Another Ten Days of Mostly at Home due to Covid 19, Sept. 24 to Oct. 3, 2020

Paulie continues to move along, slow but sure.  We manage to walk 1.5 to 2.0 miles each morning, and often meet neighbors, some with dogs and some without - everyone wants to say hello to Paulie.  We have now done two sessions of rehab with her at Kaibab Vet.  She is fitted with a flotation vest and then goes into the water to walk on a treadmill, making sure to use all four legs - her rear legs are her problem, especially the left rear leg.  But she is definitely getting stronger.  After the hydrotherapy, it is a combination of the laser therapy she had in Phoenix with acupuncture and electrical stimulation of the muscles.  She seems to do well - the change we see at home is her ability to climb the six stairs from the living room to the front door - it takes a lot of treats, but she does it ever more readily and easily as she gets her back legs working.

When we bought our home here in Flagstaff, we bought some of the furniture from the prior owner.  The dining room table was very dark brown, almost black.  So we sanded it to remove the original stain and finish.

 

 

And then we put three coats of polyurethane on it.  The natural color of the wood was darker than we thought it would be, so it is lighter than it was but not as light as we had hoped it would be.

It is nice to have an attached garage to work on projects like this.  While this project was going on, Patty also washed windows and screens - the joys of home ownership.

We continue to stay home for the most part, other than going to stores (I usually go at 6:00 when they open) and out on hikes.  The number of positive covid tests is on the rise again, as is the percentage of positive results.  Plus our President tested positive and is hospitalized, receiving multiple drugs and supplemental oxygen twice.  I believe we are in this for many months to come.

Another Ten Days of Mostly at Home due to Covid 19, Sept. 13 - 22

But for our day trip to Phoenix on the 20th (I did a separate post for that day), we continue to stay at home.  We did go to Aspen Corner, then hiked out to the Arizona Trail and Aspen Loop on Mount Humphreys.  This included passing through the Hart Prairie Meadow Restoration project.

This video shows some of the panoramic views we had looking south and west.

The signs on the Arizona Trail let you know how far it was to Mexico and Utah.

The Doney Fire north of Flagstaff on the 14th and 15th caused smoke and haze for a couple of days; this was in addition to the smoke coming from the forest fires in California.  It made for interesting sunrises.

Our next door neighbors have four young boys and when relatives visited, they installed these inflatable decorations, all of which also have lights at night.

There is still a lot of color when out hiking, as the wildflowers are still hanging on.

And the fall foliage is starting to add color as well.  Among the many evergreen trees, many of the bushes are turning.

Arizona covid numbers have stayed low but with the opening of schools and universities, numbers are starting to rise again.  And the fall flu season should be hitting soon as well.

A Quick Visit to the Desert Botanical Garden, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020

When I first created this post, something was wrong and it would not let me post any photos, so it appeared that the post was empty.  This led to some comments below from family members, but now I have completed the post.

 

We had a quick trip to Phoenix Sunday and that allowed me to spend about an hour at the Garden.  The first thing that surprised me was that there was hardly anyone there - maybe the fact that it was just hitting 100 degrees when I arrived caused this.  After seeing the prior email updates where attendance this year exceeded last year, I expected to see a lot of people.  Don't get me wrong, there were visitors and staff there, but just not very many people.  I also expected that everything would be one way - while the cross trails were closed, there really wasn't much done to make the side trails or the main DDT one way.  Everyone was wearing their masks, except when eating and drinking at one the eight tables at the patio cafe.  And there were signs still up from two different weddings on Saturday.

In any event, the entrance gardens are looking good.

One of my favorite boojum trees greeted me.

Except for the fish hanging from the roof of the succulent gallery, it appeared that most of the Cracking Art plastic sculptures were there, including the snails in the entry portal.

Lots of fruit on some of the prickly pear cactus.

The Center for Desert Living Trail had some nice color.

The "Elephant in the Room" is no longer inside at the Ottosen Gallery - it has moved outside and is now "Conserve the Memory."

The Sonoran Desert Nature Loop is open, except for the area with the two telescopes. 

The compass barrel cacti there were looking good.

When I was on the People and Plants of the Sonoran Desert trail, I got to play docent near the saguaro station.  The solar powered cameras from the BBC are still there taking photos every hour and some visitors were about to walk off the trail to get a closer look of them.  While wearing my mask and keeping my distance, I explained to them what the cameras were doing.

After passing the ponds, I saw that the dry gardens on PPSD have been overtaken by sunflowers.

The Mesquite Bosquet has been trimmed back more than I have ever seen.

In the distance, I could see that there were visitors to the "Hole in the Wall" next door at Papago Park.

Another barrel cactus looking good, near the fire pit.

There is not a lot to see on the wildflower trail.

After a pleasant hour and about two miles walking, I walked the two miles to the light rail at Washington and Priest, rode the light rail to Central and Camelback and walked the mile to our condo on 7th Street.  Then it was pizza for late afternoon lunch, and then the two and a half hour drive back to Flagstaff.

Red Mountain Trail, Coconino National Forest, Saturday, Sept 12, 2020

We had a delightful visit to Red Mountain Trail.  We could see the Red Mountain as we approached on Highway 180.  Here is the US Forest Service description.

Red Mountain, located in the Coconino National Forest of northern Arizona, 25 miles northwest of Flagstaff, is a volcanic cinder cone that rises 1,000 feet above the surrounding landscape. It is unusual in having the shape of a "U," and in lacking the symmetrical shape of most cinder cones. In addition, a large natural amphitheater cuts into the cone's northeast flank. Erosional pillars called "hoodoos" decorate the amphitheater, and many dark mineral crystals erode out of its walls. Studies by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Northern Arizona University scientists suggest that Red Mountain formed in eruptions about 740,000 years ago.

It is a pleasant hiking trail, a little under 1.5 miles each way with only minimal elevation gain.

Patty had her own natural picnic table for our lunch break.

We followed one side wash that got progressively narrow as we went back into the hoodoos.

The one unusual spot on the trail is where they have this stairway/ladder with nine stairs.

This was a most pleasant trail to hike and I am sure we will be back again.