And the road goes on forever...

Saturday, June 12, 2010

A Simple Morning Walk

Some people say there is nothing to see in the desert. I don’t agree; you just have to have a camera slung around your neck and notice. Here, I’ll show you on this morning’s walk what I saw.

A blazing orange and yellow tangled mass of flowers belongs to the Mexican (or red) Bird of Paradise; actually these are quite popular here in landscaping and are breathtakingly bright. They attract hummingbirds.


An early morning shot of the golf course, quiet enough to almost catch the rabbits eating. Mother quail dives with her babies into the brush before I can fire off my camera.

Farther along, a magnificent cactus flower perched alone at the top like a crowning glory. And another.


Still in the same yard, some motion catches my eye running along the privacy wall and lo and behold, it’s the elusive roadrunner! He pauses long enough just to pose then is off across the yard diving for cover.



Like pimples on a youth’s face, this cactus is covered with the flotsam of spent blossoms.

Right around the corner is a beautiful agave thrusting its bloom skyward amongst its friends; the Saguaros and Pygmy palms looking on jealously.

I capture a flowering tree; some type of Acacia it appears from the leaf structure, and finally arrive at the reason I brought out my camera this morning. I am astounded to see what appears to be a plumeria flowering but had thought plumerias aren’t supposed to bloom or grow where it is so arid; don’t they need the tropical moisture and humidity of places like Hawaii? But what else could this be then? I’m dying to step up and take a sniff of the tropics but fear trespassing right into someone’s front steps so I merely dial in the zoom on my camera so I can get a little closer, then head for home.