Prickly Pear Cacti...

...is an important component of the Sonoran Desert which dominates the lower 2/3s of
Arizona. Javelina and cattle eat it; how this works is beyond me but from all the munched down pricklies the spiny plant is if not "the" favorite ranks right up there...OUCH! While javelina take rather dainty bites out of the paddles cattle often much down the entire plant! leaving little more than a few leftovers of plants often chest high and five six feet across.

Believe it or not but folks in the know convert the spiny paddles and fruits in all sorts of stuff: syrups, marmalades, jellies and jams, various cocktails, stuffed paddles (huaraches, nopales (Dave made some of these one evening in camp, best to ask Pam how they turned out), baked paddles (yeppers?), chili, compote,  candy, salsa, agave, fruit leather...you name it, apparently prickly pear works (at least for some, eh?).

The fruit shown here is left over (and probably not ripe for picking anymore) from last July. When fruits do ripen there are 5-6 fruits on each paddle. Mind-boggling amount when you consider some spots the plants are all but touching each other over many acres and there are dozens of paddles on each and every plant. Picking is so popular however one jelly and jam guru at a local farmer's market told me, "you plan to get yours anywhere near a road best get there early or plan to take a hike."

So there you have it...over and out...Chuck

Arizona Quail Hunt...

...ends on a high note, especially for our pal Gig. On the last afternoon of season hunting almost within sight of camp Emma the Wirehair pointed and...surprise, surprise up jumped a covey scaled quail instead of the usual Gambel's we had all been chasing around for the past month or so. Gig and I have hunted this area many times over the last decade or so and while we have both shot scalies in Arizona not once have our dogs found them even close to this spot. Gig hunted Mearn's earlier down near Nogales and thus laid claim to our gang's (7 Dillonites, 1 Washingtonite) only desert quail trifecta this time around. FYI, I have managed it twice. Anyway the hunting season closed on the 10th and we finally got home yesterday...How long the funk lasts who knows?

Mearn's (aka Montezuma or clown), Scaled (aka cottontop), Gambel's

Arizona claims to be the rattlesnake capital of the U.S.; hard to argue given anywhere from 13 to 18 species depending on who is counting. AZ also claims to be the Gambel's quail capital and from what we have seen past few weeks another claim hard to argue. While I have not heard Arizonians laying claim to the "Sunset/Sunrise Capital" from the many we've enjoyed since setting camp a month or so ago I'd say they really are missing the bet...This is a typical view to the west whilst Dave, Pam, Gale and Me sit the campfire sipping sundowners...Imagine!