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All posts for the month May, 2013
Just a short while ago I tried to change the name of my blog. I got a really big adrenalin rush when I found I couldn’t pull my blog up at all. It looks like I may be saved. I did not click the button on the red alert page here, and as a result, I don’t think I destroyed everything.
Talk about a momentary downer! A sundowner!
Sounds like something I might like. Is this kinda like the Nugget Bucket?
Appalachian Prospectors Gold Prospecting Adventures
When I saw the pyramid Pro Pan I thought that would be a great piece of equipment to add to my inventory. I thought that it would be great to use in places that you can not use a dredge or a sluice box. Places that only panning is allowed or even in a location that the water is low and running to slow to operate a sluice. I thought that it would be a great item that you could use in those hard to get to locations that you may have to hike into, its light weight and fits in a backpack. I was in a location that only panning was allowed and there was some very nice gold and panning is just a very slow method, I was thinking I need something that I can move a lot of material in a relatively short period of time. I had…
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Today the dad hosted a skeet shoot and potluck lunch for the local DU committee volunteers (he is a committee member himself).
The horse and ponies hanging out happily in the field.
The girls playing with their toy horses and the new stable that they made from an old bookshelf.
It’s a cool day outside, we’ve used up our energy early and are looking forward to a quiet night in the den with the fire turned on.
One of the best shade trees for the desert Southwest is the Chilean Mesquite. I live in Southern Arizona and like the tree for three reasons. It is easy care. Truth be told, if the tree has had a good start, it can basically survive and grow with little to no assistance. It does not require a lot of water (great for Arizona!), it can live in the desert soil and thrive on the local rain water, and you can fertilize once a year in the spring with a slow release tree and shrub food. I know people with beautiful Chileans who have done nothing since having theirs planted. Not saying you necessarily want to do that, but it is rather low maintenance. Its fast growth gives you a wonderful source of shade with a fine umbrella. I would definitely water (for the first year, seven to ten-day intervals) and feed a young Chilean Mesquite once in the spring.
My Chilean Mesquite has pretty good-sized sharp thorns. You want to wear gloves when pruning – especially when picking up suckers and branches. The tree grows to 30 to 35 feet tall with an average 35 foot umbrella.
I am giving you, now, a personal observation. I am not sure this is something an etymologist or agronomist would even offer, but it is an honest note for this neck of the woods. These mesquites can be an attraction to bee swarms – Palo Verde even more so. You don’t need to fear this, but I suggest that you simply look your tree over before working on or around it. Most of the time you can hear the humming. I suppose one could say this is true of any plant in Southern Arizona, really. But I have had a little bad luck with a swarm deciding to land on the trunk – perhaps waiting to continue, perhaps thinking it might be a possible new home. In one case, the swarm disappeared. In another, I had to call an insect outfit who deemed it necessary to cut them because I had small children who might be in and out of my back yard. However, I have lived in Arizona for 60 years and would not give up the delightful shade these trees provide. The Africanized bees have not been here that long, and two times is not horrendous. And, this variety of mesquite is all over the place in the area, as they are very popular because of their beauty and ease of maintenance.
Another interesting aside is that there is also a mesquite that is a hybrid of the Argentine Mesquite (Prosopis alba ) and the Chilean. I am told that there is a hybrid mesquite also that has no thorns, but have not seen that. I suppose it would be referred top as a thorn-less mesquite, but am not sure.
The local Arizona varieties of mesquite, grow into wonderful shade trees also at about the same dimensions. Their adaptation is perhaps even better than the Chilean for Arizona.
Types of Arizona Mesquite:
Prosopis glandulosa – known as the honey mesquite or Texas Mesquite. These usually have a weeping form, and can be quite pretty.
Prosopis velutina – known as the Arizona mesquite or native mesquite. Also called the velvet mesquite because of the soft hairs that cover young growth. They are rather shaggy and snarled in appearance. They are popular in nurseries, and will grow well on lawns and golf courses.
Prosopis pubescens – known as the screwbean mesquite, earning its name from the spiraled or coiled shape of their seed pods.
Reference: http://steakhousetucson.com/arizona-mesquite-trees/
If considering the development of a natural shade garden, I would certainly choose a mesquite, finely trimmed to add to the garden. Arizona nurseries can fill you in on more details about the desert mesquite tree. My smallest Chilean mesquite grew from a maverick seed. I transplanted it from my front yard to my backyard when just a baby. The transplant easily. And, as previously mentioned, it is one of the fastest growing trees.
To my way of thinking, the Chilean has a slightly different shape leaf though very similar (tiny leaves), with the leafage a much deeper green. I judge the thorns slightly longer and thinner with a red tinge to the wood. The Arizona mesquite has a tan to grey wood and somewhat thicker thorns.
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Usually my commentary is about the great state of Arizona. But I do more than travel Arizona and take photographs. Lately I have been working on a new glass mosaic splash board for the shower. I purchased the glass at Home Depot and installed it. Afterwards, I started painting.
We first thought a pea green paint in our white bath would look good – it seemed to match one of the green shades in glass mosaic. But when we got home, the color was awful!
So…… we experimented with lighter greens (one of my wife’s favorite colors) and found this to be much nicer. I know it is bright, but it doesn’t bother us. The guest bath is downstairs anyway, so nobody needs to be horrified! 🙂
We are almost done. I intend to paint the baseboards a contrast color but haven’t decided what. Here it is:
And, drum roll, just finished the baseboards. Yes, they are purple.
The cacti in the the New World Desert Collection of the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley are in stunning bloom. How have I missed this in past years? The flowers are gorgeous! All these photos were taken during my visit on Sunday, May 5th, 2013. If you live in the San Francisco area, I recommend heading to the gardens to see these! And, remember, this Friday, May 10th, is National Public Gardens Day. For more information, see my post… This Friday! National Public Gardens Day.
Having moved through the learning curve about how to prospect for gold, this information will undoubtedly help newbies find a place to go. Knowing where to go to get started in prospecting is very important. For your reading enjoyment:
<a href="http://john000.hubpages.com/hub/Finding-Gold-Placer-Deposits-Gold-in-Quartz-Veins-of-Gold-A-Gold-Piedmont-and-
http://john000.hubpages.com/hub/Free-Panning-Gold-at-State-of-California-Park
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Looks gorgeous.
It is rumored that Pancho Villa once stashed a cache of valuables somewhere in Arnett Canyon, Arizona. Located south of highway 60 and just west of Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, it is located across the ridge below which the arboretum is located. One must hike in from the west or east, and we hiked from the west as it seemed easier to
approach the canyon from there and follow the Arnett Creek east around to the bottom of the canyon. One can also approach the canyon from the perlite mine in Superior, Arizona and head west around the ridge shadowing the arboretum. I have never done that, and it seems one would have to cross private property, but I am not sure.
While I discovered no treasure (wasn’t looking for any either), I discovered a treasure of beautiful plants and weather worn rocks and mountains. After about 2 miles, there was a lot of water in the creek, which I found unusual since everything near where I live there is pretty dry. The temps were around 89 degrees so the hiking was very pleasant. The highlight of the trip was climbing 3/4 of the way up a mountain to a pinnacle of white rock which can be seen for miles. Seeing the other mountain ranges from there was breathtaking. It was about 3 hours walk into the canyon where we stopped.