Shopping in the Rain

I shot this photo on Thurday, at Agua Caliente Park. What blues!

Today we took advantage of the cold and rainy day to catch up on some errands and do a little shopping. At the thrift store, we got Jack a trench coat to wear in the play. When the play's over, we'll donate it to the Entertainers' costume cache.

We went to the mall to pay Jack's Sears bill, got some Wii accessories and camera supplies at Best Buy, and then headed to Fry's for some dinner fixins.

On the spur of the moment, we decided to ask some friends for dinner, we did, and they came! Jack's pork roast filled with my stuffing were delicious, as were the potatoes and asparagus that Jack did on the grill, the salad, croissants, and wine topped it all off.

After we ate, we hustled out to Bob and Claire's slide presentation from their trip to Asia this past fall. They did a 2800-mile, 4-month ride on their tandem bicycle. I found their photos riveting, and their story fascinating. The room was packed. For their trip blog, have a gander at New Bohemians.

It's raining again now, and I'll bet that the snow will be even lower down the mountains surrounding Tucson when we get up in the morning. It is pretty to see it in the mountains!

Just Ducky!

A friend of mine told me that she blogs only when she's depressed or upset. She says that, when she blogs happy times, she thinks that she seems too giddy. I am pleased that I've chosen to blog regardless of my moods. And today I feel great! :)

This duck was performing this graceful swim for me at Agua Caliente Park here in Tucson. I like this photo's colors, the composition, and the whole tranquility of the scene. What a pretty day it was!

Today was beautiful too. I spent a couple of hours on Wii Fit while Jack worked on the projector for the Fiesta Room. We did some party preparations, and then we went over and shared dinner and our cruise photos with some friends. We all had a great time!

This evening, Jack went to the movie at the Fiesta Room, while I stayed here and did some more Wii. I might as well face it: I'm addicted to Wii!

Fun Stuff

The day started out with a photo shoot. The Foto Fun group went to Agua Caliente Park, at 8:30. I took a few photos, including this orange tree. The park has lots of beautiful palm trees, spring-fed ponds, and birds. Expect to see more shots from this park!

We sped back here, where I was 5 minutes late for choir practice. (I hate being late!) After practice, I met Jack out on the pool deck and we enjoyed the fiddlers and a buy-in lunch of burgers and chips under an almost-too-hot sun.

Now we're chilling and watching the Olympic biathlon (cross-country skiing and shooting). Soon we'll get ready for our evening.

Ash Wednesday

Here we are in the Lenten season. This year, I've decided to demonstrate some self-discipline by not only blogging each day, but by posting a new photo every day of the season. Today's photo is a dolphin that I photographed while we were on the sailing adventure from Puerto Vallarta. This fellow swam along beside our boat! I like the way the light was playing on the water as the dolphin played under the water.

Play practice is coming along well. I have almost all of my songs learned (I am in 6 songs), and my lines are down. We now have a week with no practice, and that will be a nice break.

At church, we had a soup supper to honor the coming of Lent. Everyone brings either a pot of soup or a loaf of bread. Jack and I made a delicious chicken-vegetable-bowtie soup, which was well-received. The service was really good, too. :)

I'm happy to say that my weight is just about down to where I was pre-cruise. I remain amazed at how easy it is for the pounds to come on, and how difficult it is for them to come off. It's 3500 calories either way, so it seems that it should be just as difficult to put them on as to take them off. Just not so. I've been enjoying working out with the Wii, and did it again today, for close to an hour.

Blackett's Ridge

Today is hiking day, and hike we did! We listened to some bad advice, and ended up parking in the Bear Canyon trail parking lot. This meant that we hiked about 3 miles extra. The hike up Blackett's is always challenging, is always full of splendid scenery and views, and the "end of trail" sign is always a welcome sight.

The water was high today and we had to do some rock-hopping to keep our feet dry. After the hike, we went to the pool for some water and to the hot tub for some heat, and then we sat poolside and listened to Pete and Harold play their guitars and sing. Now we're just chilling. Great day!

Good Days

I am warming up for my Lenten discipline. This year I'm going to strive to post a daily photo in my blog. This will help me, I believe, to remember and to show my gratitude for my God-given ability to see and create photos. This photo of bouganvillea is one that I shot in Mazatlan, Mexico.

I keep stringing together good busy days! This weekend flew by, full of fun for Jack and me. Saturday night was the annual Game Night at the Keefer's from our church. We enjoyed playing Sequence and Aggravation, after feasting on appetizers we all brought.

Today we had play practice and it went well. Then we had Pete and Janet over for dinner. Our menu was chicken done on the rotisserie, grilled vegetables, grilled split potatoes, and smores for dessert! Jack is doing so well with cooking on the new Weber grill, and he's loving it!

Weather here is another good story. We've been enjoying temps well into the 70's, with "severe clear" skies. Many are doing swimming pool time, flowers are blooming in brilliant yellows and pinks, shorts are de rigueur, and sweaters are being stored away. Spring has arrived in Tucson!