Its Springtime!

We came home from ShowLow and Piper  (SHE IS A SERIAL KILLER)had caught and yes killed a bunny with help from Cutter and Bella.......

A Quail has laid 12 eggs in one of our planters..............

And the turtles are awake.  ITS SPRINGTIME (and 90 degrees here)!

Check out my post before this one its got some beautiful pictures!

Our Get-A-Way to Torreon

We took a ride up to Show Low in the Corvette and stayed in the cabin for a couple of days.  We took a drive on Friday and I enjoyed taking a few pictures with my new camera lens. 

There wasn't really much snow left on the ground. As we were driving I saw from the road the stream and snow. Steve turned around so I could hike in a little ways for these pictures.

This is an old cattle holding pen and chute that is by the turnoff to Sunrise ski resort. We pass it on one of our favorite drives so this time Steve stopped for me once again so I could shoot my pictures. I love the old western wooden structures that are sadly disappearing from our landscape.

It is hard to photograph horses but at least now I can stay far enough away that I don't move the horses off and still get pictures with my new lens.

We had a relaxing few days. We went to our favorite breakfast restaurant, Darbies,saw the Hunger Games movie without the crowds,took our drive and chilled at the cabin! Of course we ate  Mackey's Grill in Payson on the way up and back. Good times,noodle salad!

Fun with the Grandkids

Montana spends a little time on Wednesdays with G-Mama an Papa. She loves to be outside with the horses and the dogs.  Her favorite things to do are playing in the dirt and the hay.

 Cash and Crew spent the night at our house and here we are getting them a nice healthy breakfast at Krispy Creme donuts.  It is a blast being a grandparent.

Snow on the Superstitions in March

 Our temperature dropped from a high of 85' to a high of 55' overnight! When we left for church it was raining and the Superstitions were covered in clouds. I walked out later in the afternoon to check my horses and there was a break in the rain. I happened to glance over to the Superstitions and saw snow! Of course I had to run in and get my camera and new lens for a pic.Crazy beautiful! The snow stayed overnight and we still get to enjoy the view today. We also had hail today! In three days it is supposed to be 88'. Double click on the picture to enlarge it.

Steve spent a week trimming all of our natural landscape. I should have taken a picture of just how much he trimmed. The yard looks great! I shot this pic to show a few of the trimmed bushes. They were so overgrown you could not even see that saguaro cactus. Good job Steve!

Montana is One!

What a fun birthday party Montana had today at Countryside Park.  Family and friends. Jenna had her Grandmother,Aunt,Uncle,cousins some from out of state.We had yummy hamburgers and Jenna what was that delicious jalapeño dip? Wait til you see how much Montana loved her cake!

G-Mama and Papa gave Montana her pink pony. She loved it. I picked her up thinking she was tired of riding and she pointed to her pony-she wanted to get back on!

Of course I love this!

Brinton makes fast work of bringing chairs.

Awwwwwww!

Miller and Nixin enjoyed the swings.

Look at that face and curls!

Fun to have Aunt Amanda!

Grcie is a pro. She got one of these ponies for Christmas.
She is riding just like a jockey on the racetrack!

Miranda made the drive down and Dad came leaving Mom at home with a bad cold,darn it.

Cash Baby hiding behind his big ball.

The boys throwing baseballs.

Miller,minnie me Scotty.

I have never seen anyone enjoy their birthday cake any more than
Montana did. She grabbed a fistful first with one hand than the other.

She ate,and ate,and ate!

She finally picked up what was left of her cake and shoved as much as she could
into her mouth! Fun to watch. 

She got lots of cute gifts,some really cute outfits,an ASU cheerleader outfit and a D-Backs jersey and a fun bounce house.
My parents gave her this cute monkey and book. She was so excited to get the monkey until she saw the book,then she grabbed the book. She obviously loves books!

Daddy got to sit down after BBQing burgers.

Brannon and Amanda gave Montana a princess baby doll. She was enthralled.
I think one of her first dolls.

The Phoenix Zoo

My mom,Ina Wimsatt,has been a volunteer at the Phoenix Zoo for over 20 years.

When she started at the Zoo the volunteer program was very different from today.

Lets just say that her education and knowledge and interaction with the animals and the public

was far more substantial than today. My mother loves the Zoo and thanks to her so do I and

so do my children and my grandchildren. 

I had often thought how nice it would be to volunteer at the Zoo when I retired. 

In November 2011 that is just what I did and now one morning a week I volunteer at the Phoenix Zoo. 

What makes it really special is that my mother and I work the same shift together. I love

spending time with her and she has taught me so much about the animals at the Zoo so that I

am able to answer the patrons questions.We finish our shift with lunch at the Zoo.

These are just a few of the pictures I will be posting over time.

The Mexican Grey Wolf,extinct in the wild in the United States. 

Not a close up but I liked this picture of a couple of our giraffe.

The beautiful Golden Eagle. One of the most impressive predators.

Our Sumatran Tiger. One of only two cats that enjoys being in the water.

My favorite animal at the zoo right now, our new 2 year old african lion,Kitambi.
He is majestic and already very large. His mane grows for the first 5 years. It will be fun to watch him mature. 

Half Ear the rhino recently lost her friend. They had been together in captivity for 41 years!
She seems to be doing well,better than expected.

He ain't dead yet! This is Al (I think,mom can correct me). He is the patriarch of the
baboons and elderly. On this day he was sunning himself on a chilly morning.
Doesn't look like he has a care in the world.

Can you find the cheetah?

  

Fun picture of our new Dalmation Pelicans. They are the largest pelican.
Pelican #5 is quite a character. He likes to wander the Zoo alone and
interacts with the public! Harmless and fun.

Snow on the Superstitions

I wanted to post these pictures of snow on the Superstitions.
This doesn't happen every year and when it does it doesn't last long.
 I took these in December of 2011.

Cutter and Piper behind their new temporary fence.
They were spending too much time at the neighbors.
When Piper came home with a half defrosted filet mignon,
someone's Christmas Eve dinner the fence went up!

Beautiful! I love our view.