(not Klingon) Birds of Prey

It is Spring in Tucson and we are busy planting new flowers and creating other landscaping touches in our long neglected front yard. Peggie is the creative force and I am the shovel-wielding dirt mover.
Yesterday the work was interrupted by the appearance of two hawks in a tree across the street. They arrived with what looked like a small bird in hand (talon). One of them ate while the other stood guard on a higher branch. Over a period of hours, they flew off several times. Sometimes one, sometimes the other, sometimes both. But returned each time after brief absences. They preened and cleaned and fluffed. At one point I had to make a (second) trip to the hardware store to exchange irrigation parts. I was pleasantly surprised to see them still in place when I returned.
Luckily, they chose a tree with bare branches at the top, so we often had unobstructed lines of sight. Usually, by the time I get the bird book out, the bird in question is gone. But this time, I had binoculars, book, and lots of time to compare the birds, front, back, sideways, and in flight. I determined them to be sharp-shinned hawks. Very similar to Coopers hawk. They did a lot of seemingly aimless branch hopping. They actually tried to mate at one point.
Finally, at dusk, with a lot of activity on the street, both birds flew off in different directions.
It was by far the longest and best observation of hawks we have had.
So, I guess I have to finish the yard work today. All those new plants have to be connected to the drip lines.

Bushwhacking

Yesterday we went bushwhacking into the foothills of Kitt Peak.
To get there, you have to drive seven miles of dirt track. That is always fun. We saw a pair of caracaras. They are like hawks, maybe are hawks, and are Mexico's national bird. We saw jack rabbits that would outweigh a medium sized dog. We saw mule deer running through the thickets.  It was range land, but the cattle were absent. Maybe already moved to summer pasture.
After we drove as far as the fences would allow, we walked up a draw that had its beginning up the side of the mountain at enormous granite cliffs. We were able to get almost to the base. Maybe 200 yards shy, before the desert became impenetrable. Yes. The desert. Mesquite and catclaw so thick we would need power tools to hack our way through. The reason was water. Both sides of the draw had surface water feeding the trees. At the bottom of the slope the water went underground. On the slope, at least one dam had been built many years ago, and the streams on both sides had pipes taking water to tanks lower down. On the flats a beekeeper had set up an apiary, and his bees were busy at the surface water. Several of the bushy desert plants were in bloom, so I bet there will be much honey. There is ample evidence of ancient people in the draw, from pottery shards,  to flaked stone, and grinding holes. There was some evidence of more modern people, as well. You know, rusty cans, bits of wire, concrete dam, spent shell casings.
There are some trails. Sort of. Hunters have stacked a few stone cairns to show the way, but thorny plants sometimes barred the way. Some boulder climbing worked for some areas, and in other areas, we just pushed through. We gained perhaps 300 feet of altitude over about three or four miles. We were surprised (in a good way) not to encounter any rattlers. The views were amazing. The rock formations were awesome. The flowers were pretty. The weather was unbeatable.
A good way to get tired.

Adventures in second childhood

We are very committed to staying active and in good physical shape. So we eat right and exercise.
Hiking has become a favorite form of exercise. But sometimes there isn't enough time for a good trail hike. Luckily, Pima County has a well developed system of paved urban trails for hiking and biking. We can walk out our front door and access the trail without having to drive.
While walking on these trails, we encounter far more bicycles than walkers. We talked about how important bikes were to us as kids, before we were old enough to drive. We both rode our bikes everywhere.
Well, long story short...we got bicycles. And, as the saying goes, you don't forget how, it's just like riding a bike. Of course modern bicycles are more complex. Ours have 21 speeds. Remember when a three speed bike was exotic?
And safety. When we were kids, cars were not equipped with seat belts, and bicyclists never dreamed of wearing a helmet. Well, now we are older and wiser, so we use both.
But what if we want to take our bicycles with us when we travel? We need a rack to fit on our truck. Except, when we travel, we usually pull a fifth-wheel trailer. So, we need a rack for that. Voila! There is a hitch receiver on the back of the trailer, and it is the same size as the one on the truck. Problem solved.
Today will be the first time we load the bikes on the rack and drive to a trail access point. We have been just putting the bikes in the bed of the truck. We can't just ride out the front door and access the trails on bikes, because there are areas of soft sand that, while easy enough to walk through, are not conducive to riding. On our first bike ride, I fell when the front tire tried to continue straight, while I tried to turn right.
We push farther each day. We are up to fifteen miles and will exceed that today.
Did you know that the muscles you use to walk are not the same as the ones you use to pedal a bike? Did you know that bicycle seats and your butt are not instantly compatible?
So, yes, there are some sore points. But, what fun!