December in the desert....

Dale, Carol, and their younger son Austin came to visit for a few days. We took them to Sahuaro Ranch in Glendale to see the palm, fig, & citrus trees as well as the rose garden. It was a beautiful day - 78 degrees and blue skies. We spent an hour or so here enjoying the trees, plants, and birds.

Austin taking some great shots with his camera. He has a great eye for detail and can produce the most wonderful pictures! What talent!

Figs.

There are hundreds of rose varieties at the Sahuaro Ranch! These are some of my favorites. Roses are absolutely my favorite flower!

I was quite impressed with this rooster. He was quite friendly (unlike Zach in Wisconsin) and came fairly close to where I was sitting. Guess they are used to a lot of people in the park and at the library next door where they hang out occasionally. It's especially fun to see the hens and their chicks whenever going to or from the library!

Here's a picture of the pup (notice I didn't say her name - still doesn't have an official name - this week we're considering Patches but because of her two spots on her back I am thinking of calling her Deucey). She loves her Care Bears - all four of them. This one talks when you press its arm and so the pup kept pulling and the Care Bear kept talking. It was fun to watch!

We put up our Christmas decorations the other day. Not as many as some in our area but it is always fun to come home at night and see the lights welcoming us!