Today was dry. Yeah. We said good morning to a passel of 10 Gambrel Quail in our garden, and then we were off to Patagonia, a community very near the border with Mexico, along the Sonoita Creek. Paton’s Hummingbird Center is there, and that was our first stop. BTW, Tucson is about 2300’ elevation, Patagonia is 4000 (and Madera Canyon about 5000 the other day). Elevation really affects the varieties. Actually there are only 2 types of hummers here now, the tiny broadbill and the violet-crowned Hummingbiards. Staff had taken down all the seed feeders (!) because of increasing avian flu, but there were still birds in the pecan trees and shrubs. We learned about the symbiotic relationship between the Gila woodpeckers and Ladder-backed woodpeckers with the pine siskins. The woodpeckers broke open the pecan pods, ... read more

Let's just say we are glad we don't live anywhere near Toronto because of the traffic. We arrived here in Niagara Falls by 4. Had dinner with Ted & Jane Guthrie and Keith & Pauline Mueller in prep for tomorrow's Marriage Encounter. The weather was lovely - like 70 - so we walked down to the Falls after dinner. Hence these photos. This is probably the end of this blog. We will be WAY too busy with the M.E. event, having blessings heaped on us and, we pray, 11 couples, 2 anniversary couples, and the other 3 presenting couples. Back home on Sunday night.... read more

October 24, Tuesday Today was a lots of walking and exploring day – chilly, like 50, but sunny for much of the day. NO RAIN, that’s really all that matters. We enjoyed a lie in – the bed is very comfortable! Till about 7:30 ish, and were off on a 4.5 mile walk. Both coats, hat and gloves were needed to start with, much less to end! It was probably a mile too long, but at least there was only about 450’ change in elevation. It mostly followed the river, which was nice. LOTS of mountain bike trails off to the sides, but we sedately followed the biking, walking, cross country trail. When it’s snowing, this entire place must be hopping indeed. There’s much more to do than ski, obviously. Only a few chickadees and a ... read more

Another long day of adventures in French-speaking Montreal. We didn’t rush to awake, which made for a lovely lie-in. We walked the 3 blocks to the closest Metro station, Cadillac, and figured out how to ask for 2 day passes, and which line and platform and even negotiated the change of lines half way in. We were about 8 stops to the east of where we wanted to go in the Old Town, also called the Old Port, full of cobble-stoned streets and shops that didn’t look very busy. The Basilica was busy with morning mass until 12:30. A kindly lady saw us reading our maps, asked where we wanted to go and gave us a hint. We walked past the Basilica and just wandered a few circles in the Old Town until it was after ... read more

Nous sommes ici, enfin. It's been on the bucket list for a long time - to drive northeast in the fall to see the colors. So when we agreed to help present a Marriage Encounter in Niagara Falls Canada, we also decided to spend a week wandering. Last night, after an 8 hour or so drive from Kent OH, we arrived at the home of Ted & Jane Guthrie in Brockville Ontario. We enjoyed a lovely ribs dinner, and then Zoomed to participate in a Bible study. We were pretty beat when we climbed into bed, after all the driving. And I do mean climbed, as the guest bed is set up high so storage is beneath. Still, it was an honor to sleep under two gorgeous homemade quilts Jane has made. Jane always participates in ... read more