Boxing Day with the birds

We drove out to Floyd Lamb Park this morning and brushed off the holiday cobwebs. It's about 7 miles from my sister's house in North Las Vegas.  This area once was a remote oasis, but Floyd Lamb is now an urban park on the edge of town with open space, small lakes, groves of trees, and grass.

If Las Vegas continues to sprawl across the desert, who knows?  This park could someday become a refuge like Central Park in New York City.

It was a beautiful morning, quite cold but sunny. As you can see, we were popular with the winter residents.  (It might have something to do with those stale hamburger buns.)

Thousands and thousands of American Coots...

And begging Canada Geese...

The park is adjacent to the historic Tully Springs Ranch, once an all-inclusive resort where the well-to-do waited it out in style for a "quickie divorce." Many of the original buildings and bungalows have been preserved. A fun place to walk around and think about all the stories and history. 

In 1931, the Nevada legislature passed two bills: one for the legalization of gambling and the other for the six-week divorce.   Both changed the state for ever.

In most places at the time, divorce required a wait of at least a year and sometimes required proof of adultery.  Nevada made it simple: six weeks’ residency anywhere in the state; a short list of nine legal grounds that required little or no proof (the most popular was mental cruelty) and an average of six minutes in court before the judge to get the divorce decree.

The ranch staff provided the divorce-seeker with the proof of Nevada residency, and it was a done deed.  While you lounged around on the ranch, there was tennis, swimming, horseback riding, a casino and new friends to make.

We spent a lovely and peaceful morning together.

Green desert

The flight to Las Vegas was trouble free yesterday morning, and the Super Shuttle van brought me to Marji's doorstep from the airport. Who can ask for anything more? We had a shrimp and pasta dinner and then watched the "debate."  Enough excitement for one day.

This morning Dad and I took the dogs for a walk around a lake in Floyd Lamb Park. The weather is beautiful and it was a perfect day for a drive in the desert.  Good thing, because somehow we missed the park freeway exit.  I-95 North heads merrily off into the open desert when the Las Vegas sprawl abruptly ends. No interchange or place to make a U-turn for many miles.

I enjoyed the wide open highway, desert scenery and crystalline blue skies, but as we approached the town of Indian Springs it was time to head back, lest we find ourselves in Death Valley for lunch.

(John can tell horror stories of my navigational "mishaps.")

Anyway, we backtracked and found the park on the second pass.  Without resorting to Siri, who doesn't like me much and the feeling is mutual.

The weather is perfect for sitting outside. No too hot, windy or cool. Yesterday afternoon we watched hummingbirds and a big, colorful Monarch butterfly feeding on the orange flowers in Marji's back yard.  Dad said it's the first one he has seen here. Monarchs spend the winter in Mexico, so perhaps they are migrating through.

This is not my picture, but it could be if I wasn't so lazy.

Desert monsoon season

This is monsoon season in the desert southwest, so the weather is humid as well as hot, adding to the misery of people and animals. The desert is never a welcoming place, but summer is by far the most dangerous time of year. 

In July and August, a shift in the wind brings moisture up from the Gulfs of Mexico and California causing some pretty extreme weather.  Click HERE for a time lapse video of a micro-burst in Las Vegas earlier this week.

Micro-bursts occur when a thunderstorm suddenly collapses, dropping amazing amounts of rain causing flash floods. The wind from a micro-burst resembles a tornado.  But the scariest thing about micro-busts is they can appear out of nowhere.

We drove out to Floyd Lamb Park yesterday morning, just to get out of the house for a bit. At 9 am it was already over 100 degrees and too hot to walk. We brought some bread for the geese, but they were so listless they barely had the energy to waddle over and check us out.

The park is adjacent to millions of acres of public lands, where the Las Vegas sprawl abruptly ends.  Drifting monsoon clouds add to the beauty of the Mojave landscapes. 

Summer in the desert

Here's Dad out for an early morning walk with Marji at Floyd Lamb Park, just 20 miles from the baking Las Vegas Strip.  Henderson was once considered to be far out of town, but like Red Rock Canyon, it's now encroached by development.

But those Las Vegas insiders know all the great secret spots.  These ponds are popular for bird watching and there's even public fishing. Trophy monsters like 20 lb catfish have been pulled out of these small desert pools.

The park is centered on Tule Springs, a series of small lakes that formed an ancient oasis in the Mojave Desert.  Mammoths, lions and camels and other creatures roamed along wetlands and their fossils can be seen at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. We look forward to going there on our next visit. 

It's wonderful seeing dad out enjoying himself, and apparently eating Pollo Loco several times a week. We are jealous!

Desert floods

 Floyd Lamb Park

The weather is dramatically cooler today with a humid (almost oppressive) overcast. It hasn't rained here at the house, but ominous-looking clouds are off in the distance. The weather service issued a flash flood warning for Las Vegas this morning. 

We decided to pack a picnic lunch and drive to our favorite park. This is a rare opportunity in typically scorching July. 

  

A flash flood ripped through the entrance road and adjacent neighborhood shortly before we got there, and crews were already working to clear it.  Of course in Seattle, the streets would be closed for liability and a million other reasons, but here in the desert, ho hum, just another monsoon flood. We picked our way through the heavy equipment, rocks, puddles and mud.  (Sorry Marji, Zippy is filthy!)

Dad said he never saw the pond spillway running before.  It was quite a storm-- the garbage cans all had about 3 inches of water in the bottom. 

We had a handsome visitor at the table, with a serious taste for Fritos. The poor fellow had fishing leader tangled on his foot.  I hope someone helps him soon. 

Fall in the desert

 

A spectacular morning at Floyd Lamb Park in North Las Vegas. More desert weather perfection.

A Halloween Marathon was in progress, but Dad and I got in a short walk near the lake. 

The smiling face of age 97. What is the secret? Lots of good living, good attitude, good care and a big pinch of good luck. 

"Sorrow in the face of aging would be a poor response to such good fortune." Margaret Renkl

That's a quote from a wonderful column in the New York Times this morning. Here's the link.

Meanwhile...back in the wild Northwest.

Who are these small town uptown girls? Decked out with finery they've been collecting all summer from the thrift store in Twisp. 

That's Maya, checking out the Headless Horseman riding the streets of Winthrop on Halloween eve. The whole community turns out for the festivities. They sure know how to have fun.   

Last but not least, a great  picture of my sister with her Oregon boys.  She has four handsome grandsons, I have two beautiful granddaughters.  How lucky can one family be? 

 

 

Boxing Days past

 

Nova's monorail and carousel ride in 2011

Big sister little sister 2013

Hanging with Grandpa in 2014

2015

Feeding the ducks with Dad 

Floyd Lamb Park 2016

2023

The quality of light

The temperature has been about 20 degrees below normal this week.  In Seattle, 50 degrees is a just another soft winter day, but here in the high desert, with a stiff breeze blowing and low humidity, everything stands out in sharp relief.

Unfortunately, it's been too cold to sit outside on the patio, but yesterday morning the wind died down and we took a long walk at Floyd Lamb Park.

We fed the ducks and then checked out the stable at the adjacent historic Tule Springs Ranch, where you can horseback ride on the weekends. I might do that sometime.  It was once a self-sufficient working ranch, but now an assortment of lucky animals are cared for by the Horses4Heroes organization.

I'm headed back to Seattle this afternoon. It was a wonderful visit. Today would have been Mom's 91st birthday.  She is forever in our thoughts.

Men are like wine - some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_age.html

Men are like wine - some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_age.html

"To keep the heart unwrinkled, 

to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent- 

that is to triumph over old age."

Thomas Bailey Aldrich

To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent - that is to triumph over old age.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/old_age.html

Far from the bright lights

After our day of Las Vegas excess, namely a Cheesecake Factory lunch and a double pepperoni pizza dinner, Dad and I atoned last night. We went to Trader Joe's shopping and I made salmon with sauteed vegetables.  Tonight, an old-fashioned meatloaf dinner he's been hungry for.

Floyd Lamb Park was peaceful and deserted this morning.



 Just us and the birds on a brilliant winter day.  I guess everyone is busy doing last minute Christmas stuff.

On the drive home, just for the heck of it, we followed a sign for "The Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary" and found a hidden treasure.

My sister has lived in Las Vegas since the 1970's, so I'm feeling pretty smug to discover a place she's never been.

The Gilcrease Orchard Farm Market is big and famous, but the little animal sanctuary is apparently owned by the "other" Gilcrease brother.  Once in the desert, the Sanctuary is surrounded by new housing developments.

A delightful place to walk the level paved paths, and see hundreds of animals. Exotic talking birds to goats, turkeys, turtles, ponies and pot-bellied pigs.

We've never been so close to a giant ostrich. What a winsome creature.  He had big, soft, lovely eyes like a horse. Who knew? Anyway, a new favorite place to go in North Las Vegas.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and I fly back to the rain tomorrow afternoon.

Have a wonderful weekend.