Eye to Eye

The washer and dryer are in full gear right now and the groceries, suitcases, bags of books, paints, magazines and other necessities are all put away. Another wonderful trip to my favorite place on earth is now a trunk full of such great memories. The Ya-Ya's, teenagers and I trekked up the mountains to a cabin surrounded by grand Ponderosa pine trees and fresh, clean mountain air. Ed and Mary, as ALWAYS, rolled out the welcome mat and we settled in in no time to our home away from home. Greeting us, to our delight, were 4 cabin kitties - soft, furry and so full of energy that just watching them romp and run and tumble and flip wore us out! A fierce thunderstorm and 1 1/4" of rain in half an hour was such a treat! We sat on the porch, cheese & crackers and wine in hand, and watched Mother Nature shower the forest with pure water. You just can't imagine the crisp, fresh scent that fills your lungs after such an event. Candle makers would make bundles if they could capture that scent.

But what has this got to do with my picture? Well... meet Kiko...

You see...Ed and Mary have a true menagerie tucked in this mountain spot. Sheep, pigs, ducks, geese, chickens, kitties, dogs... and yes, peacocks!! Two male and two female. I went down 'to the animals' one morning to see how the livestock was and Kiko was oh, so curious about me. So we eye-balled each other for several minutes. I tried several times to get a good picture of him without the chain link fence, but it wasn't to be. Just as I thought I had the shot, Kiko would tilt his head away...coy little devil. The next day, Kiko became a father! Two peacock eggs were being taken care of by a very sweet hen in the hen house (the peacock parents aren't interested in the caring of the eggs, just in the creating of them) and lo and behold, little peacock #1 hatched yesterday morning and then baby #2 was awaiting us this morning! Too cute and oh, so precious! Mama hen is quite dedicated to the warming and caring of her babies...even if they don't cluck, and she's doing a super job sitting on those peacock eggs.

Such is a part of what awaits one at this sacred spot on the Mogollion Rim. We had other awesome experiences over the 3 days there, but I will keep those in my heart and memory book for when I need a respite from the 111 degree heat.

Until the next time I run back up the mountain....