We didn't leave the store with the fountain and I was heading out of town, so I tried to put it out of my mind. Several days past, work was chaos and I had to get packed. Honestly, I forgot about how cute the little fountain was and just focused on life. Next thing I know, my husband surprised me with a big box at the door! I don't ask for many things and when he sees my eyes light up, well, he just knows.
For many years, I'd been eyeballing fountains and water features for our yard. Once, I read an article about hummingbirds bobbing their bellies in bubble style fountains, so that visual played a part in my search. We already had a wall fountain, but the water drops from a spout far too fast for most bird's comfort. Most fountains that I found where too contemporary, too expensive or too large. Sounds like I'm telling a 'Goldielock's' story, however it felt more like a 'Needle in a Hay Stack' story, for me. Finally! On a trip to Lowe's Home Improvement we stumbled upon one cute little fountain that met all my requirements. Aesthetically, it matched my other larger wall fountain, as both had a European feel. It was priced under $200, had two tiers and a bubbler. Best part, it featured two statued children that reminded me of our grand-kids. It was adorable. However, there's no way I could justify another present for myself after we just celebrated Christmas. Oh well. We didn't leave the store with the fountain and I was heading out of town, so I tried to put it out of my mind. Several days past, work was chaos and I had to get packed. Honestly, I forgot about how cute the little fountain was and just focused on life. Next thing I know, my husband surprised me with a big box at the door! I don't ask for many things and when he sees my eyes light up, well, he just knows. It was perfect!
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Our recent cold snap left me feeling horribly cooped up, so I decided to go hiking and birding. Also, I wanted to try out my new camera harness, fanny pack and hat, all gifts from Christmas. One problem, I had no idea where to go, so I closed my eyes spun in a circle and stopped facing north, looks like Tortolitas or bust!
New territory for me, the Tortolita Mountains border the northwest edge of the Tucson valley, near the town of Oro Valley which is where we live and Marana. They are the smallest of Tucson's mountain ranges, however they still feature rugged peaks, gullies, canyons and tall saguaros. To get started, I printed out a map from the website http://www.marana.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1314 and decided to shoot for the Upper Javelina Trail. Chosen not because the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort can be seen from the trail, but because it looked like the quietest and least traveled. (Going alone, I also let hubby know where I'd be.) Initially, the Wild Burro Trail weaves in and out of a dry riverbed before getting to the split off where the 'Upper Javelina Trail' starts. The signs were so lacking at the parking lot and along the trail that I was a bit lost, even with my map. And, I wasn't the only one lost. A small group of ladies couldn't find their way back to the parking lot, so I took a quick cell phone photo to make note of my surroundings. Letting go of ever finding my exact trail destination, it was time to relax and just watch for birds. Within minutes of settling in to enjoy myself, I spot a Red-tailed hawk on a tall saguaro. Wow...they are a pair and in an early courtship display. Because hawks can fly at 40 miles per hour and are typically high in the wind currents I was excited to get a few images, even if they far away. And unless they are standing side by side, don't ask me which is the female or male! |
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