Wordless Wednesday - Faces in Everyday Places

From me and Katie, have a Happy Wordless Wednesday, everyone!  :)

Our first coyote sighting and 2-ingredient pancakes

On Saturday Katie was looking out the front window and started barking, and wouldn't stop.  I looked out, and there was a coyote walking toward the next wash, across, and kept going behind the bushes.  Unfortunately, yesterday I washed and waxed the truck and front panels of The Palms, but didn't do the windows yet.  The front was SO filthy, dust, road bugs, etc.  Not it's all shiny and clean, but the windows are still dirty.  Still, I was able to get a couple of photos that were 1. the coyote is behind a bush, and 2.  the coyote is blurry.  I still had to post them.  I do love my coyote sightings!

Below is one of the beautiful, huge saguaros near our site.  It has a thick trunk and lots of arms, so it must be quite old. 

And now a question for you: have any of you made 2-ingredient banana pancakes?  I tried the recipe I found on-line to see if it would really make pancakes.  I had a lot of bananas that were ripening too fast and needed some new ways to use them up.   All the recipes I found had basically the same two ingredients:  one banana and two eggs, and a little baking powder that makes them better.  Unfortunately I didn't have any baking powder, so I added a little pancake flour.  This is how mine turned out:

I had a problem keeping them corralled in their little round spots, and it was hard to turn them over.  The first bottom side on each batch was too brown, just short of being burned.  They didn't stay round and when I took them out to plate them, they were pretty floppy.  But, amazingly, they did taste like pancakes.  I guess I'll have to get some baking powder, because I always have eggs, and often have bananas that are too ripe to eat for me.  I like berry syrup better than maple, so I might pick up some of that, too.  Any suggestions from anyone who has tried this recipe?  :)

Our sunrise this morning, before the sun was covered in the cloudy sky - yes - I WAS up this early today.  :)

Here's my Christmas tree, for the third year.  Last year I bought a little green tree, decorated it with balls and flowers and lights.  It was pretty, but I never liked it as much as this tin, hanging tree.  So, I took all the decorations off to save just in case I can use them again put them in a baggy to stow away, and put the tree by the dumpster.  I hope someone finds it who will like it as much as I like my tin tree:

From me and Katie, have a great Tuesday, everyone!  :)

Happy Birthday at Silly Al's

Jeri and Terry came through town on their way to visit Terry's mom in - Phoenix? -  and invited Denise and me to dinner at Silly Al's to celebrate Jeri's BIRTHDAY on Friday.

That place is LOUD and dark, hard to talk and hard to get good photos, but we managed to almost hear each other and almost get clear shots, and we did have a great time.  And Silly Al's has the best pizza.

Here's the group (minus me):

Jeri the Birthday Girl and husband, Terry and their pizza:

And here's my pizza:

I got the one near the top of the menu, only $9, it's the one with the spinach, and I added olives and mushrooms.  Tons of cheese.  It was hot and perfect.  The thing about Silly Al's (for me, at least) is that the pizza is definitely part of the party.

And here we are all together - photo taken by our server:

Thanks for inviting me, I had a great time!  

I had to post this photo I found on my DIL's Face Book page - they visited my daughter and SIL, Kristy and Matt, for Thanksgiving in Fairfield, CA and toured some wineries - I got a kick out of this one of Trish and Tom:

Trish probably bought that bottle she's holding, but I didn't know Tom was such a BIG wine drinker!  :)

From me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone!  :)

Our Thanksgiving visitor

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

This morning I was on the phone with my Dad, and I looked out the window and here's what I saw:

A Loggerhead Shrike in my tree.

I grabbed the camera and snapped away as I talked to my Dad, and when we said good-bye I had quite a few great photos.  He was moving around, looking up and down, right and left, hopping from place to place.  I was quite entertained.

It was a treat!

When I checked my Field Guide to be sure I had the correct bird and spelling, I read the notes, and this is what it says:

I checked the notes because of another post I read this morning, and it also talks about Loggerhead Shrikes and how they catch and "skewer" their prey.  That post is pretty graphic with the photos they posted of various little creatures hanging on barbed wire they found, and I found it very interesting.  If you want to see Stan's Notes from my Field Guide in photos, check here:  Where the Wind goes  "A Fascination with the Loggerhead Shrike.  I don't find it at all gruesome - come on, folks!  We all have to eat, and it's fascinating how these little birds act like much larger birds of prey.

Here's Katie the other night when it was COLD in The Palms.  If it's too late to turn on the heat and the temps inside start going down, I either put her in bed or put her coat on.  On this night, she wanted to lay on her blanket, so on went her "bomber jacket."   I think I'm going to have to get her something a bit longer - this really is a jacket and not a long-enough coat for really cold weather.

Such a little cutie.  It's just like when my two children were babies - as soon as they fell asleep I always wanted to pick them up again, they looked so cute and peaceful.  Of course, I didn't do that!  But poor Katie, whenever she is especially cute while sleeping, I always grab the camera, and she wakes up. :)

I watched a bit of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning - I dont' know why, but it always makes me emotional.  Geez.   Here's a photo of Santa coming down the street in his beautiful float:


We have a new Follower:  Lori Kelly.  Lori, you don't show any information, but we are so glad you are following along with us on our adventures.  Welcome aboard!  :)

From me and Katie, have a fabulous, warm, wonderful Thanksgiving, everybody!  :)

Tough weather for a hungry hummingbird... and a new site

It's pretty windy again today - this poor Black-Chinned hummer keeps trying to get something to drink, but the feeders are swinging wildly in the wind.  He must be getting something, because he's going from one to the other feeder.  Bigger gusts drive him back to his perch.

He finally got enough to eat and flew away.  I don't remember if there are any other kinds of hummers here. Black-Chinned Hummingbirds are all I've seen so far this season.

We've moved to a new campsite.  The FIRST one, although a GREAT site, was right next to a dirt road that is used by ATVers, which I didn't realize until they started up one day, spewing a fine dust all over everything.  So we got settled in another site - this is one we had another year - last year I think, and I liked it then, so we're trying it out again.  So far, so good.

It's more open and sunny and I have a much better view of the desert around me and all the surrounding mountains.  That's one of the neat things about Quartzsite - no matter where I've camped, there has always been something that made it a special site.

Brian is right behind us on the next wash.  Remember Brian, the man who installed the tilts for my solar panels?  He said to call him when I get here each year so he could tilt the panels for me and then again when I leave, so he can put them down.  All part of the the initial service.

I hadn't called him yet, but he saw The Palms and drove into our camp.  We talked for a while, and the next morning he was back to tilt up the solar panels.    

I asked him what he's going to do when he has a million customers who all come into town needing their panels tilted - he said again that it's part of the service and won't be a problem.  I told him he's the "gift that keeps on giving!"

Anyway, he's got his business cards and gave me one.  I asked for more, just in case I meet someone who has solar needs so I can give it to them.  I love to pass on contact information for people who give me excellent service.

Here it is, in case you want to call him.  He does lots more than solar installation and service - he's going to install a couple of 12V outlets for me in the Palms and a couple of other minor maintenance things.

It looks like we have some new Followers - our numbers are up - but they don't have photos so aren't showing in the recent Follower photos.  I checked backed and found them, though.

So, welcome to new Followers,  shilts, and Wayne Scott, and Scott.  That's all the info I have on these three new Followers.  We are happy to have you - Welcome Aboard!  :)

From me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone!  :)