NO WE HAVE NOT SOLD OUR CONGRESS AZ HOUSE YET

ONLY PHOTOS I HAVE TONIGHT ARE FROM WHEN I SCRUFFLED UP A FEW CACTUS BEDS A COUPLE DAYS AGO

About the only thing of consequence I did today was drive down south of Wickenburg to take some interior/exterior photos of a fella’s house.  He’s planning on selling his place himself & needed some photos for various ‘for sale’ sites such as Zillow.  He doesn’t own a camera so I was happy to help him out.

No we have not sold our house & yes we are very aware of the rising Canadian dollar.  Depending on how things shake out this summer we may or may not be back this way next winter.  In a recent post I talked about passing through this area again & at no time can I remember saying we would ‘never be here again’.  There is always a chance anyone may never be anywhere they once were at one time.  I have blogged more than once how I feel about leaving places thinking I may never see those places again.  I, like every one else has been to places I will never be again & that is just the simple reality of life.  We’ve already talked about & I’ve already scouted out a number of boon-docking spots around Wickenburg where we plan to stay any time we’re in this area again after our house sells.

We still have one of two offers on the table that we are considering but it involves the buyer selling his house.  In case this fellow’s house does sell over the next number of months we have all our papers pre-filled out & the deal will go through the Pioneer Title company via emails, faxes, & phone calls with the final signing being done by us at a notary in Port Huron Michigan just an hour & a half drive from Bayfield.  If we get another clean cut full price offer in the meantime we are free to take it so overall it’s actually a favorable situation for us.  If nothing happens over the summer we have our cozy little Congress house to come back to in the Fall:))

GROANER’S CORNERS:(( A few one-liners tonight:

1. Ninety-nine percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name
2. Borrow money from a pessimist -- they don't expect it back
3. Time is what keeps things from happening all at once
4. Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math
5. I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian
6. Never answer an anonymous letter
7. It's lonely at the top; but you do eat better
8. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it
9. Always go to other people's funerals, or they won't go to yours
10. Few women admit their age; few men act it
11. If we aren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made with meat?
12. No one is listening until you make a mistake
13. Give me ambiguity or give me something else
14. We have enough youth How about a fountain of "Smart"?
15. He who laughs last thinks slowest
16. Campers: Nature's way of feeding mosquitoes
17. Always remember that you are unique; just like everyone else
18. Consciousness: That annoying time between naps
19. There are three kinds of people: Those who can count and those who can't
20. Why is "abbreviation" such a long word?

PHEEBS & I SLIP OUT TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO A FEW FAVORITE DESERT SPOTS THIS MORNING

PHEEBS & I SITTING ON AUNT JEAN’S DESERT ROCK THIS MORNING

Our morning dawned cold enough for us to dress warmly & I figured it would be a good opportunity for Pheebs & I to head out into the desert behind our house for a Jeep ride, a walk & some rock scrambling.  With recent hot weather I was leery of Rattlesnakes so figured this mornings colder air would be a good time to drive out through Rattler territory to Indian Rock.

I CALL THIS CLUSTER OF ROCKS & BOULDERS ‘AUNT JEAN’S ROCK SCRAMBLE’ & THAT’S YOUR ROCK AT THE FAR RIGHT JEAN WHERE I TOOK THE PHOTO OF PHEEBS & I THIS MORNING:))

JUST THE NICEST JUMBLE OF BOULDERS

MOUNTAIN DOG

There is a chance when we leave here in a few weeks we may not be back to this area again so I wanted to slip out to a few places in the nearby desert that have given us so many great memories over these past 4 winters.

Our first stop was a jumble of rocks & boulders where we took some great photos of Aunt Jean a few years ago when she flew out from Florida to visit us here in Congress.  It’s a favorite spot of mine now & I sat on the same large boulder where I took pictures of Jean, Kelly, & Pheebs.  A gentle Northwest breeze ruffled my hat as I sat peering for miles across the greening desert to a range of distant but memorably familiar mountain ranges.  Aside from a cactus wren singing somewhere behind us the only sound I could hear in this morning’s silent desert air was a cool wind playing though the open mesh of my favorite Breezer Hat.

THESE NON-SLIPPERY BOULDERS ARE NICE FOR CLIMBING AROUND ON

FAIREY DUSTER FLOWERS GATHER ROUND A BEAVER TAIL CACTUS

Turning my head to the far left I could see Yavapai Counties Date Creek & Weaver Mountains making their way around from the Northeast to meet the Wickenburg Mountains in the Southeast.   A flat wide valley to the south traveled west before climbing into the Vulture Mountain Range dominated by Vulture Peak.  So many pleasant memories in all of these places. 

DATE CREEK MOUNTAINS IN THE FOREGROUND WITH THE WEAVERS IN THE BACKGROUND & THAT IS THE ROCK YOU WERE SITTING ON JEAN

WICKENBURG MOUNTAINS ON THE THIN HAZY HORIZON

VULTURE MOUNTAINS EDGING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HORIZON

VULTURE PEAK IN THE DISTANCE

My eyes continued westward across the hazy horizon dotted with smaller mountains until I next saw Harquahala Mountain looming low in the west.  Still more memories there as my gaze continued to the Harcuvar range partially hidden by the southern edge of the Date Creek Mountains which silently marched their way around behind me.  So many memories as I sat there thinking back to the day when Aunt Jean climbed up to where I was sitting & looked out at the same scenery I was seeing this morning.

HARQUAHALA LOOMS LOW ON THE HORIZON WHILE PHEEBS SCRATCHES AROUND IN THE FOREGROUND

SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE DATE CREEK MOUNTAINS SLIDE DOWN ONTO THE DESERT FLOOR

EVEN THE SHADOW COWBOY MANAGED A SELFIE THIS MORNING

Back into the Jeep we made our way along the winding Jeep road through & around the Mesquites & Palo Verde trees picking us up a few more desert pin stripes along the way .

THESE HARD & SOFT PACKED SANDY ROADS CRISS CROSS THE SOUTH-WEST DESERTS FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES IN ALL DIRECTIONS

A GIANT DESERT CACTUS LIZARD TRYS TO GRAB US AS WE GO BY

Minutes later we were at Indian Rock & out of the Jeep for a walk through an area we have walked a dozen times before.  Over the years we’ve brought friends here to stroll through the large boulders with us.  Leslie & Peter, Jean & Skip, Suzie & George come to mind. 

LIBBY IS DWARFED BY INDIAN ROCK

MORTEROS (INDIAN GRINDING HOLES)

I’VE OFTEN WONDERED IF THIS BIG BOULDER KNOWN AS INDIAN ROCK TUMBLED ALL THE WAY DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN ABOVE

All the time in the back of my mind this morning I felt this could very well be the last time for me driving these Jeep roads & walking the desert floor through the cactus & boulders.  I often feel that way about places where I have enjoyed creating so many favorite memories.  I will remember our times here in this area with the same kind of love I remember our ranch sitting days in the Bisbee, Elfrida, Douglas, Tombstone, & Sierra Vista area.

SPRING TIME AT INDIAN ROCK

SPLIT ROCK

ONE OF MY FAVORITE WALKING AREAS JUST SOUTH OF INDIAN ROCK

IT SURE IS THE PREDOMINENT ROCK IN THE AREA

Pheebs & I were back home shortly after 10 & that pretty much wrapped up my day.  I’ll sure be glad to get the big wheels rolling soon & see some new scenery rolling by the Big EEE’s windows again.

NICE TO SEE OCCOTILLO’S IN BLOOM AGAIN

I smelled the rain even before I knew it was raining.  Around 3 this afternoon winds suddenly picked up & our earlier clear skies darkened.  Sitting in my recliner looking out our front window I could see the sun shining in our yard & then with a particularly strong wind gust I smelled it raining.  Rain in the desert has a very distinct aroma to it as falling rain drops mix with dry desert dust.  Hard to describe the smell except to say it smells like wet dirt which of course it is.  Rain only lasted a few minutes but our slowly diminishing winds continued on into early evening.

SURE GOING TO MISS THIS BEAUTIFUL AREA

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A man from Texas, driving a Volkswagen Beetle, pulls up next to a guy in a Rolls Royce with Nevada plates at a stop sign. Their windows are open and he yells at the guy in the Rolls, "Hey, you got a telephone in that Rolls?" The guy in the Rolls says, "Yes, of course I do." "I got one too... see?" the Texan says.  "Uh, huh, yes, that's very nice."  "You got a fax machine?" asks the Texan.  "Why, actually, yes, I do."  "I do too! See? It's right here!" brags the Texan.  The light is just about to turn green and the guy in the Volkswagen says, "So, do you have a double bed in back there?"  The guy in the Rolls replies, "NO! Do you?"  "Yep, got my double bed right in back here, see?" the Texan replies.  The light turns and the man in the Volkswagen takes off.  Well, the guy in the Rolls is not about to be one-upped, so he immediately goes to a customizing shop and orders them to put a double bed in back of his car.  About two weeks later, the job is finally done. He picks up his car and drives all over town looking for the Volkswagen beetle with the Texas plates. Finally, he finds it parked alongside the road, so he pulls his Rolls up next to it.  The windows on the Volkswagen are all fogged up and he feels somewhat awkward about it, but he gets out of his newly modified Rolls and taps on the foggy window of the Volkswagen. The man in the Volkswagen finally opens the window a crack and peeks out.  The guy in the Rolls says, "Hey, remember me?"  "Yeah, yeah, I remember you," replies the Texan. "What's up?"  "Check this out... I got a double bed installed in my Rolls." The Texan exclaims, "WHAT!! YOU GOT ME OUT OF THE SHOWER JUST TO TELL ME THAT?!’!!!"

HAVE YOU EVER STEPPED UP TO THE MIRROR & WRECKED YOUR FACE??

A SMATTERING OF PHOTOS TONIGHT LEFT OVER FROM SUNDAY MORNINGS DRIVE TO VULTURE PEAK….RAVEN’S ROOST AT THE CONGRESS GAS STATION

Sunday afternoon’s strong gusting Southwest winds blew a whole herd of dark ominous storm clouds flecked with rumbles of thunder by us Sunday night.  Overnight skies mostly cleared leaving us with a high wispy cloud cover this morning which by afternoon became heavier & temps dropped into the upper 50’s.  However, warmer temps are due in on the midnight express. 

VULTURE PEAK BOON-DOCKERS

Kelly headed off to Wickenburg’s Pioneer Title Company first thing to pick up a new set of ‘house sale’ papers.  Of course the title company already has all our information but we do have to fill out the paper work again & start anew.  At present we have 2 offers on the table & will decide shortly if we will go with one of those offers or return next October & begin the selling process all over again.

THOSE 2 WHITE DOTS AT THE BASE OF THE DATE CREEK MOUNTAINS ARE THE WATER TANKS ABOUT A BLOCK FROM OUR HOUSE IN CONGRESS….300mm PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE VULTURE PEAK AREA

Waiting has never been one of my strong points whether it’s waiting in a line-up, waiting for weather to change, waiting at a traffic light or waiting for a decision to be made.   And of course once a decision is made I always like to pounce on it right away instead of sitting around waiting to make that decision happen.  That waiting stuff makes me a very restless person at times & needless to say I am very restless at the moment.

SUNDAY’S RED TAIL HAWK NEAR VULTURE PEAK

Saw this on Twitter today & could readily identify with what it said, "A writer is a writer not because they write well & easily, because they have amazing talent, or because everything they do is golden.  A writer is a writer because, even when there is no hope, even when nothing they do shows any sign of promise, they keep on writing anyway".  Thought that kinda summed things for a few of we blogger folks out here:))

LIKE THE NAME ON THE BUMPER

SURE HAD A SLEEPY LITTLE DOGGY BY THE TIME WE GOT HOME SUNDAY

After reading the ‘a writer is a writer’ piece on Twitter today it got me to thinking.  Am I a writer or a blogger.  Are they the same thing or greatly different & if so who & what determines that.  Well it was off to the internet with me & I found this interesting piece entitled, ‘Who Am I? A writer or a blogger?’  Just as I am not comfortable calling myself a photographer I have never been comfortable calling myself a writer either.  The word blogger fits me fine & I’m as comfortable with that as being called just a guy with a camera.

CLOSE UP OF VULTURE PEAK

Have you ever stepped up to the mirror & wrecked your face??  I did that this morning when I was having at myself with an electric shaver.  It was by no means the first time I’d cut one sideburn an inch shorter than the other or lobsided my moustache enough to give a noticeable slant to my head.  This mornings escapade was to unevenly gouge out my recently slimmed down chin beard to a point where it was totally unsalvageable.  Walked around all day with uneven sideburns, a lobsided head & a tattered looking chin beard.   This afternoon it was back to the mirror in hopes of righting the wrongs.  Sideburns are now sorta kinda even, moustache is debatably leveled up & the chin beard is noticeably missing in action but now I got an even bigger problem.  One glance in the mirror told me instantly why I had covered up the lower part of my face in the first place many years ago.  Eeeee Gads my mouth is noticeably crooked, my chin nearly meets my bottom lip & the whole area has aged immeasurably since I last saw it as a much younger man.  First thing Tuesday morning I’m going to drive back out to Vulture Peak where I saw those cows Sunday & grab me a handful of cow manure.  I figure if I smear some of that fertilizer on my chin it will speed up & stimulate some fast hair growth & I can quickly get that lower part of my face covered up with white hair again before I have to go out in public.  Well that’s what I figure anyway………..

GROANER’S CORNER:((   A yuppie opened the door of his BMW, when suddenly a car came along and hit the door, ripping it off completely. When the police arrived at the scene, the yuppie was complaining bitterly about the damage to his precious BMW. "Officer, look what they've done to my Beeeemer!!!" he whined.  "You yuppies are so materialistic, you make me sick!!!" retorted the officer, "You're so worried about your stupid BMW, that you didn't even notice that your left arm was ripped off!!!" Oh my gaaad...", replied the yuppie, finally noticing the bloody left shoulder where his arm once was,  "Where's my Rolex!!!!!"