Sabino Canyon, part I

We decided to do the tram tour of Sabino Canyon recently and it was excellent!  We hoped we'd see some birds or wildlife but that doesn't happen from the tram so I wasn't surprised too much.  The scenery was great though.  Sabino Canyon is a really gorgeous spot in North Tucson.  I do present two bird photos here, as book-ends (the first and last shot) to this post for Bird d'Pot and Wild Bird Wednesday!  Check those memes out for some amazing bird photos from around the world!

A cactus wren I saw while waiting for the tram.  He is perched on an ocotillo cactus branch.

The water found in the canyon is from monsoon season run-off and is not an actual creek.

The highest point in the Canyon.

Do you see the tiny people having fun in the water?

A hugely zoomed in shot of a lone saguaro on top of this ridge.

Need some help here, Chris! :-)...I think this MIGHT be a Costas!  If it is, it's my first Costas hummingbird in the wild (only have seen one at the Sanoran Desert Museum)

Early November Flowers & Views, Tucson

Miniature rose

Joining in with Today's Flowers.....

Hibiscus

My plumeria

A surprising gardenia at the V.A. clinic

A child's birthday party next door

A Short Visit to the Audubon Preserve

There is an Audubon bird sanctuary very close to where we live.  One day I popped in to take a short walk and take some photos. We'd been there before but on this day I was alone and just hoping I'd see something interesting. I saw only the same birds I see every day in my own yard, but it was nice to see them in a different environment.  Linking in with Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Anni's Bird d'Pot. 

Saguaros and cholla cactus near the entrance to the sanctuary.  I plan to do an entire post just on saguaros very soon, so keep an eye out!

House sparrow.

Dragonfly

Mourning dove taking off!

Mourning dove on a branch.

Another view of the  mourning dove.

And here are some birds in my yard....

White winged dove on my shepherd's hook

House sparrow after some seeds.

Second shot of the house sparrow.

House finch eating small gravel to help with digestion.  She stayed in that one spot for about forty minutes.

Another view of the female house finch.

Mesa Verde part III--Ancient Treaures

For those of you who have been on this five month journey with me of a 13 day July trip, I apologize it has taken me this long to get it all posted! :-)  In fact, there are one or two more posts after this one.  Again, sorry.  But, a really fascinating aspect of Mesa Verde was the museum which had wonderful exhibits.  It's small, but excellent.  Also felt like this post can be acceptable to link in with Roan's Rubbish Tuesday!  Rubbish it all was till found...treasures now protected and displayed! :-)

I have thought if I had another life to live, I would become a textile historian.  I am fascinated by ancient textiles.  The embroidery work on the top photo just blew me away!

I also love archaic pottery and basketry.  Well, just about anything prehistoric or early historic fascinates me.  This pot is amazing!

 All stunning pots!  I really enjoyed seeing these beautifully crafted pieces.

Got the bow drill shot for my hubby who is "into" early tools and weapons.

Amazing bead-work, but later pieces than those shown above.

Navajo weaving of course would be similar to any weaving done by the earlier Pueblo people.  This was a very informative display.

I had to add this photo of Broadleaf Yucca in the fruit stage....we had never seen the fruit, only the gorgeous white flowers.  Both fruit and flowers are edible.

I'll be away from the computer for the most part for a few days as most of you will here in the US I am sure...will make comments to everyone as I can grab a few minutes between cleaning and cooking!  Everyone...have a blessed Thanksgiving!

North Arizona Landscapes and Blooming Agave

Coming home last July from our trip we drove back through N. Arizona and began to see familiar landscapes...

We also saw entire hillsides of blooming agave plants.  We had actually noticed these as we traveled north in the beginning of our trip and really hoped there would still be some in bloom as we returned 13 days later.  And there were!  Since agave (also known as century plant) blooms only once after several years and then dies afterwards, it was amazing to see so many in one place!  The flowers are a gorgeous golden color, and they decorated these hillsides in such a lovely way!

This is close to where we saw the mountain lion cross the road. I didn't get a photo of that but this gives you an idea of the landscape that is the cougar's home.