Yesteryear

the magical DeAnza Trail near Tubac

I took one step at a time along the path traveled by so many people before me.  During this past weekend, I quietly did my own thing as I explored places in southern Arizona like the DeAnza Trail, San Xavier Del Bac, and Saguaro National Park(the Rincon Unit). On Sunday, we finished it off with the Arizona Renaissance Festival. 

My morning began on the DeAnza trail near the artsy town of Tubac. Part of this two century +  trail follows the Santa Cruz river. Here the water flows under the shaded canopy of Arizona Cottonwoods and Mesquite trees. I saw several birders trying to find the Sinaloa Wren on that morning.  As I passed them, I wished the birders luck. 

Abert's Towhee

It was a beautiful hike on this cloudy morning. My next stop was the old mission of San Xavier Del Bac.  I wanted to stop here and explore several patches of Cholla cactus found around the property.

Cholla Cactus

The vegetation was all there as were my target birds.....the Cactus Wrens and Curve-billed Thrashers!  I did my counts around several patches and then tried for some photo documentation. 

the mission of San Xavier Del Bac

At one point, I had a Cactus Wren calling out from the top of a tree.  I stood for 20 minutes just watching this bird along the grassy wash.

Cactus Wren

The weather is beginning to warm up and that means lizards and snakes are awakening.  Look closely at the photo below and you will find the Desert Spiny hanging out between the rocks!

Desert Spiny Lizard next to a Barrel Cactus 

After I did my walk and counts around the Mission, I headed off to Saguaro National Park to do more desert bird counts.  Thanks to my park ranger bud Gaelyn, I was reminded that the entrance fee to the National Parks was waived for the weekend.  It was an amazing way to end the day as I found my first ever Gila Monster!  What a thrill that was!

my herpes lifer, the Gila Monster!

On Sunday, we headed out to Arizona's Renaissance Festival near Gold Canyon where I was able to study raptor behavior during one of their shows.  Even when I'm not birding, I'm birding:)  I love them so much. 

the Eurasian Eagle-owl takes flight at the 2015 Arizona Renaissance Festival

Of course, we also had a great time watching several of the performances throughout the day.

Barely Balanced performs one of their body bending acts!  Ouch!

It was the restful weekend that I very much needed.  After last weekend's "wait for a warbler" journey, I was done chasing rare birds.  And to be honest, the birding I did this weekend is what I like best sometimes.

Some weekends are for strolling, some are for epic adventures and some are for study.  Next weekend, I'll take you into the heart of Phoenix as we look for love in strange places;) And below is a teaser for what Las Aventuras is planning this summer:) "Americano" begins! For now, I hope you all enjoyed this walk back in time.  Until next time friends.

Dragon's Breath

 The Arizona Renaissance Festival is almost at a close!  At the end of the day on April 1st, it will all be over. You'll see acts like Barely Balanced performing throughout the day. 

 I thought this would be a neat sequence to shoot.  Look at the guys in the background.  They make me laugh.  This was a really funny performance.

 And while most people shouldn't play with fire, this group does an excellent job capturing its beauty!

 You'll see fire spectacles throughout the day so keep your eyes open for these hot performances.

On a final note, I am excited to share with you all that my work is being recognized in a book written on UNESCO sites around the world. It's all been confirmed and in January of 2013, it will be out for people to read.  It's written by a Brazilian professor who is featuring several of my pictures from the Coiba Island experience we had last summer.  Now the pics on this post are not very good, but there are better ones on the posts that follow. A lot of time and effort has gone into my work.  And it would be a lie to say that it was all terrible:)  Because it wasn't. Travel is pretty exciting stuff and this is a work of love.  There's so much more to share. Until tomorrow.....

The Arizona Renaissance Festival

If you're a Game of Thrones fan, doesn't she kind a remind you of Melisandre? Only she's not.  She's one of those street women!

 Calling ALL Arizona residents!!!  Here Ye Here Ye!!!  The Arizona Renaissance Festival is in full swing! I'm not one for street fairs or most fairs, but this one is special.  Have you ever read a medieval book and wondered what it was like to live during the times of Kings and Queens?  Today we take a trip back in time to experience what it was like to be a villager during the time known as Renaissance.

 I was a bit leary of it all.  I had never been, but I had heard it was a lot of fun.  After a weekend of hiking and exploration along the Riparian corridor of the San Pedro river, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Was this going to be another place of overpriced food and crowded with a billion people?  Well yes.  But surprisingly, the road trip up through the wildflower show along the highway and sunny bright skies made for a fun road trip.  And guess what?  The overpriced food and crowded fair wasn't bad at all!  Why?  Because there was a lot going on for different people all around the grounds.  It was around 22 bucks to get in, but you can pre purchase your tickets at Fry's Grocery Store for 18 dollars.  Parking is free at the event.  Just be careful around the traffic area as it can get congested.

 With an open mind, I saw a bird flutter.  Then 2!  What was this?!!  A bird show? YES! We were off to a good start. To make it even better, there were owls!!!  That's when I realized that the day was going to be a lot of fun.  And it didn't disappoint one bit.  We heard wonderful music, fantastic reenactments of a jousting competition, and excellent side shows.....just like they did back in the day when street performers were....well....street performers.

 What I enjoyed most was that there were times when I felt like I was in one of my books.....and I actually experienced the feeling of heckling others or watching street performers make a mistake here and there.  It was interesting and enriched my knowledge of the descriptions created in novels like the Game of Thrones.

 Color and design.  Everywhere you went, you could see unique signs and fabrics that would have been sold on the streets of the past.  I imagined villages along oceans or rivers where pirates, royalty, commoners, farmers, vendors, knights......all intermingled together.  And it made realize how complicated human society was back then.....and continues to be today.

 On a break between events and a little respite from the hot desert sun, we found a grove of shade trees where a harpist and a mound of grass awaited for us to plant our butts. If I could learn 3 instruments in my life, it would be the violin, Spanish guitar, or harp.  Why?  Because they're cool.:)

 There were acrobats, gymnists, comedians(like a pair of funny nuns), puppeteers, and plenty other performers to keep one's attention throughout the day. It seemed like fire was used often in a lot of the performances(which made for great photography).

 Barely Balanced performed and entertained crowds with their borderline adult humour and fire acts. They were very funny and made the audience laugh. One of the performers hails from my university!!!  Stevens Point!  What a small world we live in! And what an awesome place to learn stuff!

 The Fair will go on until April 1st and it's a great place to go with friends, family and loved ones.  Parents and Grandparents, while the event is family friendly, do check with performances before attending.  A lot of the talk is double entendre and will fly over your kids' head, but if you have a kid like my nephew Nolan, there may be a lot of questions:) But I have a feeling the fire will distract:)

 The shows will run throughout the day until 5 PM.  The gate closes at 5:45 and the crowds start filtering out at around 5 PM. There is a schedule for the day's events so that you maximize your visit.

 I liked the images.  I like the feel of it all.  But mostly, it made me glad I went.  Why have I never gone before?  I suppose when I hear the word "fair" I think BORING!  And if you're like me and hate FRIED FOOD or turkey legs, don't worry.  They offer other kinds of foods as well.  I had a delicious crepe, some raspberry mead, and taco salad during the day.

 There is a little something here for everyone.  For birders.  For gardeners. For history aficionados.  For people who like the Arizona sunshine.  I highly recommend this outing.  I had been secretly hoping for a pic with Twig the Fairy.  Upon our exit, she was standing there.  I watched as kids approached her.  It was absolutely adorable.  If you could have seen the children's faces......priceless.  In fairy character, she didn't speak.  But she did play her flute and it made me smile and think of Fairy Gardens and Fireflies. 

I did have my picture taken.  I'm a bit red from the sun so bring some sunblock.  I wore a hat all day, but I took it off for this picture.  What a way to end the day:)  And let's not even talk about the beautiful Arizona sunset on the way home! You can check that out below:)

The Renassaince Fair is around until April 1st on weekends. PS.  I have some exciting news.  My photography will be featured in a published book on UNESCO sites next year and I am truly honored to have my work featured.  To see those pics, you just need to visit the posts on my Coiba Island experience or The Forgotten Garden from last year. After the news, I popped open a bottle of Pinot Noir and poured myself a glass. Life is good. The adventure continues tomorrow....