Echoes of the Southwest

  As I noted on an earlier post, my hubby and I, along with two others, bought 80 acres (two 40 acre lots) of land in the northeast part of Arizona. The land is near the towns of St. Johns and Show Low, AZ. We are very close to the New Mexico border with Gallup close to us as well. This month, March 2022, we start developing the land and adding structures to it. On one of our lots, the land is fairly level. That is the area my hubby and I want to put a house and other structures. The view from there is amazing. They will start with that area and grade the ground for our future home. They also plan to add a perimeter fence around the approximately 2 or 3 acres for security from the critters that roam in that area. Along with the fence and grading, they will add a septic tank, water tanks and a building to house a bathroom. It is very important to this gal that a bathroom be up there first, lol. My hubby will go up there for a couple days to see what they do and take pictures for me....

When you visit this ranch, you will see lots of historic rusty farm equipment, vehicles and a couple homes. I love taking photos of places like this.

When Sharon and I decided to cruise around New River, AZ and look for abandoned and historic sites, we wanted to photograph Shangri La Ranch. We heard there was lots of old buildings, but we couldn't find how to get into the site. What we didn't know was that this place was a nudist colony, clothing optional. Can you imagine how they would have felt seeing us take pictures or how shocked we would have been seeing naked people? I guess we will never know. Shangril La Ranch is one in several nudist lifestyles you will find in Arizona. They offer many amenities such as swimming, volleyball (in or out of the water), hiking trails and much more. They also offer a large clubhouse with many activities to keep you busy. You can also have social functions at the facility. If you plan to take a dip in the pool or sauna, no clothes or swimming suits are allowed. I hope that they have plenty of sunscreen on, especially during the harsh desert summers. If you are interested in an altern...

On Wednesday, after dropping my Mom off at the senior center, I decided to revisit Sahuaro Ranch Park . This park is near the center, historic, and a great place to take photos. Since I have been there a few times, I decided to look at the place a little different. I took photos of the building and objects surrounding the land in a whole different way. I was also pleased to find out that the park was host to the Glendale Arts Council Juried Fine Arts Competition. I found out that they have this exhibit every year and anyone can enter their paintings (watercolors, oils, acrylics, and mix media). I added my name to the list and hopefully next year I can enter one of my watercolors. Check it out:  Glendale Fine Arts Exhibit