Yucca in bloom

 

Yucca plants are not cactus although they are succulents and thrive in dry climates. They are also not confined to desert regions. They bloom annually and grow slowly. Here is a short explanation from Wikipedia: Yucca. 

Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry (arid) parts of the Americas and the Caribbean.

Aloes in the desert

 

Aloes are common as landscape succulents, ingredients in skincare products, and even as an additive to some health foods. They are desert plants from Africa that are now commonly grown in the deserts of the United States. We grew aloe vera around our home in Mesa, Arizona for many years. This photo was taken along the Queen Creek at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum on a recent trip back to the Salt River Valley. 

Utah Territorial Statehouse, Fillmore, Utah

 

Quoting from Wikipedia, Utah Territorial Statehouse, 

The Utah Territorial Statehouse, officially Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum, is a state park in Fillmore, Utah, preserving the original seat of government for the Utah Territory. Built from 1852 to 1855, the statehouse was initially intended as a larger structure, but only the south wing was completed before the project was abandoned due to lack of federal funding, and the Utah Territorial Legislature met in the building only once before the capital was moved to Salt Lake City in 1856.

Ocean Waves

I am fascinated by waves. I like to watch them and try and see the patterns in the size of the waves breaking on the shore. We were surprised to see these waves coming ashore in the Gulf of Mexico along the west coast of Florida. Most of the Gulf Coast only has waves during storms. As someone who has lived in the desert almost my entire life, seeing all that water is always impressive. 

The 16th Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama

 

During a recent trip, we stopped at several historically important civil rights sites in the southern United States. One of our stops was in Birmingham, Alabama to see the exterior of the 16th Street Baptist Church and to visit Kelly Ingram Park across the street. Here is a short discussion from Wikipedia about the importance of this church. 

The 16th Street Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention. In 1963, the church was bombed by Ku Klux Klan members. The bombing killed four young girls in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. The church is still in operation and is a central landmark in the Birmingham Civil Rights District. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Since 2008, it has also been on the UNESCO list of tentative World Heritage Sites.

Here is a description of the events in 1963 from the same article.

During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the 16th Street Baptist Church served as an organizational headquarters, site of mass meetings and rallying point for African Americans protesting widespread institutionalized racism in Birmingham, Alabama, and the South. The reverends Fred Shuttlesworth, who was the chief local organizer, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)) leader Martin Luther King Jr., and SCLC leader James Bevel, who initiated the Children's Crusade and taught the students nonviolence, were frequent speakers at the church and led the movement.

On Sunday, September 15, 1963, Thomas Blanton, Bobby Frank Cherry and Robert Edward Chambliss, members of the Ku Klux Klan, planted 19 sticks of dynamite outside the basement of the church. At 10:22 a.m., they exploded, killing four young girls - Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair. Twenty-two other victims suffered injuries. They were there preparing for the church's "Youth Day". A funeral for three of the four victims was attended by more than 8,000 mourners, white and black, but no city officials.

This was one of a string of more than 45 bombings within the decade. The neighborhood of Dynamite Hill was the most frequently targeted area during this time. The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church increased Federal involvement in Alabama. President Johnson passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act the following year; and in 1965 the Voting Rights Act was passed, making literacy tests and poll taxes illegal.

Following the bombing, more than $300,000 in unsolicited gifts were received by the church and repairs were begun immediately. The church reopened on June 7, 1964. A stained glass window depicting a black Jesus, designed by John Petts, was donated by citizens of Wales and installed in the front window, facing south. 

My life changed dramatically during the 1960s. I spent two years in Argentina as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I came back with a changed perspective about poverty, racial equality, and civil rights.  

Really Red

 

We have to go elsewhere to see the spring tulips. We live close to the high mountains and have a herd of deer living in our yard. Deer love to eat tulips. But we do enjoy all the ones grown by others. 

Bloom where you are planted

 

For many years, our family had a prominently displayed plaque saying: bloom where you are planted. The idea is the many of life's circumstances are beyond our control such as this lonely daffodil in a carpet of thorn bushes. We need to stop being a victim and take control of our lives. We may not be able to change our circumstances but we can change our attitude and still make something of our lives.  

Ornamental Cabbage

 

Quoting from the Wisconsin Horticulture Website: 

What are ornamental cabbage and kale?  Ornamental cabbage and kale (also known as “flowering” cabbage and kale) are in the same species (Brassica oleracea) as edible cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.  While ornamental cabbage and kale are edible, they tend to have a bitter flavor and are often used in a culinary setting as garnishes.  Ornamental cabbage and kale are prized primarily as colorful additions to home gardens where they are grown for their large rosettes of white, pink, purple or red leaves.  Technically, ornamental cabbage and kale are all kales (kales produce leaves in a tight rosettes; cabbages produce heads).  But in the horticultural trade, ornamental kale is the term used for types with deeply-cut, curly, frilly or ruffled leaves.  Ornamental cabbage is the term used for types with broad, flat leaves that are edged in a contrasting color.  Ornamental cabbage and kale grow approximately one foot wide and 15 inches tall.  There are many cultivars that are commercially available.

Unfortunately, we have a herd of deer that live next to our property and we would not want to encourage them by planting cabbage.  

A Bright Spot on a Cloudy Day

 

We took a walk in the Spring rain and found this beautiful cluster of daffodils. Their bright yellow flowers added a special spark to our day. 

Flying North in the Spring

 Out walking during a light rainstorm, we were surprised and amazed to see huge flocks of geese flying north in the spring storm. We are guessing that they are cranes from the wing outline and the long necks. It was a rainy and cool weather day but worth every minute of what we saw. 

A Duckweed Swamp

 

This is a swamp where the water is completely covered with duckweed. We were out looking for alligators but it was too early in the year to really see any of them. Here is a description of these wonderfully small plants from Wikipedia: Lemnoideae.

Lemnoideae is a subfamily of flowering aquatic plants, known as duckweeds, water lentils, or water lenses. They float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water and wetlands. Also known as "bayroot", they arose from within the arum or aroid family (Araceae), so often are classified as the subfamily Lemnoideae within the family Araceae. Other classifications, particularly those created prior to the end of the twentieth century, place them as a separate family, Lemnaceae.

These plants have a simple structure, lacking an obvious stem or leaves. The greater part of each plant is a small organized "thallus" or "frond" structure only a few cells thick, often with air pockets (aerenchyma) that allow it to float on or just under the water surface. Depending on the species, each plant may have no root or may have one or more simple rootlets.

 

Reflections at the end of the day

 Spending time just watching the waves and the sunset. Here is a poem to go with this sunset. 

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Dreams by Langston Hughes

Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas

 

On a recent trip through some of the southern states of the United States of America, we stopped off at the historic Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. During most of the early integration conflict in the United States, I was too young and inexperienced to appreciate what was going on. Now that I have seen a lot more history and learned a lot more about what was happening during my early years, I have a greater appreciation for the courage and sacrifices made to integrate our nation's schools. I spent many of my early years living in a totally segregated town. I did not even realize it was segregated until many years after I moved on to other places. Here is a brief summary of the importance of this Central High School from Wikipedia: Little Rock Central High School.

Built in 1927 at a cost of $1.5 million, Little Rock Senior High School was designed in the Gothic Revival style; it was hailed as the most expensive, most beautiful, and largest high school in the nation. Statues of four figures over the front entrance represent ambition, personality, opportunity, and preparation. Its opening earned national publicity, with nearly 20,000 people attending the dedication ceremony. In 1953 it was renamed as Little Rock Central High School.

At the time in Arkansas and other states across the South, public school educational facilities were legally racially segregated. In 1954 the US Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that such segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, and encouraged the states to integrate their schools. Related historic events in the 1950s changed education at Central High School and throughout the United States.

LRCHS was the focal point of the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957. Nine Black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, were denied entrance to the school in defiance of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling ordering integration of public schools. This provoked a showdown between the Governor Orval Faubus and President Dwight D. Eisenhower that gained international attention.

On the morning of September 23, 1957, the nine Black high school students faced an angry mob of over 1,000 Whites in front of Central High School who were protesting the integration project. As the students were escorted inside by the Little Rock police, violence escalated, and they were removed from the school. The next day, Eisenhower ordered the 1,200-man 327th Airborne Battle Group of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to escort the nine students into the school. By the same order, he federalized the entire 10,000-man Arkansas National Guard, in order to remove them from the control of Governor Faubus. At nearby Camp Robinson, a hastily organized Task Force 153rd Infantry drew guardsmen from units all over the state. Most of the Arkansas Guard was quickly demobilized, but the ad hoc Task Force 153rd Infantry assumed control at Thanksgiving when the 327th withdrew, and patrolled inside and outside the school for the remainder of the school year. As Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the nine students, wrote in her diary, "After three full days inside Central [High School], I know that integration is a much bigger word than I thought."

I fully realize that the challenges of race relations are hardly over. During our short trip through the South, we still saw Confederate flags flying. 

A Controlled Burn

Fire is a naturally occurring event in the life of a healthy forest. Uncontrolled fires are destroying many places around the world, especially in Australia and U.S. western states. A beneficial alternative is a controlled burn. This particular burn was in a Conservation Park area near Panama City Beach, Florida.

Florida Sunset

 

Long days on the beach capped with a lovely sunset. We enjoyed a short trip to Florida for our "Spring Break." Despite our age, our lives are still governed to some extent by the school year. This photo was taken on the beach in Panama City Beach, Florida. 

Double Sun

 

This is actually a very bright sun dog that makes it look like there are two suns. This appeared over Panama City Beach, Florida. It is an unusual phenomenon that only appears when there is a particular cloud formation at a specific altitude. 

Walking on the Beach

 

I love the beach but I love mountains more. This is one of the most beautiful beaches I have visited around the world. It is Panama City Beach, Florida. The water is relatively warm and there is a manageable surf. The sand is white, fine, and soft. The weather is warm enough to enjoy the water. What more can you ask?

Hot Springs, Arkansas

 

Sometimes I end up visiting places I never dreamed I would be visiting. I have read about Hot Springs, Arkansas for years but to actually be there was interesting, to say the least. Whatever it was that I imagined about the place did not comport to any reality of being there. The place reminded me of all the other resort towns I have visited with the twist that most of the town was in a national park. There certainly are hot springs and the main street is still lined with bathhouses. It was an interesting place to visit. This photo was taken from the top of a high observation tower outside of the town. 

Into Spring with Double Tulips

 

We had a wonderful time looking at the tulip gardens at the Gavan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It was a lovely warm day and the double tulips were gorgeous. 

Looking Up and Down in San Francisco

 

A trip to San Francisco has always been a treat. We used to travel there regularly for work-related conferences but now we only get there every few years. However, it is one of those places I like to visit but would not want to live. Growing up in the Salt River Valley has made me appreciate cities with mostly flat land and wide, straight streets. Granted, some of the streets in San Francisco are straight, for a few blocks until they cross into a new section but Phoenix streets run for miles. I guess I also like the desert although the oceans do have some attractions.