The old tennis court field

When Kevin and I first moved here in late 2004 and before we moved into our home, we lived in a small apartment off Busby drive in Sierra Vista. Across the street was a bar and tennis club where we'd often go for Happy Hour drinks. While the bar is now closed and the tennis club is up for sale (but still open for players) the bar isn't the happening place it was ten years ago, when this was a favorite for Fort Huachuca personnel and thus a loud place.

Next to the tennis court is an open field filled with mesquite, sotol, pricky pear and other desert flora. People let their dogs run around here offleash. I let the dogs out here at times, too, especially on trips into town with them. This used to be an entire block size of open land, but a new apartment complex behind the Food City shopping area on the north end of this tract has cut the open space in half. Gone are the homeless who would tent here, then go across the street and beg outside Fry's Foods for money. Gone is also illegal dumping in this field, although a few old couches and household appliances still linger in the reddish sand. The open field is in the center of town with plenty of vehicular traffic off SR92 and SR90. This open space is probably going to remain an open area because there's a deep ditch that runs through the area and deemed a flood area. Storm run-off is now diverted through a man-made gully around the new apartment complex.

Yesterday I drove to Cox Cable in town to pay the internet bill and took Zeke, Sammy and Minnie. Luckily I wasn't at Cox Cable for long because the dogs were restless. They associate going for a ride with going somewhere fun, like the foothill trails.

It was already 5:30pm when I got to this place. We weren't at this field for long, but I wanted to give Sammy some exercise. I tend to ignore the non-hiking dogs in the pack like Zeke and Sammy and need to remember that they, too, need time to romp. This was Sammy's and Zeke's turn.

Minnie immediately found several tennis balls hidden under nearby mesquite trees, so I picked them up for her to play with back home. Sammy stayed near me but Zeke clearly enjoyed getting to run around offleash. He is a bundle of energy.

Another couple with their dog was coming to the field to walk their dog, so it was time for me to head out and give that dog his freedom. The sun was setting low by now and it was time to go.

Sammy enjoyed the ride and the romp. I'll do this more often, maybe take him to a closer but little-used trail in the foothills. He's still grieving over the loss of Sara, napping in her old spots in the house so I need to focus on him.