{"id":164,"date":"2014-12-11T05:22:11","date_gmt":"2014-12-11T05:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/?p=164"},"modified":"2014-12-11T05:22:11","modified_gmt":"2014-12-11T05:22:11","slug":"dec-10-2014-tucson-and-points-south","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/?p=164","title":{"rendered":"Dec 10, 2014 Tucson and points south"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dec 10, 2014 Tucson and points south
\nSunday Doug and I headed south from Tucson to Sierra Vista, AZ to do some birding. Birds generally prefer more remote areas, yet remote describes a different place this close to the US\/Mexican border. On the way to \u201cremote\u201d we passed Border Patrol and went through check stops on the highways; several miles down the dirt road in route to Miller Canyon we saw a new-to-me sign; we stopped for a quick photo op before going on. At the end of that particular dirt road is Beatty\u2019s Guest Ranch, which is not really a ranch but a \u201ccottage industry\u201d for birders. Their world — miles from any pavement — is quiet, the slopes run quickly up to the Huachuca Mountains, and rocky banks contain a stream, except when flood waters win and throw the rocks around like dice. The Beatty\u2019s home was one of several we\u2019ve visited where the public is invited to sit in a private backyard and enjoy the birds attracted to a variety of feeders. Each feeding station is labeled, \u201cA,\u201d \u201cB,\u201d \u201cC,\u201d etc. and the birders talk in hushed tones to one another, \u201cSee the Acorn Woodpecker on \u201cC!\u201d You are charged $5 per person, per day (I think to help defray the cost of feed and offset the inconvenience of giving up their yards), and you leave the money in a box or jar. Mrs. Beatty also grows organic produce to take to the town market each week; we left with tree-ripened Granny Smith apples, yard eggs, squash, sweet potatoes, and onions.
\nFrom the Beatty\u2019s we went further south on Hwy 92 to Turkey Track Road, and headed to Ash Canyon on a different dirt trail to another private yard, known as Ash Canyon B&B. We had seen hummingbirds in Mrs. Paton\u2019s yard in Patagonia, but the hummers weren\u2019t at either Beatty\u2019s or Ash Canyon. But at Ash Canyon we saw several varieties including Mexican Jays and a Gila Woodpecker, and something I dubbed a Very Small Beaver, of some rare desert variety. Picture proof is provided; feel free to rename it. I only saw about 3 inches of it; assuming some proportionality I\u2019m guess the critter may be 5 inches long. After sitting for a while in that backyard, we decided against going further up into the canyon; it was getting late, we were hungry, and the Tucson Audubon Society book describes the road beyond the B&B as “rough and rocky and suitable only for high-clearance vehicles.\u201d Given some of the roads we\u2019ve been on, I didn\u2019t want to learn what \u201crocky\u201d means.
\nI have spent years developing a reputation as a totally disinterested and unimaginative cook who takes great pride in washing dishes for others. And although I scrupulously avoid cooking practical meal-things, I enjoy baking \u2013 a fact known to few. Though I hadn\u2019t turned on the stove or oven since I got to Arizona, yesterday I used those organic apples to create a from-scratch apple pie, and it was very good. Doug doesn\u2019t own a rolling pen, so I had to be a bit creative.<\/p>\n

\"on<\/a>

on the dirt road into Miller’s Canyon, south of Sierra Vista, AZ<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the creek running thru Miller Canyon<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Doug<\/a>

Doug and Mrs. Beatty, in Miller’s Canyon<\/p><\/div>\n

\"deer<\/a>

deer on the side of the dirt road, Ash Canyon<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the mysterious desert beaver<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A<\/a>

A Mexican Jay in Ash Canyon<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a multi-purpose rolling pen<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a from scratch apple pie – not pretty but very good<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dec 10, 2014 Tucson and points south Sunday Doug and I headed south from Tucson to Sierra Vista, AZ to do some birding. Birds generally prefer more remote areas, yet remote describes a different place this close to the US\/Mexican … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}