Wanderers in Wonder

Out the Front Door…AM. Out the Back Door…PM. Sunning at the pool. Look who greets one on the way into our park. Mary Ann and Maureen. Maureen is the daughter of my Mom’s Best Friend For Life. Mom met Maureen’s mom, Delores, in a sandbox in Flatbush, NYC in 1927. They attended elementary school and…

It may never rain in Southern California, But girl, don’t they warn ya. It snows, man, it snows. There are towns in the San Gabriel Mountains of San Bernardino County of Southern California that have been pretty much cut off from the outside world for four days because of a massive snowfall. We can see the mountains…

Every Saturday from October thru April the lively town of La Quinta hosts an upscale art fair. Glass sculptures, colorful and engaging. Christopher Hopping of Hopping Mad Art paints colorful scenes of life beneath the sea. We got to talking Octopus. Those amazing creatures are sure having their moment. Chris is an octopus aficionado. Chris’s Tickling…

The rains came and the water flowed and flowed and flowed. So much rain fell on the mountains above Palm Canyon (see previous post) that the canyon trails had to be closed for several days. Tahquitz Canyon waters flow out into the desert. Walking a nice wide bridge. Narrower bridge and help from a Palm. Too narrow…

Into the Mecca Hills Wilderness on the northern end of the Salton Sea to hike Painted Canyon.  The Salton Sea, historically known as Cahuilla Lake, was before 1580 sometimes a lake with water and sometimes a dry lakebed. In 1580 it went dry for 300+ years. In 1905 a canal headgate, which provided water from the Colorado River to…

Hiking down from the dusty desert hills into the lush Oasis of Palm Canyon creates quite a contrast. Two completely different worlds collide. The hike was an engaging four mile loop.  Looks like something out of a Doctor Suess book. A Western Bluebird stops by to chirp hello. A Barrel Cactus growing sideways out of this…

Swimming, hot tubs and snow covered mountains. The Pickleball Courts. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States. Invented in 1965 by Joel Pritchard and friends, Pickleball was designed to accommodate players of all ages and athletic abilities. Joel’s young children were involved in developing the game. Today there are professional Pickleball leagues…

Looks like Cottonwood, AZ is giving Bisbee a run for its money as the best ‘Hippie Town’ in Arizona. Love the Hippie sense of humor…mostly. (see third picture below). Peace…Wanderers in Wonder.

Waylon Wuertz grew up on the family hay farm outside of Casa Grande, AZ.  As a boy Waylon was fascinated with gourds. So, Waylon always kept a small garden of gourds. After earning a degree in Agricultural Studies from Arizona State he returned to the farm to grow hay. In the late 1990’s a ‘Gourd…