Spring Fever!

Today we packed snacks, water, sunblock, hats, a camera and the dog into the car and headed to Picacho Peak State Park for the day. It was glorious (sunny, temps in the mid-70s), and the poppies are in bloom, so the mountain was gorgeous.

Just some views of the day:





That last pic is of the "skeleton" of a saguaro cactus (yes, they're trees, and their internal structure is wood). That lumpy thing on the front is the remains of a bird's nest:

When the woodpecker (often a Gila woodpecker or a gilded flicker) is building its nest, it first drills down into the soft flesh of the cactus. Then it leaves for a while, during which time the cactus heals over the wound by creating a nice solid nest for the bird. Then he returns to find a mate and raise a family. When the cactus dies and the soft flesh all rots away, you're left with the wooden skeleton and the bird nests.

Oh, the woodpecker will usually only stay in the nest for a season or two before something else (another bird, a snake, whatever) takes over.

And Pupper would like to tell you that he climbed a mountain and everyone at the park thought he was just adorable. Here is is enjoying a well-deserved rest in the shade:

Really, our ancient, arthritic dog bounded up the hill (no, not the high peak, just a lower overlook) like a puppy. Down was a little more cautious, but, then again, it was for the Mommies, too.

Progress continues on the newly-discovered Tucson Ribbed T. Am anxious to finish and wear it (if it still fits). But now I'm off to rest a bit. After spending the entire weekend in bed with what we feared was the flu when I woke up with incredible joint pain at 2:30 Saturday morning -- but I never had a fever, and today I've just got a lingering sore throat and a bit of exhaustion -- I don't think I should push it too much.

PS. Last night we got tickets to next Monday afternoon's ST game between the Rockies and the D'backs. Second row behind first base. We're looking forward to it.