Tohono Chul Park in Tucson

I think this was our 3rd or 4th visit to this outstanding jewel of a park in Tucson. It features nicely labeled displays of desert flora laid out on easy paths. Birds and other wildlife abound. For the tourist or the hometowner who doesn't have the time or the physical capabilities to traverse longer hikes, this is an ideal spot to get a reasonable taste of the desert experience without driving out of the city.

The entrance fee is reasonable; the giftshop is pleasant; the live plant greenhouse is a special treat; and the tea house restaurant offers tasty south-western dishes in lovely surroundings.

Check it out. The mighty Saguaro awaits.

Glimpses of wildlife can be counted on. Some stand out,

But some take a keen eye to see.

And some take a bit of patience to catch like this hummingbird on her nest.

Colorful blooms augment the green or sometimes just add lively color to the environment.

On to Arizona in March

I am slowly working my way to the present and this rainy Monday in April provides a good opportunity to begin coverage of our final attempt to avoid some of Monmouth's nasty winter by heading for Arizona.

When we initially contemplated this trip toward the end of 2008, air fares were not being kind, so we decided to drive. Tucson is over 1700 miles from here and the scenery along the way is not overpowering. But thanks to the interstate highway system you can make 600 miles a day without too much strain and so after three days of rolling along, we pulled in to my dear cousin's home in the sunny suburbs of Tucson.




Above is a shot from a wind swept rest area in Texas that epitomizes the terrain for about 1000 of the 1700 miles. But after we cross New Mexico the wild and lovely Salt River Canyon provides a welcome respite from the seemingly endless rangeland.
To reach the river you take a series of breathtaking switchbacks. You can see five levels in this shot alone.




The moisture rewards at the bottom of the canyon.

With an entire childhood, education, and work-life spent in the mid-west our recent trips to the south-west have been energizing even if the driving has been a bit enervating. The desert remains new and fascinating to us and we have enjoyed even more our introductions to Native American cultures and arts. We have enjoyed our time with my cousin and her husband for over fifty years and their generosity in opening their homes (both in Minnesota and Arizona) to us is something that we deeply appreciate.

More on what we did while we were there and what we did on the way home to come in the next two episodes of "Stirring the Pudding" of life.

February was for the Carolinas

January was for the tropics (Costa Rica, Panama, and the Canal) and February was for a short trip to the Carolinas. The initial stop was in Waxlaw NC for a visit to my sister and her husband. While there we also had a pleasant time with their son and his family. Though chilly (that is a considerable understatement), we even got in a round of golf. No pictures because the camera was frozen. Below is the happy extended family enjoying dinner.




The public library in downtown Charlotte has a gorgeous building and includes a thriving theatre company for children.

On the way back to Monmouth, we stopped in Greer, SC for a couple of days to visit an old friend Tom Kent and his wife. The Greer/Greenville area was new to us and we enjoyed visiting Tom's lovely church and seeing some of the sights in the area.

Panama City: A Mirage on the Water

Like that first sight of the snow capped Rocky Mountains as you drive west, Panama City rises out of the ocean like some kind of a gleaming mirage.

We also had a chance to take a closeup look at the canal in the daytime when we stopped at the Visitors Center along side of the Miraflores locks.

Returning to the Trip

Lord love a duck. Where has the time gone. It is more than easy to see how well intentioned bloggers fall behind. The world goes on and thank heavens the few souls who stumble on this offering have not risen up in fury at being left stranded in the middle of a small Pacific island. But onward we now go to the Panama Canal.

Pachecca Island--Birds and More Birds

On Tuesday January 13 we made an early morning stop at a bird sanctuary on Pachecca Island. The zodiacs ferried us in close for a marvelous view of brown boobies, frigate birds displaying their fire red mating pouches, herons, pelicans, and even a few iguanas

With all birds in hand or bush, we returned to the ship for a relocation to get into position for the "creme de la creme" of our trip--a passage through the Panama Canal. As I have reported before, this has been a dream of mine ever since I read Richard Halliburton's Book of Marvels when I was a boy. Halliburton remains to this day a singular personage in Canal history. He has the record for cheapest passage through the canal as a result of having himself declared a ship in 1928 and swimming through the canal. His fare was 36 cents. Our ship will pay $22000.

We Meet the Embera People in Darien

Methinks the ship folks had anticipated the rough water on the night of Jan. 11. They scheduled a brunch for the following morning at 9:30 AM. Jan and I had both taken Dramamine the night before and lost some shuteye, but didn't get sick. Several folks, including a crew member or two, did have some tummy trouble though.

As the morning dawned we were anchored blissfully just off shore in the Panamanian province of Darien. The beach was a long unbroken stretch of brown sand with some thatched roofs visible amid the coconut palms.

The beach was broad and shallow so it was a true wet landing from our zodiacs. The sand was soft and oozy, but as we struggled ashore we were met by smiling inhabitants of all sizes.

In the shade of a small shelter musicians were playing

After the initial welcome we split into groups and toured the village. Houses were generally raised on stilts and open to the air on the side away from the beach. This spot is only accessible by boat or long hikes on jungle trails. We were told that our boat was the only tourist ship that visits regularly. There are no phones, no electricity, no TV's. It is a simple life on the land culture and the land is plentiful. Coconuts and fruit are ubiquitous. There is some hunting and some cultivation of sugar cane and vegetables. Flowers grow in wild profusion.

We re-assembled in a large open sided thatched roof assembly area for more music and dancing. That was followed by displays of the native crafts, which were available for purchase.
Later in the afternoon the ship's crew had a soccer match with the village men.

The village chief, pictured below, was a happy and communicative man who spoke good Spanish in addition to the native tongue.

But you do have to wonder how long this "seemingly" idyllic and simple existence will last.

There is a government school in the village and . . .

this young future chief may not be as willing to stay at home.

I leave you to ponder that along with this fellow.