A Trip to the Zoo..........

On the day when we went on our trip to the mission we were finished much sooner than we planned so we decided to make a quick side trip to the Tucson zoo. Tucson has a very nice zoo. It isn't too large so you don't get exhausted from the walking. It also has beautiful landscaping creating a very nice atmosphere. I took a lot of shots that I am happy with so today's post is picture heavy.

Wait, wait...... let me turn so you get my good side!

The Capybara is the worlds largest rodent. That would take one very big mouse trap.
Just striking a pose.......

A Trip to a Mission......................................

Over the weekend we took a trip down past Tucson to take a look at a mission. San Xavier del Bac is a fascinating building. It is over 300 years old and when built was in a very secluded area. Over time Tucson has crept closer to the mission. It is a very eerie feeling to be in a building that old. Your mind comes up with all kinds of thoughts of things that could have happened there. I am pretty sure that as I stood there taking pictures the ghost of a cowboy stumbled past me, blood dripping from his gunshot wound, seeking help from the inhabitants of the mission. Ok, Ok, I have probably read too many western Harlequins, but ya get my drift.

Link to the mission's website... http://www.sanxaviermission.org/Index.html

Link to a lot more of my pictures of the mission... http://travel.webshots.com/album/570040761IXRpLC

Storm Damage from Sunday's Hail Storm..........

I just had my first opportunity to get outside to see what damage was done to my garden. I am pretty sad.

Ugh my poor pots
Spinach looks like I placed a heavy blanket over the entire bed

One of my poor broccoli plantsSwiss chard, sections flat to the ground

Very beat up salad greens

Oh my poor beets, they had actually been looking good before this storm

My favorite vegetable, my sugar snap peas, still edible but looking their worst

And a little glimmer of light in the chaos. My hardengergia is beginning to bloom

Amazing Hail Storm............

This is seriously the heaviest hail I have ever seen here.

A very confused flower bed

Dangerous steps
Piled high on hubby's truck

A pummeled garden
Girls out taking a beating

Son headed home trying to dodge the painful hail
Daughter's makeshift snowman

Every family has a nut........................

and mine is 16 year old, redheaded, darling daughter. There is never a dull moment with her around. Today she stumbled across a pair of undies that she had forgotten existed and she was quite delighted. So delighted that she popped them on her head. Now dd (darling daughter) is into the hair phase where the girls tease a bit of a bump on the crown of their hair, she actually looks kinda cute with it. Well her undies fit nicely over her hair bump.

Well we all went on to doing other things, I was off to prepare dinner, hubby sat at computer to read the evening news, dd headed off to who knows where. A short while later I stepped outside to grab some lemons from the tree and here comes dd from outside the yard with a beet red face. DD asks..... mom why didn't you tell me I still had underwear on my head?

Apparently a neighbor had driven by, slowed down, backed up and asked dd if she knew she had panties on her head. I am thinking dd will never wear underwear as a hair accessory ever again.

Bababerry.............

Fall garden update.........

Final harvest of summer vegies and a few fall vegies. One good freeze put a screeching hault to my tomatoes and eggplant.Collard Greens
Beets...... pretty scrawny looking. I will have to wait a bit to decide if I will waste the space on these next year.Green OnionsSpinachCarrotsSwiss ChardHabanero (forgot to rotate this picture but still unmistakenly a habanero)Side Garden.. brussels sprouts in back, then swiss chard, then greens and mesclun, and then in the very front is broccoli.Side Garden.......... mostly mesclun.Kohl Rabivery tasty............. kind of like eating a piece of raw broccoli, just a bit sweeter.

Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar Snap Peas......... the bottom frame from a bed makes a great trellis.

Sugar Snap Peas growing up a bamboo trellis. Brussels Sprouts........... I am very anxious to try these out.Broccoli! My favorite. They are even bigger than this now and we are beginning to harvest.

A funny little story.............

Youngest daughter LOVES broccoli. I told her I was getting ready to harvest some broccoli and she told me she wasn't going to touch it. She said she only wanted broccoli from the store. When I asked her why she said because they do soemthing special to it to remove all the germs. Gosh if she only knew the truth lol. I am much more confident that my broccoli is germ free LOL.