| My new life, so far... |
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23 Jan 2011 |
Updated
May 7, 2006, adds Bartlett Lake.. My New Life at Grayhawk Plus wild life outside my office and in my driveway, too |
FROM SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA
SCOTTSDALE, May 7, 2006 - My new outdoor cat Lewis keeps a close watch on all the new flowers that seem to be bursting out every day at my Grayhawk home this spring.
This May Day afternoon, I noticed one of my potted cacti in bloom...
...here's a close-up of the happy cactus..
... and also one of its neighbor which seems to have grown a crown of little purple flowers. You saw in my earlier report the "desert in bloom" around here. And now, here's my back yard in bloom as it looked this Sunday morning...
The little patio outside my breakfast area where Lewis does keeps watch for me. My neighbor's bougainvilleas provide additional color over the wall, as reflected on my table, too. Those of you with a keen eye and attention to detail may notice that the picture was taken at 10:01 and that even at that early our the temps were in the upper 80s.
A view from the outdoor patio...
...and a view of the patio from the outside.
View toward the south...
A close up of my geraniums and the cacti that happily coexist in the desert landscaping.
View toward the north...
A close up of one of my roses that line the southern wall.
View toward the east with the same rose at the front...
View of my other patio in front of the bedroom which is ideal for sunbathing in the morning (which only my guests seem to do) or reading in the afternoon, when it is in shade.
And then as I got in to post these pictures on my computer, a little bit of Arizona wild life dropped in for a visit. This quail pair picked and posed patiently at my office window sill for several minutes during this "shoot"...
After that, I went out for an hour's walk around our nearby Grayhawk golf course which was bathing in beautiful sunshine. Given that the temps had climbed into the mid 90s by that stage, the course was sparsely used. I only saw two sets of players the entire length of the nine-hole section of the golf course that lies close to my home. They looked hot and bothered. "Snowbirds," I snorted under my breath with derision of an Arizona "native." "They should have gone home by now."
And then after my (easy) Sunday afternoon yoga class and a Starbuck's mocha that followed it as a reward, I decided to let my new Filly ("FILLY 1" is the name I gave my new Infiniti G35 Coupe and her license plate - see below), take me somewhere nice...
Filly - just before I picked her up at the Infiniti dealer's showroom...
... and in front of her new "stable" at my Grayhawk home, on her first trip there.
Bartlett Lake
Meanwhile, back to my Sunday afternoon, I let Filly take me some place nice. I just pointed her north on Pima Road and let her go. She first took my to Carefree, and then along a pretty winding road to Lake Bartlett...
Whoever said that Arizona was a "dry state?" J
Stand by for a photo update on my "living arts project," my Grayhawk home, probably next weekend, when my living room window treatments (sheers) should be finally installed, after months of waiting for them to be sawn and ready. And with that, my "living arts project" will be pretty well finished (as much as decorating one's home is ever done).
