The Glory of Spring Flowers

I hope you like flowers because it is now Spring and we have some of the most incredible flowers on earth to look at and enjoy. I am absolutely partial to cactus flowers. I heard one comment as I was walking around the Desert Botanical Garden the other day comparing a cactus flower to a rose. I would turn that around and compare the rose to the cactus flower. Photos are lovely but the reality of the flowers exceed imagination. This is beginning of my Spring bouquet. I hope you enjoy the next few days and weeks of cactus and flowers.

Civic Space Park, Phoenix, Arizona USA in Arizona

The Civic Space Park in downtown Phoenix, Arizona is a gathering place for the students attending the Arizona State University (ASU Downtown) Campus just across the street. The Park is across the street from the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. The Park is also located just south of one of the main terminuses of the Phoenix Transit System and has Light Rail stop adjacent to the west. The prominent sculpture that is the centerpiece of the Park, is called Her Secret Is Patience by Janet Echelman and was built at a cost of $2.4 million dollars. The netting is 38 feet off the ground and 100 feet tall and the three support poles are 102 feet, 125 feet and 145 feet tall. The netting is designed to show the movements of the wind. Its shape is supposed to reflect Arizona's cumulus clouds. At night the sculpture is illuminated and the colors represent the blossoms of the cereus cactus that are found Arizona Sonora Desert area surrounding Phoenix and the Salt River Valley.

Corner Posts

I grew up with barbed wire fences. When I was younger we called them "bobbed wire" fences. They were just a fact of life. They weren't designed to stop, or even slow, down young boys because we could walk right through them, but they were something to be reckoned with if you ignored them. They were not something you wanted to run into while riding your bike, for example.  This fence is made of "cedar" logs which are really juniper trees. Because of the climate and the type of wood, this fence may well outlast civilization as we know it.

Dust in the wind

This is the typical summer Haboob, a desert dust storm. Last year we had the largest dust storm on record. Yes, they are as bad or worse than they look, especially if you are allergic or have asthma. We are informed that we may have a few more of these this year given the drought and the change in weather patterns. I can remember seeing these almost all my life living here in the desert, but they are just as awe inspiring each time a new one comes along.

Our Spring is your Fall

One of the most vivid memories I have from my early youth was driving out to Saguaro Lake on the old dirt road and stopping along the road to look at the palo verde trees in bloom across to the desert stretching to the foothills of Four Peaks. Truly our Spring is your Fall. If you live where the leaves change colors in the Fall, you look forward to the display. We have our color in the Spring with our trees flowering. One thing, though, we know summer is right around the corner when we see the palo verde blossoms.

Over Abundance

When I get too much of the same thing, I have a tendency to begin to wash out the details and consider only the overall impression. Here, each of these gorgeous flowers would be a gem by itself. But in the abundance of blossoms they loose their individuality and become a background. It is only very rarely that I feel like a individual most of the time I am simply background. But even when I feel like a background, I realize that I can shine just like these individual flowers and my small spark of light will make a difference to the overall picture. As Christ taught, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16.

Abundance

It seems to be human nature that if you have one thing, you aren't satisfied, you need two and if you have two, you need three. Often people who seem to control that urge do so because of spacial and economic limitations. I am not going to try to claim I am any different than anyone else. I am basically a collector. But so is nature. Nature often works through abundance. Fields of flowers and forests of trees. But almost in denial of our acquisitive nature, we also price uniqueness. These aloe flowers are uniquely abundant. Perhaps we need to recognize beauty in abundance as well as scarcity.

Self Sufficiency

One thing I like most about cactus is their self sufficiency. With their terrible thorns, they are not looking for sympathy or outside assurances. No one is going to come along and pat them on the back and say, "There, there." They aren't looking for a handout. They live in an extremely harsh environment or at least one that doesn't pander to their every wish and yet they survive. There are no cactus welfare programs, no cactus disaster relief agencies, no one out there wringing their hands over the plight of a plant that lives perpetually without adequate water and no favors from the current administration. They work individually and pay their dues to the environment and warn everyone to keep their distance. By and large, a pretty interesting plant.

Spring Glory

Sometimes when I am suffering from hay fever and can't go outside without sniffling, I start to lose my appreciation for Spring. But when I brave the pollen and go for a walk, I see the wonders of wonders. Cactus can have small insignificant flowers or giant show-stoppers more than four inches across. It makes it all worth the itchy eyes and runny nose to see the glory of Spring in the some of the most incredible flowers in the world. Please take the time to click on the photo and see it in all its glory.

Agave Revisited

One of the most captivating things about cactus and succulents is the variety of their form and color. From some of the most spectacular flowers in the world, to some of the most remarkable colors and adaptations, succulents and cactus take the lead. This is another variety of agave. Rather than the gray-green of the most common type here in Arizona, this one is a vibrant green. These plants are not "cactus" although most people, even here, would put them in that category. Cactus are a very specific kind of succulent with very specialized spines. Agaves are also called Spanish dagger or Century Plants. The main plant sends up a flower stalk and then dies. However, the roots of the plant send up shoots and in reality, the plant continues to grow from the surrounding shoots.

Hedgehog Cactus

This smaller cactus, commonly known as the Hedgehog cactus, is fairly common in the Arizona Sonora Desert. In fact, it is so common that most people probably ignore it and avoid it as they would any cactus especially one with long sharp spines. Once a year this cactus shines. For a few days in the Spring, these cactus put on their own version of greeting the oncoming summer. I am always sad when I get too busy and miss the bloom times of these and other cactus. But, you can only take so many pictures of cactus flowers. Fortunately, I have yet to reach my limit of the number of pictures.

Agave

The desert is all about form. Sometimes it is a little bit difficult to appreciate the form when you are walking around. One of my early contacts with the agave was not so felicitous. I was hiking along the cliffs overlooking the Christopher Creek Box Canyon, when I slipped on a rock and the side of my foot went into a small agave. The ends of the branches are sharp, hard spines. The spine went right through my boot and into my foot. I can still remember the pain, 55 years later. It was excruciating and I still had to hike out the 10 or so miles back to our camp. Since then I have made peace with the agave clan and can think of them as beautiful. 

Modern Abstract

When I am walking around, I can see photographs. Everywhere I look, there are forms and contrasts of light and dark that form patterns. To see a portion of what I saw, you need to click on the photo. It is difficult from the photo to tell what you are looking at. If you were standing in this spot, you may or may not see the picture, that would depend on whether or not you were looking for a photograph or merely watching where you were going so as to avoid tripping. I have to admit that seeing photographs all the time is quite a distraction.

Organic Form

When I am not too busy with the cares of the world, I can see pictures all around me. I have started carrying a camera almost all the time and I am mostly impressed with the organic forms that appear like magic all around. This branch reminds me of a huge centipede, but regardless of the association, it is a wonderful abstraction in its own right. I wonder sometimes if many people see the beauty that surrounds them. Some people of the world have this concept as part of their culture. I think it is said best by the Walking in Beauty, Closing Prayer of the Navajo Way Blessing Ceremony, which says, in part:

With beauty before me may I walk.

With beauty behind me may I walk.

With beauty below me may I walk.

With beauty above me may I walk.

With beauty all around me may I walk.

Gold in the Desert

One of the hallmarks of Heaven is supposed to be that the streets are paved with gold. Gold is a pretty but very soft metal and I really can't imagine why they would use it for pavement. Here in the desert we have lots of different kinds of gold some even looks like pavement. This is the kind of gold that comes from palo verde trees in the Spring. The bright yellow flowers fall off of the tree into yellow drifts and coat the ground under the trees. I like think I like this idea better than gold pavement.

A Mountain Storm

Time to click on the photo again to see what this picture is all about. There are few things in nature more impressive than a really big storm. But the they are highly entertaining if you can stand on the sidelines and watch as the Weather Channel has discovered. I used to stand out on the Colorado Plateau with a view to the South and watch the lightning over the White Mountains. Every time there is a big rainstorm with lightning and thunder in Mesa, I run outside to stand and watch the rain. This habit got me quite a bit of ridicule in Panama where it rains every day. It is the storms that make life interesting but also difficult.

Self Portrait

Just in case you were wondering what I really looked like, here is a self portrait. You can tell from this picture that I was a likely draft choice for the NBA. Not really likely since I have played only a very few games of basketball in my entire life. This picture sort-of sums up life. Llike Jacob said, to paraphrase, in his account in the Book of Mormon, "...our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, ... in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren... wherefore, we did mourn out our days. Jacob 7:26

Womenhood with Children

This statute by Dennis Smith representing a statue by Dennis Smith representing womanhood with children is prominently displayed in the Church Office Building Plaza just east of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is one of my favorite places and I have taken a lot of pictures of the area over the years, but have not put many of them up on my blog. In going back, this was a particularly beautiful early Spring day with gorgeous flowers and a nice cool breeze. Part of me, in spirit, always lives in the mountains of Utah and the other part, the old physical body, lives in the desert of Arizona. I love the desert because it feels like home. I love the mountains because they feel like home. I guess its nice because whether I am headed for Utah or Arizona, I am always going home.

The Church Plaza

Even though I am really from Arizona, I have lived in Utah off and on during long periods of time. The longest time was during under-graduate and graduate school at the University of Utah. The center attraction of downtown Salt Lake City is Temple Square and the Plaza to the south of the office buildings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This entire area has changed enormously over the years. Recently, most of the buildings south of these two city blocks was redeveloped with the addition of many new buildings. the large building on the left used to be the Hotel Utah. It is now a Church office building and the main offices of FamilySearch, the genealogical organization I spend a lot of time with. This whole area is one of the major tourist attractions in the entire United States with five million plus visitors every year even more than the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It is a vibrant and interesting place to visit and I love to take pictures there.

More Goblins

These are entirely natural formations. The top rocks are sandstone and the yellowish bottoms are softer clay. The whole area is covered by these pint-sized formations. When we first went to Goblin Valley, there was a very bad dirt road and no improvements. We found the limits of the valley and had an adventurous time climbing the cliffs around the valley. Now there is a covered observation deck and a paved road with a nice parking lot. The campground has showers. But the formations persist despite the modernization of the location. In some ways when I see the encroachment of civilization I long for the days when it was like we were the first people to ever see the area.

Salt Flats

There are really very few places in the desert Southwest that the conditions are ripe for the creation of salt flats, that is vast expanses of land covered by layers of salt. The media would have you believe that salt flats were devoid of vegetation, but you can see in between the salt, there are plants growing. Albeit they are not huge plants, they do grow and thrive in this impossibly toxic environment. It you haven't guessed by now, the white stuff all over the ground is crystallized salt. Let's just say you don't want to be in this area when it is really dry and the wind is blowing really hard.

Goblins

Yes, there really are places like this. Yes, this is in Utah and not Arizona. It is called Goblin Valley and was only discovered fairly recently given all the places people poke around in Utah and Arizona. It is one of our most favorite places to visit in the whole world, even when the wind is blowing about 40 mph like it was on this day. Altogether the entire area is fairly small and it only takes an hour or two to hike around the entire area. It is now a Utah State Park.

Monuments

Humans seem to have a common drive to erect monuments to various events and people. Guess what? Most of those monument pale before the natural monuments already existing out there in the world. Nature creates its own monuments but doesn't leave much of an explanation why. There are few places in the world that hold more fascination to me than the clay hills of the Colorado Plateau. I find the endless shapes and textures so attractive, I could wander around in them for hours or days or even weeks, discovering new vistas and seeing unusual shapes. There are some hazards however, the clay gets really sticky and can be a trap if it is wet.

The Limits of Lake Powell

These four photos show the upper end, the limit, of the giant Lake Powell. Here in Southern Utah, the lake extends hundreds of miles up the Colorado River into the canyon country. But as with all reservoirs, the level of the lake changes with the availability of water and the releases downstream. What the pictures show is a vast flood plain in the canyons. At the time of these pictures  the the river was running in its traditional channel, but all of the surrounding areas along the canyons show signs of the higher water level either in the form of a white bathtub ring type mark on the canyon walls or in the huge mud flats of sediment left high and not too dry. Almost all of the photos you see of the effect of the lake show the water marks, few focus on the upper reaches of the reservoir and the impact it has on the canyon bottoms.

Deception

There is something deceiving about this photograph. Between the sandstone hill in the near distance and where I am standing is a precipitously deep narrow slot canyon called White Canyon. Looking out across the landscape the canyon is invisible. In fact, if you know, you can see the top of the far wall of the canyon as a low ridge of yellow colored sandstone in the mid-distance. So what would seem to be a short hike to the hills, turns out to be virtually impossible. Sometimes this is like many things in life. Things are not as they appear and what seems easy is in fact, impossible, just as a short hike towards the hill will reveal.

The Henry Mountains

This is one of my favorite photos. It was taken in the winter in Southern Utah looking towards the Henry Mountains just to the south of White Canyon. Unseen in the mid-range is the Colorado River and the upper extension of Lake Powell. Sometimes photography is more about chance and circumstance than skill and composition. I like to travel in the winter months because the weather is so unpredictable and I get a little weary of clear blue skies all the time. Clouds are quite entertaining.

Pony Express Trail, Edwards Creek Valley, Nevada, USA in Nevada

I have the tendency to travel places that are open, desert-looking and stop to look around where there is nothing in particular to see except the desert, the sky, the mountains, the grass, the historical sign, the sun and the wind. Discounting all that, most people would probably question why I was there. Sometimes, not often, I question why I am there. But then I make a connection with all of the above and the question is answered. I am there because it is me and this is the desert. Where else would I be?

The Pony Express Trail runs through Edwards Creek Valley in the western part of Nevada in Churchill County, one of the least populated parts of the whole continental U.S. The latest U.S. Census population figures for Churchill County were just over 24,000 people with a geographic area of 5,023 square miles, the county has 5 people per square mile. On April 3, 1860 the Leavenworth and Pike’s Peak Express Company, later named the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company started a mail service based on individual riders. The riders rode from one staged relay station to another, changing horses at each station and by trading riders, riding day and night across the country. The service only lasted until October of 1861 when it was replaced by the telegraph. In 1860, there were 157 Pony Express stations about 10 miles apart. This desolate part of the U.S. was one of the obstacles faced by the riders.

Cryptogammic Soil Crust

You may have to not only open this picture, but zoom in a little to see the soil. This is one of the better pictures I have of cryptogammic soil crust. This dark brown growth is alive and is one of the strangest of the desert phenomena. It is an association between algae, lichen, mosses, and fungi. See Wikipedia:Cryptobiotic soil. This soil is a good example of how much you can miss while walking anywhere unless you are educated enough to realize what you are looking at. When I was living in the jungle, I learned that it took a long time before you could see anything. When I first arrived, the jungle looked like a solid green wall. After a couple of years, it looked all different colors, browns and greys and blacks. This soil in the desert is like that. Casual visitors never know what they are missing.

Cliff Dwellings

There are a lot of cliff dwellings in the Southwestern United States. To me some of the most impressive are those that seem hidden and tucked away in alcoves far from any tourist area. Some of the most prominent cliff dwellings, like Montezuma Castle National Monument are inaccessible simply by virtue of the number of people that visit. Some of the other National Monuments, like Tonto National Monument, let you get right up next to the ruins. This particular ruin is in Bridges National Monument in Utah. It is accessible if you want to take a really long around about hike down into the Canyon. Maybe I will someday. You never know where I might end up going. I still have some time left to walk Arizona (and Utah). Hint: you need to click on the photo above to really see it.

Life and Death

Life in the desert is precarious. Come to think of it, life in general is pretty precarious. One thing about the desert though, death does not go away easily. This juniper log may have been here for a year or a hundred years. The dry atmosphere slows decay. None of the jungle's basidiomycota or deuteromycota, bacteria that rot the wood. While at the same time, the adaptive plants keep on living. Some of the oldest plants in the world live in the deserts. Sometimes we use deserts as examples of waste land, but it seems to me that both the living and the dead benefit from deserts.

Neighbors

During my life we have had a variety of neighbors. Some were friendly and accommodating. Others were difficult and prickly. Right now we are surrounded by neighbors who are nice enough, but aloof and we have little or no interaction. This photo reminded me of my neighbors. When I think about it, it turns out that I am one who is aloof. There doesn't seem to be a lot in common between the bush and the cactus. Do they talk? Share experiences? Do you think the bush takes goodies around to the cactus at Christmastime?