Walking Bisbee with Hansel

 I never tire of  Bisbee.

My morning came to a quick halt when Mariah called me at 7am telling me my dogs were loose again.  I had not properly latched the side gate, because when I got to the house the side gate was pushed open enough for Zana and Wolfie to escape.  (Gretel was still in the back yard.)  Both dogs were in the front yard when I arrived, so someone was able to capture them and return them.

I took Hansel with me to Bisbee.  It's been a while since he got his special date with me, and he's a happy pup in public.  I don't have to worry about him snarling at anyone.  He seemed to be happy to be with me again as well.

I got to the Kafka Kafe just after 9am.  There was no live music today.  I sat at a small table with Hansel beneath it, watching the Jack Russel Terrier across the room.  He was calm and chill.  I had my cappuccino and was encouraged not to stay long, as the server took my empty cup just as Trevor and Amie walked in, my instructors from the Naturalist course last fall.  They took over my table.

Today I wanted to focus on side steps, the stairs not on the official Bisbee 1000 route.  There are plenty of smaller stairs in Old Bisbee, and I wanted to see where they went and what kind of yard art or murals I would discover.

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Most of these stairs end at private homes, but some of them offered unique views of vistas not on the main route, from yard art to landscapes or brick-laid walking paths.  All the photos today are of these new vistas.

The first new thing was seeing the after-effect of the Valentine's Day Fire on Main street that destroyed two businesses in the historic district.  Main Street is blocked there and a detour around a side street is needed for vehicular traffic.  The fire began in an upper floor, and the owner of B Active nearby (a business promoting Ebike rentals and gold cart drives around town) told me rumor has it that the fire was started by a hot tub connected to old wiring.  Two buildings are now completely destroyed.

I stayed in Old Bisbee, looked at the historic sheriff's office, then walked northwest on OK street, where I met a woman named Michelle from Indianapolis.  She was looking for the ridge trail that envelops the old town.  We walked together until we came to the unmarked trail at the end of OK street, then I continued back down into the Gulch to finish off at the Old Bisbee Brewing company.  

It had gotten warm enough to try a beer again and to cool down after being in the sun.  Hansel needed a break, too. I'm still limiting my alcohol intake, but today I was willing to have a beer again.

I walked into the place and sat at the empty bar.  Everyone else was upstairs on the sundeck. I tried a porter beer, a new style for the brewery.  I sat at the bar, munching on popcorn and chatting with a snowbird from Dayton, OH, Dan.  I lost track of time, as I wanted to try out a new breakfast joint in Warren-Bisbee to review for Yelp!.  

The kitchen was already closed when I got there at 2:40pm, so I just drove home with Hansel, after a short stop at the old Dairy Queen.  I ordered a Choco-Strawberry blizzard and enjoyed it while sitting on a red metal bench in front of the store, as I watched locals walk by.

It was a wonderful time spent with a great dog.  I'm looking forward to having normalcy again, to spend time with all my dogs in a new home.  They deserve it, too.

Exploring the new mountainbike trail along the river

 I left the high school at noon.  I skipped out of our usual weekly professional development.  I had to meet employees of Perril Construction.  This company will be redoing my home.  The demolition crew and plumber came by at 1:30 and were there for an hour.  Frederick, one of the adjusters, praised me for all the work that was done clearing out the house, but I reminded him that it was thanks to some employees who helped me.

An hour later, I felt like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I should have a new home by the end of the year, but geez, never thought it would take this long. This gives me time to go through things and save some things.

By 3pm I had Hansel and Zana in my CR-V. They barked the most while tethered in the back yard while the men were going through the house.  I wanted to reward them both with a free run along the river, much like I had done with Susan a few years ago so many times when Allie was still around.

I decided to call Susan to see if she wanted to join me, and surprisingly, she did!

We met shortly after 3pm at the Lehner Kill site.  Hansel was happy to see Susan again, jumping up on her with joy.  We opted to explore the new MTB trail that starts at the site now, marked with new iron-wrought trail signs which are easy to follow.  This new route was built out of social trails, crossing the nearby wash to continue north toward the already-established marked trail.

The dogs stayed nearby, chasing each other but also watching us closely.  We walked toward the old Boushay house that was destroyed in last April's fire.  It had been demolished.  All that remains now is the old stone wall near the artificial pond that is still getting aerated.

We walked around, mourning the loss of an era, then continued south along the river. The lack of any significant monsoonal rains last year kept the flora from regrowing, keeping the field mostly barren of the usual grasses and weeds that grow here in early spring.  The good thing is that watching the dogs run around is easier. 

It was a sunny, warm afternoon.  The 66F felt good.  The dogs were wet and happy as we walked a 3.35-mile square route back to our cars.  Two hours after the start, we bade good-bye to each other.  I went back to the house to work some more on clearing it out before driving back to  CC's house for the night.