Casa Cotton

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Day Trip Over Mount Lemmon

I love this picture. This is us near the top of Mount Lemmon at an overlook pull out. We had an amazing and fun day traveling up and over the back side of Mount Lemmon. We stopped for a picnic lunch at a place we call Three Tree Hill. We stopped by the Biosphere on the way back to Tucson. We wanted to go on the tour but they wanted $20 per person to look! We didn't think it was work $60 just to walk around inside. But, hey, we got some pics! :) Enjoy!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

More Photos of Our Day Trip to Madera Canyon

New FJ Cruiser

Second day of our first weekend with the new Cruiser. Spent all weekend exploring Sonoita and Madera Canyon. We had an absolute blast!!! Forgot just how much fun we used to have 4-wheeling! Today we packed lunch--ham/cheese sands, mac salad, apples and drinks. We stopped at this beautiful campsite off of a riverbed and ate lunch. It was a wonderful day!

Monday, September 1, 2008

These are the fruits of the prickley pear cactus. They are sweet and taste similar to pears. They must be charred quickly with a torch or over a flame to burn off the stickers. Once they are burnt off, you then simmer the fruits in a large pot with a bit of water until they are soft. Next you mash the fruits and smoosh them through a strainer to remove the seeds and pulp from the juice. You must also strain the juice through a cheesecloth to remove any tiny particles or stickers that might have been missed. Dennis gathered a big 7 gallon bucket full and they cooked down into about 2 gallons of juice. We hope to make syrup or jelly out of the juice. YUM!