First Walk of the Year

Didn't realize so much time had passed since I last posted. No real excuse except didn't feel like it. I did manage to finish my first Valentine's pillow.  It is all done and waiting for next month. 

Have gone out to lunch a couple of times, once with our son. Went to the Boulder Station casino. Had a great meal there. And been to a doctors appointment for Bill. Last of the tests post hospital stay.  Get to see the heart doctor the end of the month. We are not so patiently waiting for news from the insurance company about his eyelid surgery. It is driving him crazy. And making him dizzy when he moves around. 

I went on the first walk of this year this morning. Only 2.5 miles. We spent a lot of time standing on the bridge watching the birds. Beautiful day, we were out before the wind picked up again. 

The first bird we saw just as we walked on the bridge. He is waiting for breakfast to swim by. 

Further out we were happily surprised to see a bunch of the white pelicans. Where do they come from to end up wintering in Las Vegas? Four of them there, one flew away just as we got there. On the rock just below the weeds on the far right is a blue heron too. 

No idea what this is, he flew in rested a bit then left. He was a long way away so picture isn't too good. 

Another heron hiding in the reeds. 

The Strip on the left between the weeds and the mountains. And the pelicans on the right in the river. 

Speaking of the Strip I haven't posted any pictures of the Sphere for a while. Thought this one was interesting. Again, I took it off the Internet. Have not seen it in person yet. 

Back to the river. Pelicans and the heron. 

Can you see the heron in the reeds. 

He came out to look around as we walked by. 

The pelican is giving the stink eye to the ducks. 

Not sure what he is, but saw him in the far reeds as we were walking off the bridge. He is where we saw the coyote hiding a week or so ago. 

I took down the christmas decorations, but don't really have anything for winter or new year so just put up some birds I'd made while living in Indiana. 

ASnd a new pillow still have to press it, put on the cording and the backing. Then I'll have two. 

And that is all that is going on around here. Mostly watching the fires the last few days. And read an old series of Robert Crais books. The first ones were written in 1987 - funny to read the characters driving around looking for pay phones. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. 

As usual not a whole lot of things going on around here. Before Christmas I saw this angel made out of clothes hangers to I gathered up a bunch we had "hanging" around and wondered if I could duplicate it. That is a paper plate for the head. Kind of cute. But, no I didn't really put it together. Did put the hangers in the sewing room closet though in case I really want to make it and fasten everything together some day. Not sure what to use though, zip ties or glue. or ribbon. 

I finished my chicken diamond painting and even bought $$ a frame for it. Haven't hung it yet though, not sure where to put it. I want it in the kitchen but need to find wall space. 

The weather here remains above normal by about 10 degrees. Getting into the high 60's every day. No rain in sight. Low 40's at night. Makes for comfortable walking at about 9in the morning. No walking today. But I got in 204 miles for this year. Even with being gone a month to Mexico and hardly walking during the HOT HOT summer. We average about three miles a walk.

A pretty sunrise last week.

Some pictures from our last walks. Looking across the desert. The river is down between the rocks and and reeds. Cloudy day. 

No bright colors like back east but lots of golden browns and pale oranges. 

See the dark cloud right above the mountains. At first we thought it was smoke,  but was really rain in the mountains. 

Another one of the river. 

Bill is still feeling pretty good, though the long- Covid hits him every once in a while still. Guess it never goes away. He is in a cooking mood. Lots of crepes. Our son took half of them with him when he came over on Christmas Day.

I'm working on a Valentine pillow cover. Not sure how it will  turn out. Glad I took this picture though cause I dropped the whole thing on the ground and then couldn't figure out how the pieces went back together. 

We aren't seeing as many turtles this year. Just once in a while one shows up.  

No wind that day, so great reflections. 

Ducks in a row.   I hope.

They are different species. The one in flight is much smaller. No idea what it is. 

He didn't fly far. 

We haven't seen the pelicans since I took their pictures. 

I'm starting on another diamond painting. I saw it on line and going to buy it for $9.99 - but kept looking and found it as a part of a set of 10 for only $19.99. So I got all ten. They are pictures of European cities and towns. Lots and lots of different colors. Will keep me amused for a while. 

About all going on. Tomorrow New Years Day is also our 60th anniversary. Where has the time gone? 

Acouple of surprises

Been walking pretty regular. Yesterday we got in 3.5 miles in an hour and a half. So needless to say I didn't do much the rest of the day. I just liked this picture so thought I'd share it. 

This one too. 

Remember when we had the tiny brown mouse. All of a sudden we didn't find any more poops or signs of him. Thought maybe he'd got back out. Well Nope, Bill has been complaining about a smell in his bathroom for a couple of weeks. We both looked in the cabinet under his sink, move things around and didn't find anything. Maybe something had died under the house. Well yesterday he came out and said he'd found the smell. The little brown mouse managed to get caught in one of the wooden traps. We didn't see it because it was behind the one roll of toilet paper neither of us moved. The trap was in the corner and upside down so even if we moved the roll a little it didn't show up. So two problems solved. We know for sure mouse is gone and so is smell. 

We went out to lunch the other day, just us. To a new Argentine restaurant about 10 miles from home. On same side of town but towards Henderson. They have another restaurant on the Other side of town, has been there for years. But this one is closer. Nice place and easy to drive to.

Bill's leftovers. The piece of Milensea was huge, plus french fries. He said it was delicious, just like his mother used to make. 

Nice place inside and wait staff was excellent. 

He was checking out my empanadas, which were also delicious. But I think the ones I make are better...They also have a deli and a market. Bought a lot of stuff to bring home. 

UGH - Bill's Roku TV which he has his computer and Dish TV hooked up to blew its speakers the other day. I checked Walmart and they had the same one for $124 so put it on my order and used my Express delivery coupon to get it. It was here in 45 minutes. Hed gone in to lay down so I got it put together - feet on it and set it up: thinking I'd have it all ready for him to use when he got up. HA- NOT!  Could not get Roku activated. Was on the phone with them two different times. Took about four hours to get it up and running. For some reason their activation EMail would not come to my email address. Ended up having to use Bill's email and it would only go to his phone. Which I had to hook up as a hot spot....Thank goodness the technician had a lot of patience. Walking me through everything that I knew nothing about. Finally got Roku activated, hooked up computer and Dish, then went looking for some Roku apps to add. I had to go take a nap after all that. 

Some pictures from one of our walks. Have never seen this bird before, no idea what he is. Had to get a good picture cause he was quite a ways away and the reeds were moving. 

Good old Harry and a bunch of ducks. 

Oh my goodness, heard a noise out front and discovered the management was finally replacing the rocks that were washed away in the flood over a year ago. Works for me. All the homes on our side of the street now have new pretty rocks in their yards. Looks so much better.  

Another walk, we usually get in three miles a walk. 
Again no idea what this one is. Neck is long enough to be the same one as the other brown one.

OH BOY-FINALLY we got to see a couple of the White Pelicans that hang out in another part of the wetlands. They are so pretty. 

One of the herons hanging out in another part of the river. 

The weather has been really nice for over a week. Getting up to high 60's during the day. But tomorrow we might get rain and wind and lower temps. So far it has been a warmer than usual winter. 

Bill has been cooking up a storm. He made a huge batch of apple fritters. Luckily they freeze really well and yesterday he made a big batch of crepes. 

I am about 4 miles from getting in 200 miles walking in the Wetlands for this year. Not bad since we couldn't walk in the summer in the heat and I took a month off to go to Mexico in January. 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas Eve.