The Houston Chronicle recognized outstanding nurses during a luncheon on May 2, 2023. Each year, the Houston Chronicle honors the top nurses across Greater Houston during their Salute to Nurses event. In 2023, 200 recipients were selected through a public nomination — included are seven UT Physicians employees. Kenne was recognized as one of the Top 15 this year.
Considered one of the top cattle and guest ranches in the southwest, Tanque Verde Ranch is located on 60,000 acres of Tucson’s most breathtaking desert landscapes in the Rincon Mountains foothills adjacent to Saguaro National Park and Coronado National Forest.
Established in 1868, Tanque Verde Ranch is recognized as the last luxurious outpost of the old west providing guests with comfortable accommodations, unparalleled amenities, and a vast array of exciting activities, including horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, hiking, and more!
Originally purchased and settled as a cattle ranch by Rafael and Emilio Carillo, the land was sold to Jim Converse in the early 1900s. It was sold in 1957 to the Bob Cote family, which has owned it ever since.
Tanque Verde became a guest ranch under Converse, who saw the move as an opportunity to attract those interested in cowboylife. The number of guest ranches in southern Arizona has dropped since the 1950s from around 55 to seven or eight today,
A wall in the Tanque Verde Ranch sales office.
Kiva Dinning Room
A statue near the original ranch house.
Mesquite trees shadow the path to some of the cottages.
The Desert Garden cottage area.
These days, the ranch has added hiking, tennis, mountain biking and nature programs, as well as a health spa, for its guests. It has also brought in televisions and wireless Internet.
A few weeks ago, President Biden designated the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Southern Nevada. Stretching from the Newberry mountains in the east to the New York, South McCullough, Castle, and Piute mountains in the west, these lands feature dramatic peaks, scenic canyons, natural springs, sloping bajadas covered with ancient Joshua tree forests, unique grasslands, and a rich history of rock art and other cultural sites.
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Area
While Joy and her sisters were spending time together in Laughlin, I drove to Spirit Mountain in the nearby Newberry mountains, which is called Avi Kwa Ame by Yuman-Speaking Tribes. (Fun Fact: If measured by the state with the number of named mountain ranges, then the distinction goes to Nevada, according to a member of Blurtit.com, an online question-and-answer community, is the most mountainous in the Lower 48.)
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Area
My visit to this area was just to the eastern edge of the Monument.
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Area
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Area
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Area
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Area
The road I took in the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument was very primitive, making access to my BMW coupe very difficult. The road was primarily fine gravel, making going up steep inclines challenging. As a result, I had to turn back before getting to Spirit Mountain. Even so, I plan on going back sometime soon.
On the morning of April 4, 2023, the creator of the Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists organization, David Wentworth Lazaroff gave a talk on his new book, Picturing Sabino.
Picturing Sabino represents three decades of work on the history of Sabino Canyon.
David became fascinated by Sabino Canyon while working there as an environmental education specialist from 1977 to 1986.
Picturing Sabino tells the story of the canyon’s transformation from a barely known oasis, miles from a small nineteenth-century town, into an immensely popular recreation area on the edge of a modern metropolis. Covering a century of change, from 1885 to 1985, this work rejoices in the canyon’s natural beauty and also relates the ups and downs of its protection and enjoyment.
Wildflowers in Picacho Peak State Park — Images by kenne
Picacho Peak State Park is a state park surrounding Picacho Peak in Picacho, Arizona. The park is located between Casa Grande and Tucson near Interstate 10 in Pinal County. Its centerpiece spire is visible from downtown Tucson, a distance of 45 miles. The summit rises to 3,374 feet above mean sea level.Wikipedia
Cochise Stronghold is located west of Sunsites, Arizona, in the Dragoon Mountains at an elevation of 5,000 ft. This beautiful woodland area lies in a protective rampart of granite domes and sheer cliffs, once the refuge of the great Apache Chief, Cochise, and his people. Located within the Coronado National Forest, it is managed by the Douglas Ranger District. — Source: https://cochisestronghold.com/
American White Pelicans White Over in East Texas — Photo Gallery by kenne
Lakes, marshes, salt bays. In breeding season mostly inland, nesting on isolated islands in lakes and feeding on shallow lakes, rivers, marshes. Feeding areas may be miles from nesting sites. Also breeds locally on coastal islands. Flocks in migration stop on lakes, rivers. Winters mainly along coast, on shallow, protected bays and estuaries, also on large lakes in warm climates. Source: audubon.org
Mule Deer in Sabino Canyon (November 8, 2022) —- Images by kenne
On the SCVN Bird and Plant walk (November 8, 2022), we spotted a mule deer eating what appeared to be prickly pear pads. We are aware that deer will eat the fruit but not the pads. You can tell from these photos that she seems to enjoy the chew. However, she began to sneeze and use her left hind hoof to scratch her head — wonder why.
