All plans are subject to change, even the ones we’re actively pursuing.
The above statement applies in so many ways it’s ridiculous. It was definitely the theme for the weekend.
We planned to go up and down the Gila River this weekend and take photos at the numerous wildlife preserves and such. Then the AC guy called Tuesday to let us know they scheduled us for Wednesday to do the duct work. We needed to get the ductwork done, which ruled out the river Wednesday. The AC guys finished up relatively early, so we scoured Google and other sources for places to visit which wouldn’t be a full-day trip, and found a reservoir only about 20 minutes from here. And off we went to seek other wildlife photos.
Except…
We couldn’t get there from here. At least not in the rainy season.
The roads to the reservoir are all dirt roads. Or more accurately, all MUD roads, and all impassable. Yes, we have 4WD. I’m still not ripping up Stormtrooper just because she’s 4WD. We did try – hoo boy, did we try. In the pursuit of photos, I ended up having to back out half-mile strips of some of those single-lane dirt roads – more than one of ’em – before we conceded it was a lost cause.
So we compromised. We took some other back roads and found a few spots to photograph. Nothing spectacular, and no wetlands, but we got a few snaps in.
This was one of a couple of stone buildings on the mountain in our back yard. We’ve driven by several times and wondered to each other if it were possible to drive up. We discovered it is – sort of. The road to this particular site was a lot rougher than this photo suggests. We might have been able to climb further but I had no desire to chew up the tires on one of the roughest rock roads I’ve traveled in a long, long time. Potholes and 4wd roads don’t faze me, but big, sharp rocks are not my friend.
I’m still trying to sift through photos because – YAY! – my computer is getting on my last nerve. I use Photoshop and a couple of other programs on a daily basis. And my laptop has acquired a maddening habit of crashing to the blue screen of death (BSOD) several times a day. Most of the time it crashes when I’m using Photoshop. Other times it’s apparently just because it can. I think I’m going to try playing with the online version of Adobe and see how its functionality compares, but I’m postponing the inevitable. I’m gonna have to get a new ‘puter, and it’s gonna have to be fairly soon.
We’d planned to try the river run again yesterday – and neither G nor I were up to it physically. Plus we got the message my camera was done, which took precedence. We’re less than an hour from Tucson, and now we found the back way to get there it’s an enjoyable trip. Plus we figured we’d go back to Catalina State Park and see if we could get a couple of more snaps.
Tucson happened. My camera is back home and looks like brand new. It’s cleaned, firmware updated, and all that jazz.
Unfortunately Catalina State Park didn’t happen. For whatever reason, it was closed.
So, we compromised. Again.
If you think you see a pattern developing, you’re right. Keep reading.
We drove up to Oracle, a tiny run-down town we’d visted before but which has more than its share of character, and characters.
This Chrome Darth-Vader-wannabe was keeping an eye on things. We’d decided to stop at the antique shop where he’s the guard robot. Except – you’ll never guess! – it was closed.
On the way out of that property, I was supremely jazzed. It’s a way back from the road, and the long driveway is lined by a lot of kitschy junk and plants. I pulled up next to a blooming cactus where a hummingbird was buzzing and I snapped as many pictures as I could. The darned thing was inches from my camera. Yet not a single photo turned out, thanks to camera shake – even WITH my handy-dandy pool noodle. The angle was so awkward (he was below the level of the window) I couldn’t get a decent shot. It also didn’t help I was uneasy because G didn’t bring my camera strap. I’d rather get a few crappy photos than risk dumping my expensive camera out on the ground thanks to a known case of fumblefingers.
We rambled a bit further down the road and discovered another destination called Oracle State Park. It was okay, but nothing to write home about. I did snap the photo I used at the top of this post, as my featured photo. There were rocks, cactus, and lots of rust-colored picnic tables. I think I’d have enjoyed a picnic there on a cooler day, but the scenery wasn’t any great shakes, at least not to me.
Given I have a four-day weekend, we were philosophical. We’d make the long run today, right?
Uhhhh… nope. Because younger daughter has a doctor’s appointment, we get to pick up our granddaughter from school, about 50 miles from here. The doctor’s appointment was a last-minute reschedule and semi-critical, so yeah. It takes priority.
And no way in Hell I’m making an all-day trip on the day before I go back to work, especially since at work I’m beta-testing a system I was supposed to have five days to figure out, but will only have two or three. Ugh.
I did finally get my act together and started our POD (print on demand) merchandise shop. If you’ll recall, Amazon blew me off for that aspect of their business. However, they’re not the only option for tees and such. I just figured I needed to bite the bullet and get things started – for good, bad, or indifferent.
I overhauled our collective landing site at sweetmountainllc.com to make it look a little better, but the merch link isn’t added yet.
I’m also going to have to bite the bullet and dig up a different parent name. We’re not using SweetMountainLLC and haven’t for a while. We’re currently using various iterations of Gerani, TwisterJester, and Holland – Gerani being a mashup of G’s and my actual first names. Our pen names are Reno Holland and LD Holland. Only reason I went with TwisterJester for the POD merch site is Gerani was already taken on the tee site – and other places. TwisterJester is pretty much always available to me and I’ve used it in some form for the better part of 20 years, but because it’s been around so long it’s been tied to other types of business, so…
At least we’ve managed to get half a dozen of the blank journals up on Amazon. I’d planned more, but with the computer issues it all but shut me down.
You may not have used the 4 days off as planned but you certainly got a lot of things done. Great news on the duct work. Hope it proves beneficial. Love the photos. Good luck with your next planning.
Thank you, Terri. It’s a little like throwing stuff at the wall and hoping some of it will stick. Statistically speaking about one idea in 7 actually works – so here’s hoping we beat the odds.