12 Jan 2011 - Still in Mesa

I haven't been blogging lately because I've been busy with Christmas and family activities. Christmas Eve my mother and I went over to my brother Dean's house for their traditional Christmas Eve dinner (klubb, a type of Norwegian potato dumpling, and ham), we opened gifts, then we all went to evening church services. Christmas Day my mother and I cooked ham and turkey (we couldn't decide on which one, so decided to do both) with all the trimmings, for my brother Dean's family. New Year's Eve my mother and I and her best friend went out to eat, then I drove my RV up to my niece's house in Glendale, parked it on the street in front of her house, and spent the evening with her family and her in-laws, playing games and eating goodies! That worked out really well. After midnight, I just walked out to my RV and went to bed! I didn't have to worry about driving home late at night. I just drove home in the morning. But as I was driving out of her neighborhood, I saw a bevy of Gambel's Quail wandering through the neighborhood. I've been trying to get some good shots of Gambel's Quail ever since I started spending my winters here, and, this was my opportunity! It was early, and it was cold, there was still frost on the cacti. But I was dressed warmly, and I was patient. And I finally got some decent shots of both males and females. The males like to sit up high where they can survey their domain, and so a few of them sat at the peak of a roof for awhile.

I've been under the weather with one thing or another most days since then. I still don't have all my Christmas letters sent!! :-( But I'm working on them. :-)