I don't mean to be arch.

Not golden in Sedona.

Scott's oriole. I think he needs to keep better track of his birds; this one was outside.

Annie got this Scott's shot right out the window. We thought he might be an Audubon's oriole, for you people who know, but the friendly volunteer at eBird told us it was unlikely, due to Audubon's orioles never being seen in this area. I am contemptuous of facts and details. I'm not going to argue with him, though - Annie had to convince me it was even a bird.

Speaking of never being seen in this area, guess who visited?

No, go on. You'll never guess. Guess!

She's a travel blogger, and never saw the appeal of the desert. Still, she was willing to give desert boondocking a try with us to see what she was missing. Carolyn Mystery Visitor, what did you think?

I feel like we've been enjoying a wonderfully unfair amount of spring this year, but these are the injustices that RVers face.

Prickly pears are in bloom.

  

Strawberry hedgehogs are still king here.

 
They seem sneaky, though.

There is no hedgehog here! No sirree, NO HEDGEHOGS HERE.

We're enjoying our new spot very much. It's quiet. Tour jeeps go past and point occasionally, making us feel like a welcome part of the scenery. We're a quick walk from the canyon. At night, there is only the sound of cows and coyotes, but we can see the distant lights of the highway far below.

If you visit Sedona, your Interagency (America the Beautiful) Pass will come in handy everywhere a Red Rock Country pass is required. Your pass is your pass. Enjoy, knowing you're getting an extra bargain in not-so-bargainy Sedona.

Maybe some hair of the dog?

Hope you're all recovering from your long Earth Day weekend. This holiday is typically a no-holds-barred kind of hard-partying kind of let-it-all-out kind of rock-and-roll revelry, and now might be a good time to think about a detox.

I did pick up a bag of garbage around our site before I realized that that's what everyone was doing, so I threw it all back down again.

We really did festivate on Sunday with the family, and (uh oh) we happened to take a camera (hoo boy) and there happened to be a baby there (here it comes) so brace yourselves for the cute. You're going to have to detox anyway, so let's make it count.

Looking pretty gangsta despite conventional hat-donning. His lovely chaperone is Cindy.

...and a deep, cleansing breath...

OH man, this one hurts a little, right in the old liver.

Ponderosa pines smell like butterscotch, vanilla, or chocolate. Chocolate is rare, and you're in detox anyway.
All the pines sampled here in Oak Creek Canyon (n=5) smelled like butterscotch.

Our faces did freeze like that.

...and breathe in...

...and out...

...hold it...

...and release.

Maddox has a whole slew of very attractive relatives, including a beautiful mom and a handsome dad, and I hope they all understand that THERE WAS A BABY THERE.

It's our anniversary week. On Wednesday we will have been together thirteen years.

Breathe normally.

On Friday, it was our one-year full-timing anniversary. Wow, how the milliseconds fly.

A new boondocking network is forming at Boondockers Welcome. The goal is to increase opportunities to visit parts of the country/continent that are underrepresented in traditional boondocking. Please do check it out. Couch-surfing for boondockers! It's free to join, for now.