I surely have fallen down in posting my wanderings. I have to get better at this.
As I approach the date of my departure from Arizona and my beloved desert, the warm mornings take me deeper and deeper into the canyons. My camera ever at my beckon call, my eyes searching for ‘the picture’ I’ve captured some delightful wild flowers, gnarly bark, and broad vistas. This year is very dry and cool by Arizona standards. I love it! But the plants, amazingly resilient in this harsh environment, have taken their time coming to life. I read that they will refuse to appear if the weather is not to their liking and if they do decide to bloom, it is at their discretion. I believe it! This year the wild flowers are almost a month behind and, to date, far fewer than last year. But those that are blooming are displaying vibrant colour, more so than other years. I expect this is to attract the bees and to have a better chance at propagating. How clever of them.
Yesterday, my friend and I wandered up a canyon, stepped off the designated path and found ourselves in nature’s garden of desert wallflowers and verbena nestled against red rock and agave. Our shutters were busy. The day before that, we climbed high elevations and captured vistas.
My dear old dog does not wander with me anymore but she enjoys her bed by the back door where she keeps watch over the back yard. The sunrises and sunsets have painted the sky, these we enjoy together. Well, I do as she finds the perfect place to pee.
As I measure my car trunk against the closets of stuff that need to travel with me north, I count the days until I leave. I will be home in time to exercise my vote – I implore you to do the same, each ballot speaks to our freedom, please honour it.
Whenever I wander I’m always aware that my camera is in the car – just in case. But last Sunday, my phone rang at . “Grab your camera. We’re going up to Sedona.” Sometimes my gods are really up to the job because I had my camera in the house because I just charged the batteries – lots of juice for the venture ahead.
Snow had fallen overnight and Red Rock Country was draped in white wonder. My friend, the person who called so early, has a very different eye than I so we look for different subjects. I tend to seek unusual textures and contrasts, like odd skies and close ups. My friend looks for the total scene. By we had spent pixels galore. I didn’t catch that perfect shot but did get a few nice ones - the light was giving us some trouble..
By the skies were bright and the snow ran in rivulets in the gutters. As a displaced Canadian escaping winter – this is how one should experience snow. Back in Cottonwood, fewer than ten miles away there was only a skiff. Such is the weather in this part of the high desert. Monday, I was able to sit out on the patio reading.
This week, spring is here. The streets are lined with trees in blossom and several small desert flowers are starting to open. Every morning from now on will be a discovery walk as the desert comes into bloom. I expect there will be fewer flowers this year as it has been dry. But, a few showers can change that so if there’s any precipitation that will change everything. Desert flowers are amazing as they can lie dormant for years then come alive. There is always the chance that you’ll find a specimen that you have never seen before. A plant can be a green clump one day and the next be in full bloom. A guava spike can grow 2 feet in a day. So dear readers for the next little while do not be surprised if I rant about the desert blooms – it’s my thing. And I’ll post picture too.
Sure didn’t wander far yesterday, Clouds rolled in and dropped wet stuff all over the valley, the first since I arrived in this high desert. But rain in Arizona is very different from the OttawaValley. The gentle showers (albeit continuous throughout the day) were not at all unpleasant. A glance up the mountain told a different story though – heavy snow that closed the main highways. This morning is still cloudy but dry so I’m heading off with my trusty camera to see if I can get that unusual shot of the buttes. Tourists try to capture the bright sun on the red rocks, and rightfully so they are so beautiful. But I want to capture a mood that enters your soul. Today may be the day.
Speaking of soul and holding that special moment – On one of my regular trips outside to let Bailey do her morning pee, a shooting star, spotlight bright, sped across the entire sky following the curvature. It was but a split moment. I see it still.
Sometimes I wander into new experiences and last night was one. I went to a bluegrass concert. Didn’t know much of the music, however, just seeing the skill and dexterity of the performers strumming that banjo and fingering the guitars left me in admiration; man it was amazing. Bluegrass will never be my favourite but I wouldn’t hesitate to go again.
Ah, sometimes one knows when they have done the right thing. I pulled up the headlines of the local papers this week to see that Ottawa and most of Eastern Canada is in a deep freeze. And here I am wandering around basked in sunshine in Arizona! Yep, sure did that right. The desert is still sparse but some brave vegetation is starting to peek through, last year it was well into March before the desert plants came to life. As Bailey and I wander amid the cows, kicking up red sand, I watch for that special something for the camera’s eye. This Sego Lily I took last April.
Did I tell you that Bailey is the colour of Bailey’s Irish Cream? Of course that is how she got her name. Well she is now pink; especially her paws. The red sand does not take long to transform her. Have you heard of dirt shirts? They hang on every rack here to encourage the tourists to part with their money.
Speaking of money, it is sad to see how the economy has affected the little town where I spend my winters. So many businesses are no longer and the windows are blinded by sheets of plywood. I have had to re think my regular stops as several were my haunts are no longer. People are still turning there homes back to the bank to get out from under crazy mortgages. I count my blessings.
Here in the west the night skies are indescribably breathtaking. As I wander out each morning around 5:50am, to take Bailey for her morning duties, above me is a canopy of brilliant stars, some bright and large, some small and soft. The community I am in turn out their exterior lights at night letting the dense sky showcase millions of crystal lights sparkling against a black palette. Really, folks, they don’t twinkle – they just grab your soul.
Who knew there were numerous small stars below Jupiter? Each morning, I gaze at this wonderful array and wish I knew more about astronomy. Maybe I will enroll in one of the many courses offered here. High in the Mountain is the ghost town, Jerome, a former mining community turned tourist attraction, nestled in a depression – it too glows like a jewel, another morning treat. When I stand all alone (well I do have Bailey but she is sniffing other interests) it is as if the sky is there for me alone and I selfishly treasure it. I know no better way to start my day!
The morning was soft, puddles sparked in the night light of the motel, it was warm and promising. I headed for the lobby to stock up on morning sustenance and no sooner returned to my room than I heard a great explosion of thunder. I glanced out the door to a wall of falling water. Believing the local weather announcer that it would pass over by , I struck out at . Of course it is still black as could be at that hour but I like an early start, it was still raining but nothing disastrous. I was no sooner on the I44 than I realized the announcer’s mistake, I was driving blindly through a waterfall. Fortunately a truck pull-off was right there and I turned in, and jockeyed for a spot to sit awhile when the rain let up so I just drove through and back onto the highway. As I so often mention this wide open country is 75% sky and right about then I witnessed the most spectacular show of lightening illuminating the vast space above me. I was spellbound never having seen anything like this before. Ah, but it was all too short as the announcer was only out by 20 minutes – the skies cleared , the day lightened and I had clear roads ahead. The radio was still speaking of the snow storms and bad weather that loomed ahead so I was wary. That’s when I saw the hawk settle into a roadside tree, my good luck travel omen (I had only ever watched for my bird guardians on the start of my trips before), but I was not shunning this one and nodded my thanks. I can’t help but wonder why they are always birds of prey.
I did not know what I left behind until I arrived in Albuquerque in record time with great driving conditions and flipped on the TV to hear of all the devastation in Missouri and beyond with close to 30 tornadoes wreaking havoc and taking toll, the second greatest New Year disaster, what I had enjoyed as a spectacular light show. I scanned the stations to get news of the roads ahead, but could not get anything so ventured out early morning with my fingers crossed. That hawk was mighty. I have never had such glorious driving conditions and with the painted desert covered in snow, the red rocks breaking through presented textures and pallets one would otherwise never realize are there. At the 108 mile marker to Flagstaff, I scanned the horizon and was not disappointed as the white peaks of the San Francisco Mountains rose to the occasion. I drove into a picture perfect winter scene with the ponderosa pines laden with globes of snow and the ground pristine white. I have driven through there in winter conditions before (in fact, nearly always) but this was a treat. The temperatures, though were very cold (3 degree F) and as I turned down the I17 to Cottonwood I became alarmed that the snow would never end and that I was to arrive after three and a half days on the road at a place colder than home. Never failing as I rounded a corner ¾ of the way down the snow disappeared and the temperatures climbed. I arrived at my destination to glorious blue skies.
Well, I arrived, but my landlord didn’t! When he did, 4 hours later after I called, there apparently was a misunderstanding and a missed email. So Bailey and I sat in the car soaking up the sun. At this point, I think I should tell you, I was wretched, suffering a miserable cold for the entire trip fighting raging fever and a choking cough and to add to my misery, I misstepped while loading the car in Albuquerque and wrenched my leg, I am a very snotty cripple at the moment. Not only that, I was sitting at the curb for 3 hours staring at a garage door, the house looks less than desirable.
Finally a white SUV pulls up and the garage door opens. After apologies and explanations, Bailey and I open the door to a fabulous house. I am delighted! It has everything I need and is open and spacious. How deceiving those garage doors were. This morning, I wakened after a good nights sleep to the promise of healing, my cold is just yucky but the fever is gone and I am able to limp about without falling into everything. Today, I shall attempt to be the food gatherer and seek communication remedies. The New Year looks promising and I wish everyone hawks and owls in their lives.
