Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Arizona

Christmas Shopping and Shipping Done!

Christmas Shipping DoneWe left many relatives and friends in California when we moved to Arizona. We still like to get Christmas gifts for the children who live out there (grandchildren, a great grandchild, nieces and nephews). So, today was my day to finish Christmas wrapping, Christmas cards and Christmas shipping.

I spent some of the morning addressing envelopes and stuffing them with our custom cards. Our card exchange list is pretty small, so that didn’t take too much time.

Next, I brought out all the gifts we have been accumulating since last Christmas (yes, I shop all year long for the right stuff), wrapped them and put on the labels for each. Then, I packaged them into the five boxes destined for the five families out there with kids. Bob prepared the USPS Priority Mail labels for the boxes which I taped on to each one.

Image: Boxes at the mailbox ready for USPS pick up

We stacked all the boxes by the mailbox when they were ready. We just made it under the wire since a few minutes after we put them there, the USPS carrier showed up, loaded the boxes in the little van and headed off for the next stop along the route. Click on the image to enlarge.

15 Dec 2015 by Arizona Holidays

A Christmas Bouquet of “Sky Fire” Roses

Sky Fire Roses

We postponed our usual Thursday trip to shop for groceries until today because we were out in Palm Desert to visit our little grandson again. We got back home last night and shopped this morning. With the snowbirds back in force, the supermarket has taken on the aisle-clogged snow-zombie effect that we experience every fall and winter and it seemed to be worse on Friday.

The good news is that the flower concession had these beautiful “Sky Fire” roses. I bought a dozen plus some pine limbs and arranged our centerpiece for the weekend. I took this photo of the arrangement this afternoon. Click on the image to enlarge.

We just about have all of our Christmas decorations in place and only a few more items to get for gifts which we hope will be complete in the coming week. Then it will be packing and shipping.

11 Dec 2015 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

LGBT Air Force

LGBT AF

While walking the dogs on Saturday, we heard a peculiar-sounding aircraft noise. When we looked, we saw this flying lawn chair attached to a giant fan pendulously hanging beneath an ultralight rainbow parafoil. My only thought at the time was that I did not know that the LGBT community had their own Air Force Flagship. And what are they doing here in the high desert?

Weird.

Go back to Hollywood!

I apologize for the low-res photo. I only had my little pocket camera. Click on the image to enlarge.

06 Dec 2015 by Arizona Aviation Culture Humor

‘Tis the Season

Christmas Decorating

With the advent of the Christmas Season, each year, I put out our usual ornaments and decorations. The red balls on the green palo verde tree, the poinsettias around the mailbox, the wreath on the courtyard gate and the Nutcracker Guards on either side of the walkway.

Inside, we have a little Christmas tree, some Christmas troll dolls and a chili pepper wreath, among other various and sundry Christmas items. We are ready for our fifth Christmas in our wonderful retirement palace.

04 Dec 2015 by Arizona Holidays Home & Garden Retirement

Lemon Harvest

Lemon Harvest

It has been quite cool here for the past several nights. We actually found some ice topping one of the rain barrels this morning. It was then that we decided to harvest the lemons from our little lemon tree. The tree will be covered afterward to prevent any frost damage.

This harvest was a bit smaller than last year, but there are plenty of lemons to provide for our needs as well as for giving away to one of the senior care centers. One of the ladies on the staff makes lemon pies from scratch, so they appreciate them.

As for us, we will be skinning a bunch of lemons for Limoncello, and freezing “juice cubes” to be used as needed for cooking this coming year. Click on the image to enlarge.

01 Dec 2015 by Arizona Food & Dining Home & Garden Retirement

Cactus in Pots

Cactus in Pots

For several years, I have had a collection of cacti in pots in and behind the patio. This week, I moved several of them into the courtyard where we will be able to enjoy them more than out back.

The potted cacti include some recently acquired ones courtesy of Crotalus, our friend in the California desert. Thanks to him for those. Several of these will await next spring to display their flowers, while others will continue to grow to the point where We will need to re-pot them or put them in the rock and cactus garden.

24 Nov 2015 by Arizona Home & Garden Photography

Desert Moonrise

Desert Moonrise

We took an after-dinner walk down the road this afternoon as we usually do when we finish eating. I noticed the moon rising over the desert mountains in the distance and our local hills in the foreground. Having left the camera in the house, we finished walking the dogs and went back down the road for me to get this nice shot of the moonrise.

Later in the evening when we walked the dogs just before total darkness outside, the waxing gibbous moon was so bright, we could see our moonshadows on the driveway. Click on the image to enlarge.

22 Nov 2015 by Arizona Environment Photography

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