They don't call them Gila

 Angels...

The call them Gila Monsters for a reason. My first day back in Tucson, and I chanced upon this character on the trail. They are venomous lizards with an attitude.  If these nasty reptiles were able to purchase weapons and had trigger fingers, they would make Isis look like a bunch of Boy Scouts. I gave this Dude a wide berth as he hissed at me menacingly. If they latch onto you, they won't  let go. 

The good news is their bites are rarely deadly.

I wasn't going to test that assumption though.

I've seen about a dozen Gila Monsters in the winters I was here. Two Desert Tortoises and one Rattlesnake. I like the Tortoises the best.

Hope you had a bite free Saint Paddy's Day!

"Someone's Watching ...

Over Me." 

Written by Kara DioGaurdi and John Shanks

I'm now in Tucson, AZ where I once spent four winter seasons. I arrived back here with mixed emotions. Other than meeting a few quality people and hiking a lot, the "Old Pueblo" was a bad luck charm for me. I had enough unusual misfortunes here, I've developed a case of the heebie jeebies about the place. I'm hoping this go-around will be different.

That's why I brought along my "A Team" to watch over me here and beyond. Sid and Clara Sambur wouldn't want anything, anybody or anyplace to harm their baby boychik (boy in Yiddish). 

If you are wondering what caused these feelings, ask! 

OY! The stories I can tell. 

Ever have to relearn how to walk after a medical miscreant performs a surgery you don't need? I was merely bruised and not broken.  I guess that's why they call it "practicing medicine."

That really bothered me....

There's other stories just not so dramatic.

Cheers! 

Jeff

It's not Squinty Eyes Dunes National Monument,

It's White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. 

Today, it was a gauzy sun day, and my eyes were slits. It would be brutal on a bright, sunshiny day. I would have to purchase a pair of Oakley sunglasses with their "thermal nuclear protection" not to be blinded by the light.

The brilliant color of the sand is due to gypsum. It's a rare form of sand since gypsum is water soluble. Here in the Tularosa Basin, there are no waterways to carry the common mineral away. The fine grain white stuff is trapped in a natural bowl for all to enjoy. 

The National Park Service loans plastic sleds for the tykes and grown up kids to use for schussing down the dunes. You gotta love it.

Half a million visitors a year do. 

Back to warm and sunny Arizona mañana,

Jeff

How do you like that centerfold shot of Barley?