We have been enjoying the warmth of Arizona for a week now while our friends and relatives back in Minnesota have been struggling with below zero temperatures for daytime highs. We are trying really hard not to rub it in when we talk with them on the phone. But, since we are here, we may as well enjoy what the state has to offer!
One day we took a drive to see the Crested Saguaro; there is only one of these for every 10,000 saguaros in the desert. When we were here a couple of years back, we drove this road north of Benson and saw many of them; this trip we saw more building, more power lines and only one Crested Saguaro. Looks kinda like a little one saying "so big", don't you think.
This is what the crests look like up close. We talked to a native Arizonian who had never seen one of these - that is rare.
This is another picture from that 50 mile stretch of land. Somehow we managed to hit something very sharp and punctured a hole in the tire - we ended up having to buy a new tire since it was a 2 inch slice - must have been a very sharp rock or a piece of metal. All I know is the pictures above are now more "valuable".
On another day, Mike went golfing with a fellow he met at the RV park and I went to a local monastery. I had some clothes and "stuff" to get rid of and went in search of a thrift store; theirs is well run and packed with goodies - I had a hard time not buying more. The grounds are extensive and so I decided to take a "bird walk". There weren't any signs saying how long the walk was, but I figured it couldn't be too long. Well, I got back 2 hours later and hadn't seen many birds, but the exercise was good. I actually must have taken a wrong turn because I ended up having to unlock a gate and walk through a pasture to get back to the car. This monastery has a a chapel where the monks "chant" for two hours every day - the public is invited to attend and participate. It comes complete with a campground. Rich and Anita, I can see you visiting here someday soon.
I have never seen a stained glass like this.
And this statue of Mary and Jesus is very different from any others I have seen.
This is the campground.
The trees on this property are HUGE - look at the one the Jeep is parked by, they are nearly the same size.
Mike enjoyed his day, also. Seems he is a pretty good golfer, at least as good as the fellows he was with. They golfed a 78 and Mike an 82 - sounds good to me anyway. We have yet to find a cheap greens fees so my clubs are still in the car.
The highlight of the week was an overnight trip to Bonnie and Barry's house at Saddlebrooke (by Tucson) to enjoy an ATV trip into the desert. We have been talking about doing this for a long time and believe me, it was worth the wait.
These are our hosts.
And this is a turquoise mine they took us to - OK, so it is really a copper mine, but the stuff sure looks like turquoise to me. The pictures don't do it justice.
The ride took us through some of the most beautiful desert country I have seen.
It is hard to believe that some of it is open range and used for raising cattle.
Mike drove the Polaris and I took pictures; this one was an accident but it is kinda cool, don't ya think.
How do these cactus grow out of solid rock? It takes 50-75 years for one of these saguaro to grow "an arm".
The mountains provide a wonderful backdrop.
These are snowball cactus and really don't get much bigger than this.
Lots of opportunity for creativity out here.
We spent about 4 hours out on the trails and on the quads; 147 pictures taken. It was a fabulous day and now, of course, we wanna get one of these toys.
On the way home the next day, we stopped at San Xavier Del Bac Mission south of Tucson. I was there last year when they were in the midst of renovation so I wanted to see the finished work. This mission has continuously held mass since 1692. It is called the "Dove of the Desert" because of its white exterior.
We enjoyed Indian Fry Bread prepared in the courtyard by a native woman. We learned that the shelter under which she labors is called a "ramada".
This ceiling is over 300 years old. The beams are from trees that grew along the San Pedro River and the smaller boughs are actually spines of the saguaro cactus.
It has been a great week. We now head for the CA border for a few days and then to our annual Quartzite gathering of friends.
Every night there was a cocktail hour with wonderful appetizers followed by some of the best potluck food I have ever tasted and then a campfire.
This year, Dan and Denise joined the group and he entertained us with his original songs and guitar playing. It was good to see Renee and Angelo back this year.
Here Norma and Barbara enjoy a conversation during "cocktail hour".
One day four of us went to Mexico to pick up a few things and near Yuma, we spotted this lettuce picking process in action. They were well into the field and it was only 7:30 in the morning. (If you want to see it closer up, click on the picture to make it larger). 
This was not one of our group, but it was our neighbor.
And since we bought a new outdoor rug, they became the proud owners of our old one... one man's trash, etc.
And since we decided not to purchase a home in Quartzite...
We headed west to California on the 10 and once again were amazed by the beauty of the land.
