1 Duck, 2 Ducks........

............. 3 Ducks; and 4 !
Yep, this summer we got more!

My mom's female ducks all set and there was a duckling boom. I tried to choose a diverse bunch. Hopefully we'll have better luck this time around at our house. I'm also going to keep a closer eye on this batch and make sure they are locked up at night. They are great pest control and this is going to be a buggy year!

I've been careful not to let Zeek chew on them. I'm sure he'd love to get his mouth on these squeak toys. So far so good. I can't wait until the ducks get a little bit bigger and a little less fragile.

Ava has been especially interested in the ducks this year and is learning a little more responsibility in caring for these animals. That's after I lectured her and Isaac about handling them. Now, Ava is a great duck keeper. Isaac on the other hand is not allowed to hold the ducks after he launched one; trying to see if it could take flight? All part of the learning process, I guess. lol

Little Guys  ;)

I'm excited to see what sexes they are. Hopefully not all male. I would prefer three female and one male; but that's wishful thinking. I think. Only time will tell.......
The black one is the leader of the flock. He/she hatched out a couple of days earlier than the other three. They are all somewhat used to us. They don't seem to mind been held, especially since Ava baby's them most of the day.

Bryan just finished up with the annual King Snake Survey up at the park. They succeeded in finding a couple of these elusive reptiles. I think it was a productive and exciting week for the crew. I've been doing a lot of running ~ after the kids, and around my yard & garden. My veggies are half planted. I plan on getting the rest in the ground in the next week. I'll be happy when my plants are established enough to be low maintenance. 


Bryan and Ava are flying to Ohio this Friday to see the family! I try not to think about all the fun they are going to have without us...... lol I wish we were all going. Isaac and I are going to hold down the fort, and try to have some fun on our own. Ava and Bryan are going to have to give everyone hugs for us.

I just realized how soon they are leaving;....... 3 days!

Moments with Friends

My friends, Erin & Jesse Valadez, and their adorable toddlers (Xander & Te`a) came home for a visit. Their parents own Hidden Canyon Ranch. They currently reside in Oklahoma, so we don't see them very often. *Sniff*. The kids and I drove down to lodge to see them before they departed back to Oklahoma. Of course Xander and Te`a grew like weeds; as kids seem to do. What cutie pies!

Te`a & Isaac catching up ;)

"Downward Dog!"

They later went outside to play with the kittens; how adorable are kids with baby animals?

 

Later, on the way back home~ we saw a lonely sheep; lost from the herd. I think he was asking for directions.....

The only other traffic on this road at that time was this Great Basin rattlesnake.......

I took a photo...... and we went on our merry way................

What a sssssssssssssuper day! 



Mohave Desert: Christmas Tree Pass

........... after leaving Oatman, AZ we found ourselves in Christmas Tree Pass (Grapevine Canyon) at one of the trailheads.  This was one of my favorite hikes of the trip. It was still hot, but the cloud cover was welcoming.

That made a huge difference. The rocks on this particular trail were covered with petroglyphs!

A Diamondback Rattlesnake crossed our path..... this was actually a small one (if you can believe it!)

If you look hard at these photos, you'll see the rocks loaded with ancient art..........

View from above

As we hiked up the canyon, we ran into a small spring. Bryan found a couple of toads. We also saw lots of quail.

The granite rocks proved to be a fun playground, especially for Ava :)

Bryan hiking up with Isaac

Silly Kids!

My boys! ;)

As darkness fell, we hiked back down to our vehicle.......

The next day, on our way back home I wanted to take some photos of Joshua trees.  Bryan found a good place to stop near the town of Searchlight. The Joshua Tree Highway; nice!

We had a good time, it was a great weekend adventure. We will definately find ourselves in the Mohave Desert again soon. Afterall, I still need to hold a desert iguana :P

Here are some of the photos that we took (mostly Bryan) of the wildlife we observed in this hot desert:

Two bighorn sheep

Yeah, we'll definately be back!