Catching up is hard to do!

How can it be that we have been working on this place 6 weeks??? If we had not needed to remove the tile, we would be moved in by now. The good news is that Claude made it back safely from Ohio with all our belongings. He drove it back in a 24' truck with a trailer on the back hauling his pick up truck and did it in two very long days. Do I need to say 'exhausted'?

He then had to make 6 trips to the dump, using the neighbor's truck. It was such a relief to see all that mess gone. My back will never forgive me for helping load that truck, over and over.

Another great thing is fresh lemons right off the tree. I picked them for the neighbor and they shared with me. AH, fresh lemonade!

Imagine looking forward to days when there are some clouds instead of all day sunshine.

One day we veered off the path for a much needed break!

Added a retractable clothesline...love that! How about my clothespin holder? Great use for an old boot.

One of my favorite places in Phoenix near the airport....Papago Park.

Also made some fresh squeezed OJ for Claude with oranges from a neighbor.

Studio floor with concrete dye......(it is a shame that it didn't last but a day or two...it is all coming off, even though it was given 3 coats of sealer...)

A friend asked me to go to Prescott one day and I just couldn't resist this leather folding screen. It will look great in the "cowgirl" room!

Time sure flies in the West!

Little did I know we would be without internet or any TV for months but we are doing fine, as every minute has been mostly spent on destructing this house we bought and now putting back together.

 These are our new neighbors and part time lawn mowers!

Claude cleaning up some of the destruction we hadn't counted on. The tile was pretty slick and we decided it needed to go before one of us fell.

The carpet was a breeze to tear out but the tile was something else! Then there was the fiberglass shower unit that Claude had to cut into pieces to get it out the door.

Don't you just love my makeshift mask? When you have to drive almost 20 miles, you get real creative.

The garage will become my studio...with that view of a huge Saguaro out my window, you see why!

 Starting some work on the fireplace. It does get cold here in January but the firebox heated the entire house.

Sedona already loves it here...especially when Claude takes a break and she gets lap time!

Just one more reason we love Arizona!

Moving to Arizona...whirlwind of activity!

Wow! Amazing how much can happen in such a short two weeks. Seems we looked at dozens of homes and when Claude was almost ready to throw in the towel, I insisted we look at a property that just hit the market.

 

We knew the moment it was in sight that the location was perfect and the views an artist's dream. The house is a project but it has great solid bones.

 



The upper level

 



Claude coming down to lower level of lot

Meanwhile, we spent time in Scottsdale taking in the art scene and nightlife, complete with

 a moonlit buggy ride around old town.

Handing over the commitment money! Scary....

The time we weren't working on terms with the house,

 we were searching for all the fix up items we could find! What fun!

Papago Park in Winter

Sunshine abounded today and the light was calling me to Papago Park to attempt to capture some of the inhabitants dwelling there this winter. My work is cut out for me to identify some of these birds, if you know any, please comment and share. In addition to the normal Canada Goose, Cormorants and general ducks, there were a few others.

                        This one, I know to be a shoveler, but not sure exactly which one.

As I had decided to get a sandwich for lunch before going, I had a bit of bread to share with them. You can tell they are used to being fed, as they come right to you. Poor Sedona so wanted to give chase and play with a great deal of them but we restrained her and let her cry....poor baby!

So around to another pond we went so she could explore a little herself. The light was fabulous and the colors are always wonderful with golds, oranges and bright greens! I must say I was disappointed that there were no herons or egrets to be found this trip. Looking up at the great palms is always a delight in shapes and shadows!

 

Love this Hill Country!

         So mostly a day exploring and getting up close and personal with some of the locals!