Paul and I decided to go to the Balloon Glow at the Tubac Golf Resort, south of Green Valley. We went a couple years ago, but did not expect for the huge crowd that turned out this time. This was a great family event.

The balloons were interesting and I got some good pictures and videos. It got dark very quickly, so walking around the area was a challenge without a flashlight, which I forgot. We went with Holly and Ron, but there was no way to stick together.

The lines for the few food vendors were huge. Paul was in line for a hot dog for an hour and was only half way to the food cart, so he gave up. Holly and I decided if we go again we will leave the men at home.

Not sorry we went, however.

All for now,
Grace

Tuesday night Paul and I will present the video I produced about our short stay in the Renaissance town of Slavonice, in the Czech Republic. The town dates back to the 13th century and has changed very little. We visited that town on our Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) tour called "Jewels of Bohemia" to Eastern Europe in May, 2015. There were so many interesting places it was hard to choose which part to share in the short presentation.

We stayed in the small Dum U Ruze hotel, just large enough for our group of fifteen. A tour of the wine cellar before dinner gave us a glimpse of the double deck cave system carved out under the whole town. Before dinner the hotel owner shared some of his champagne and during dinner we were entertained by an accordionist playing traditional Moravian music.

During the full day in the area, we noted the unique exteriors of the buildings carved into designs using an etching technique called sgraffito.

The day also involved visiting sites in the area, including a ceramics workshop, the ruins of the Landstejn Fortress from the 13th century, a WWII bunker system and a short section of the "iron curtain.

Throughout the area we had been driving through beautiful yellow fields of rapeseed plants. We made an unexpected stop to inspect the plants and enjoys a close photo opportunity.

The day ended with a home hosted visit and dinner with a local family. The grandmother and granddaughter were busy making potato dumplings for our meal.

This was a very interesting town and a fascinating visit.

From Slavonice we continued on, eventually finishing this tour in Budapest, Hungary. After a three day layover we joined the Grand Circle river cruise on the Danube from Budapest to Bucharest and ended with a post-trip to Istanbul.

That is a little glimpse of one fascinating town in the Czech Republic.

All for now,
Grace

The Prickly Pear Cactus seems to be everywhere. They have been referred to by some as the "Dandelion of the Desert." On my walks I encounter several varieties and find them fun to photograph, especially in that early morning light.

The prickly pear is in the Opuntia family (oh-PUNCHA) and is made up of flattish paddle-like segments of various shapes, joined as if a chain. Some can be very small  plants, and stay that way, while other varieties can grow very large and tall. Several of those along my walk are up to ten feet. The shapes of their paddles can vary from quite round or oval to very long, like donkey ears.

On close inspection, all have what look like warts on the paddles. Some have long spines coming out of these warts and some just have what look like fine tufts of hair. Trust me, those are nasty little hairs and you don't want to touch them.

These cactus bloom in February and March with yellow or pink flowers along the edges of their "paddles." The flowers then turn into fruit by fall, which can be harvested and eaten using a variety of recipes.

In Green Valley, and many places where it is important to have drought resistant landscaping in yards, prickly pear cactus are one of the common plantings. Some of the pictures here were taken in yards, and others in common areas.

Believe it or not, there are animals that find the prickly pear tasty meals. In particular, the havalina or javelina, which are pig-like desert dwellers that live in our area, come by at night and can cause a lot of damage by eating the cactus and pulling them up. 

What we can't understand is what took the big bites out of this prickly pear inside the gate in our entry way. Maybe we will never know.

That is all for now,
Grace - out and about with an iPhone 6s

Prickly Pear blossoms in spring.

Prickly Pear with long spines

Prickly pear without spines

The photographer in me cannot resist the interesting patterns, forms and colors as I talk around the neighborhood. The early morning light at sunrise adds to the beauty. Some cactus still sport the fruit from their spring flowers while others are still blooming. Taking their pictures can be challenging because everything has thorns, and my trusty new iPhone 6s requires that I get in very close sometimes.

All for now,
Grace