 I was invited to a pot luck at the clubhouse, where I live. Hmmmm, the only option was to go to the deli department at my nearby grocery store and ask, "What would you take?" and so, macaroni salad won.  Doing a group ride that included a good climb through Saguaro East NP. If it appears I'm struggling, I am.  Beautiful sunrise, again.  My favorite road, Woodland, there's always something interesting to see. Side by side, a field that's not watered vs.....  ....one that is. Quite a contrast. Hard to believe but water is plentiful beneath our region.  Horse riding is so prevalent around here.  The repaving effort in the area continues. This road is a pretty good climb with a kick at the end.  And it rains, briefly.  The oddest design feature at the ground floor condo patios where I live. Narrow openings on the floor. Southern AZ....what could go wrong with the creatures that slither and scamper around? I took a 1x8, measured carefully and cut the length of the board, adjusted as needed and fit it into the opening. That was too much work so I thought the mass of a brick would work and so a line of them now blocks the other opening.  Then, I received a notice that all the buildings were to be repainted with a warning to remove any objects from the patio walls. Neighbors who have returned to Ohio asked me to take care of their patio so I climbed over the patio wall and took out the above. I'm a good neighbor!
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 Now that the early mornings are warmer, I can get into and out of Sabino Canyon before the deadline, for cyclists, of 9am  A novel way of walking a dog. She said it took about 2 weeks to train the dog and the strap is not attached to the handlebar but to a hook on her clothing, so the dog won't yank the handlebar.  More visits to Saguaro East NP where there is a new, covered patio to take a break and enjoy the views.  Another good example of a blooming ocotillo.  The bougainvillea were not subjected to a hard freeze this winter and are thriving this spring.  On a very windy day, it's nice that cycling visitors have the option of hiking, here parked at Sabino Canyon.  It was too windy for me too so I hiked and saw muted views due to dust in the air.  Water still flowing over the Sabino dam but probably not for much longer.
 Participated in a group ride that includes a nasty climb at the end of Reddington Road.  Another unexpected surprise! Newly paved El Camino Rincondo. It's a 1 mile climb off Reddington. Not sure why these lightly traveled roads are getting so much attention. Paul MacCartney has a home nearby but doubt that's the cause. Anyway, glad to see so much repaving.  I've been taking evening walks and once again, love the changing color as the sun sets.  Wait what??? This too is being repaved? A horribly conditioned road that connects two sections of the bike trail. Amazing!  The ocotillos are blooming.  During a hike at Sabino Canyon, I passed the above feature. A lot of crevices and rocks so I thought maybe I'd see a rattler but alas, none were to be found. Probably a good thing.  The sun rises on another fabulous day.
 I've added Saguaro East NP to my cycling schedule at least once and usually twice a week. On this day, the vehicle traffic was unusually high but it's all one way on this 8 mile loop, so it could be worse.  I escorted a friend on her first visit to Mount Lemmon. She had a great time stopping at the views and doing some rock climbing.  We stopped at Ski Valley and ate on the porch of the Iron Door Restaurant. Still some snow on north facing slopes but won't last for than a few more day. The ski runs never opened this winter. Just not enough snow and with water restrictions, can't make it either.  Higher we drove and now more snow as we headed to a parking area below the observatory where we.....  ....went on a short hike but with.....  ....amazing views.  Plenty of evidence of forest management where downed trees and limbs are gathered and burned to eliminate fuel for a potential future fire.  Yeah, the raw beauty of this place is awesome!
 Another spotty bought of "winter" rain with some wind, so I go for a short hike.  Beautiful southern Arizona. I'll miss it when in Ohio.  And so the clouds clear out as my hike finishes. Then....  ....my friend Amy asks if I can watch Jack for a few hours and oh, do something about a Lemmon tree. Unfortunately, the tree was victim to a faulty watering system last summer and it died but then, like a coiled spring, it leapt back to life....as a bush.....  ....I identified the two, strongest stalks, cut away the rest. Doesn't look like much but eventually the strongest of the two can be identified and the other removed.  As I was wondering around her house, I noted the garage floor was a mess so with a mop and bucket, cleaned it and also swept the back patio. Then.....  ....it was time to entertain Jack and no better way then watch an action movie. He reacts to noise, especially guns and explosions and dances around. It's pretty fun to watch! My enjoyable obligation completed....  ....the next morning I jump in with the Cactus Club group ride!
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