Jackie's Journal

Jackie's Journal (written by Winston, edited by Jackie, read by many. . .

06 April 2008 - Winston's brother George is getting married in Tucson on April 13 at the

Saddelbrooke Country Club in Tucson.

Jackie has asked as at least three times (and that is the number of this marriage for George - three),

what I am wearing to the wedding. Being that his bride-to-be Ilyse, and her family are from New York City,

I suggested that I and my brothers were getting together and planning to wear black cowboy hats, white

western shirts with black string ties, black belts, new wranglers (cowboy cut, of course), and black boots,

and to polish off the outfit, low slung six shooters. To which Jackie replied: "You forgot the

black duster - and think about it - Sunday afternoon in Tucson and dressed like the Earps???

The Lewis clan will all be passed out due to heat prostration for being smart asses."

Winston will give you a report after the wedding next week...

March is almost upon us and we have had Magnificent, Rufous, Broad-tailed and Blackchinned Hummingbirds fly through the yard.

News Flash - Its cold, Cold COLD!!! - Morning lows for 3 and 4 March were 19 and 18 degrees F - what happened to spring???

Nov - Dec - Jan - Feb Updates - where does all the time go????

Feb 2008 What a difference a year makes! This time last year we had snow! February this year has brought

many shirt-sleeve weekends, a little rain, and yes our first hummingbirds of the season! A Rufous and a

Broad-tailed zoomed through and we have also seen our first Bats of the season -most likely Mexican

free-tailed Bats. Mischief is much happier sunning herself on the roof of the shed rather then hiding from

the snow under the deck. And for those who are wondering, she is not a Maine Coon Cat, she is a barn

cat from Deming. Her litter mates were all tail-less Siamese kittens. Either her Mom went a wanderin'

or she had a lover from far, far away. Winston did manage to haul over a load of Pecan wood from

Las Cruces. It burns hot with low ash and few coals - much preferred over pine. As for bookings,

February was almost 100% booked. The rest of the year is filling up quickly, so call now to get your

reservations in.

The Epic Saga of Winston The One Eye - Great title! But the following story is about two-eyed Winstons.

One is a free-loader, the other prowls through Paradise on the weekends, usually arriving at dusk....

The following story has been judiciously edited by Winston.

A Mystery Solved!

Dear Jackie:

As you recall we have been battling for supremacy over our ceiling space since we moved in. Initially we

thought it was mice, then pack rats but the size of the dropping were huge for a rat. We did catch 2 packrats

this summer who were getting in to the space along the eves. I put up some wire meshing and stapled it

tight to close the space they were using. Tonight, while sitting at the computer, we heard something heavy

overhead and outside. We went out, flashed our flashlight up to the side of the house, and what do we see

sticking its head thru a small opening to the ceiling space. We have a good picture of it. We have a ringtail

living in the ceiling space. Where there is one there maybe others. We want them out of there but don't want

to hurt them. We have no idea if there are babies. Any ideas?

Winston's Suggestion:

Dear Neighbor:

Keep the Ring-tailed cat - and send us a pic!

Ring-tailed cats will eat the chipmunks and mice and keep the raccoons out. And there is not usually more

than one. Miners kept them as pets to keep their houses free of varmints.

But if you do have to trap it, you can try a live trap like the one we have (leftover steak bone will work for bait).

Other than shooting it and fishing it out of the attic, another option is to set a leg hold or

conibar trap and then you could shoot it, skin, it and sell the hide - worth at least $5.00 maybe more at the

furrier auction held in Globe every month....

But wait - this could be another use for Bounce dryer sheets!!! - Bats don't like the smell of them. You could

shove a couple of bounce dryer sheets in the hole(s) and see if the scent chases him/her out. . ..keeps the bats

off of Dick and Fran's porch. . . .

Neighbor's Response

Winston!? Skinning it. 5$ a pelt! You must be jesting!!!! Your point about it keeping the rats away is a good one

- a really good point at that. It is rather quiet - much quieter then the pack rats were in hind site. We'll give some

thought on the subject in the mean time it has the run of the house.....literally! The picture we got of it is really.......

cute! We'll try and send it to you. (Don't let Winston know I said that word! Use the words....'threatening... mean...').

Thanks for the ideas.

Jackie's Suggestion

Dear Gentle Neighbor:

You might be able to train it to a sand box. and yes, Winston WAS jesting! His granddad would have skinned

it for you though. Have you named it yet?

Neighbor's Response

Dear Jackie:

Love your humor! We were picturing a miner's home and a non house trained RT running around the home.

Not a pretty sight. We'd love to keep the critter around as it loves many things that we don't...centipedes,

scorpions, rats, mice....one great appetite! However, not certain it is good to have him up there so to speak.

The ceiling is a foam like material so not really strong and he could paw thru and enter the house. If he can

get in there, so can Africanized Bees, etc. If you want to try and get a picture of it, please stop by at dusk when

it should be coming out (we used a flashlight which confused him and made him curious because he couldn't

see us, and used a digital camera with a zoom/flash). We'll have to borrow a 30 ft. latter from Bud if we seal

off the opening. Still mulling over what to do with him. We'd love to have him around the area if possible!

As for names - how about.....Winston or pseudo-scientifically and more apropo: Winston Pestus Felinicus.

The Denouement

Winston is living near the Dish Antenna at the spot where the A frame roof halves come together.....Bud's side so to

speak. There is a small opening that we haven't been able to see well because of the height, and we don't have

a ladder high enough to get up there. Had no idea a ringtail could fit in to the opening!

When we arrived last weekend, the inside of the house was a mess. It was evident someone was chasing

someone. The bookends, the cup holders, the seasoning containers, the door stop.... a lot of stuff was strewn

around. We found a dead mouse. Initially we thought the mouse just went berserk. We have been dealing with

many critters in our ceiling for sometime so I had cut open a hole in the ceiling of the BR out of desperation to

set a trap several weeks ago, but I thought I had plugged it up. Not well enough though as we found the plug on

the floor and insulation on the floor. At the time we didn't know about 'Winston' so we were perplexed. But in hindsite

we think Winston chased a mouse from out of the ceiling, was able to crawl up the walls and upside down to the

hole and reenter the ceiling. We have heard they are incredible climbers and can climb upside down if need be.

We shudder to think what Winston is doing while we are here in Tucson.

Our plan is to get Winston to come out, tempt him with something good, watching him with our infrared binoculars,

and when he leaves, stable wire mesh to cover the hole so he can't get back in. At least that is the plan in theory.

Hopefully Winston is alone and it is too early for young'uns.

We hope he stays in the area just not in our house!

The "hero" of our story, a Ring-tailed cat named Winston Pestus Felinicus

after Winston E. Lewis, Jackie's Husband

Las Cruces Balloon Festival

15 Jan 2008 - Movin' in week!

After we got back from the Yucatan, we drove to Paradise, did a spot check on things and headed east

to our new house in Las Cruces. The Movers came, helped us get unpacked and Jackie spent the next

two weeks sorting, sifting, painting, decorating, and generally getting the house setup for Winston and future

guests We expect Melody and other birders to stop by and Winston's work mates have threatened to crash

in for an afternoon barbecue or two. By the end of second weekend we were in Las Cruces, Jackie was

done and we were exhausted. We woke up Sunday morning to what can only happen in

"The Land of Enchantment": From our bedroom window we saw balloons - Hot air balloons!

Big Hot air Balloons were floating up as if by magic from seemingly right behind our house.

One after the other they rose and bobbed and drifted with the currents. Winston counted 66 and

there may have been more. They seemed to hang in the still morning air and then ever so slowly drifted

north, up and away. The most novel balloons were the Wells Fargo Stagecoach and Smokey-the-Bear.

Such fun - and cold. Those balloonists must have been bundled up like Eskimos.

A PVB sufferer

Jan 6 - 11 2008 - Vacation - the Yucatan!

PVB - Post Vacation Blues - that bad feeling that the survivors on the TV show Lost must get when

they realize they will have to return to their mundane lives after living on a mysterious, dangerous, and

beautiful and Island. Probably the same feeling that we felt as we realized that there was just not enough

time in one week to fully appreciate the Mayan Riviera and all it has to offer. We stayed at the Mayan Palace

in the very last northern building on then the third floor. Our room overlooked tropical trees that allowed us

to sleep with the sliding glass doors wide open and awaken every morning to Tropical Mockingbirds and Chachalacas. Jackie counted 40 bird species from just the balcony. We trekked to Playa Del Carmen, sped

to and round Isla Mujeres, toured Chichen Itza, swam in the Cenote at Ik-Kil, Winston snorkeled on the Yucatan reef while Jackie and her mom rode horses along the beach and swam them into the ocean. It is said that if you can ride

a swimming horse, you can ride anything, and ride these two did! We floated down the river at Xel-Ha. We also took in shows and

buffets at the Palace. All too soon it was time to head back to the Estados Unidos. We left with fond memories and a list of things to do

next time: Enjoy X-Caret, explore Merida, Dive Cozumel, shop at the open air mercado, and Winston might just turn off his type AAA

personality and plant his butt in one place for an afternoon of R&R just enjoying. To which Winston would reply - enjoying WHAT?

I guess that is an excuse to go back and try for a little R&R on the beach - like in the Mexican beer (Corona) commercials.

1276 Oakridge Drive

Las Cruces NM 88005

28 Dec 2008 Transferred, New house bought and closed on.

Winston accepted a position at White Sands New Mexico and we closed on a house by 28 Dec.

Winston's new job is as a Program Manager for a Lockheed program located at the

Airforce Communications Facility. He claims his real job is to oil the gears on the tracking

dishes...but with a Company issued laptop, cell phone, and pager and being on 24 hour standby

I suspect he does a little more than that.

Our new house is quite a find. It is a little 1970's retro inside, with dark wood trim and '70s style

fixtures. It has a nice xeriscaped front yard and a large walled and fenced backyard replete with

Jacuzzi, kiva fireplace and patio. Winston has some work to do to get the Jacuzzi working and

getting the landscaping up to speed, but it is very, very open and quite comfortable and as close to

work as Winston wants to get. We are off of Elks, right behind BurgerTime. Las Cruces has a

nice small-town feel, a primo farmer's market, and in April, GK is bringing

A Prairie Home Companion to Las Cruces for a live show. Winston can't wait to attend!

Nov 2008 Craft Fair!!!

One picture is worth a thousand words and one taste can lead to 70 lbs of fudge sold! Jackie's new fudge for this year is Chili-fudge

which sold well. Milk and Dark and Mexican chocolates were also favorites. Jackie, Rodeo and the Chiricahua Gallery were all

mentioned in the November issue of New Mexico Magazine. This article brought people from as far away as Las Cruces who drove

down to check out the gallery and, of course, taste Jackie's fudge! The Chiricahua Gallery is also on the New Mexico Fiber Arts Trail.

Family- Jackie's brother Scott, and his tribe out for a visit - same weekend as the Wine tasting. 10/8/2007

Scott, Toni, Seth, Caleb, David and Miss Rachel spent 4 days camping under the Junipers. They did a lot of living

in four days: hiked to the waterfall, helped haul tables and chairs back after the wine tasting, visited the Colibri

pond, got a line wet, and after a bass took off with their one hook, fed grasshoppers to the fish, skipped rocks

and discovered hundreds of Giant Waiter Bugs. Next day Scott & the boys hiked Silver peak. So what

did they do for "down time"? They played on the hammock, made "mini-stack" smores with mini marshmallows

on the forks from Restoration Hardware, and actually found time to watch "The Last of the Dogmen". Uncle

Winston got them to listen to Prairie Home companion - but we missed the best part of that show - Cowboy

School where GK was teaching liberals to be Cowboys (gotta Rope, Whoop, Shoot and Spit). We did get to

listen to the story of Crispy the Wonder Dog and how GK got darted by a tranquilizer gun. A creativity outlet

seemed to be discovering and or inventing 101 (or more) uses for a Hammock. Here are 14 observed uses:

1. Sleeping

2. Rocking

3. Sitting

4. Swinging alone

5. Swinging with two (three were too many, although Tundra did try to make it a trifecta)

6. Swinging with one being pushed

7. Swinging with two being pushed

8. Seeing how high one can swing

9. Seeing how high two can swing

10. The ultimate: a 360 degree “round the world” swing

11. See how close you can swing towards the hibachi – with coals – little brother in the hammock – of course!

12. See how close you can swing towards the picnic table

13. Solo Swinging

14. The Famous Bronson Hammock “inversion” where the person in the hammock wraps the hammock around their body,

locks their arms and a executes a "snap roll" that flips them 180 degrees upside down facing the dirt. Here are a few

post-execution pictures of the "Bronson Hammock Inversion", courtesy of Miss Rachel.

A success!!! - $1810 Raised for Portal Rescue- 10/8/2007

@ 40 attendees including cooks, servers, and our gracious host, Maya Decker. The "fortunate forty" feasted on

five Colibri Wines and the most scrumptious pairings:

Signs and Wonders

Winston wonderin' what he just ate and Jackie signin' what it was!!!

1. 50/50 cuvee of Viogner and Roussane (expertly served by Paul) paired with:

Asparagus Proscuitto Tarts (who would have thought that Asparagus could be "whipped?")

Proscuitto wrapped Asparagus (hand rolled by Linda)

Baked Brie with Fig Preserves (we "cultured" at least one bear hunter with this dish)

Angel Hair & Artichoke Frittata (once is enough)

2. 2005 Counoise paired with:

Grilled Salmon with Citrus Zest & Fran's Lemon-lime Marmalade

(Deemed worthy of equal exchange for wine by Bob)

Charred Salmon Skin

(brings out the deepest flavors in the Counoise - just a nibble works!)

Grilled Endive with Blue Cheese wrapped in Black Forest Ham

(would Serrano ham have been better, really?)

3. 2005 Cuvee - Blend of Bob's best reds (Grenache, Mourvedre, Counoise) paired with:

Pork Pimenton With Shallot Cream (excellent cream sauce)

Chicken with Ancho Peanut Sauce (almost no left-overs tells the tale of this dish)

Brillat Savarin Cheese (Thanks to Andy from the vineyard for introducing us to this cheese)

4. 2005 Syrah Petite Verdot paired with:

Lamb Carpaccio (remainders under lock & key in Paradise, waiting for Winston and Jackie and night of R&R)

Chilean Empanadas (Winston's Grandmother's recipe, expertly interpreted by Zola)

5. 2005 Sangre De Mantanas Port (Blood of the Mountains) paired with:

Roasted Fig Tartlets with Port Reduction and Creme Fraiche (a time-tested recipe, reputed to be a favorite of Julius Caesar)

(Note: Winston is to stay out the Port. It affects him like Whisky - he can't put his hat on or pull his boots up the morning after.)

Rats and mice and chipmunks - Oh, my!!! - 9/24/2007

Mischief once again earned her keep by bringing in a fresh breakfast of tender young packrat this past Sunday.

She must have known it was a banding day and was just doing her part to help feed the volunteers. Unfortunately

Jackie also had to get tough on the bumper crop of mice while Winston worked on the packrats and Tundra

hounded the chipmunks. Winston was so inspired by Jackie's steely resolve to rid the world of rodent nuisances

that he put together the song "Snap traps in her hand." My humble apologies to Marty Robbins. . . . click here for an

anime accompanied version of "Big Iron".

Hummingbird Banding - They are back!!! 8/27/2007

Sunday, we banded 71 birds with 5 species represented: Black-chinned, Broad-tailed, Rufous, Calliope,

and Magnificent. The feeder watch count for the five hours yielded @535 birds. Not records, but great numbers

after our nearly 4 weeks of almost no birds at the feeders. Concurrently, Dr. Susan Wethington trapped and

banded 61 birds single-handedly at SWRS!!! This seems to be the first of the fall migration and Jackie reports

good numbers and species representation again on 8/28. It is really enjoyable to see the birds coming through

in such numbers and many are juveniles or first year hatch birds. A story that adds to the joy of being part of the

Hummingbird Monitoring network came through the birding list serve from Rick Wright, Editor, Winging It,

Jeff Wakefield Photo Department Editor, Birding. On 08/28 Rick posted:

The new issue of British Columbia Birds (Vol 15, 2007) includes an account

of a Rufous Hummingbird banded in July 2002 at Paradise, AZ, and recovered

in May 2004 in a garage on Lasqueti Island, BC (just off Vancouver Island).

Indeed, this bird was banded at the George Walker House by Rebecca Hamilton, banding under the permit held by

Dr. Susan Wethington (Executive Director, Hummingbird Monitoring Network). What makes the

story all the more interesting is that the lady who caught the Rufous in her garage on Lasqueti Island noticed the band

and reported the number to Canadian authorities because she had heard a story about hummingbird banding on Canadian

Public Radio. She noticed the band, wrote down the band number, and contacted Canadian authorities,

who then contacted American authorities. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researched and found that Rebecca

Hamilton had banded this bird in Paradise for the Hummingbird Monitoring Network, and passed the information back to Lasqueti

Island. Eventually, Rebecca was contacted via e-mail, and we now know that the little bird flew 2319km from Paradise to

Lasqueti Island. Rebecca loves to tell this story, and we are amazed how far these little birds fly.

Jackie wrote Rick back: "To think that we were only her 1/2 way point! There have been several birds banded in Paradise,

through the Hummingbird Monitoring Network, that have been recaptured elsewhere. A few places that come to mind are:

The Rocky Mountain Park in Colorado, Montana, Tumacocori, Mount Graham, Patagonia, Coronado National Monument,

another site on the west side of the Chiricahuas and closer to home, the Southwest Research Station.

We hope the migration continues and next banding session yields more birds both in quantity and species. If you are

in the area, the next banding session for both SWRS and Paradise will be on September 9th. We start at sunup and

monitor for 5 hours. Stop by and learn more about these amazing little birds.

Flamingo Party - 8/18/2007

Flamin' Floyd

The annual Flamingo party at Mike and Cecil Williams' house at the mouth of Cave Creek was

a huge summer success. Lolita, the pink neon goddess of the front garden is the matron of honor, and

Jackie was inspired to compose a bit of verse that chronicles her arrival in Portal. Lolita is an icon that

can be seen at least 5 miles away on a clear, dark night - the same kind of night that is perfect for gazing

at the Pleiades and other wonders in the desert sky. You can pick up your guitar and strum the tune

"Frankie and Johnnie" while singing Lolita's song. Not quite the same as Lindsay Lohan's version in the

Prairie Home Companion movie, but personally tailored for this event. No one has a good portrait

of Lolita, but we do have one of Flamin' Floyd. If you look closely at Floyd, you will see that he is made

from a harrow disk, rebar, a propane tank, more rebar, garden shears, and a few grande sized washers.

No, Floyd is not a lush, what looks like a martini glass is really a hummingbird feeder. Of course no

Flamingo party would be complete with out "PInk Drinks", and Jackie collected a few recipes perfect

for your next Flamingo Party. Click here for recipes. My favorites are the "Rose Red" and

the "Santiago", and of course, just plain Tequila Rose - a long time family favorite.

Here is to July and August Monsoons and many more good times with Mike and Cecil . . . .and by the way,

if you were Owling on a summer night in Cave Creek and happened to get a good pic of Lolita glowin'

across the canyon, send us a copy. We will post it on the site with full credits and etc. . . .

New addition to the yard list - 8/13/2007

A baby Western Diamond-backed rattlesnake was found on the road by our

neighbor, Judy Englemann. As far as we know, this is the first recorded sighting

of a Western Diamond-backed rattlesnake in Paradise. {Elevation @ 5460 feet).

They are normally found at lower elevations. This little one is about 14 inches long

and as big around as Jackie's pinkie finger. Dr. David Hardy will incorporate this new

record in a forthcoming study of expansion of the range of the Diamondback.

(As of now, the paper with two additional authors is scheduled for presentation at a

symposium planned for early next year at SWRS.).

Click here to view more snakes found in the area.

Winston hopes he grows into a big healthy snake by eating LOTS of packrats and

field mice. Now, for all you gentle readersworried about the safety of such a small and fragile newborn snake (venomous or not), Jackie

did not put her sandal with or without a foot in it this close to the li'l rattler. She took her sandal off and placed it about foot from the snake

and snapped the picture. Winston edited the image by cropping the sandal from its original location and moving it closer to the snake.

Intent is to provide a reference to show how small the snake really is.

Just Winston Notes - 7/10/2007

Vacation!!! 29 June - 8 July Winston was in Paradise with Jackie, and as usual, managed to do so much

outdoor living that he had to schlep back to Phoenix to his desk job to recuperate! Just what did Winston

do that tired him so? Welll . . . read on - does he have braggin' rights or not?

7/8 - Pulled screen tight on back door of Walker House. Fabbed and installed plywood "kick plate". "Fixed"

outhouse door - drying out and pulling apart. Glue, screws, and springs. Drove to Colibri for the tasting - and

just a taste, mind you, and then on to Phoenix.

7/7 - Afternoon picnic at Rustler Park. Watched deer and turkey in the meadow. Cooked Brats and played dominoes.

Jackie claimed that Winston stole her Mexican Train. Winston was and is in denial. The matter is still under review.

Guilty parties will remain married until resolution is reached. Spent evening listening to Prarie Home Companion.

7/6 - Took Tundra for a long walk up the creek. Saw a Coyote run across the road. Identified Bear scat near

the creek. Puttered around the yard. Fixed hoses. Started garden - dig, rake, plant.

7/5 - Birthday doin's for the July birthday folk. 15 of us whooped it up at the Portal store - Thanks to Linda Jakse for setting this up!

7/4 - Raked Walker House yard, stacked wood and hoped for rain. Winston was wearing his grubbiest of clothes as he worked around the

yard. A lady dropped by and asked him: "How much do you charge for yard work?" Winston replied: "The lady of the house lets me sleep

with her." And now Jackie knows how the rumor that she "sleeps with the hired help" got started....Missed the Parade, Winston's Mother

wore her blue shoes to the dance. 50's music.

7/3 - Built new front steps for Jackie's deck. Painted deck. Pulled down and re-stapled Walker House North side porch screens.

7/2 - Went to Sierra Vista for lumber and manure. Ate at La Casita. Got stopped at the Bisbee traffic circle for "failure to yield".

Surveyors came to stake out property boundaries for our "survey of record". Found boundaries are straight, but nothing else is!

7/1 - Listened to Helicopters as they dropped water on the Tub fire near Fly's peak. About 7 miles Southwest from Paradise.

Watered Dick and Fran's plants and watched the smoke and 'copter activity from their deck for a few minutes.

6/31 - Dinner at Marcia's. As usual, good friends, good food, good fun. Jackie and Ted are mighty good at jigsaw puzzles that

stump us mere mortals.

6/30 - Cleaned out gutters and trapped a Packrat (Woodrat). After a week in San Diego, it was hot enough to be an "au naturel" day. . . . .

6/29 - Drove to Paradise from San Diego @ 8 hour drive.

Just Winston Notes - 6/28

Winston boondoggled a trip to San Diego 24 - 28 June to attend the 2007 International Council On Systems Engineering (INCOSE)

symposium. The symposium theme was: Systems Engineering: Key to Intelligent Enterprises. It was a full week with an international

cast of speakers and participants. Winston enjoyed all the presentations and felt the following four were especially well received:

Mind the Gap: Applying SE to Address the Delivery Challenges of London Underground Programmes

Kuldeep Kumar Gharata, London Underground Ltd.

Singapore: An Example of a Large Scale System

Pao Chuen Lui, Singapore Ministry of Defense (MINDEF)

Damn the Torpedoes! Lessons from Underwater Warfare

Terje Fossnes, Norwegian Defence Procurement Division - Submarines

Defining Changeability: Reconciling Flexibility, Adaptability, Scalability, and

Robustness for Maintaining System Lifecycle Value

A.M. Ross, D.H. Rodes, D.E. Hastings, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A world class event with over 1,000 attendees from around the Globe. Most with advanced engineering degrees.

Could be why the internet bandwidth went to 0 every night. (All those nerds downloading their multi-megabyte data files;)

Just Jackie Notes - 6/5/2007

The spring birding season is winding down. Jackie has few yard visitors and a couple of days without guests. Spring babies are

everywhere. Fledglings seen in the yard include Juniper Titmice, House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, White Breasted Nuthatches,

Bridled Titmice, Acorn Woodpeckers, Hummingbirds, and at lower elevations, Quail (Scaled, Gambels - no Montezuma babies ...)

So what does Jackie do during the down time? Well, Monday, she got herself re-elected President of the Chiricahua Gallery. Tuesday

she re-worked the membership list, visited Marcia's kitties Booger, Ouissie, Elsa, and then went down to the creek to monitor at least

three Black-chinned Hummingbird nests. Tomorrow becomes more mundane as she readies the house for more guests and finishes

another 'round of laundry.

Winston is workin' away getting a better understanding high performance computers, utility analyses, and related engineering arcana.

He has been down every weekend for 5 weekends and needs to spend a day in Goodyear tidying up a few loose ends.

Historical notes - 5/29/2007

"What we do in life echoes in eternity."

Russel Crowe, The Gladiator

George Walker adventured in Alaska, founded a town, started a mine, owned and operated a general store. His town, family, and legacy

live on. We recently received the following e-mails from George Walker's Great-granddaughters, Melissa and Debra:

5/24/2007

Good Afternoon,

My name is Melissa Walker and I just visited your site that showcases the home that my Great-Grandparents built in Paradise, AZ.

My grandfather was Elmore Walker and he was born in this house in 1906. He had a brother named Reed Walker and a sister name Georgia Walker. Elmore married Ann Schneider and they had two sons, Dennis Elmore Walker and George Layton Walker. They lived for years on a ranch just outside of Portal not far from this house. Dennis is my father.

I met Lula Walker when I was about 3 years old when she was in her mid-90's.

It is amazing how the internet can help make connections. One day I will be down to rent and spend some time in this little home.

Thanks for keeping my family history alive.

Cheers,

Melissa

5/29/2007

Hello--

My name is Debra Walker, and Lula Leola Reed and George Walker were my great-grandparents. Melissa Walker (who emailed you earlier) is my sister.

There are so many family stories I can remember my grandmother (Ann Walker, wife of Elmore Walker, George and Lula's son) telling me about Paradise when I was little. We did visit Paradise once, when were kids. I remember my dad (Dennis Walker, son of Ann and Elmore) leading us on a hike up the mountain with my youngest sister Darcey in a baby backpack. It's such a beautiful area, and so much fun.

My grandmother Ann was a bride in Paradise--she lived in a small, one-room cabin, and had to haul water from a spring up a steep hill. Not the kind of honeymoon we think of these days!

I know that my great-grandmother Lula was in heavy debt after the untimely death of her husband. Her two sons, Elmore and Reed waited ten years to marry so they could help their mother pay off her creditors (the Walkers owned the General Store--I still have the glass candy trays they used in the showcase-counter).

Then, Elmore married Ann (they met in a mining camp), and Reed married Una, and they both had families.

Lula lived to a ripe old age. She was a consummate outdoorswoman; she loved to ride horses and hunt. She was one of the last pioneers, really.

Her two sons had ranches near Douglas, AZ, and she spent a lot of time with them and their families. Apparently, she was a very good card player--that was how they spent their evenings. She had strong opinions, and she made her daughters-in-law well aware of them, so the stories go.

I met her when she was in the nursing home. She was still as sharp as ever at 92.

I think she would be amazed at what you've done with her old house. I imagine she loved the wildlife and beautiful surroundings as much as you do.

I hope you have great success with the place.

Debra Walker

A very special visit - 5/23/2007

Margaret, Sandra Austin's Mother, came to visit shortly after her 94th birthday. Winston met Margaret on

Saturday morning as she headed out for her morning walk which turned out to be a nearly 1 mile round trip

from the porch to the first up-mountain creek crossing. If Winston had known she was 94 and not 20 years

younger, he would have accompanied her - and she probably would have shooed him away. Quite the

rugged Iowan! Margaret also went with Dan and Sandra through Cave Creek and up the mountain to

Rustler Park. She found it hard to believe she was in Arizona not on the East face of the Sierra Nevadas.

On Sunday, Margaret came over to watch the hummingbird banding process. Jackie allowed her to be a

"launching pad" for hummingbirds after they had been processed and fed. Margaret is holding a female

Magnificent Hummingbird that Dan trapped, caught, and brought down for processing. Margaret did

comment that she had been to Hell (Caymans) and Paradise (Arizona) this year, and she noted that Hell

was much more crowded than Paradise:). Best wishes to Margaret as she heads back to civilization in

Illinois. Maybe we will see her again next year.

Tundra's Tips for Photographers: 5/21/2007

Tundra has "ridden shotgun" with a number of photographers since coming to Paradise, and

offers the following advice:

1. Know your equipment. Especially if you are the proud owner of new Nikon that has functionality

more complicated than the cockpit of an SR-71 spyplane. At least reading the manual before you make

your happy snaps of flora and fauna in our yard will help you avoid saying words dogs most fear to hear.

2. Know your subject. Know which birds come to feeders and which birds hop on the ground Be

patient, settle in, and wait for the behavior you want to capture. Anticipate and point your camera where

the bird will be. If Jackie tells you that a titmouse is coming to the peanut butter, put your camera to your face, focus, and wait. When the

bird arrives, achieving number 3 will be soooo satisfying you might want to do it again.

3. Fill the frame. If you don't have an OMGTB (Oh, My God, That's Big) lens, you might not be able to achieve satisfaction. In

which case, see number 4. But if you can fill the frame, the way to fulfillment is to make sure the eye is in focus. The rest of

the picture can look like a bad Monet painting, but if the eye is clear and in focus, you might get a new nickname - like Ansel

(Adams) or Annie (Leibovitz).

4. Get closer. If you want to get closer, ask Winston or Jackie where a good location is and they can tell you where other

photographers have achieved some modicum of success. Usually this is not a problem, but do consider number 5. There

are times when you may not move freely about the yard.

5. Observe the following rules of etiquette:

a. Be unobtrusive. There are plenty of places to set up where you will not be in the way of most of the other bird-watching

guests.

b. Be polite. A simple "do you mind if I. . . . " allows everyone to know what you are doing and where you will be and

almost always gets a "yes, please do" or a " no, we don't mind" response.

c. Be courteous. DO NOT move the feeders, especially the hummingbird feeders. Others are watching as much as you

are photographing.

d. Stay with your equipment. Winston and Jackie and I are not responsible for lost opportunities or equipment.

6. Critical lighting. Overcast days enhance iridescent colors as do evening and early morning sunlight. Remember, only

"Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun"- and besides, your pictures will be over exposed and Jackie and

Mischief and I just might be napping. (Winston will most likely be stuck in triple degree heat in Phoenix).

Finally, if you have the time, stay a few days. The rates are quite reasonable (or so every human that has stayed here and

offered me a dog biscuit has said), and get to know the surroundings. Learn the bird behaviors, note the lighting conditions,

scope out the best picture taking spots, and be sure to ruffle my ears, pat my back and scratch the base of my tail.

If you follow all these tips, not only will you get better pictures, I might not scare the bejesus out of you with my

patented boxer/hound from hell baritone bark when you arrive!

Cheers, and many happy snaps to you and yours

- Tundra, the Official George Walker House Greeter.

The Bullock's is on the Mend and the Bat's are in - a mid-June weekend update, posted 5/14/2007

Bullock's Oriole (Photo by Joe Riser)

5/10/2007 - Jackie and Tony from Cave Creek Ranch scooped up an injured male Bullock's Oriole as it ran ON THE GROUND from feeder to feeder. Being the good EMT, Jackie recruited P. D. Hulse from SWRS to assist while she felt the wing for injuries and then bound the wing to prevent future injuries.

5/11/2007 - Jackie took the Oriole to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. A scrappy little bird, he ate and rested and ate some more on the 120 mile one-way trip from Paradise to Sierra Vista. The rehabilitator looked the Oriole over and felt it best to leave him bound for a day before reassessing the injury. He was placed in "solitary" for the night and settled in.

5/13/2007 - Jackie called rehab to check on the Oriole, and he had been moved to the "flight cage", had been flying, and seemed ready "for release", so the flight cage door was left open, and he is on his way to new adventures.

Bats

5/12/2007 - It was Saturday night live in Paradise!!! Our guests, Floyd and Kathy Miller, earned the GWH first bat viewer of the season award by standing outside the bat boxes patiently for 45 minutes and counting the +54 Mexican Freetailed bats that came exploded into the dusky sky. They also observed a number of Big Brown bats scooping up bugs.

5/14/2007 - Jackie woke up on Monday to discover that the hummingbird feeders had been visited by the nectar feeding bats. We expect them to be in the area now through the first freeze, with peak numbers at the end of July.

"Doin's" 5/11/2007 = 5/14/2007

Ted Troller says: "Its always busy in the country." This weekend was no exception. In addition to Bullock's Oriole saga and return of the Bats, here are some weekend "doin's":

Saturday 5/12

We both got up early and walked the property lines looking for corner markers to assist with our upcoming " survey of record". That was fun. We will have more history to report when the survey is complete. Laying out a town on a flat surface is one thing. Overlaying the townsite onto a 3-D site with valleys, rocks, trees, erosion, and 2nd growth trees, creates a tad more work for the survey team. After our property line check, Jackie went to check on the bob-tailed cat at the Jones' old place. Jackie calls her "Bunny". Bunny now has kittens. Jackie then birded from the Jones' (Galeyville), to the junction (with a nap and lunch in between) for the annual migratory bird count, Winston entertained a large group from California and a couple of "independent" bird watchers and took the trash down to Portal. He picked up Tundra from the sitters (Ted and Marcia) and roared back up the hill. In the afternoon he entertained more birdwatchers and chatted with our guests. In the evening Jackie tallied up her birds and birds from several other participants. We tag-teamed a dinner of garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and grilled strip steaks which we ate on our open air-porch. Jackie grabbed a blanket and we began watching for and counting satellites. Jackie, being the bird watch counted 16, satellites while Winston only got 11. We both saw 4 shooting stars.

Sunday 5/13

On Mother’s day, we joined Bill and Michelle, Brita, and Ted and Marcia for a very nice brunch at Sunnyflat campground where we heard, but did not see, a Trogon calling! Peg Abbot stopped by in the afternoon with a tour and while there was no Lewis's Woodpecker, they did get to observe the Indigo Bunting, the Lazuli Bunting, Arizona Woodpecker, Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Bushtits and of course, our yard favorite, the Juniper Titmouse. The Black-chinned hummingbirds were performing their mating flight rituals in the spaces between the Elm trees. More yard birders arrived, Jackie tallied more birds for the count, and Winston trekked back to Phoenix.

Our guests, Floyd and Kathy, diligently searched all weekend for the Lewis’ Woodpecker - but to no avail. Being seasoned and avid birder watchers, they would have seen him if had been anywhere in the area. We do believe he has moved on and will have to be "delisted". We assume he moved North to cooler climates and hope he didn’t become a Cooper’s hawk snack

Snow = Fire!!!. . . 4/13/2007

What do you do when you wake up to 0.7 inches of unexpected snow and a temperature drop to 32F???? Light a fire, make a BIG mug of chai tea, grab a blanket, and settle in until the sun comes out, the snow melts and the last visages of winter become distant memories. . . .Hanagan's Meadow near the White Mountains reported 5 inches of snow last night and we expect more snow on Sunday (so much for the last visages of winter). Tundra, like most Boxer dogs, loves nothing more than a warm fire, soft bed, and oh, yes, being of German extraction, a sip of Schnapps or snifter of warmed Brandy to chase away the morning chill. So much for global warming. But perhaps climate change brought the Lewis's Woodpecker to the Sycamore trees across the creek Easter weekend. The male's dashingly contrasting green back and pink chest were visible to the naked eye at the top of the "dead" Sycamores in the creek most of the day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. He watched the hordes of ATV'ers and oglers with aristocratic aplomb, and relinquished his roost only to a Cooper's hawk that was looking for a bite of Woodpecker brisket to whet his appetite. And, yes the fruit trees were all in full bloom. Now they have to start all over. Maybe it was in a fit of frustration after a late freeze that Winston's Great Grandfather turned his apple orchard into firewood. . .

Easter Suprise. . . 4/19/2007

Who needs the Easter Bunny for a surprise filled day?!

We started the morning banding for the Hummingbird Monitoring Project. 40% of our 42 captured birds were banded previously here in Paradise. Today we had Black-chinned, Magnificent, 1 Rufous, 1 Broad-tailed and 1 Blue-throated at the feeders.

A sweet song was trying to break into my brain. Our guests finally let me know what it was - a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Then we had a RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER. To top off the day a LEWIS' WOODPECKER has been in the tree tops all day long. Everyone who came through today got to see it. Our last sighting was in 5/2002. The Juniper Titmouse played for a few of the folks. A Yellow-eyed Junco was singing its heart out. There are about 14 Scott's Orioles and 1 Hooded. No Bullock's yet...

Pollen "Superburst". . . 3/19/2007

This Canyon Wren was just singin' away at the top of Jackie's workshop. Maybe he was looking for love, or perhaps he was still chortling at the memory of Winston winning the DoD (Dumb A _ _ of the Day) Award. The recent warm temperatures combined with this winter's heavy snows produced prime conditions for a pollen "super-burst". The Juniper trees were generating so much pollen that when even a House Finch landed on a branch, the pollen would explode from the tree in what appeared to be a puff of smoke - Jackie calls it "Pollen Smoke". The Juniper trees exuded so much pollen last weekend and this weekend that the whole valley appeared to be caught in a dust storm or grass fire smoke. Somehow Winston got the bright idea to shake a Juniper branch and see just how much pollen he could shake out. Jackie has titled the following 4 picture sequence "Pollen Smoke". Needless to say Winston, who is allergic to Juniper and Cedar pollens, spent the next 4 hours fending off the reaction: Strip off contaminated clothes, Hot Shower until the hot water ran out, Claritin, Eye Drops, and No sympathy from Jackie - in fact she made him dig post holes and set up her new feeder station in front of the Walker House while he was leaking like a sieve from eyeball to eyeball and nostril to nostril.

Pollen Smoke, a study in Allergens

Grab

Shake

Explode!

Duck & Cover!

A Borderlands compliment. . . .

Every year, a craft fair is held in Rodeo. Artisans from as far away as Douglas, Silver City, Bisbee, and Tucson converge at the Rodeo community center to sell their wares. Jackie sells a variety of homemade fudge (Peanut Butter, Mexican Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Penuche, and more). At this year's craft fair, Bonnie, from the Big Cat Ranch in New Mexico, bought all of Jackie's Penuche (about 3 lbs). Bonnie was rationing herself 1 square inch of Penuche per day to make it last as long as possible.

One day not too long ago, Bonnie came home to find that her ranch house had been broken into by illegal border crossers. They apparently were a fastidious and caring lot. They did no physical damage. They made lunch in the kitchen and cleaned it up, even doing the dishes and leaving them to dry in the rack. They did help themselves to two bags of frozen burritos from the freezer - but left one bag for the owner. They also took or ate 4 ice cream popcycles - but left two in the freezer. They certainly did not want to leave the ranch house without food. But they did eat or take ALL of Bonnie's Penuche!!! Needless to say, Bonnie was more incensed at the loss of her special treat than the loss of a few burritos and some ice cream. Quite a borderland compliment on Jackie's candy making skills!

Time spent in a snow globe! - Valentine's Day - 2/14/2007

Winston flew to Baltimore for work on the 12th, with plans of flying back on the 14th. While he spent Valentine's day getting his travel re-arranged and making a three-hopper to get back to Phoenix (BWI to Charlotte NC, Charlotte to Las Vegas, NV, Las Vegas to Phoenix - just in time for rush hour traffic). Jackie spent the day enjoying the snow in the Chiricahuas. Total snow fall was about three inches, but it was light, and dry and swirled around the mountain, the house, and the trees. Jackie said it was like being inside a snow globe. Needless to say, she and our guests broke out their cameras and snapped a few pics.

Since Winston was on travel, he ordered two valentine day gifts for Jackie from Red Envelope. Red Envelope claims that the best gifts come in Red Boxes, and Jackie was delighted with her red-boxed gifts. The two gifts were Port filled Chocolates (excellent balance of chocolate and smooth, rich port), and a blown glass paperweight that might help hold the papers to her desk. If you need a special gift, Red Envelope is a great place to shop.

Winston is recuperating from his travels and will be back out next weekend for John and Karen Allen's house warming party. His housewarming gifts are three area books (John and Karen are avid readers) ordered from Rio Nuevo Press: Working Wilderness, Voice of the Borderlands, and The Reaper's line. Working Wilderness describes the Malpai Group's interactions with Ranchers, Science, and Governments as they work together to preserve open space. Voice of the Borderlands is a book of poetry that captures the essence of life in the Borderlands. Finally, The Reaper's Line is the reprise of a border agent's career along the border - a best seller in Douglas.

Maybe Winston will spend time this weekend getting the yard list updated, and hummingbird banding dates, and the 2006 banding summary on the website - but it will be 70 in Phoenix this weekend, and now is the time to go outside and play in Phoenix!

Weather update - 1/29/2007

The following chart may be a tad premature. As I type, Phoenix is getting rain (well, sprinkles, really). Rain and snow to 6000 feet are forecast for the Chiricahuas. 19.8 inches may not be much to the front range folk, but it is nearly 5 times as much snow as our multi-year average of 4 inches!

On Saturday, I drove the loop around the research station to the Paradise Junction and on into Paradise. Snow was at least 2' on the North side with drifts a bit deeper. I met some really nice adventurers who thought they could make to the monument via the Onion Saddle - but not with snow that deep (They are now the newest members of the GWH AAA club). Of course, the snow started to melt and now we are in a sea of muck. Our neighbor's driveway is so bad that they left their Honda CRV at our house and Jackie took them home in the 4Runner. Jackie said the "pucker factor" went up a notch as she slid sideways getting them home, but they made it.

Abstract

Geometric

Snowscape

Fingers and Hole-in-the-rock formations

Snowed in! - 1/24/2007

Jackie just sent me these pics of how deep the snow was. Now it is melting and refreezing. Our neighbor, Judy Engelman, couldn't get her truck up our driveway, so she parked on Turkey Creek Road, hiked to her cabin, broke out the little red sled, and towed her groceries and Gracie, her Papillon pup and constant companion up the hill to her house. In his biography, Scott O'Grady (Captain Scott O'Grady, shot down over Bosnia), commented that Yavapai county held the most independent people he had ever met (He attended Embry Riddle University in Prescott). Scott had obviously never met any womenfolk from the Chiricahuas - or Portal/Rodeo area!). If anyone is coming to visit in the next week or so, we highly recommend they go to Road Forks, come down 80, and then up the Portal to Paradise road. The San Simon Road and Foothills Road will all be gumbo. If the road over the mountain isn't closed, it ought to be.

If you look very close on the left, you will see the Walker House gate and stairs.

Snow is about 14" deep.

Cross Country skiing at Rustler Park - if you can get there. . . .snow shoes might help.

Snowed in!!! "Blackie" is covered with Snow.

Look how the snow piled up on top of the fence posts.

The Mountain Ridgeline is covered with snow all the way down to the flats!

More Snow - 1/22/2007

As of 7:00 pm it is still snowing. We had 14 inches and 6 more are expected! Then average snowfall for December is 4 inches, the deepest was 31 Inches recorded in 1916. We will beat the norm, but most likely, not the record. Electricity has been cutting in and out, but the phone still works. Neighbors and friends have called to check in on Jackie and all is well.

Pine Tree in Front Yard 8"!

Mischief hiding under the porch.

Snow is entertaining, but snow is not 'zactly her favorite thing. Both Mischief and Tundra walk in Jackie's footprints to keep from getting their feet wet.

Agave Snow Cones

@14" by 2:00 pm.

8" at 10:00 am.

Mischief walking in Jackie's footprints in the snow so she won't get her feet wet. - 1/22/2007

Winston in for Jackie. We have had bird watchers in the yard this week. As for birds, we have lots of Junco's, Ruby Crowned Kinglets, Mexican Jays and Acorn Woodpeckers. The weekend of 20/21/22/23 January we had snow, rain, and ice. So much rain and ice that Jackie's rig, Blackie (4Runner so named by Ted Troller) was covered over in ice and the doors froze shut. Needless to say, she did not got the Saturday Portal Rescue meeting. She also encouraged our guests to stay home this weekend (there were coming from Tucson late at night without 4-wheel drive). They did reschedule for a fairer weather date. I called Jackie from Goodyear Sunday morning to check in and all was well. She has dry wood and plenty of people and pet food. It is a little late in the year for a repeat of the Winter of 1967 - but Jackie is prepared just in case. Pete and Norma Beltran stopped on their way back to Douglas and dropped off some Rellenos that are "ready to fry". Makes me wish I was there - even if just for the Rellenos!!!

1/15/2007

Another busy weekend in Paradise. John and Karen Allen came up and helped scrape and paint windows and floors, and hang blinds and in general help make sure the GWH is ready for the season. Good thing, too, as we have guests in January, February, March is light, and April, May, and June bookings are rolling in. We had 20 bird watchers in the yard on the 14th, and we expect a full season of more yard-birders.

Where do all our guests come from?

Most of our guests are from Southwest and North East. The South East and Plains states need better representation, so make a reservation, come on out west, and be counted!

Tundra sacked out on top of a pile of Christmas bootie. How can one dog be soooo spoiled?

December has come and gone - it is now January 5, 2007 - where did all the time go?

Jackie shut down the GWH for the month, but still had guests in the middle and end of December. Many thanks to Marcia for keeping the place in order for the guests. So. . . . what happened in the month of December if the GWH was closed?

Winston went to Philadelphia for a week for work (again) He will get to pay PA state and Arizona state taxes again this year (as if personal business taxes weren't complicated enough).

Jackie went to Goodyear with Tundra and Mischief and helped Winston with a little house-tidying up and went Christmas shopping. She also went to Prescott for a couple of days to visit her Mom. She poured over recipes and Winston got to be the taste tester for the catered dinner we put on for Bob and Alice Chew's 60th Wedding Anniversary party in Portal. Once the recipes were nailed down, she went shopping for that event. We did Christmas eve and Christmas day in Prescott and ambled back to Phoenix the morning after Christmas. Jackie got really sick (most likely sinus infection) and spent a day or two on full bed rest. We made it back to Paradise where Winston replaced the hot water fittings and steel pipe "nipples" on the little house hot water heater. Until Scott Richins removed the little house from GWH power and got it on its own meter, the grounding was bad, and galvanic corrosion caused the steel pipe nipples to act as anodes and they were being eaten away bit by bit. Good grounding should prevent this in the future. We catered the Chew's anniversary party; service for 18, Menu: Apple/Walnut/Blue Cheese blended with Field Greens and tossed with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, Pork Tenderloin with brandied cherries and Quinoa Pilaf, followed with Chocolate wedding cake for desert. The wines we chose were Menage a' Trois, a Zin/Cab/Merlot blend and Kummala Chardonnay from South Africa. Jackie cooked, made centerpieces, and set the table. Winston served, washed dishes, hauled china, hauled tables and hauled chairs, but refrained from keel-hauling Jackie, and managed to put everything back in storage for the next event. Next event just may be an birthday party for in Pi Irwin's family. Jackie also managed to go on the Christmas bird count with Melody Kehl while Winston prepped the house for the next round of guests. When Jackie gets her camera back from Melody, we will get some Christmas pics up on the page. To end the year, we had New Year's eve dinner at the AVA ranch near Portal. Oh, and I nearly forgot, we bought a modern electric stove for the Walker House. Winston hauled the old one back to Phoenix with the intent of restoring it. We believe it might be a 1954 Frigidaire, not a 1960, '61 or '62 vintage. Parts will take some time to find.

January is starting out chaotic and hectic (EMT calls, reservations, EMT seminars for Jackie, Telecons, review meetings and maybe more travel for Winston (who know has 320,000 frequent flyer miles on United Airlines - and that is after Jackie and her mom "zeroed" them out in 2000, he donated 40,000 US Airlines miles, and who knows how many American, Delta, TWA, Alaskan, and etc., and etc miles he has earned, lost, donated or otherwise cashed in). If we dare look into the future, all of 2007 to come seems to have an air of chaos and element of surprises yet to come.

Another Wine Tasting at Colibri!!!!

The weekend of 1 - 3 December Bob is holding another most excellent wine tasting - come on down to the vineyard to do your Christmas shopping "at the source."

Well Shed Guard

29 November brought a cold snap - low of 8 degrees F!!! But the weekend before was balmy with temps in the 70's and when we visited a neighbor's yard to check and set the sprinkler system, we found they had a well shed guard - a probably two year old "baby" Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. A cute little bugger, (only three rattles and a button) but full of venom nonetheless. According to snake experts, young snakes are not able to control the amount of venom they inject and can deliver every ounce of venom they carry. Older snakes will strike but not envenomate. Maybe they can save up for a "real meal". In any event I didn't venture too close, Jackie took the picture, and thought about relocating the snake, but he would have worked his way back into the shed, so we let him be and notified the owners to be on guard. Maybe the critter will do some good and eat a few field mice and packrats while he is hanging out in the warm dry well shed. (This little guy is only about 18 inces long and not more than 1/2 inch in diameter - not much bigger than a piggin' string.)

The Holiday season is here!- 11/30/2006

How much fun can one pack into @ two weeks? Winston went off to Valley Forge for a week of "business" travel, but did make it back in time to help me with the "Fruits and Nuts" craft fair held at the Rodeo Community Center, and then came down for Thanksgiving! Following are his compilation of the highlights:

Let's start with Thanksgiving and then go back a weekend in time to "Fun Fudge Facts" and the Craft Fair.

For Thanksgiving, we enjoyed a Turducken (Turkey stuffed with Duck, stuffed with a Hen). It was MOST delicious. Slivers of duck, bits of turkey and morsels of chicken were heavenly - especially when paired with 2002 Syrah expertly cellared and presented by Adam and Anya from Colibri vineyard. Our favorite photographer, Robert Shantz, joined us, and we "cultured" him just a little. After dinner had settled, Adam broke out his guitar, Anya grabbed the bass, and Jackie pulled out the song sheets they jammed and improvised all evening long. Cool song of the night was a Don Edwards style version of "Whoopie Ti-Yi-Yo". We also learned that Jackie is an underground Eagles fan - so dubbed because she listened to Eagle's songs other than "Hotel California. . . " Anya and Adam shared stories of happy times spent at Arcosanti, the Archology project created by Paolo Soleri near Cordes Junction. A note to Adam: Paolo Soleri is a true genius. His vision of an "archology" heralds the dawning of the age of societal environmental consciousness and provides an alternative for future generations to consider as they build on all livable space from horizon to horizon. You can see a picture of Adam at: http://www.arcosanti.org/project/activities/agriculture/stewardship.html.

Fun Fudge Facts

What goes into 51 pounds of fudge and nut brittle? The following table + time + recipes + perfect weather = 51+ pounds of top quality fudge. Jackie sold out at the craft fair and received orders for another 21 pounds! In the middle of the second order, a very nice couple mountain biking 'round the mountain stopped in for a rest, and they were immediately put on "quality control patrol". Their assessment of Jackie's fudge: "Wicked Good!" Jackie shipped orders to Tucson, Bisbee, New York, and even hand delivered orders to Portal and Rodeo.

(Now for a secret: Jackie will take orders. $3.00 for a quarter pound, $10.00 for full pound. 520-558-2287. Tell her Winston said it was ok!)

Fall Fun- 11/12/2006

My how time flies! Winston in here for Jackie (again:)). She has many gifts, but writing is not one of them, so here I am updating our life in Paradise. October was quite busy. The weekends all blur together, but we did manage to: Haul in 1.5 cords of Oak, split another 1/4 cord of Mesquite, rescue another lost dog (Blue Tick hound that separated from the Cowboys moving' the heard north of the Grill's ranch), attend our annual Flamingo Party at the mouth of Cave Creek, have breakfast of homemade Chorizo and the best-ever wildrice pancakes at Marcia's, and finally, had a quiet birthday dinner (Jackie cooked - yum!) at the Zwiefel's. We discussed books and movies and Garrison Keillor's "Radio Home Companion" movie is highly recommend. Temps have been in the mid-70s during the day and low 40's at night. Unseasonably warm and dry - but the creek is still runnin