Your intrepid blogger with a large man with curly blond rocker hair who insists he's her husband, rocks and Sonoran Desert vegetation in the background

A post-Thanksgiving hike in Sabino Canyon

Instead of participating in the Hunger Games Black Friday shopping, Long-Suffering Husband and I hiked in Sabino Canyon, a gorgeous natural area at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. And you know what happens whenever I hike in the desert:

Cactus pics!

Also trail pics and rock pics and blue Arizona sky and…

But before we get to all the Sonoran Desert wonderfulness: Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer! Grab a treat, have a seat, and let’s get to it.

A fall hike in Sabino Canyon

We’d planned to take the tram into Sabino Canyon, but apparently the rest of Tucson also wanted to spend Black Friday up there, because tram tickets were sold out for the day. So we asked a ranger to recommend a not-too-strenuous hike, and off we went.

Sabino Lake Trail and Bluff Trail

There’s just something magical about a trail that compels me to follow it. A footpath disappearing around a corner piques my curiosity, and off I go.

Rock formations

We got to see all sorts of interesting rock formations on our hike, including these:

Along the (dry) creek

Sabino Creek had water in it when I visited last November (see this post for photographic evidence). We had a drier summer this year, so other than a few very small pools of very stinky water, it was dry up there–but still pretty.

Scary Cactuses

It wouldn’t be one of my Sonoran Desert posts without pictures of funny-looking cactuses–or in this case, creepy cactuses that look like they’ve come to steal your soul.

Critters!

Sabino Canyon has lots of wildlife, but we didn’t see too much of it on this trip.

Yes, there’s really a tarantula in that hole. If you click to enlarge the image, you’ll see it.

And finally, there’s these two weird-looking creatures:

Your intrepid blogger with a large man with curly blond rocker hair who insists he's her husband, rocks and Sonoran Desert vegetation in the background
Chillin’ trailside with Long-Suffering Husband

I’ve resolved to get outside as much as possible between now and early May, so maybe I won’t mind being trapped inside by the heat all summer. Friday’s hike was a great start.

Writing news–and a chance to win a free book

One of my previously-published short stories got selected for a best-of anthology! I can’t share the details just yet, but I will as soon as I can. And when the book comes out, hopefully before Christmas, I’m going to raffle off a copy to one of my newsletter subscribers. So if you want a chance to win, sign up for my newsletter. I usually send emails no more than once a month, so I promise not to overwhelm your inbox. You’ll also get a free short story just for signing up.

Note that subscribing to my newsletter is different from subscribing to my blog (I know, I know, let’s find a way to make life even more confusing), so even if you get these posts in your email, you may not be on the newsletter list.

Catch me on the Mysterious Goings-On Podcast this Wednesday!

Promo image for my interview on an episode of the Mysterious Goings On podcast called "Janet Alcorn on Writing Your Own Destiny." Available at www.mgopod.com and on Apple Podcasts. Air date: November 29, 2023. Episode length: 54 minutes, 8 seconds.

My interview with Alex Greenwood on the Mysterious Goings-On podcast is scheduled to be released this Wednesday, November 29. We talk about using short stories to launch a writing career and a bit about how I got started writing. Check it out wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you’re an author, consider pitching Alex to go on his show. He’s an excellent interviewer!

The memery

If I were a more diligent curator of memes, I’d have a batch of Thanksgiving humor for you. But since I’ve spent significant parts of the last several days in a food coma, you get a bunch of old memes I dug out of the back of my hard drive. Hey, ’tis the weekend for leftovers.

Here we go:

Lately when Long-Suffering Husband and I can’t decide where to eat, we’ve defaulted to eating at home. Saves lots of money.

This next one sounds like an urban legend, but I really, really hope it’s true. I also think it should be made into a TV show. I mean, they made a show called Drunk History, so ancient phalluses should be fair game.

Eggs are also pretty good seasoned with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cream, and pumpkin. Just sayin’.

I’m amazed people my age didn’t require skin grafts every summer because of those things.

And finally:

I’d love to write more, but my bastard son’s shrubbery was ravaged by orcs. See you next week!

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