Tuesday, December 24, 2013

❤️ Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! ❤️

Wishing all my friends and family a wonderful holiday season...
......whatever holiday you celebrate...
May your days be full of happiness and love.


These tooned photos were taken at the Belagio in Las Vegas.
They have a beautiful holiday display.

Jeff and I flew back to New England to be with my family for Christmas and to spend some time with our daughter her hubby and our new granddaughter.
❤️❤️

We will be back in Vegas after the new year and will continue our journey south in Homey.
Until then..

Wishing you all health and happiness, light and love!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Still here~Calico Basin

Jeff and I have been enjoying our stay in Las Vegas..

Luckily, our friends own an amazing property in Calico Basin, away from the craziness of the city.

I wake up in the morning and find Rock Wrens warming in the sun.

Rock Wren_003

Gambel’s Quail visit the yard several times a day..

calico_003

Four nights ago at 3am I opened my window and propped my pillow on the sill and looked for shooting stars..I saw 68 that night…

A record for me..

WINDOWThe views here are awesome..

The Red rock glows when the sun hits it.

calico_029I can walk out the door and down the street to say hello to the neighbors horses..

calico_027Just a few minutes walk is

Red Spring

Three springs with permanent water emerge from the base of the red and white sandstone cliffs: Red Spring, Calico Spring, and Ash Spring. Water also emerges from several seeps in the area, and water runs in washes to the north and south of the springs area during winter. The springs support trees, thickets, and an open meadow. Compared to the surrounding desert, Calico Basin is sheltered and moist, and it is easy to understand why Native Americans, birds, and wildlife spend time here.

calico_034White Crowned sparrows and other birds hang out near the spring..

calico_037Mockingbird

calico_082The area is fenced and has a boardwalk to protect the meadow

from people and wild burros..

calico_041

Red Spring flows from a shallow tunnel in the rocks on the far side of the boardwalk, and several other seeps in the area support large velvet ash trees, thickets of shrub live oak and honey mesquite, plus a meadow of saltgrass and sedges. It also supports a diverse collection of wildlife including birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and invertebrates. All of this is surrounded by Mojave desert scrub vegetation, including creosote bush, white bursage, Mojave yucca, and joshua trees.

 

calico_044

The meadow..calico_070

calico_049various shrubs and flowers..

calico_051Interesting rock formations..

calico_057

Views looking north..

calico_060Petroglyphs..

calico_063

Its a great area ..

A sharp contrast to the desert outside of the spring…

calico_068

Red Spring comes in from the rocky area to the right..

calico_071giving birth to this lush meadow..

calico_073and trees..

calico_075I take the boardwalk back down..

calico_084To the end..calico_087

I then take the short walk back to where Homey is parked..

calico_092

We go on some super hikes here..

We just walk out the door and hike up to the Red Rock and then explore the various trails.

Like the

Oh..Shit..Damn..F#$% Hike

Yeah, lots of bouldering and some interesting places to get down from..

This one took teamwork.

Oh Shit, Damn, F Hike

I found this heart on the same hike.

Red heart

See the heart in white?

found on our friends property..

Sediment on stone.

calico_113Yep…

Its a great place to be!

Homey Calico

We fly out of Vegas tomorrow and fly into the Freeze Zone of MA and CT for the Holidays..

Cant wait to see the family!

But..I am not looking forward to the cold

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Candy canes and Polka dots~I ♥ this hike

One of our favorite hikes while staying with our friends in Las Vegas is in Calico basin.

Callico hike_003We just have to walk out the door..and go.

See Homey parked next to our friends home?

Left hand side of this photo…

Callico hike_008We walk up the main road through the valley..

Callico hike_013and toward the red rocks..

Callico hike_016Then we walk in the red rocks..

Callico hike_018A path of red..

Callico hike_021A few polka dot rocks start to appear..

Callico hike_022bright green and orange lichens cling to the red..

Callico hike_024This part of the hike is a climb..

Callico hike_025higher and higher..

Callico hike_026We start getting views of Calico basin and the few homes that are here in the beautiful area.

Callico hike_029I huff and I puff as we near the top of the hill..

Callico hike_032I stop to get my breath and look back on this stunning landscape.

Callico hike_035

Callico hike_037At the top we stop for a break..

Callico hike_038

We take in the scenery…

Callico hike_039But..the hike is not over yet..

Its time to go over the other side of the rocky hill..

Callico hike_043Into the land of Candy Cane

Callico hike_045

Striped rocks..

Callico hike_047We walk over and through them..

Callico hike_048Looking down I see Jeff and Mark ahead of us..

Callico hike_049We follow them..

Callico hike_050Scrambling through striped rock..

Callico hike_054to the wash below..

Callico hike_056Into the world of Polka dots and Candy Cane..

Callico hike_060

Callico hike_074I Love this hike..

Its a bit of bouldering and scrambling..

Callico hike_062Up and down over these rocky areas..

Callico hike_063A great work out for the upper and lower body..

Callico hike_065And …

A wonderful refresher for the soul..

Callico hike_067Its hard work and love in one delicious Candy cane polka dot package..

Callico hike_068This wash is surrounded by hills and it dark and chilly….

Callico hike_071We say hello as we pass this lovely lady in rock....

Callico hike_073We come out of the narrows..and the area opens..

Callico hike_075Views of Las Vegas..

I zoom in for this photo..

Callico hike_076A most fabulous hike!

Our hike ends with the faint calls of this..

Phainopepla

Callico hike_080

and my heart is full…