Tucson Trip

We went to Tucson to see my brother, Kevin, and his family. Had a really neat trip. Here are some photos. We stayed in Van Horn, Texas, coming and going. Part of the reason for the trip was to take my nephew home. It was going very smoothly right until we got into Tucson. We were still nearly an hour away from Kevin's house and I noticed the "check engine" light on. The heat gage was in the red. I looked up and saw an exit and took it. There was a Chevron there and we pulled right up to it. I was so thankful it happened where it did. We had just been in the desert - with no houses or businesses - and it was 105 degrees. It would have been miserable if we hadn't been able to sit in the Chevron. They had tables and chairs and plenty of cold water. If we had been out in the sun, it literally could have been a life-threatening situation. The ladies at the Chevron were really friendly. They gave me some phone numbers and pretty soon I had a tow and had found a mechanic that was open. It was costly, but it all worked out. I felt like God was really watching over us.

I loved the desert. It was blazing hot, but beautiful. Kevin has saguaro (se WAR oh) cacti right in his yard and over his fence. Saguaros only grow in Southern Arizona, Mexico, and a small area of California. White-wing doves land on them. I don't know how they do that! They also have orange and lemon trees. Beautiful mountains tower over Kevin's back yard. I could just sit and stare at them. They grilled burgers and we swam and sat in the hot tub. Kelly makes a great pasta salad. It was all very relaxing and very nice.

Summer Visitor

I was mowing the back yard this afternoon and this red bird flew into my vision and landed on the fence near me. I just assumed it was a male cardinal and didn't think anything of it. Then I looked at again and saw that it was not a cardinal, but a summer tanager. It let me get pretty close so I could study it.

After I finished mowing, I went back out with the camera and took this picture. I haven't seen it again. I guess it was just passing through.