Spring in the desert

Perfection comes each day—I wake up to glorious skies and warm weather. Every climate has its seasons though and this is springtime in the desert, a time when delicate flowers appear everywhere. When I look at the stark, dry sand strewn with rocks, I never cease to wonder how such beauty can survive here. Yet every walk reveals more and more varieties, splashes of colour that catch my eye. Of course, my camera is slung around my neck and I greet each perfect blossom with “oohs” and “ahs” then digitally capture them for my forever pleasure. One of the most delicate and, an unusually large flower for the desert, is the Desert Primrose. In past years I would thrill to find a few but this year they are in profusion creating carpets of white

Even perfection has its awkward moments and mine seems always to involve my car. Yep, I backed over a rock and shoved my tailpipe back. The local mechanics look forward to my regular visits!

Each day is filled—yesterday I walked for over an hour at one of my favourite places, rushed home, had lunch then joined three others to climb white cliffs outside Camp Verde to investigate some old ruins. It was probably not the smartest thing to do as the temperatures soared to 90 degrees (but there was a constant breeze). Three of us made it to the top and crawled through the ruins in awe, knowing we were in the homes of natives who had walled in these caves and lived there 1400 years ago (nothing deteriorates in the desert). We were high up, the valley spread before us, and the panorama was spectacular. We returned to Cottonwood where a friend had prepared a dinner of burritos and good wine. Oh, that was not the end of our day—three of us went into Sedona to a lecture on art history. My days are full!