Recent Photos
Swamp cooler installed - inside view 6/11
Final installation of evap cooler 6/11 - garage view
Inside of the swamp cooler 6/11
Dry fit of evap cooler 6/11
Swamp cooler hole from hallway inside 6/11
Author Archive
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Back in the Saddle
I couldn’t resist the cowboy turn of phrase (or Aerosmith tune, if that’s what sprang to your mind), but we’re back in the saddle again, folks with regard to our house building. On my birthday, May 13, we took the first construction step in more than a year: we now have electric from the pole to the [...] -
Merry Christmas 2010
Happy holidays to our family and friends! This year, we’ve taken the time to slow down and enjoy the important things: family, friends, the two furry adoptees in our lives, new hobbies and the outdoors. Macho and Niña: We welcomed our new babies home on Feb. 13. These two high-energy furballs never fail to entertain us. [...] -
Critters Galore
Even though we have put house-building projects on hold as the heat continues to soar, the Fry Ranch has been active. Not only are the kids getting bigger (see our recent Macho & Niña photos. They’ll be a year old on Nov. 19!), but we’ve had loads of wild visitors (see our Latest video and recent Fauna [...] -
Steve’s 40th B-Day Bash
It’s not every day you turn 40, so we celebrated Steve’s birthday in style (well … not sure if beer bongs, sloppy joes and tractor rides equate to style). But we had all of that going on, and a little more with approximately 50 in attendance (including a guest who passed out on the oh-so-soft [...] -
Rain-Ready & Reaching Out
The summer heat is here, but with the unexpected “cool front” over the weekend (93 degrees) – Steve was able to place some of our water collection tanks. Should be ready to harvest some water for monsoon season, which officially begins June 15. It will be nice to have the tanks filled and waiting for [...] -
The Desert in Bloom II
Though the bright colors of the desert are fading fast, May brought another rush of pigmentation. Along with the yellow blooms of the palo verde, mesquite and acacia came the arrival of even more bees. The hills are alive with their buzz right now. The most exciting discovery, though, was the arrival of western tanagers! I’ve [...] -
The Desert in Bloom
Who says nothing grows in the desert? I’ve got proof to the contrary, as you’ll see from the photos taken during my various spring hikes. It has been an incredible wildflower season here in Mammoth’s slice of the Sonoran Desert. Some of my local friends say that some of the flowers we saw this year [...] -
Whooo goes there?
I love this time of year! Not only is the Sonoran Desert teeming with wildflowers, but also a host of local desert dwellers. On April 14, during a hike up Mammoth Wash with neighbor friend, Roxanne, we saw the elusive great horned owl that I had seen a few weeks earlier (that time, I had [...] -
Disappearing Downspouts
Mother Nature was not cooperating with us on March 27, when we tried to tape off the downspouts for painting… Lots of wind that whipped our protective paper away. Once Steve decided to make a cardboard shield (instead of paper), we were in business! We took on this endeavor since we decided that the south-facing [...] -
We’re Seeing Spots!
It was a happy Valentine’s Day for us, as we drove the four-plus hours to Cottonwood, Ariz., on Feb. 13 to pick up our bundles of joy: two beautiful Bengal kittens. A mix between a wild Asian Leopard cat and a domestic cat, Bengals have gorgeous, exotic spots. They retain some wild traits from their [...]
