LAST POST OF 2009 Birds and Blizzards

As 2009 comes to a close here we are doing a few more trips to spend some time with the Kids. We want to go to Flagstaff but determine that Jackson has Football practice tonight. So I decide to go over to Tres Rios to take a few bird pictures. Within minutes all the clan has decided to go with me! Whoo Hoo!!

Tres Rios is a city park in Phoenix that sits next to one of the big waste water treatment plants here in the valley of the Sun. Phoenix had for many years a Riparian Habitat along the Salt River. Where it meets the Agua Fria River and the Gila Rivers the area is known as Tres Rios. It is only about 15 minutes from the house so is an easy


As we pull down into the parking lot, I spy this guy sitting across the road with about 20 of his cousins in the trees.
.
His buddies

PICTURE BY ACTION JACKSON
Laura and I enjoying some quality time

The Kids checking out one of the man made ponds that is cleaning waste water and providing a home to water fowl again after many years of little water in the basin.

You can see the waste water tanks in the background

By total chance I see Diane walking around the park and she is right when she says that it is like two totally different worlds right next to each other.

Everywhere you look there are birds.

A Yellow Rumped Warbler

Michael beats the bushes looking for more birds.

While Laura and Jackson spend some quality time together.

Cinnamon Teals and Mallards on the Lake

And the gate keeper is still there as we leave.

The next morning it is up early and we are off to the snow again. We have a few houses we want to check out and have decided to let the kids go sledding one more time.

It is actually snowing pretty good by the time we get up to Munds Park.

The first house we see is really nice with a nice small dog run, and a nice layout. It is a bit far out of town, but the upside is it is about 20 miles closer to Phoenix which is good if I am going to commute for a while.

After looking at a few more areas I make good on the promise to take the minions out sledding some more. You can see they are ready to go.

I have decided that in order to really enjoy the day, I need to get out of character and act like the biggest kid on the playground. Unlike last trip, it is about 24 degrees out, snowing and cold.

I bust out the cold gear! With this and a Sherpa, I could take K2.

I declare myself Head Hun of the Hill and declare all should fear me!

The other sledders flee as best they can!

As I dance my way up to the sled run!

This will be an amazing run!

My Faithful assistant stand ready to give me that needed push!


I am the blur in the middle of this picture

NOTE ALL OF THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN BY MY LOYAL SHERPA LAURA

I so rock!

The Worlds Greatest Sherpa!

I love her!!

After sledding we go and get our standard hot drinks and homemade lunch at Late For the Train Coffee House on 180. I love them so much more than Starbucks. It is really snowing now. Laura gets all stoked because a nearly perfect snowflake falls on her.

Said snowflake.

Colyn amazingly makes a decision here in under 20 seconds opting for a Hot Chocolate! I love it when she does it!

I love Hippy Logic. The older I get the more it makes sense to me.

We set off to get some more house hunting done. Now we head into older parts of the city that we have not looked at.


I like this cool sign.

We find a really cool house, but it has almost no yard and no garage. Still it is one we will go back and look at again.

The ride home is goofy with the amount of snow piling up and desert people not knowing how to drive all that well. Still it a great day!

See you all in 2010!