Phoenix outdoor living Part 2- Get Your Hike On

I am excited that hiking is a big part of outdoor life in Phoenix!   In the Phoenix area there are 12 Maricopa county parks and 10 state parks all with numerous trails.  I have two parks within 30 minutes. Yay!

I decided I wanted to increase the length and difficultly that I could hike.  I joined a meet up group that takes longer and more difficult hikes. We hike in the White Tank mountain park (west of Phoenix) and in some parks located north of Phoenix. 

A couple of weeks ago we hiked the mesquite & willow Canyon Loop at White Tank Mountains.  It is an 8.5 mile hike with the frontt half having a steep accent. I knew this would be challenging for me mainly due to length but decided to give it a try.  

We met at picnic area #7 at 7 am and headed out on Mesquite Canyon loop the most difficult part of the hike.  Sorry no pictures of trail head but my early morning brain was coming up short.  Actually I did not do a super job on this hike in the picture department but there is always next time.

As we started up the trail was wide, level, and well maintained.

A couple of the views from Mesquite Canyon. 

 This one is my favorite. Desert hiking has it own kind of beauty!

We went off-trail to rest and snack by a natural spring that was close to the half-way point. Yes, there is actually water in Arizona! Probably a good swimming hole after the rains in August but now not so much.

Can you find the desert beauty in the picture below?  

An opportunist growing in the rocks above the spring!

Not to far ahead we spotted a Gila monster with bright pinkish markings. We were quite excited because they are a rare site to see.

Mesquite Canyon Trail ends at 4 miles and 1600 ft elevation.  We had gained 1394 ft on the way up.  I was feeling some pain by this point. On to Willow Canyon Trail!!

A few pics I took along the trail. 

By the end of this hike I was exhausted and my legs hurt! Thankfully I had my camel back for this hike or I would have been very dehydrated.  I still could have used more water or maybe a sports type drink. It was extremely challenging but worth the effort and recovery time. 

I am looking forward to my next hike as I try to find my favorite desert trail here in outdoor Phoenix.

Do you have a favorite place to hike? 

A Life Interrupted

Hi ya’ll!  I am in Phoenix or technically Goodyear and love our new home. We moved in July 3^rd (HOT!) 

It has been a crazy 3 months.  I was unpacking and organizing when the call came that my father was having emergency surgery.  My parents live in TX so I jumped on a plane.  Spent 2 weeks in there....most of it in the hospital.  Exhausting!  There have been ups and downs but dad’s recovery is going well.

August was organizing and decorating with our brought items.  I had to get  those in place to assess what we were going to need since we doubled our square footage!  I have a few pics here of the empty house and outdoor areas. 

  Looking forward to those winter nights by our courtyard fire place.  I should  get busy looking for a comfy couch!

 The open floor plan of the kitchen/dining/living area is one of our favorite things about the house.

The pool is a nice size for relaxing or swimming laps.  We converted it to salt water so it is also nice on the skin. 

September brought the arrival of our new puppy, Commander.  

A 9 week old basenji puppy with tons of energy.  He has caused my days to be just a little crazy, the good kind of crazy .  As of now we are on an outdoor potty training mission.  I will let you know when that is complete.  Looks like it could be a long haul.

Next blog will show a few of our new purchases and a couple of complete rooms.  That is it for now.  It is time for a puppy pit stop!

9. First Paddle Board Outing

Monday I used another Living Social coupon to try out some fitness fun.  Paddle Boarding!

 I had to be at SUP Diego at 11:30 to check in and get the board on my car.  Driving with one of these on my car was an experience itself.  Definitely nerve racking to have a board creak and flop in the wind as you drive! Some how I managed to make it to our location around Tecolote shores without the board flying off.  We unloaded and hit the shore for a little instruction before hopping on.

Paddling is much like a canoe only your standing.  Paddle close to the board to go straight and wide to turn. Left side paddling turns you right and vice versa. Holding the handle at the top of the paddle gives you more power because you use your arms. The boards are very buoyant so it is just a matter of balancing while paddling.

As you can see from the picture below I started off on my knees until I learned to paddle with out turning my body.  Turning the body turns the board.

 It was a two hour excursion and I paddled for a little over an hour.  I won't bore you with the pictures of the super small island I paddled around.  Sore the next day from some newly found muscles but well worth it.  I love the water so this is a perfect fitness fit for me.  I will be on the board again soon adding another joyous adventure to this wonderful life!

Anyone else had a paddle board experience? or some other fitness fun activity?  Please share.

5. Check out my TOMATO and LIME harvest last weekend

9 to 21, my ratio of tomatoes to limes.

Loving every minute of this idea weather to experiment with new plants and more gardening than I have ever done.  The hot Texas weather made the work/ reward factor to low for me. Most of my plants are still looking, growing, and producing well.  A herb garden update, along with recipes, with be coming soon.

Our three citrus trees require very little care...prune, feed, water.  They produce like champs.  FABulous to use limes off my tree in fish tacos, guac. and take my glass of water up a notch!  One of my friends used them to make make a refreshing limeade.  The oranges and tangerines make a tasty treat.  I will be finding a few recipes for those as well.

Now on to those tomatoes. What can say about a home grown tomato except YUM! Finding on to match in a store is impossible.  I eat them like an apple and put them in so many recipes. I had a slight scare with what looked like bacteria spots on my tomato plant leaves.  I watered and feed well.  It seems to be recovering since it is LOADED with more fruit. (see above).  See you next time!

3. Painting a Memory

Painting to copy

In April a Living Social coupon caught my eye.  It was an Art Uncorked Painting Event.  The idea is to teach participants how to copy or paint a specific painting while in a wine bar type environment.  One of my dear friends has always expressed how relaxing painting was for her.  I thought why not combine date night, painting, and wine!  We finally used our coupon last Sunday.

Cafe Bella

Neither my husband or myself have ever painted an acrylic painting on canvas before Sunday. We were nervous when we walked in an saw the painting on the easel.  You can sort of see the instructor to the left of the blank easel.  She gave step-by-step guided instructions to guide us through the painting process.  You could follow exactly or change up whatever you wanted.   It was a super low stress experience. The wine and food added to the relaxed and fun environment.  We both thoroughly enjoyed it.  You can see our finished products the picture below. What a new and joyous adventure that we can now hold in memory together! 

2. Herb Garden

I am excited to plant my very first outdoor herb garden.  I noticed that the temps here in our so-cal location were cooler.  I thought could it be that an outdoor herb garden would work? It has been a dream of mine to walk outdoors, cut some thyme, basil, etc, and use in my very own dish.  Dream has become reality (at least for the moment).  What a wonderful adventure planning, planting, and harvesting!!!

As you can see I am a fan of thyme, since I planted 3 varieties.  I had used all these herbs in cooking before with the exception of the lemon thyme.  It has now become a favorite! It has a slightly more lemon flavor than just regular thyme  Chopped fine, added to butter and  placed on top of  grilled salmon equals deli-sh!  Some thing about adding your home grown herbs to a dish brings joy to me.  Another step in joyous living!

1. The Beginning

First post...a little scary for me!  I have always been more numbers than words.  Starting this blog is a true new beginning for me.  An experiment, if you will, into the more creative side of myself.  The name itself is there to remind me to explore and imagine.  It will be devoted to less inward thinking and more outward doing.  Time to share those projects, activities, and ideas that I find entertaining and joyous.  Perfection not required!  Please join me on this journey.