Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Alfa gals, ducks, and flowers

I was invited to the Alfa gals luncheon as a thank you for holding a computer class for their group last week. Thank you to Jerri Sedio for the invitation.  Congratulations to Marilyn Goeken for another successful dinner.  Salads and desserts were top notch and there were many compliments.  It seems our Alfa group is very impressed with all the meals and they're truly enjoying our lovely park.  We've already talked several into staying longer and coming back for time next season.
 
 
The speaker for lunch conducted a hilarious session of "Laughter Yoga". 
 
 
The whole group was on their feet with cheers and laughter.  It was contagious and we all had a great time.  They're a great fun-loving group!
 
 
Later in the afternoon, I received a phone call from Diane (Davidson??) asking if I had already seen mama duck and her new hatch of 13 babies.  Yes....13!!  We hurried over to the creek just south of the pond on #13 and got some great photos.  This is really a recent hatch as the chicks are still fuzzy.
 
 
 
Another mama duck is hatching her nest right on the front lawn/gravel of a house on Oasis.  I'm amazed that she chose a nesting spot so close to a busy street but she's kind of hidden behind a bush and a big flower pot.  We felt so sorry for her today as she was out in the direct sun and was panting with her bill held open.  She was hot!  We saw this nest a few days ago and there were six eggs at that time.  No way to know how many are there now until hatching time. 
 
 
 I also spotted some baby killdeer running around on the golf course but there's no way to get a picture as they're way toooooo fast!  They look like little balls of feathers with long legs.  Cute!  I copied a photo from the internet so you could see them up close.
Internet Photo
Be sure to check the beautiful cactus flowers that are opening around the park.  These yellow blossoms are over on Sandy Desert by the west wall.
 
 
Here's the batch on Coyote.  There are plenty of buds still ready to open so they're putting on quite a show this year.
 

Safe travels to all of you who will soon be out on the road again!!