Giant Schnauzers

Only Out West

Could you drive towards home and see this cowperson riding along side the road. 

As we passed, I thought the rider was a cowboy, but several have said they thought it was a cowgirl.  Has anyone ever seen them riding northwest of Phoenix out off of US 60?  This was quite a bit east of there, but the same general area. The dog is securely harnassed  to his Norwegian Fjord pony and seems to be enjoying the ride.  He/she has a very cushy lambskin to ride on.  I was envious of his mount.

We were coming home from the doctor's office where I had a squamous cell place on my shin removed.  The doctor used the MOHS procedure which is supposed to have the highest cure rate.  I am hoping so but going to go lay down now.  The feeling kind of reminds me that maybe I had a drill bit used on my shin!  But the horse back rider and friend were a welcome diversion!

Happy Easter!

From the years 1875 to 2124 Easter will only be on March 23 twice, today and in 1913.  Traditionally the Easter lily is the flower of the day.  It is rich in history and symbolism but Easter lillies don't grow easily in the desert but other beautiful flowers do.

The Texas Mountain Laurel is one I had never seen until we were in a nursery last Spring and I saw one in bloom.  It is a small evergreen tree with beautiful purple flowers that smell similar to a grape.  Ours is tiny so I was suprised to see that it has two blooms on it this year.

This white flower is an Arizona desert wildflower that is growing in our yard.  The flower is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter and looks like a pincushion of sorts.  I have seen the name recently and will look for it again and post it.

They are tiny dainty plants.

These are teeny tiny white daisy like flowers that you almost don't see until you are right up on top of them.  They little white flowers are less than 1/2 inch in diameter.  I don't think I have seen these posted on any of the wildflower sites I have looked at recently.

The last flower is the Olympiad rose that is growing in a pot.  I had never grown a rose in a pot anywhere I have lived, much less in the hot desert of Arizona.  It is doing incredibly well.  This is the first flower and the plant is covered with blooms.  I can't wait to see them all in bloom.

Happy Easter from the Arizona desert!

Anam, Cara, Chris and Jacob...You Were Greatly Loved

This afternoon my brother made the painful decision to put down his beloved Jacob, an almost four year old red doberman.  Jacob is the fourth red dobe he has lost to cardiomyopathy in about about six years.  First had come Anam on October 10, 2001, and then a shortwhile later his littermate, Cara.  They were beautiful gentle dobes with but a fatal flaw.  They carried the gene for cardiomyopathy.  They lived very short lives, but they were full of life and love on beautiful Vancouver Island. 

Their littermate Chris had joined them when the person who had bred them could not find a home for him.  Chris was of the same gentle spirit.

They loved playing together around the island on their daily walks.

Jacob came as a lovely puppy who loved Paul from the minute he saw him.

Jacob played with Cara and Chris until they each got their wings.

After  Cara got her wings and it was just Jacob and Chris.

 

Little Sara came to live with them because you know you always need a female in the bunch.  Sara doesn't have any cardiomyopathy in five generations, so we hope she is safer.

Chris got his wings in March as  did all three boys. He lost four dobes in five years.  Anam and Cara in 2004, Chris in 2005 and now Jacob in 2008.

Jacob brought Sara up right and instilled the correct dobe ethics in her.  She loves to play in the parks and at the beaches.  This evening she misses her buddy Jacob and knows that he is gone.  She also knows it is her job to bring up Toby who just arrived from a kill shelter in the southern US a few months ago.

Here are Jacob and Sara running in the waters off of Vancouver Island.

They were such beautiful and happy dobes.  Here is beautiful Anam.

   

And Jacob when he was so very healthy and beautiful.  It was with great effort, compassion and the love of many professionals that earned Jacob an additional four months on this earth after he was diagnosed with this awful disease.  He and my brother were deeply bonded and Jacob did all he could to stay as long as he could.  It is truly a tribute of love and devotion that they had for each other.  Jacob did not want to leave my brother and I believe he has only left physically.  He is still right there with him and will always be.

Godspeed Anam, Cara, Chris and Jacob.  You are greatly missed, but now you are happy, healthy and whole again. 

Arizona At Its Best!

Considering that Arizona is in the Sonoran Desert, people might think nothing of beauty grows here.  They could not be further from the truth.  Granted all the rain we had this winter has brought on an amazing show of flowers this spring and the show has just started.

These photos were from a trip north of Lake Pleasant on the northwest side of the Valley last week.

Yes, world there is water in Arizona.  Not much, granted, but we do have water. And the water that fell from the skies this winter has created an amazing display of color on the mountainsides.

 

Large cacti can grow just about anywhere, even on the sides of stone cliffs.

Can you find the same cacti in this photo?

The giants were well behaved when they had to stay home while we traveled about Arizona.

See they do know how to sit and stay.

 

The Verde Canyon Railroad

Last Thursday we took my Mom who was here briefly from Indiana and my niece on the Verde Canyon Railroad.  What an incredible experience!  This has to be one of the best ways to see the Arizona wilderness at its best.  The train leaves from the station in Clarkdale, Arizona.  Most of the time it leaves at 1 PM for the four hour excursion but sometimes they run two trains a day.  There is a restored railroad car and a covered open car that are paired together.  Each car has a snack bar and restroom facilities.  Our three grandkids ages six and three and a half enjoyed most of it but it was a bit long for them. 

The train goes up the Verde River Canyon and travels along side the river most of the way up.  It is a two hour trip up and two hours back.  And what a ride!

 

That is the train crossing the old trestle and the next one is looking back down the Verde River.

We saw an eagle's nest and at one point we saw the eagle soaring over us as we rode up the canyon.  This is the nest that was on the far canyon wall. 

The eagles are protected as this sign says.  I couldn't read what it said until I got home and downloaded the photo.  The railroad crew watches out for them. 

The open air cars allow for a lot of close up viewing of the rocks and ruins along the way.

The old station at Perkinsville, Arizona that is the halway point in the trip is a part of a large working ranch. 

Here is what the open cars looked like just as we were coming out of the tunnel.

The end of the line, back at the station.  A not to be missed trip if you have the opportunity to go.  You can find more information here at   http://www.verdecanyonrr.com/

In Like A Lion

These last few weeks have certainly come in like a lion as the proverbial saying about March goes.  Am hoping the goes out like a lamb will be here soon and things will calm down somewhat.  I can hope anyway!

We had a sweet giant schnauzer come through here on his way to his new home. 

Shortly after this our dear friend Dana arrived to spend the night with us.  We hadn't seen her for five years since she brought Roger down to us.  Greta had already arrived on her own by plane.  Dana is an incredible metal artist and you can see her work at www.metalandmud.net or www.metalandmuddogs.com  She brough with her a metal sculpture she did of Greta.  She said she cried most of the time making it and Tom and I cried on seeing it.  She captured her head so perfectly that even others who knew Greta and have seen this piece, comment on how exactly it looks like Greta.  Greta was a mouthy giant meaning she liked to grab old of people and herd them, so she knew the command to Get A Toy.  When she would hear one of us coming home, she looked for a toy and met us at the door with toy in mouth ready for pets and hugs. 

Here is a close up of Greta's  head with the perpetual toy in her mouth...our beautiful Greta Girl.

Here is a picture of Dana's booth at the Fiesta Cluster Dog Show at Westworld in Scottsdale, Arizona last weekend. Many breeds are available and if not, she will create it for you.

It is also Spring in the desert and the flowers are blooming everywhere.  It is truly amazing!  Here is a brittle bush that is a volunteer plant in the side yard. 

And the flowers on a distant hill that we can see from the back porch.  They cover the hill!

The penstemon in the front yard and following that a salvia.

   

Here is a pretty purple flower that is covering one part of the backyard.  Haven't taken time to try and identify it. 

 

And the desert north of us is gorgeous.  This is state trust land and for now, open desert.  Don't think it will last long but the downturn in the economy has given it a bit longer to live as a wild living desert but this forest of saguaros marches on.

This is along Arizona 74 near Lake Pleasant.  So very green from all the winter's rain.

And, yes, it is Spring in the desert.  While the big leaguers practice their craft of baseball  at Spring Training Camps, our own little ones start the road to learning those same skills and this one in softball.

Oh yes, sweet little Queenie went into heat and is not a happy camper at all in her new duds. 

But if you are in the desert, take time to smell the flowers.  They are everywhere!