The Coyote and The Crystal

Today has been busy!  We were up early – in time to see the sunrise:

We heard the racers in the Parker 425 and saw the clouds of dust they raised most of the day, thankfully they were distant and really didn’t bother us much.

Jim gathered everyone’s trash to go to the dump, and while he was out he got more fresh water for us.

Rollie and Mike had the same idea about water and filled Rollie’s 40 gallon bladder.  They had a little left over, so we got our tank topped off too:

A couple of little desert dogs who love being able to run around out here:

While Jim was out working on the trash and water runs, I took the dogs (on leash) for our morning walk.  I went off the main road a ways, and off in the distance, I spotted a coyote.  He was coming out of a wash, noticed us (the dogs especially) and started our way, obviously curious about us.  I kept an eye on him while I started backing up, deciding to put more distance between us.  He was not threatening us, as a matter of fact, he just sat down and watched us.  I turned and headed back towards the road, up a small hill.  When we got to the top of the little hill, I stopped to check on the coyote again.  He hadn’t moved and by now we were so far away I could barely see him.  I turned back to continue on toward the road when a flash of what I thought was glass at my feet caught my eye.  I reached down to pick it up – not a piece of glass, but a nice size crystal:

I turned back toward the coyote and thanked him for crossing my path today, if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been at that spot on that hill to find this beautiful crystal!

This afternoon, Janna & Mike, Gina & Rollie and Jim and I gathered in a nearby wash with steep walls where we could safely practice shooting.  Janna described the action and posted pictures in her blog.

While we were busy with our shooting, Deb & Rod went to get propane & water and dump their tanks.  When they returned, they moved to a new spot.  After they got all set up, the four of us went into Quartzsite for dinner.  We picked the wrong restaurant this time though, it was very busy and the staff was way less than efficient!  Oh well, it was an interesting outing anyway!

Tomorrow, we’re hosting our annual Super Bowl party here at our place.  The weather forecast says it will be warm, but a little breezy.  Should be another fun day!