AZ days.......

It has been cold and rainy and snow came down in record numbers of feet north of Phoenix.   But now it is moderating and we are seeing the thermometer hit 70 for the first time.   

One day we wandered to the nearby Catalina mountains with intention to take a loop Jeep trail.   We started out in high desert with stately saguaros looking plump and majestic.   It is said that they gain over 1500 lbs when they take up lots of water.    But then a friend also said that the weight causes them to fall over and one crashed on a house and through a window in their neighborhood.    Anyway, back to the scary part..........

The rain had muddied the roads and there were deep ruts in parts but mostly dried.    The ranches became farther apart and cell signals disappeared.    We came to a 'road closed' sign but continued on, thinking it was left over from flooding from previous rains.     Then farther in, we came to a stream covering the road in 2 places with a higher sandy island in between.    We hesitated and I thought we would just turn around.    The higher elevations and scenic views were ahead so the driver decided we could cross ..... we were in a Jeep after all and the water was shallow.   

  

 We drove fast through the stream and up onto the island and then felt ourselves sink into the muck.   It looked like beach sand with some weeds on top.    I stepped out to survey the situation and my shoes were quickly mired in the sand.    I had a momentary panic attack thinking that maybe we were stuck.    It was just an uneasy feeling that not all was well...... I quickly saw the headlines in the local paper of elderly couple dying of dehydration and starvation when they ignored signage and came ill-prepared with little food and water.      We both walked around and pondered the partially buried tires and I said in a quiet voice "Are we stuck?".    Since I was with my 'guy who can solve all problems and fix anything', I was waiting for the NO that he would surely say.    But he said YES!!    That was the scary part ..... My panic turned to real fear.        And then he said, " you direct m e so I can back up and I'll put it in 4 wheel drive" !!   What !!   I thought we were in 4 wheel !!!!   All of a sudden I could breathe again.    He put it in the proper gear and drove right out of the nightmare in my brain.
I know it doesn't sound so scary but sometimes I wonder if we should be wandering the desert or the Colorado mountains on our own and this minor adventure has made me think that maybe we need to be more cautious on some of our outings.        We crossed back with little effort and met up with another 'elderly couple' in their Jeep doing the same thing.    It made me happy that there would have been someone to rescue us in this desolate area.

 We get frequent balloon sightings ..........

On the weekend, we went to Jeff and Jen's to babysit the grand dog.    He's getting up in years and prefers to stay close.

 After all the rain, the spring season is blooming.    These are two yards in their neighborhood  that are just glowing from the color.

This week, the Duel in the Desert has started with over 800 pickleball players descending on Palm Creek.    P plays on Sat and Sunday in both men's and mixed.    More medals ???

It's all about the pickle ball....

This week it's been all about the Member/Member tournament.   The weather gods apparently thought it was a good idea to throw in a few curves with rain and wind.     Schedules and matches were all rearranged and it was cold and windy much of the time.
  
Palm Creek is a very large RV resort.... they also have nice small houses for those who want to give up the mobile house.     But their big claim to fame are the Pickleball facilities.    They have 32 lighted courts and wonderful supporting facilities.     National tournaments are held here.      In the above pic, you can get an idea of  only a portion of the courts.

  This morning at 8 am , it was 29 degrees and down jackets, gloves and hats were in order.   But the wind had subsided from the day before so it was more tolerable.    Every year, I'm surprised how cold AZ can be ..... it will warm up quickly by next month, but woolies are always required in Jan/Feb.  
   
Paul and his partner Therese, medaled in their age/skill bracket.    Paul had to drop to the 65-70 bracket because of Therese's age so he had to play against all the young kids.      He and his partner Tom did not medal in the Men's division but held their own.    P was having issues with his wrist and needed an ace wrap and a massage with the MaryJane cream in order to hold the racket.   His personal nurse has prescribed several days of rest.