Vickie's Ramblings: Ready to come home....

Wow, I'm down to just two more nights here. But I am very ready to see big green douglas firs, sword ferns, and salt water again! I will be starting for home first thing Monday morning.

Mira, Carmie, Ron, Helene and I all had a great time playing euchre, and they said they all had fun touring Bisbee.

Although we did have a little mishap. In the wee hours of Wednesday morning I heard a scream and a terrible ruckus right outside my bedroom door. Mira had gotten up to use the bathroom, made a minor misstep, and went tumbling down the stairs. I found her there in heap, with blood running down her face, and her legs tucked under her. I really thought she had broken her legs, but no, just a lot of bruises and contusions, and two very colorful black eyes. We did call 911 and they came up the 60 stairs to the house and carted her away in a chair. She got checked over and bandaged up at the hospital, and the EMT's carried her back up the stairs to the house. By Thursday night she was feeling well enough to walk back down the stairs and out to dinner.

Ron and Helene departed Thursday, and Gail arrived. We immediately taught Gail how to play euchre (she's a quick study!), before the four of us went dinner, once again at Cafe Roka. So good!

Earlier this week I took a day trip over to the San Pedro Riparian area. It's a great birding area and I was hoping to see some vermillion flycatchers, but no luck. Still, I got to visit my 2nd-favorite tree in the world (the first, of course, will always be the big red oak at Chippewa Pines) I first met this huge 250+-year-old Fremont cottonwood about 15 years ago. Sadly, it now seems to be dying, and they've roped off a big area around it as it is randomly shedding large limbs.

I took another day trip to Ramsey Canyon, and a steep hike up the canyon along a pretty stream, surrounded by big Arizona sycamores. Ramsey Canyon is supposed to be a great place to see a large variety of hummingbirds, but I'm about a month too early.

Yesterday Mira and Carmie left, and I took my 3rd or 4th visit through most of the shops here with Gail. Last night I treated myself to a two-hour hot stone massage. Today is grey, dreary, windy, and cold, and 47: seattle weather. Tomorrow they are predicting snow. Time for this one to come home!