Butterflies!

A new exhibit, the Butterfly Wonderland has just opened in Scottsdale (101 and Via De Ventura). It is supposed to be the largest butterfly pavilion in the United States. It starts by offering a 3-D film on Monarch Butterflies. The film is very educational, but a bit dark. That didn't seem to bother some of the very young set who, at times, reached their hands out to touch the 3-D butterflies. The migrations of the Monarchs are impressive. They are tough little creatures.

After the film, one is escorted into a small room where butterflies in various stages of metamorphosis can be seen. This is the real deal and is quite impressive. Everyone wanted a close up view, so it was hard to see as much as desired. A little patience corrected that problem.

The pavilion itself is spectacular. There was one estimate of  3,600 butterflies in the pavilion when I walked in. They were all sizes, shapes and colors. I was impressed with the variety which came from all over the world. Parents and grandparents in the pavilion were all as excited as their young counterparts. We were warned not to touch the butterflies, but is was alright if they landed on us. Some two and three year olds couldn't resist. I had a hard time resisting myself. The pavilion was more humid than the surrounding desert air, but it was cool enough that the moisture was not a problem.

The ant exhibit is not impressive, but should attract those who have never had an ant farm. The honey bee exhibit was much more fascinating as glass cases enclosed a working hive and the various roles of honey bees could be viewed. Most interesting was the area where one could watch the bees "dance" as the communicated location for nectar for the other bees. I had seen that on film, but never in person until visiting the exhibit.

The hands on tank for petting sting rays is still a work in progress. I've seen these in other places (San Diego, Monterey), but Scottsdale's has a ways to go. There were only three to four very small sting rays in a large tank. More will be added soon. Surrounding the tank is the Amazon fish tanks. Of course, I was hoping to see piranhas, but there were a variety of other interesting fish. No piranhas.

The last stop was the gift shop. Butterfly items were all over. Butterfly hats, blown glass and coloring book were everywhere. This was a great place for a memento of the visit. I was disappointed that the gift shop did not have more books and videos on butterflies, but if one wants something for the kids or a glass butterfly for the desk, this is a great place to find it.

The Phoenix area has a great new attraction which, mercifully, can be viewed during summer months. The Butterfly Wonderland is open seven days a week and information can be found at http://www.butterflywonderland.com/. I confess to buying a year long grandparents pass. Butterfly Wonderland demands more than one visit!

Arizona Secrets #1

This will likely be a series of posts. In 1972, the first spring Brenda and I lived in Arizona, we jumped in our little red Mustang and made our way to the Grand Canyon and back in one day. Since that time we have explored every corner of the state, even some places the public can't go to now There is such variety here that we have found many surprises and have been amazed with what we have experienced. We've found alpine mountains with a Canadian climate, swamps, hidden canyons, a mini-Yosemite, lush arroyos, unique history and, of course, fascinating desert. Even if you are an Arizona native, I'm confident you will find something here you didn't know about.

Terrenate
In the 1770's, a small group of Spaniards tried to settle the SanPedro River Valley. Between the towns of Benson and Sierra Vista, west of the river from Tombstone is the remains of that settlement, Terrenate. To reach Terrenate, one must travel a few dirt roads which are easily accessible in a car. Then there is a hike of about a mile to reach the ruins. In 1776, the Apaches drove the Spaniards out and the settlement fell into ruins which remain today.

I've read varying stories about the settlement. The one I like the best is that the Apaches knew if the Spaniards could build a wall over five feet tall to protect the settlement that they would not be able to keep the Spanish from settling their homeland. In a series of attacks, the Spaniards were driven out and abandoned all plans to settle the San Pedro River Valley.

Terrenate is a best Arizona secret.

Ramsay Canyon
The Nature Conservancy owns Ramsay Canyon and it is protected as a nature preserve. In southern Arizona, the desert is dotted with what are called sky islands. Sky islands are mountains which rise from the desert floor to an elevation of 8,000 to 12,000 feet. Obviously, the ecology changes the further one goes up a sky island. The most famous of these is Mt. Lemon north of Tucson. There is a road to the top with the country's southernmost ski resort at the top.

Ramsay Canyon is located just southwest of Sierra Vista in the Huachuca (wa-chew-ka) Mountians. Ramsay has a limited number of people who can go in each day, but there are cabins available to rent. One advantage being that one can hike in the morning and evening when the canon is closed to other visitors. In the spring, it is a birders paradise as migrating humming birds travel through. Ramsay is a mecca for bird watchers and draws people from around the world. A short hike through Ramsay Canyon is like you being on display for the animals to view: a reverse zoo. We've seen numerous deer, a cheerful coati and, of course, countless birds.

Snakes and bears have been seen, so one must exercise a bit of caution at Ramsay.

Sandhill Cranes
Just east of Tombstone and south of Wilcox is a large playa or dry lake bed. Every winter this area plays hose to thousands of Sandhill Cranes who wisely winter in Arizona. They are noisy and interesting large birds. The town of Wilcox celebrates the arrival of these cranes and is a great place to obtain information about where to go for a look. Bring binoculars as it is not possible to get too close. There is also a rare beetle that lives on the playa, but I didn't try to find them!

If you enjoyed reading about these "Arizona secrets," there is more to come.

Nando's!

As promised, I am going to have more fun with this blog. I can't think of anything more fun than eating! Is my age showing?

Brenda and I have been hunting a great Mexican restaurant in Gilbert since we moved here. We like dives. Tia Rosa's is very good, a super, comfortable place to take guests. The have the best salsa ever, but it was not quite what we were after.

I had lunch at Nando's (corner of Val Vista and Baseline) before, but wanted to try a full scale, stuff yourself dinner.

Although it was prime time on a Friday evening, we were seated without much wait. The staff was attentive to Brenda's wheelchair needs and were very kind. It was loud.

Brenda ordered a taco and chile relleno. I asked for a chicken chimi. Just to top things off, I ordered a cheese crisp with veggies  and some guacamole to slather on anything I wanted. We both had a coke. One of us had diet. Chips and salsa were okay, but nothing special. The salsa seemed like a good quality institutional salsa, but the cheese crisp was exceptional. It was really crispy and the taste was fantastic. Brenda and I agreed that would could have had a cheese crisp and go home, but we are hungry Americans and so proceeded.

Brenda said her chile relleno was the best she's ever had. I had a small taste and thought it was one of the fine flavors ever. Her taco was a guacamole taco and that would have been hard to ruin even at Taco Bell. My chimi was heaven. I ordered a la carte and it still filled the plate. It was stuffed with generous amounts of white meat chicken. It was topped with all the sour cream and guacamole I could handle.

We've found our Mexican place in Gilbert(Okay, Mesa is just across the street.). Nando's is THE place. If any one thinks there is better Mexican food in Gilbert I'd like to know about it.

For Ryan!

Last week, our grandson, Hayden Dille left for a two year mission to Guatemala. Nephew Ryan Mangum was visiting and asked me if I was still writing. I said no and he told me he read my efforts. I guess I've stopped because I figured no one was reading. So this one is for you Ryan!

As I write anew, I am determined to make my entries more entertaining with more variety and to do double spell check. There will be fewer politics rants and more of what makes life good.

With Hayden's departure, I have been very reflective. It is impressive to think about what turns our lives. Whether you are a believer or not, my decision to become a member of the LDS Church 50 years ago has affected everything that has happened since. I thought I was "the" convert, but going on a mission myself, raising a family, having a son and now a grandson go on a mission, I didn't convert, I metaphorically planted a tree. One seed. A lot of fruit. Even if one feels the Church is not an attractive option, my decision to become a member has changed many things.

We all have points in our lives where things change. As some know, I lived with two alcoholics many years ago. The day they took their first drinks, things changed for them. A door opened. It happens in all kinds of directions. I'm so grateful mine was a happy direction.

March 18, 2013

A family member sent me this video:http://mashable.com/2013/03/02/wealth-inequality/

This is my response. You may not want to read it as it will likely offend everyone. If you are thinking "it's those democrats" or "it's those republicans" you are wrong. It's all of the above. We need to open our eyes and have a look at reality. If I haven't offended you yet, there is potential that you might be able to tolerate what I wrote here.

I had a couple of problems with this video. Obviously, there is too much wealth in the hands of too few Americans. But the video made no suggestions about what to do about it. I think we have to ask ourselves why the poor are poor. Sometimes it is bad breaks, but more often, lack of education, lack of motivation, drugs, etc., etc.

So what can be done? Redistribute wealth? Just to give money to the poor won't help anyone, it creates dependency. Training programs for the poor. Good idea, some of that has been successful. But if we train a poor person to be retail clerk or a home healthcare aide, they'll now be working poor. We might come to the point of more self-respect and the feeling of making a contribution, but it doesn't really solve the problem.

Better education? Yes. This is one place where we can make a difference, but legislation on both sides of the aisle wants to take funding of schools from failing schools and give it to schools the top 10% . Won't that make a difference? We've spent millions on this program that would save education: charter schools. What have we learned? Top charter schools attract the top 10% and so they do better. Charter schools that draw in failing students are low end charter schools. Humm, that's the same result we had with public schools. We spent hundreds of millions to learn that? Charter schools are great. They provide some attractive options, but they haven't proved anything educationally.

What worries me and what is a much more significant problem that wealth inequality is the debt. Do you know that each of you grandchildren owes $56,000 to the federal government and will have to pay it someday. You and I owe the same amount, but won't have to pay it because we don't have a lot of years left and our grandchildren will take on our share.

I feel the "system" is milking me dry and I receive a Social Security entitlement every month. I'm part of the problem!!!

So where is the problem? It's not really with the rich. For the most part they work hard and deserve what they get. I think we should tax them at a higher rate than we do now, however.

The problem? It is with the democrats... and the republicans. It is with two political parties that are so interested in protecting their turf that nothing gets done. It's with a president and a congress who will not work together and just want to spend, spend, spend. It's with a president who with the opportunity to make small cuts does ridiculous things that will hurt the American people. It is with a group of "patriotic Americans" who will not compromise on anything for the good of the country. They may not get re-elected.

Can you imagine Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan or even Bill Clinton allowing this to happen? Not a chance. Barak Obama has allowed it to happen. I was hoping for better in his second term. We don't have a lot of leadership from the other side. I am generally and optimist, but things don't look good.

The Day After

November 7, 2012

I have received a number of emails and posts on Facebook this morning either exulting victory or weeping in defeat. I, a Romney supporter, am not depressed. Our country will survive. Those who disagree with me can consider Canada, Mexico or Cuba, all bordering our country or close to it.

I do not view Barak Obama as an evil person. The country has held together during the last four years and all the other four year periods during which certain people thought it would fall apart. I know we are staring bankruptcy in the face, but I imagine our leaders will be able to pull together before we fall over the cliff. I read what people said about Abraham Lincoln when he was president. It is enough to make one's blood boil.

Our daughter Karen said it best: "I have a roof over my head, food, a car to drive. I'm okay." She's right, We live in a blessed country. We live lives of ease and comfort that kings 100 years ago would have killed for. We'll be alright.

I pray for our leaders and that they will be blessed with wisdom and strength. So may we.

A Kremlin Park

Some years ago, I sat in a large park in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. I watched men and women mow the grass (with American lawn mowers!) and peaceful people with their families enjoy the cool, sunny day. Without much thought, I could have been in London, Paris, New York or even Gilbert. As I watched the peaceful scene, I wondered how on earth leaders of two countries could have considered blowing each other up with atomic bombs. I realized where I sat would have been ground zero for the first American bomb. I gave a silent prayer in gratitude that the park and the people in it had been preserved as well as my homeland. As before and more intently afterwards, I pray for peace among the peoples of the world.