Hiking in the desert

I'm on a roll now. Might as well post while I'm hot. ;)

We went on a hike in late January and it was gorgeous. Spring comes early around here.


And there are saguaro cacti everywhere you look, not to mention, prickly pear, teddy bear cholla, organ pipes, cane cholla, claret cup hedgehog and barrel cactus... just to name a few.









And then there are the mountains...

Hiking - Part deux

Here are some pictures from a couple hikes we took in April. It was already getting very hot and we knew we had a limited window of opportunity for hiking so we went as often as we could.

You really can't hike in the summer unless you start out very early in the morning or get an unseasonably cool day... it happens, but not often.

The area here has pretty flora and fauna, and then there are the bad boys of the desert. We came across this guy sunning himself and figured he had to be a tough guy. Half his rattle was missing.

We went to a place with petroglyphs on one hike. Unfortunately, a very popular place. So much of the native art has been defaced it's hard to tell what was original and what is carved graffiti.

The pool there had loads o' toads and the lizards were running every which way.

Ian and I climbed all the way to the top of an outcropping to get away from the crowd and had a pretty good view.

Spring Activities

One of the things we had to get done this spring was put in a lawn. When we bought the house it had been abandoned for about a year (it was a foreclosure) and the landscaping no longer existed. The lawn was dead and the plants had reverted to their natural state... that is, wildly overgrown.

We started getting notices of non-compliance from the convenant nazi about a month after having moved in. sigh.

So we took it from this:









To this:










We hope to get some neat, compact bushes for the graveled area and then pull out the rounded bush in the background... eventually. It's really hot here and hard to stay out in the sun for too long.

And then there's the back yard. sigh.

Busy, busy, busy

Wow. Amazing how time flies when you're just living your life. It's been awhile since the last post, but what can I say? We've been busy. To update you all quickly:

The boys completed their first school year here in May. They both did well (after a somewhat rocky start and really, who can blame them for that?) They both met or exceeded the requirements for the ridiculous standardized test required by Arizona and each have a strong GPA (3.5 & 3.8).

We've been to California again to hang out with family and hit the local theme parks. This time it was California Adventure. Loads o' fun and family. So much, that we're headed back again next weekend!

I've got 9 months under my belt at work and things are going well. The company is going through the same issues most others are in this economy. We've had a couple layoffs and restructurings, and some ongoing changes to the "road map" in terms of what we're releasing and when. But I can't complain, they pay me to come in every day no matter what I'm doing (or redoing) and as Martha would say, that's a good thing.

ASU went through their own "layoff/restructuring" though they use different terminology... something like "mandatory furloughs", anyway, since Alec's paid through a grant it didn't affect us. Luckily. In the meantime, he's been chugging away at some interesting research and that always makes him happy.

Another thing that makes Alec happy is Ian interning in his lab this summer. Ian is having a good time too and learning much more than how to wash glassware or wield a pipette man. What more can you ask?

Ian has been delaying getting his drivers license we think because it's a little scary to drive around here. People drive very fast and don't obey many rules of the road. Even driving in our development is a stress inducing event. But we're hoping he'll feel more comfortable by the time the new school year begins.

Mac and Ian attended a video game camp for two weeks earlier this summer and both had a good time. Mac's individual game took 3rd in the class (of 50 kids) and his team game was voted Best because it was 'difficult but fun.'

We're trying to figure out when we can send them both for a visit to their friends in Montana but everyone's schedule is so crazy...

We finally got an offer on the house in Iowa, after taking it off the market last winter and relisting it in May. We're waiting for the closing date (July 1) before we celebrate though. We're going to take a huge loss on it, but it's better than carrying it for another year. And we didn't have to go into foreclosure like so many other people. Whew.

I've just come back from Seattle, visiting Alyson for her bridal shower. The wedding is in August and we're all getting very excited. Everyone has some part in the ceremony, Alec walking Aly down the aisle, the boys acting as ushers and me, well, I get to be the MOB, which for some reason has high importance attached to it. ;)

Got to see loads more family as there was a mini reunion happening that weekend. Check out my Facebook page for more photos.

We've been watching the news from Iran with interest and following an old friend's blog (Ron Aaron who moved his family to Israel) which gives us a view into a world we are unfamiliar with and not likely to experience soon.

We're hitting the hottest "season" in our desert now, so anyone planning to visit should put that idea on hold until September or October. To paraphrase Jeff Foxworthy, "You know you live in the desert, when it's 80 degrees at 6 in the morning."

That's about it for now. No promises on when I'll next post. We have the wedding in August, the boys are back in school on the 3rd of that month, and before you know it the holidays will be upon us along with the cooler weather.

We're on Facebook now

I'm on Facebook now. Ian and Mac are as well. We might get Alec up there eventually. ;)