Back home on the range...

 From the Valley of the Sun to Home on the Range...

The weather was perfect, the golf was good, the company was lovely, warm, and inviting, and a good time was had by all.  Hubs took in a couple rounds of golf with J, and we watched our son play tournament college golf for two days.  We walked a mostly-green golf course under sunny skies, caught some rays, and took home sun tans. It was great!

 

Our son took 7th place in a field of 54 competitors and was just 4 strokes behind the first place golfer.  He was not thrilled with his rounds, but he is back to work practicing for up-coming tournaments.  For me, it was just good to watch him play and to give and get hugs.

We enjoyed good visits with our friends, conversing late into the evening and eating delicious foods and desserts made by my foodie-friend, K.  She also treated me to a fun thrift store outing along with lunch at a fine restaurant called Cowboy Ciao in Scottsdale.  We shared both signature dishes that are featured in the link -- Stetson Chopped Salad and Exotic Mushroom Pan Fry.  Unforgettable.  Stay tuned for recipe ideas that I have in my head, inspired by Cowboy Ciao.

We had perfect weather for driving home.  We flew down and drove back with our CarpenterSon's new-used Chevy truck from AZ to SD.  The truck drove like a dream, the road conditions were perfect, and it was an interesting first-time drive for us making our way through Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota and finally home to Montana.  I knew that New Mexico and Colorado had drought this past year and even before that, but I had no idea how bad it was.  There was no grass, I mean NO grass in the pastures where we drove.  I thought we had had a drought this past year (we did), but we look like lush paradise in comparison to NM and southern CO.  We saw very few cattle out there and those few we did see were being fed hay or were in feedlots.  

I almost forgot one more favorite eatery recommended by K -- the Range Cafe in Bernalillo, NM.  Can you see the cows sitting on the awning?  We enjoyed a delicious lunch here.  If you're ever driving through Albuquerque on your way north, be sure to stop by for some good eats!

 

Back home on the range, there was a set of twins that were born on February 7th.  This mother ewe actually started out with triplets, but the one was small and sickly and died shortly after birth.  Since Friday, we've had two more sets of twins.  The weather has changed from mild to cold and windy.  Today's high is 24* with winds gusting to 40 mph and occasional snow.  Needless to say, the ewes are locked in the  lot near the barn where they can go in and out and where we can keep a close watch on them.

It was a great little get-away for us, and we feel blessed and re-energized, but as always, there's no place like home and sleeping in your own comfy bed. 

Golfing in the Heartland...

 We just got back from the NJCAA Golf Tournament in Newton, Kansas.  We thoroughly enjoyed the drive through farmland and crops, through grazing land and wind, and onto the Sand Creek Station golf club  where we were surrounded by amber waves of grain.  It was beautiful.

 

  

 The amber waves of grain.

 

This was a pretty birdie shot right up next to the pin!  

 

 Out of 120 players who qualified for the national tourney, our young man placed 30th.  There were very few low rounds posted, but it was totally understandable due to the strong, hot winds that blew each day.  It was totally exhausting and we were so ready to get off the course after every round.  It was a great course and a terrific experience though, and we were glad we were able to go.   

School events are over; now we are moving on to SUMMER!  The Golfer starts his job tomorrow at a local course 70 miles away.  He's going take an apartment in town so we'll probably only get to see him once a week.  The other college son is home and working for us on the ranch this year.  Yay!

 Speaking of summer, look who visited my backyard Columbine flowers today!  

I like butterflies.  We rarely see Swallowtails so this black & yellow beauty was a special gift.

Arizona beauty...

We had a wonderful week in Arizona, but we didn't eat a single nacho.  You know it was on My List, but then again, there were lots of things on My List so I'll share some of those with you instead.

We took a nice walk through the desert.  Isn't this a perfect saguaro cactus?

They say that it takes fifty years before a saguaro cactus will grow one arm;

that's amazing to me!

We visited Arizona's first Spanish mission called Tumacacori Mission,  begun by Jesuit priest, Father Kino in 1691 and continued by Franciscan monks.

We visited the Santa Cruz Spice Shop nearby, and I added jalapeno jelly, prickly pear jelly, and pico de gallo spices to my shopping bag.

 

This lady-saint was found in the San Xavier del Bac Mission also established by Father Kino.  It is just a few miles from Tumacacori.  I think this Native American woman reflects the simplicity and faithfulness of her people.

Nuestro Senor El Desollado (Our Lord, The One Who is Flayed)  2004  by Paul Pletka

The Phoenix Art Museum was a treat for this country girl.  I love art and it was exciting to see some of my favorite artists displayed there.  Of course, we only saw a fraction of the art, but it was wonderful.  The piece above was totally captivating!  The red curtains draw the eye right into the scene.  The friendly and smart docent explained how the Catholic religion incorporated the culture of the native tribes into the celebrations of the church to draw them to the Christian faith.  The painting further depicted the history we learned at the Tumacacori Mission just a few days previous.

 The painting is approximately 8x10 feet in size.  It was created in three panels.

 

Claude Monet, Flowering Arches

1913

 

"Madame Lucy Hessel Working at a Dressmaker's Table" (1908)

by Edouard Vuillard

I feel as though I am standing at the door of this room, looking in on Madame Lucy.  I'd like to bring her a cup of tea and peer out the windows.  I wonder what she was working on?

There was so much to see in this piece,  

"Flowers, Italy" by Joseph Stella.

We played eye-spy with it.

This was another very large painting, measuring approximately 6x6 feet.

Talavera Mexican Pottery
(for my afternoon coffee)

More descriptions of our Arizona stay....

Warm days, cool nights, golf, golf, golf, Sonoran Dessert, cactus, sand, rocks, sunshine, bottles of water, making new friends, catching up with old friends, quilt show, Tubac, Rio Rico, border patrol, Trader Joe's, taquitos, fish tacos, pico de gallo, chimichangas, hearty breakfasts, the theater, art museum, and so much more.  It was lovely to go visiting,

but there's still...

no place like home

(even at 20 below zero).

Nachos and snowshoeing....

I LOVE nachos!  Do you think I'll find me some good nachos in Arizona?  I hope so.

The comida del día (meal of the day) was homemade nachos made with home-baked corn tortilla chips.  After the proper amount of rest required before exercising, I took my first-of-the-year snowshoe walk.  It was the perfect afternoon for it too.  Sunny, warm, light breeze, and 34 degrees.  The snow in many places was still quite powdery which made me sink in more, but generally, it was good shoeing. 

 

It's either Big Foot or the Gumbo Lily out traipsing in the snow!

It's a snowshoe-er for sure!

Why I didn't wear my wool pants for this excursion, I don't know.  My jeans were soaked through in back from the snow flipping up from behind and sticking to my pants.  

(Note to self, always wear woollies, even if it's warm)

I should be able to make one more walk tomorrow before we fly off to the land of Sun and Cactus. 

 
Saguaro from AZ 2008

¡Adios Amigos!

A taste of Arizona sunshine...

Candy Barrel Cactus

Cholla

Nasty stuff that nearly jumps onto you.

Roadrunner, a first sighting for me.

Here he is again with crest raised and tail up.

Cardinal (female), another first-ever sighting.

 

Fairy Duster

Superstition Mountain Golf Course

The guys played. I walked.

A treat to the eyes and a pleasure to walk.

Youngest Child, J., enjoyed the golf immensely.

Whitethorn Acacia

The blossoms look like pom-poms on a Dr. Seuss tree.

Theater:  Beau Jest

Dinner at Euro Cafe

Sitting in the sun by the pool.

Wine and cheese on the patio in the evenings.

Golf, golf, golf.

HotStix

Gold Canyon

Mountain lion on the golf course

Lynx on the golf course

Beautiful views

70*

Tamale cakes and grilled pork tenderloin

Stacked Pear Salad

Good coffee

Good wine

Hand and Foot

Lost on Pima Indian Reservation

Penzey's

ABC Baking

IKEA

 Trader Joe's

The Deli

Good friends

Gracious hosts

Need I say more?

Yes.

A good time was had by all.