Brace Yourselves, Summer Is Coming

A few weeks ago we had a day with a high in the upper 70's. Two weeks later we had a high of 115 (even hotter in the valley). It's the time of the year when I wake up at 3am to go hiking and sleep during the miserable hot day. Lucky for us two years ago we moved out of the valley of sun and hell and into the foothills. Now we are just an hour drive away from good weather in the summer. 

Anyways I am trapped inside today looking at pictures and thought I'd share what has been going on lately. 

Recently I discovered another amazing Sweedish Melodic Death Metal band, Amon Amarth. My cousin has been listening to them for years but I thought they were a little too hardcore for me at the time. Now I rate them among the best bands on the planet. When Natalie was in Florida I went to an Amon Amarth concert in Phoenix. This was just two weeks after surgery so I was pretty miserable standing there. I have to say as much as I love Amon Amarth I was disappointed in the concert. Ticket Master was selling tickets to every venue on their tour except this one and it's no wonder why. The venue sucked. They had a small partially setup stage and the room was so small it was too much bass and noise. That and all the screaming along just ruined it. They were still alright but nowhere even close to some of the best concerts I have been to. I am hoping to see them again some day in a better venue. Their opening acts were horrible. Exmortus and Entombed AD. I think Entomed AD was the one that sounded like that metal band on Ace Ventura Pet Detective. Absolutely horrible but people were drunk enough to enjoy it. 

While Natalie was in Florida there wasn't a whole lot I could do. I couldn't hike in dirt but a couple days after surgery I was back to walking the neighborhood. So while she was gone I went for walks, watched tv, and made new cocktails. Some of my favorite new drinks are the Alabama Slammer, Bong Water, Sex In The Driveway, Liquid Marijuana, Jurupa Water (Gin, Watermelon Liquor, Blue Curacao, Blueberry Vodka, Peach Schnapps, and pineapple juice). Right now my liver is taking a break for a while. 

Adri's Kindergarten promotion. She is the class clown making faces at me the whole time. 

Zachy Zach's ape lips.

Right before spring break I bought the kids this wagon. They kept giving me the wrong parts so it took nearly a month to put it together but the kids love it, especially Zach. 

I wonder how long this will last. I go in sometimes 3 hours after they go to sleep and they are still holding hands.

It takes ten years for a century plant to get its flower spike. This one is huge.

A couple months ago Zach took his first poop on the toilet. He was cracking up about every splash. He hasn't pooped on the toilet since then.

I think it was the day after that Zach ripped off his clothes and was running around outside. Natalie thinks it's so cute when Zach does it but when I do it she yells at me to get my clothes on.

Hiking around Daisy Mountain. I could do this everyday.

Zach's favorite movie right now is Toy Story. He loves his new Buzz Lightyear toy.

Their favorite time of the day, tickle time.

This is what I walked into at 3am.

When I went to Florida Adri called me crying my last night there. So I told her I would bring her back some mangoes. So the last day there I climbed my Valencia tree and I shook the branches to get the higher mangoes out. One of them clocked me in the forehead. About an hour later I noticed itching. I don't know if the sap got me from the mango or if I touched my head after I was hit but I got a nasty reaction. A couple days later it scabbed up then all peeled off.

Some of the plumeria cuttings I brought back. A few of them already have some good roots growing.

I bought this mister at Home Depot for 12 bucks. The kids love it. 

Last week I taught Adri how to make a fire with a magnifying glass. It was a cheap Walmart magnifying glass so leaves and paper wouldn't burn. I was able to get some embers going on some cardboard and then put lint in the hole I made a blew. A flame kicked up and burned my hand at which point I threw the cardboard in the bbq. I am going to make some char cloth next week so Adri can start a fire herself.

I decapitated this banana in Florida and smuggled it back in my luggage. An hour after decapitation the leave in the middle came out a whole inch. This is what it looked like the next day when I got home.

And after a week.

And after two weeks. The bottom one is my Praying Hands banana.

I started a new cactus garden recently.

Two days ago I got up at 3am and drove up to Camp Verde to go Coyote Hunting. It's 20 degrees cooler up there so I was able to walk around in long sleeves until I left around 9:30. It's very green up there. Lots of Juniper.

I didn't get a coyote but when I was almost back to the car I found this cow's skull. When I get back from my next trip I'm going to soak it in peroxide and make it a nice piece for my office.

Yesterday morning I hike up the peak behind my house and saw this. This really pisses me off. I wish I could find the person that did this and do the same thing to them. A saguaro takes 80 years to grow its first arm. This cactus is probably over a century old. 

I saw this Saguaro yesterday and was wondering why it has red flowers. Normally they are milky white. Found out that a month after they flower the fruit splits open and looks like a red flower.

A couple weeks ago we got a bird feeder for the backyard. Now we have dozens of birds in our yard at all times. The food only last about a day. 

Last weekend when it was 115 here we escaped the valley and went up to Flagstaff where it was in the low 70s at the top of the ski lift.

Killing the milkshake.

Mt Humphrey. 12,633 ft above sea level.

Here comes someone's lunch.

The Aspen look so much better right before summer. Very light green, kinda reminds me of Florida Cypress the way they grow.