Phoenix

Check out the Phoenix Skyline below the horizon.

View from Canyon Lake Trail.

Canyon Lake

J and B's front yard.

J and B.

Right after the perch fest E and I went to Phoenix for one of her supplier seminars. It was held at the Arizona Biltmore, a FLW inspired complex just NE of town. We had a very nice 1 br condo with a pool side patio. The first evening we took a 6 mile round trip walk to a supermarket that was 2 miles away to get some vodka and food for me. I snatched a lemon from a tree along the way, there were plenty to choose from.
We had some fantastic dinners with live entertainment at night and rented mountain bikes from the resort one day to ride the nearby "Trail 100". South Mountain was another excellent place for a hike, close to town and not too busy for a Friday afternoon. The weather for the trip was on the cool side and as you can see from the last pics, a little rainy the last day.
The last full day we hiked the Superstition Mountains east of town, really a cool place. We finished the trip visiting with my relatives at their gated planned community, it was an interesting look at their active version of retirement life.
We look forward to visiting Phoenix some time soon.

Spring Thaw

As I said earlier, winter ended quickly this year. The snow melt and spring rain made for a dramatic rise in the Straight River. Here is a video from the 220th street bridge, the house is sort of visible on the horizon. Normally the water is only about 2 feet deep here, I guess it was about 8 feet higher.

Hunter's Point Perch Extravaganza

The last weekend in February is host to this annual event on Mille Lacs, an inland sea a couple hours north of Minneapolis. The lake is huge and supports an excellent fishery. The perch were not in the mood that day but the weather was gorgeous and a lot of beer was consumed (except by me the designated driver). I made up for it before the chili feed back at the camper. I sat outside to avoid the TV, a snow pile served as a chiller table for my Vodka while I watched the sun set on a perfect day. E's brother did catch one perch, check out the pics (I don't condone the actions of the guy in the background).

End of Winter

Winter ended early this year, but I still have some pics to remember what it was like. It was a good snow year and most days were not too cold. Check out the view from the river similar to the Straight river post from last fall.
The second pic is a view of the house looking south from the north end of the property.
The last picture is a solitary cloud that looks like a feather, or wing, or maybe a fish?