Cactus Wren, Aberts Towhee and Gambrel Quail

 More bird watching from my front porch!  This cactus wren was very friendly!

 I love the checkerboard design of his tail!

 The Aberts Towhee also came to the porch but the minute he saw me sitting there, he dashed off to a safer distance.  These were the only two photos I could get.  He's been coming to the yard with more frequency now that I know what he is (hehe)

 And we always have quail visitors!  This one seems to be posing for me from different angles.

Forgive me, one and all for taking a little longer to "get back to you" right now.  I came down with iritis again. I had it back in January, and it is a very painful condition that keeps your tendons inside the eye from letting the iris close properly, so my eye is very light sensitive right now.  My time on the computer will have to be in small dibs and dabs for a while!  So, bear with me ! (I already had this post ready to print, thankfully!)

As You Pass By....

 This wall is on First Street near Orange Grove Road.  The artistry has fascinated me, ever since we moved here.













Another section of the wall....

And yet another.  It's pleasant to pass by as you drive along the road.














If you turn off of First Street onto River Rd, this is what you see....

I love that the city of Tucson thinks so much about decorating the byways. So many walls are beautifully decorated all over the city!   There are overpasses and fly-over walkways that have wonderful designs on them also...future posts will show you many of them!  Right now I am connecting to Fridays Fences.  Click on the link to enjoy more fences around the country!  

Royal Tara and "Herself"

I had planned to post this closer to St. Patrick's Day but there was so much to post in that two week period, I decided to save it a bit.  This is my Royal Tara teapot.  There is an interesting story behind it AND the mug.  When Mom & I were in Ireland, we went our separate ways in a few stores, looking for gifts.  In one place, I found a wonderful Royal Tara cake plate, purchased it and had them send it directly to my home so I wouldn't have to carry it around on the rest of the tour.  (You can choose to do that, and it is so helpful!)  We had made the trip in October, and I bought Christmas presents for my entire family!  On Christmas morning, Mom and I each opened the gifts from one another.  Mine from her was this wonderful Royal Tara teapot!  Hers from me was the Royal Tara cake plate!  Neither of us had realized that we had chosen the same pattern for one another!  It was such a surprise to us both!

Now, about the mug...check back HERE to read about "Herself, Maureen O'Hara."  About a year later, I received this wonderful mug from Mom as a gift.  It reminded her of our close encounter with Maureen O'Hara so she bought it for me.  They are both very special treasures, and memories of that great trip!

You can imagine my delight when I saw the Royal Tara set on Friendship Tea.  Click on the link to read about it.  Linda has a wonderful blog about her travels in Britain, about visiting tea rooms and about all things tea-related.  If that sounds like your "cup of tea" you will love her blog!  She is the blogger friend I am highlighting this time.  I plan to highlight someone about every two weeks!  I hope you will make many new friends by visiting these awesome bloggers!

Tucson Yard Art

It is always great when coming across some interesting yard art in this desert city!  Here are some pieces I saw this week.  I am connecting to Our World Tuesday and hope you will check out more great Our World posts from all over the planet!

This statue was easily nine feet tall!

A closeup of his face.

Another statue in the same yard!

A lovely posy.

Peccary (also called Javelina)

A different version of the Peccary.

An adaptation of a famous Remington bronze statue, The End of the Trail.

Another flower.

And yet another.

And finally a bobcat.  This is down the street from me.  I am perfectly happy to see only a metal cut-out of this and not the real thing on the street where I live!

Our Visit to the Wetlands!

On Wednesday morning I had the extreme pleasure of meeting my visiting blogger friend, Mary and her husband Mike and sister Dorothy at a place they told me about.  We had met for lunch on the Saturday before and it was so nice to be able to get together again!  The place is called the Sweetwater Wetlands and used to be the site of a river overflow that the Hohokam Indians used for irrigation.  The river is no longer wet except during periods of the monsoon season, but there is an underground aquifer also located here and an extensive water treatment facility..  The website states: " As a water treatment facility, it is one of the most important facets of the City's Reclaimed Water System. Treated water filters through sediments beneath the recharged basins and replenishes the local aquifer."
(please ignore the continued use of the highlight below...I can't get rid of it!)

It is also a great little park, and the perfect place for birding!  Mary, Mike and Dorothy are avid birders, but I am very much a novice, tending to mostly watch from my livingroom window.  So, they have inspired me to do much more!  This trip with them was a great learning experience for me!  And a great chance to get to know them better as friends!  My photos will pale in comparison to any Mary posts, but I had a good time and hopefully you will enjoy what I have to offer:
This is a black phoebe...he was perched around a little pool of water, watching for flying insects to catch.

This is the way the trail looks when you first start out...

Another shot of the black phoebe...notice his white underbelly.

A sparrow.  We also saw an Abert's Towhee which is larger than the Eastern Towhee, but I didn't get a picture.  The funny thing was, one showed up in my yard the next day!  It wanted some of the suet!  I had never seen one before, and was thrilled he came calling, but again, no photo. AND we saw a Painted Redstart.  I noticed his red, black and white, but he was gone before anyone could get a good shot!

A flicker...

Mary and Dorothy walk toward the ramada near one of the ponds.  Mike is already there.

Mike on the overlook....See all these wonderful reeds.  There are about six different ponds and the trail goes around them.

A cinnamon teal duck.

Another view of the overlook.

A pretty reflection.

More of the reeds and grasses.

A redwinged blackbird.

A sandpiper.

A blooming acacia tree.

This is a little ground squirrel.  We also saw two prairie dogs!  But by then my batteries had died. (Note to self, always take extra batteries!)

I think this is a Shoveler...

Mary, I enjoyed spending time with you and your family this past week!  Can't wait to see you again next year!


I would like to also mention (because of birding!) that the movie The Big Year is a delightful!  Check it out!

And for some great birding boots....
I came across this giveaway on this blog http://www.heybjkoutdoors.com/2012/03/old-meets-newer.html
Click on the blog link to see some great photos!  And on the link below to enter the contest!  Thanks BJ for the head's up!
Share Your Story to Win a Pair of Magnum’s New Trabajo Work Boots