I Remember Well

White-lined Sphinx Moth

Looking back.  Looking forward.  And here I am.  They say autumn has begun.  I lock myself indoors pretending it's cold outside when in reality it's still like opening an oven.  So what to do? Escape to the great White Mountains and feel the sensations of being cold!

Painted Lady

I have discovered many of the birds here in the US.  Oh, there's about 50 or so I need for the US but they are in pockets here and there that require a one trip visit.  It's more than just birding now.  I want to make my home and garden come alive again.  I started cooking after almost 2 decades of not cooking and it brings me joy.  I sit and watch old episodes of Julia Child making French things like French Onion Soup:)  And it makes me want to go back to France again.  Old personalities like Julia Child and Bob Ross bring with them a sense of comfort.

We sat and watched the Elk graze in Greer at sunset

My travels abroad this summer forced me to cook in the kitchen and save money.  And it brought me joy.  I began taking notes in Trinidad, Hawaii, and Mexico.  In Maine, I collected more ideas.  Then I discovered the Farmer's Market of produce and I began to make my own fresh food again.  For 10 years, at the job that pays my health insurance, Helen always made me a fresh salad during lunch. It was the highlight of my day. But to cut costs, the district got rid of her.  In one deadly strike, I lost a friend and an amazing salad. 

So I began making my own lunches.  I got a membership to Costco, then to the National Parks and then we got a membership for the Desert Museum.  I've somewhat stepped out of the Arizona birding. Birders have told me this happens.  It's not that I am not birding.  I am.  I'm just not into chasing birds around this state as much anymore.  It seems goofy driving hours on the road observing a bird that I've seen many times in other places. So I stick to my patches.  And bird.  And cook. And save money for the big treks that are coming up. It's gotta be a really rare bird for me to chase.

Greer Lake

I get nostalgic this time of year.  I am reminded of the passing of time.  The passing of friends and family.  Of my aging.  It makes me happy.  It makes me sad.  I try to recreate recipes that my Grandma's made for me while they were still alive. After their passings, I took their iconic cookware and brought them home.  I mix salads and pastas and soups and desserts together in them. I pull out their fine glassware that they always put out for me on their tables during holidays or visits.  Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and be that dish that sat on their dinner tables just so I could hear their voices again. They stood preparing delicious foods with this glassware and now I do the same. And it connects me to those memories. 

Warbling Vireos migrate through the area

I'd, of course, have to place those dishes out-of-reach from a certain sister who likes to eat all the black olives. Sometimes Grandma would place the olives next to my Grandpa's magnifying glass where he read the newspaper, away from little hands but within reach for the adults. She didn't know that we could climb up chairs:) That fancy crystal bowl now sits in my cupboards with the rest of their dishes.  I began to pull them out again and fill them up with fresh lemons, tomatoes, onions and avocados.  My siblings would instantly recognize them because they were fun pieces that were always full of fresh veggies and crackers. They, too, bring comfort. 

The infamous West Baldy Trail #94

Over the next several weekends, I will be reflecting often.  This past weekend we escaped to Pinetop and Greer to get away from these horrible 100+ temps here in Tucson. 

Wilson's Snipe

 Then I'm off to Wisconsin where I'll spend some relaxing time with the family.  It's also a bittersweet visit in that I will say good-bye to Bernie.  He passed away a couple months ago and I was stuck here working.  I couldn't fly home for the funeral so I will go where I first met him as a child, Woodland Dunes.  I was just a beginning birder and he showed me my first Northern Saw-Whet Owls and how I could band them.  I'll meet him at that old red barn when I thought everything would last forever. Woodland Dunes was his life's work.  And today, it's his legacy.

A Sora dances around with another Sora hiding out in the reeds

I've written about this before but going home is harder the older I get.  I see people getting older; not myself you see because I'm immortal:) But this is the time of my life when I have only a few good decades, maybe years with lifelong friends who are now older.  What I wouldn't give to have unlimited money to visit them all.  I have to stay true to my goals.  And whenever possible, incorporate friends into the birding madness. 

But for now, I meander.  I go where I feel like going.  

We sat watching the elk eat the grass.  We played detective and found our friendly American Dipper.  There we sat with the dipper as the sun was setting and watched it get ready to go to bed. 

An American Dipper takes a break from the dipping

I bird my local patch every week at Reid Park and connect with my birds.  Some would say that that's boring.  I thought that once too, but now I find it a fun challenge.  When you've seen every possible bird around the region, you make it a game trying to find a new bird for your local patch.  And just like that, it's exciting again. Plus the data is super interesting from month to month and year to year.

A beautiful Cooper's Hawk perches

I drool at the blooms and butterflies this time of year.  I get excited.  Now that the outside painting is done at our place, all I want to do is work on my garden!  I stopped feeding my birds because I didn't want them to get poisoned with paint fumes.  So I removed all the water sources away from the building and let everything go quiet for awhile.

September is a great month for flower gardens and butterflies.  In fact, I believe it's also one of the best places for a birder to observe birds as migrating warblers like to feed from the bugs in the garden while finches, etc like to eat the seeds.  You could be at a stinky steamy hot slop pond searching for a Red Knot or sitting within a beautiful garden watching art naturally happen. I prefer the latter.  It's not going to get me anything rare, but I don't care.  

We live. We hike. And we explore.  Bring on the cold!  Let fall arrive!

And then in between, I want to play outside and grow plants.  During the summer, I stare out the window and think of the winter projects I want to do.  We have a wooden fence and I'd love to hang quirky bird houses on them!

Hunt's Bumble Bee, note the rusty brown band around the abdomen

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to the cooler temps and the final chapter to this year's birding. We'll visit several gardens around Tucson this month.  Then in October, we'll be back in Wisconsin visiting with friends and later in the month, we'll be in Rocky Point, Mexico having some fun with gull ID and shorebirds. Life is one grand adventure and it's always best when shared with friends.  Thank you for following Las Aventuras.  Until next week friends.....

Vaporizing Cold Rub

Photo courtesy of Babs Buck.  Left to right, Gordon, Me and Muriel

The intense desert heat lifted as we entered the autumn like weather near the town of Greer. Finally!  It was cold again!

The abandoned South Fork cabins

We found an abandoned camp littered with old mattresses and broken glass.  Our mission was simple......find two tricky birds, the American Three-toed Woodpecker and Dusky Grouse.

Left to right, Muriel, Babs and Gordon

I joined Babs, Gordon and Muriel as we searched high and low for these two would-be-lifer birds.

The storms hindered much of our stay, often chasing us off the trails due to intense lightning storms.

Olive-sided Flycatcher at Butcher's Campground

The wildlife was cooperative. Maybe too cooperative. At one point, we encountered Mexican Gray Wolves on the trail.  We left the dark woods quickly.

Elk

Squirrels. Wolves. Deer. Elk. Coyotes. Chipmunks. Coyotes.  All seen while searching for our birds.

Abert's Squirrel

A juvenile Olive-sided Flycatcher made everyone happy as it hung out near the road bathing.

Often times, this bird hangs out high up in the trees far far away from photographers.

During the bad weather, we stopped at some great eats in Springerville. Booga Red's and Los Dos Molinos provided some tasty Mexican dishes spiced up with green chiles.

At the dawn's early light, we searched for American Dippers and Gray Jays.

We combed the grasslands for Mountain Bluebirds and Pine Siskins.

Pine Siskin

We were surrounded by life everywhere.

Gray-collared Chipmunk

We encountered young and old alike.

Adult and Juvenile Pied-billed Grebe

And eventually, after a lot of hard work, we found JUST ONE of our target birds. The amazing American Three-toed Woodpecker.  FINALLY!  After 4 lifetime attempts and about 100+ hours of trekking over the years, I found my bird.  Whoever said birding was "easy" needs to have their head examined.  It's not easy!  The more birds we find; the trickier the game gets.

American Three-toed Woodpecker-new lifebird; found on the often reliable Butler's Trail in Greer

The rain won't keep us away:)  My treks move forward to coastal waters with a special lady.  I will return home to the frozen North.  And in the meantime, we'll be meeting up with old friends(and new) again on the trails both here and elsewhere over the next two months. 

A fun shot.  I'm reenacting my happy hobbit side on the trails

A special thanks to Gordon for driving the several hour journey from Phoenix! One chapter of my life is ending and another is just about to begin. Over the next several months, things are about to get good. It has been a difficult year with a lot of hard work involved, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel and things are going to get exciting:)  For my international friends out there, I'm coming your way:)  As of now, I'll be on blogger hiatus for a couple weeks.  I'll be back again reporting from the trails. Until next time....

A Perfect Moment

This post (and an upcoming one) have been difficult for me to write. I'll do my best to try and capture my thoughts with the words behind those special and very sad moments. The write today was inspired by the healing power of nature and family.  I guess after many years of silence, it's time that this tale was told. I'd like to share with you all a story about a kid I once knew.  Like most people I know, he has changed over time.

As a boy, he grew up wondering what the world was like outside of his small town.  He had BIG ideas about what he'd do with his life. Maybe he'd become a teacher?  A park ranger? Or a weather man! 

As he grew older in that small town, he became aware that he was different from other people.  Much of his thoughts were kept hidden and secret because he didn't want to be hurt by others. And even though he tried to avoid confrontation, he was spit on, laughed at, and beat up several times for being different.  Unfortunately, he'd take his anger out on his siblings. His parents didn't know how to speak to him because he shut them out. There was no one he could turn to for help because they would all try to fix him with their religion. And he didn't need fixing. The science fiction show known as Star Trek was his escape. He eventually left his small town and pursued his dreams. It was safer that way. Over time, he developed a tough skin.  And there was a growing anger towards people and organizations who supported hate and ignorance. After living a life in hiding, it was time to fight back with words and actions. There was no turning back.

He went on to live an amazing life. Free from the trappings of a small community, he was able to form his own opinions and attitudes about the world. He got a job at a place where he could make a difference. Or at least challenge their thinking about the bigger world.  And maybe make them laugh or smile once and awhile. But it was always a safe zone. He also became a secret guardian for all those who were different. And he watched over them making sure that they wouldn't be bullied or hurt like he had been during his childhood. Sometimes he made a difference. And other times, he would lose one of his students to drugs or suicide.  These events hurt him the most because he felt that he had somehow failed them. With age and experience, the man realized he couldn't save every student. And over time, societal attitudes began to change and his important role was no longer as important. 

In his personal life, he met someone and settled down. Over the passage of time, he watched each of his siblings get married. He was so happy for them. And even though he was the oldest and had been in a relationship for a decade, it didn't matter.  He couldn't get married. But then things changed.

His partner wanted an official ceremony. So after much thought, it was decided that their union would happen outdoors and surrounded by family.  At first it was going to be somewhere far far away.  But when he thought it over more, it made him sad to think that his parents could not attend. Therefore, it had to be closer to home. What did both of these people want more than anything else in the world?  Their families present.  And so began the plan to unite nature and family together.

The families arrived from different states and rented cabins where they all spent a week together away from WIFI and work.  It was a rare event and not something experienced since the man's youth.

On the day of the wedding, it began to snow.  There they stood, married by the man's brother-in-law and surrounded by his entire family.  In a moment shared with his wonderful friend, they watched an elk dance in the freshly falling snow.  It was the most perfect moment.  A tear rolled down his face.  This was the spot. There the elk, family and birds watched as the couple made their vows. Instead of rice or bird seed being thrown up into the air, Mother Nature provided the crowd with snowballs.

Normally this man cringed at the idea of showing any emotion, but during the ceremony, he felt so happy. And loved. It was like a warm blanket on a cold winter day. A perfect moment.

People told him that getting married was a life changing event.  He just didn't want to believe it.  Maybe it was his defense mechanism that he developed as a child to protect himself from getting hurt by others. For whatever the reason, he was so happily wrong about it all. He felt whole again. No one could have planned for this magical ceremony. The snow. The elk. His father muttered, "An act of God."  The man simply replied, "Mother Nature." The two would never openly agree with each other on the matter but in their minds, they knew that they were both correct. Others froze their toes off and said, "Brrrrrrr."

Life is full of surprises.  And this world is still an amazing place.  AND BIG!  But none of it compares to the great big love of my family and friends. I'd like to thank my parents for being outstanding people. I don't know where I would be today without their love and support. To my siblings and their spouses, my nephews and nieces, to Charlee, to Mat and Linda for putting together a special ceremony, to Mitch and Rachel, to Kathy and to Deborah. Your last days with us will not be forgotten. I'll be writing about her in the next post. It was an emotional roller coaster ride for all of us. I'd also like to thank Kathie Brown for being with me during this special time. I now understand the meaning behind the "Maid of Honor" or "Best Man".  She is an amazing friend and I am so thankful she was there to help me process my emotions. While we were out on the trails, I realized how much I missed birding with her. Sometimes we "disappeared" together onto the trails to sneak in some birding time. Behind every new bird or critter or landscape, there is a heart that beats behind this experience called life. And it is good. 

Winter Wonderland

The calm magical moments of snow gently falling.

Makes me pause. Inner joy!

Absorb. Wrap my mind around it.  Reflect. 

When chaos happens and balance is lost, I surround myself in these memories. These moments.  And I am whole. 

And it is here in these memories that I restore my faith in people and the world.  Happiness. Centered. At rest. 

The silence of a snowy forested path.  Peaceful bliss.  My personal Xanadu.

Oh gentle snow.  You are as majestic as you are graceful.

May you stay forever in my memory.