Old Timer Fiddlers

This is called Red Eye Prickly Pear Cactus. It's just coming in to bloom where we are. I had hoped to see desert flowers when we came out West. That's one reason we came in late spring. That has not been a problem, there are plenty of flowers. I missed the great patches of Bluebonnets in Texas but there have been many flowers to search out here. I say search out because they are scattered and the blooming is timed not only to sunlight and temperature, but also altitude. As we travel to different spots, I see flowers different from what I see right around where we're staying. When we went to Phoenix, the Saguaro cactus were just coming into bloom. We need to get back down there to seem them fully bloomed out before they're done. I need to make a drive around just to take flower pictures. So far it's just been seeing them as we breeze by. In the cities there are many very colorful flowers but I don't know what's native and what's not. I did pick up a Peterson's Guide in Sedona the other day that I'm trying to use, but it doesn't have enough colored illustrations to suit me and no actual pictures, just drawings.

Yesterday we went over to my cousin's daughter and son-in-law's place for the afternoon and evening. They are hosting a fiddler's get together and barbeque this weekend. Actually, the barbeque had to be done in the oven because there is a county wide ban on fires. It was delicious none the less. I didn't know what to expect but it turned out to be just like the music events we've attended in North Carolina, but with fewer youngsters. In fact, most of the attendees were of advanced age, but quite spry. And talented. All of the normal strings were there so it wasn't just fiddles. We had mandolins, banjos, guitars and a bass as well. The plastic strings on the base were dyed red, white and blue. There must have been close to a hundred people there, drawn to the event by word of mouth and that informal network that musicians have. Several came early and are camped out for the duration. The location is a small farm so there's plenty of room. There was plenty of food too, as many folks brought a dish to pass.

The highlight of the evening was a birthday party for a woman who had come from quite a distance. She sat in a power wheelchair and had oxygen but she also brought her fiddle and played right along. She's in her nineties. They had a giant birthday cake and we all sang Happy Birthday to her. The cake was a carrot cake and it was delicious.

What a great time we had. The food was great. The music was great and it was a special treat to meet and talk with all the folks we met there, including several relatives we haven't seen in over a generation.