My weekend getaway with Mrs. Thunderer!

[The_Thunderer]

Awesome Fred.... The exit sign on the floor is for when you have to crawl out of the room to find more drinks..lol The only real reason I can think of is if there was a fire and the smoke filled the hallway. if you get low and crawl, not as much smoke.....Thanks tons for sharing

LOL... I actually had to move two wine glasses to get into the pic... so your FIRST reason was probably the more true of the two!! :sidestep:

You uns' look so happy together. Looks like it was a fun time!

Thanks!

Looks like you both had an awesome time! And you are so cute together! Thanks for sharing pictures! I love the ducks!

I loved them too! But when I tried to get better pics of the drake, they took off... scared us as they all left at the same time!

Looks like you had a great time Fred! Thanks for sharing the trip, what a lovely place to stay.

YOU are the reason I took pics! I don't know if you read, but since I asked YOU to take pics of your trip, I figured I'd have to take pics of my weekend! LOL!

Great pics Fred!!!!
Looks like you guys had a great time and you make a really sweet looking couple! And thank you for sharing the "Fred being silly pics", I wouldn't have expected anything less, they made me giggle

Thanks, Sue! I haven't done anything "silly" in a long time.... I'm such a stick in the mud! Felt GOOD!

Great pics, and I'm glad you had such a relaxing getaway. The exit sign is kind of funny... My thought would be that it's there so people can find their way out of a smoke filled hall, if they're crawling their way out.

Thanks, Michael! Yeah, we knew the reason... just wanted to be silly! LOL.

 

[Susielea]

Thanks, Sue! I haven't done anything "silly" in a long time.... I'm such a stick in the mud! Felt GOOD!

Have you ever read my signature line??? You should always make time for a little sillyness, or you'll just become boring and SWMBO may take a disliking to that

Thanks again for sharing

 

[The_Thunderer]

Have you ever read my signature line??? You should always make time for a little sillyness, or you'll just become boring and SWMBO may take a disliking to that

Thanks again for sharing

I HAVE read your sig! LOL. I guess I just have a "weird" sense of humor. When I think it is funny, others don't necessarily agree!

You're right! SWMBO does take precedence. I have a feeling that next time, I'll have to overcome my aversion to water... and swim... Ewwwwww.

 

[Susielea]

Well you could just do what my Mum does, paddle and splash, she can handle that (she has a strong aversion to anything deep enough to drown in) and we find it funny

But really, you don't have to swim, just have FUN!

 

[diamondlil]

I'm happy to take the reflected credit for your lovely thread, Fred! It's great to see the places everyone visits or where they live. If you just think how diverse we all are, living in hotter/colder/temperate/desert areas, I get a real kick out of seeing through other members' threads about what they see and do!

 

[vetusvates]

Those are great pics, Fred. Nice resort in Scottsdale. Clearly you had a good time.
I've only been hiking & camping in the extreme northeast corner of Arizona, but wish I could've seen more of it.

I like the exit sign on the floor, too. Maybe during a fire?

 

[Drizzt80]

You know what's super cool Fred?! (Besides the fountain peeing picture and the falling down drunk in the hallway picture?) You're wearing real shoes and not some goofy crocs shoes (while trying to look kewl holding a gun)!! :dgrin:


D80

 

[dave partington]

I think it's a Palo Verde tree
http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee330/Thunder_Dan/Marriott Getaway Pics/DSC02644.jpg
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Bird of Paradise foliage
http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee330/Thunder_Dan/Marriott Getaway Pics/DSC02651.jpg
and flower
http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee330/Thunder_Dan/Marriott Getaway Pics/DSC02685.jpg
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Canna flower
http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee330/Thunder_Dan/Marriott Getaway Pics/DSC02666.jpg
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Cottonwood trees
http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee330/Thunder_Dan/Marriott Getaway Pics/DSC02675.jpg
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Phoenix dactylifera, the true Date Palms (background, by the hotel). They only produce fruit in arid climates absent of humidity. Most of the date farms of California have sold off their fruit producing palms as the land has increased so much in value. Date Palms are now a major export to hotels, municipalities, and hundreds of other places where they get really good money.
http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee330/Thunder_Dan/Marriott Getaway Pics/DSC02677.jpg
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Cochineal!!! My favorite insect. (the white fuzzy stuff on the Opuntia / cactus pads. The reason the Spaniards came to the New World. At that time in history, red dye was worth 40 TIMES more than gold by weight. It took 40,000 to 60,000 insects to yield a pound block of red dye.
http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee330/Thunder_Dan/Marriott Getaway Pics/DSC02694.jpg
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Today Cochineal is in everything from womens' lipstick to red hotdogs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal
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Dwarf Poinciana, CAESALPINIA PULCHERRIMA. Hummingbirds love these things, and they do well in any climate where they do not freeze. Can take some frost. If over-wintered indoors, they need constant humidity and direct sun for at least 6 hours per day. Easy container plant if required conditions can be met.
http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee330/Thunder_Dan/Marriott Getaway Pics/DSC02703.jpg
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Thanks for sharing.
dave

 

[The_Thunderer]

WOW, Dave! YOU are a wealth of information! LOL. Thanks for "picking apart" my pics!!!

I'm gonna have to show my wife!

 

[The_Thunderer]

You know what's super cool Fred?! (Besides the fountain peeing picture and the falling down drunk in the hallway picture?) You're wearing real shoes and not some goofy crocs shoes (while trying to look kewl holding a gun)!! :dgrin:


D80

LOL... Not drunk... just being goofy. AND, I ALWAYS wear shoes. I don't like slippers and I WON'T wear crocs... Ewwwww....

 

[Ricky87]

Excellent pictures Fred, and with all the child raising you do I'm glad you got a well deserved get away. You too look so happy together, and the beautiful weather must have made it even more special; Just make sure to use the lavatories every once in a while...Parenting can wait, lol!.

BTW, were those real Scorpion lollipops, or just fake ones that were called real?. Only asking, because I thought Scorpions were poisonous. Either way I don't think they taste very good...

 

[The_Thunderer]

Excellent pictures Fred, and with all the child raising you do I'm glad you got a well deserved get away. You too look so happy together, and the beautiful weather must have made it even more special; Just make sure to use the lavatories every once in a while...Parenting can wait, lol!.

BTW, were those real Scorpion lollipops, or just fake ones that were called real?. Only asking, because I thought Scorpions were poisonous. Either way I don't think they taste very good...

Thanks, Ricky! I appreciate that you REMEMBER what we do!

With all the water we have to drink around here (it is SOOOO easy to dehydrate. The first thing we do when someone complains of a headache is tell them to drink some water), I visit the lav almost HOURLY. LOL.

As for the scorpion lollipops... they're QUITE real. Most of the scorpions in the US are harmless, but the Bark Scorpion is somewhat dangerous. I don't THINK that they use the Bark Scorpion in the lollipops. Interesting thought/question, though. As I said, when I ate one (years ago), I didn't get to the "scorpion center of the scorpion lollipop". LOL. EEWWWWW.

 

[Ricky87]

Thanks, Ricky! I appreciate that you REMEMBER what we do!

With all the water we have to drink around here (it is SOOOO easy to dehydrate. The first thing we do when someone complains of a headache is tell them to drink some water), I visit the lav almost HOURLY. LOL.

As for the scorpion lollipops... they're QUITE real. Most of the scorpions in the US are harmless, but the Bark Scorpion is somewhat dangerous. I don't THINK that they use the Bark Scorpion in the lollipops. Interesting thought/question, though. As I said, when I ate one (years ago), I didn't get to the "scorpion center of the scorpion lollipop". LOL. EEWWWWW.

I have a pretty good memory, and also the ultimate respect for those who raise children the right way. You guy's have a lot of kids, and if I remember correctly most are not your own. Being that I get overwhelmed with just 2 dogs, I can only imagine the workload you have. Therefore a vacation is vital to your sanity I'm sure!.

As for the heat, I am SO jealous. It's already getting cold in NH, and frost is already collecting on my windows. I guess it works both ways though, because in the summer there is no where else I'd rather be!. BTW, do those lollipops come in spider flavor perhaps?.

 

[The_Thunderer]

I have a pretty good memory, and also the ultimate respect for those who raise children the right way. You guy's have a lot of kids, and if I remember correctly most are not your own. Being that I get overwhelmed with just 2 dogs, I can only imagine the workload you have. Therefore a vacation is vital to your sanity I'm sure!.

As for the heat, I am SO jealous. It's already getting cold in NH, and frost is already collecting on my windows. I guess it works both ways though, because in the summer there is no where else I'd rather be!. BTW, do those lollipops come in spider flavor perhaps?.

I'm fairly sure they come in "spider flavor"... just a matter of finding it. LOL.

 

[Rich in KY]

In appearance the cottontail rabbit closely resemble the wild European Rabbit. Their tail has a white underside that shows when they are running away, giving them their name. Cottontail rabbits belong to the genus Sylvilagus.

Cottontails can be found through out North Central and South America. They will build a nest, usually in a burrow, and give birth to altricial young, meaning they are helpless at birth, born hairless with eyes closed.

Jack Rabbits on the other hand belong to the genus Lepus. They are true hares and not rabbits. They are primarily desert dwellers. The mother will find a spot to her liking and give birth to her young under a bush. They are fully furred with their eyes open at birth. They will then travel with the mother.

The easiest distinguishing factors are that Jack Rabbits have long pointed ears with black tips. The Cottontail’s ears are shorter and rounded. Jack Rabbits have very long hind legs. When they stand up their head is lower than their hindquarters. The Jack Rabbit has a divided upper lip which the cottontail does not.

Is Peter really a cottontail?