Mamma Mia

I drove up to my home in California late last week. I brought along my cat and a friend that needed a ride up to Arizona. The border was a snap for me and the cat, but we were delayed as we waited for my friend to walk across. I have a "fast pass" and zip across pretty easily but she had to stand in a long line and it took longer than we figured. One of the gates was closed to people walking since the recent rains caused a sink hole in front of it. The sink hole was actually a tunnel that caved in. Don't ask me. I guess it was a drug tunnel, but I don't know. So, the trip took 13 and a half hours, instead of the normal 11. By the time we got to Gila Bend I stopped and bought a double-shot espresso and sailed the rest of the way home.
Now I'm in the land of plenty with movies and groceries and convenience. I went to Mamma Mia today and really enjoyed it. And I went and got a library card. My husband will be along in a couple of days so the girly stuff will come to an end. I think we are going to stay up here until hurricane season is over this year.

Taking pictures with my cell phone isn't always a planned event. So, I apologize.
I got to feed the herd last night and asked Bella to give me a hand, please. She thought that meant to taste each armload and be sure it was appropriate for our high society horses.
This is what you get when you try to take a picture of a moving target and don't have any idea what is centered.
Is Bella too plump? She'll grow into her baby-fat, right?
This was taken in Jan. '07. See the loose halter on this baby face? She was still a yearling.
Yesterday, at nearly 3.5 years old. Same halter, same hole. It's getting tight.
I guess I'll have to ride some of that fat off her.

Quiet Sunrise

I was sitting here watching the sunrise unfold and preparing to take a little walk with my husband, when I remembered it is the start of Badwater today. Our son is once again out there proving he can push the endurance limit. He hopes to finish in under 30 hours. Meanwhile, we walked all of 30 minutes and came in sweaty and bitchy. Humpf.
Son called a few minutes ago and said he will start in a few hours. He explained that the Elite runners start later when the sun gets meaner. He's awfully tough.

Palms

Coconuts, Mangos, Iguanas, Bananas, Tequila, Cruise Ships, Lightening, Sunburn, Music, Food, Agave

Jet Skis, Jungle, Muddy Rivers, Parachutes, Silver, Snakes, Mountains, Opulence, Movie Sets, Buses

Statues, Bandares Bay, T-shirt Shops, Talavera Tile, Ice Cream, Multi-lingual, Lichi Nuts, Fruit Stands

Mexican Highway, Mountainous Road, Jungle Canopy, Tour Buses, Water, Water, Water, Water, Wet Socks, Toll Roads, 1600 Miles

Wha'd I miss?

Summer Sunrise

These summer sunrises aren't nearly as dramatic as the colorful winter ones. And once the sun peaks over the hill I have to lean around my big lamp and hide from the eye-blinding rays. Sunrise down here is around 5:30, and sunset is close to 7:30.
We are driving down to Puerto Vallarta this weekend for a week of laziness and civilization. I'll try to capture interesting shots of stuff we don't see around here.

Hot Summer Swim

Since it's really summer now, here is what is going on in our neighborhood. Most Mexicans love their seashore as much as a Tarheel. Enjoy the swim.

Moving Along

My friend is having her 60th birthday today. She is not allowing celebration because today is also a sad day. It was her mother's birthday as well, and mother passed away last December. So it is the first birthday they don't get to have each other. I made a card that says, Happy Summer Day and got her this vase and cut flowers just to liven up the mood.

Meanwhile, Floyd wanted to help me set up the flowers and insisted he stick his nose right in the arrangement. A week ago today we had to put his best buddy, Chester, to sleep. It broke our hearts into a million pieces to lose our Staff Sargent who told us when to get up, eat lunch, serve dinner, and go to bed. Everyday for Chester was a strict schedule of ins and outs and ups and downs. Now we have to go about our days rather lost. But, the fact that Floyd thought he should help with the flowers made me feel better that someone would take up the organization of our little family.

Desk Space

Pony Girl in all her cuteness tagged whoever to post a picture of their spot where they read blogs and otherwise spend too many hours/day. I decided to be honest and not clean up the mess I live around. This picture shows my personality pretty much as you see it. Slightly tilted lampshade and lots of important objects surrounding my very beloved black MacBook. A favorite Lindt Stymeist Button Mug. A big bottle of water. An external hard-drive. Several books including "All The Pretty Horses" that I have in line to read, and a California map book. A pair of scissors. Les Choristes DVD. A telephone. My lovely pink cell phone attached to a charger. A pair of tweezers. A used piece of dental floss. Pens. You don't see the very large surge protector, that includes a voltage regulator so my computer is Protected, behind the chair.

ABC's

Ami tagged me to tell these very interesting facts about me. There might be a quiz later so stay awake and take notes.

A. Attached or Single-I'm married and have been forever

B. Best friend- Sue. She's been my friend since even before I met my husband!

C. Cake or Pie- YES. ok ok, cake I guess.

D. Day of Choice- Thursday, it's right before Friday!

E. Essential item- Tweezers

F. Flavor of Ice Cream- Butter Pecan

G. Gummy bears or Worms- Gummy bears, but I love sour worms

H. Hometown- Atherton

I. Indulgences- My horse

J. January or July- July

K. Kids- 2

L. Last movie I saw in a theatre- Made of Honor (not so bad)

M. This one was missing so let's make one up...Magic Kingdom or Sea
World- Sea World

N. Number of siblings- 2

O. Oranges or Apples- Apples

P. Phobias or Fears- Heights, or falling

Q. Quote- "...bite off the nose to spite the face"

R. Reasons to smile- A really nice deli sandwich

S. Season- Spring

T. Tag-(only if you want to) Pony Girl and Mud Ranch

U. Unknown fact about me- I have seen Milli Vanilli in concert

V. Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals- Meat Eater

W. Worst Habit- Leaving the dishes until morning

X. X-Rays or Ultrasounds- X-rays

Y. Your favorite food- Pasta

Z. Zodiac- Aries

Royal Poinciana

That's the tree that shades my front patio. I finally found the real name of it after several years of calling it just Beauty. Maybe that's the same species that is called a Flame Tree in Africa.

More Monster Lessons

Yesterday we finally worked on walking across the dreaded tarp. I've been meaning to do this little task for, oh, about a year. I finally found the moon and stars in a row and remembered to take a tarp out to the barn along with the other important tool, the handy lunge line.

First I put the bundled up tarp in the arena with her loose so she had the opportunity to smell and taste it. Don't you love it when they cock their head to get a good look at any monster lurking under the object? Then, just holding the end of the lunge line loosely I drug the tarp to the position in which to work. Since it was breezy I needed to find a few small rocks to weigh it down on the corners. With all systems 'go' we petted and relaxed and discussed what I had on my mind. I stood next to the tarp and sent her off on a little circle. She locked her brakes as soon as she realized there was no place to go other than over the monster. Stop and think. Then, back the other way. Screeching brakes again. Slowly and softly we did this several times before I got her head and neck across in the left direction. A few more slow semi-circles and she gritted her teeth and barely stepped on the demon. We stood and contemplated whether she might lose that hoof or not and then she walked directly onto the middle of it and took a mouthful to be sure it was dead. Her very best human friend, Larry, had walked up to the rail in the middle of all this torture so after she bit the beast a few times and then let out her long held breath we walked over to receive a treat from him. A brief recess then we went back to work a little more on the right side but she was much more cautious that way. Her Ying and Yang weren't in agreement that this monster should be trusted. We went back to Ying and finished on a high note. Another day we will deal with Yang.

Bella's Belly
That Felt So Good

Teddy

I loved him. I had hope that he would continue to show how talented ponies (or small horses) can be. He was a shining star.
He had to be put down due to an awful fall that tore tendons in a back leg. It happened on his way into the barn as he was rushing in. A simple slip and now this incredible pony is gone.

The View

I got to go bye-bye in a plane this morning. It was quite lovely seeing the town from above.

Desert Blooms


Saguaro Cacti are blooming all over California and Arizona. They are so beautiful and dramatic. (I didn't take this picture but found it online to show you what I've been rubber-necking for all the way back down into Mexico.)


This little cactus in my California garden heard me say I was leaving and rushed it's blossom to open before I left. I woke up before dawn and looked right out at it.


And then I got home to Mexico and found the sun rising way far north over an energetic bay.

Spa Day

Yep. We get our nails done in Mexico, too. At least some of us do.

Road Trip

That's not my picture. But take away the clouds and it could be.

We were up in California at our abandoned home where new tile had just been installed. I spent days and days on my knees cleaning and organizing my furniture back to where it should be. Oh, and dust! So much dust. It all had to be scrapped and blown off of everything. Hey, I found out you can use the air can for your keyboard to blow dust off everything. That does put it back into the air, however, and then it will settle somewhere else. But for little nooks you can't get to the air can is perfect.

Back down here gas prices are steady at around $2.60something and the stores aren't short on rice.

I have yet another trip back up in a few weeks to check out the new carpet we ordered for the bedrooms. I just wish I could make it on one tank of gas.

Teddy Bear Cactus

These cute little sparkly spines jump right off the cactus and right onto the wandering horses walking by. Most of these little desert horses just live with the spines until they can flick them off with a tail or someone else's tail. My little band doesn't seem to pick them up very often, but on occasion we find a "pear" hanging off a lower leg. Anything besides a human hand will do as removal equipment. Shoes, rocks, ropes, whatever is handy and nearby is used. And they usually come off in one nice piece with nothing left behind.

Bella must have backed right into a "bush" because she came home with several spines coming out of her hock. It was simple to remove them and a day later all was still normal. Bella gets a thorough going over every time she comes in from the desert. I use Swat on any and all marks and scratches so the flies don't continually bother her. As you know, she is ENTITLED. Mochie, the old gelding, and the others watch in wonder at what I'm doing to her. Brushing burrs out of her tail, checking to see her eyes are clean, putting Swat under her belly, cleaning her boobs, picking her hooves. It's all questionable to them. And then there's the bucket of happiness.

Alright. I can't put this off any longer. It's been working it's way steadily, one second at a time, 'til it's right here ready to smack me in the face. I'm turning 60 the day after manana.

WORK IT GIRL

What happened to the buckskin in this filly?
Bella was in the largest paddock yesterday when I arrived to give her the much beloved bucket of happiness. The horses kind of play musical chairs in this small family farm and they get to go into whatever paddock is nearest when they come in from their daily desert freedom. As I took my time entering, turning to latch the gate, and then facing her she was doing her best imitation of a very mean mare. Ears back, shaking her mane from side to side, but not approaching me. I shook my finger down around my waist and she backed up about 4 feet. More tap dances and more finger wagging and I had her a good 8 feet back. Then, happiness was produced for the smartest little girl in the world.
I love her throat-latch.

I got some.
So?
I'm always excited to find some new candy.
Why?
Cause I really like fresh candy.