The Ups and Downs of Life.

After church on Sunday we noticed some smoke at the 

base of the Santa Rita Mountains.

In just a few short hours the whole mountainside was engulfed.

This is the view from the deck across the street looking east.

 As of today 47,000 acres have burned. The firefighters 

have been working so hard for days but with the dry 

conditions and strong winds it has been very difficult. 

We are safe but the fire has traveled over the mountain

 into Sonita where there are several vineyards and ranches. 

Please pray for the safety of everyone.

We left Green Valley and stayed overnight in Yuma, AZ 

on our way to California. Our spot was next to a cactus 

garden and we found two more unique varieties of cactus.

Paper Spine Cactus
The spines do bend and feel like paper.

Pine Cone Cactus

Stunning sunset.

 One of the fun things about retirement, if you see a sign that 

intrigues you just turn and check it out, like The Peanut Patch.

We walked out with peanut brittle, fudge 

and butter toffee peanuts. Great traveling snacks?

A beautiful purple blooming Jacaranda Tree.

 I read they are a love-hate tree. 

Love the blooms but hate the sticky mess they leave behind.

Right after crossing the border into California you see the

 Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. Too many 

power poles and lines for a good picture. 

Then you go from sea level to over 4,000 feet! A crazy

drive up and down and then into San Diego's 6 lane traffic all in 

about two hours. Did I say life is interesting?

I missed the welcome to California sign but I think this works.

 We enjoyed walking the beach in Carlsbad.

Visiting Julia & Stephen, Scott's daughter and son-in-law, 

in Carlsbad warmed our hearts!

We enjoyed dinner at their place on Thursday and on Saturday

 we joined them working on a service project for church. 

"Thank you for life, and all the little ups and downs 

that make it worth living." 

Travis Barker