flat lander!

 Random areas close to the Mexican border have Border Patrol road blocks.  We roll the driver window down and the heavily armed officer looks us over and wishes us a "Have a nice Day"

 See what I mean about more mountain views

 The Colorado River looks different in the midst of the mountains.  All semi flat surfaces close to the water are packed with RVs

Layers of mountain ranges

I can't give you a good idea of Lake Havasu without these Internet pictures

Notice the island.



This is a great picture of the "mainland" on the left and the island on the right with London Bridge across the Colorado River. Seriously, that is the original London Bridge built by Peter of Colechurch between 1176 and 1209. Robert P. McCulloch placed the winning bid of $2,460,000 on April 18, 1968. McCulloch came by this figure by doubling the estimated cost of dismantling the structure, which was $1.2 million, bringing the price to $2.4 million. He then added on $60,000 – a thousand dollars for each year of his age at the time he estimated the bridge would be reconstructed in Arizona. Each block was meticulously numbered before the bridge was disassembled. The blocks were then shipped overseas through the Panama Canal to California and trucked from Long Beach to Arizona. Following reconstruction of the London Bridge, Lake Havasu City rededicated it in a ceremony on October 10, 1971. 

The British theme is complete with the London Bridge Resort.  The buildings look like a castle.

There are some interesting shops under the bridge.

You can walk across the bridge or drive over it.  We decided to skip the steps.

  

 
 It didn't take Jim long to spot the sailboats.

Parking a pontoon boat is easy - just drive up on the sand and tie up to the wall.

The day was sunny, the temp was 70ish with a nice breeze to keep us cool.

 There was a nice level paved walk way along the river

This is the view of the park on the island across the channel.



Even a golf course

 Must watch this small sailboat

 And the larger sailboat.  White caps are kicking up.

 Another marina across the channel on the island

 Lighthouses on both sides

 This is the view from our hotel room

 That's the California side of Lake Havasu.  Saturday's weather was the best.

 Sunday afternoon, dark clouds began to gather.

 The wind increased and clouds of sand began to blow around.  Nice safe view from our window

I can't understand how these skinny palm tree trucks stand up to the wind.

 No more sunshine

 

 Sunset on a stormy day.

 Monday.  Time to head to Green Valley. We waited till the storm blew through.  You have to worry about water flooding the roads and high winds blowing sand that cause low visibility.  There was just enough of a sprinkle to keep the blowing sand down.


Imagine.  You can stuff a golf course in between the hills.

 Goodbye Colorado River

 "Seymore", the CRV, navigate us to Green Valley.