It's been a really wet winter here in the Southwest and that results a color we don't often see - green.
If you are in the Midwest (or anyplace else but the desert), this probably looks a bit stark, but for us this is absolutely lush.
Our green is different than the green of grass or oak trees or hydrangea bushes. It is verde. The exceptional rain we have had this year has made this cactus fat and happy.
Looks can be deceiving, though. These are Teddy Bear Cholla (choy ya). Don't you just want to reach out and stoke that fluffiness? That would be a serious mistake as it has needles so small they can't be seen, but will bury under your skin. Ouch! Beauty here is meant to be observed, not touched or cultivated in another environment.
Sometimes I miss tulips, daffodils and lilies in the summer, but Mexican poppies are also perennial and have the brightest oranges and yellows.
We also have beautiful wildflowers in the brittle bush. You may know recognize some of them in the heat of the summer or fall as tumbleweed.
It's not for everyone, but after 20 years, I can't imagine Spring any other way.
Today Sun stretched out to kiss Moon, Tenderly touching the midnight clouds Until they blushed in purple hues. Shy Moon faded, slipping a wan glance at her suitor. Sensing no return embrace, Sun draped his rays Over the shivering shoulder of a waiting mountain, Awakening the desert
Saguaro lifts his arms to the warmth. Javalina collectively shuffle to the shade of creosote. Coyote dogs slunk After a night of howling and carousing. In single file Quail whispers Good morning to her briskly moving brood Under azure skies.
Sun beams, strides warm Patiently steadfast, this steward of the day Lingering then, yearning, reaching back Toward twilight tendrils and tomorrow's chance To kiss his Moon.
O.K., I know that most of my "All About Arizona" posts are about the beauty and advantages of living in the Sonoran Desert. Today's post is not one of those posts.
It's scorpion season. Actually, in my neighborhood, most of the year is scorpion season. We live near the open desert so they are part of deal, including the ones living in your house. This summer has been particularly bad, probably because of the recent heavy rains we have experienced.
Here's a perfect specimen. Small, light brown with nasty front claws and the all-important curved tail. That little stinger over its back is what gets you. I've been fortunate - no "tags" (I prefer my term to "stings") in the 17 years we've been here. Unfortunately, that's not the case for my family. My husband was tagged on the hand last summer and my daughter has been tagged three times, most recently last week as she put on her shoe (it was inside the shoe). I'm told the feeling is like stepping on a cactus needle or shard of broken glass, but that's just the beginning. The next 4-6 hours is pretty excruciating pain which can spread over the extremity. After that, it's about 24 hours before the numbness goes away. Luckily no medical attention is necessary, unless there is an allergic reaction, which is rare.
In the last 12 hours I have killed three scorpions in my home. Two were tiny, about the size of a dime. (The one below is dead.) The tiny ones are supposedly the worst ones.
By now you're wondering why we haven't called an exterminator. I'm not a big fan of pesticides in the house, and frankly, they have limited effect on scorpions. As the weather cools off, we're waiting them out because they aren't around much in the fall/winter. Also, this year I have a secret weapon:
Those stories you hear about cats being immune to scorpions - that's pretty much true. Actually, the theory is that cats are very fast in striking and their pads are a little too thick for a stinger to penetrate. Whatever the reason, Lulu is an awesome scorpion hunter. She found two of the three I've seen in the last 12 hours. Unfortunately, she's not great at killing them, mostly because she likes to play with them too much.
So it's not all perfection here in the Sonoran Desert. There are a few pests to deal with, but I have my cat and a little time to wait them out until the most perfect time of the year rolls around.
There are so many ways to enjoy Arizona. You can hike, bike, climb or just stroll around. But if you want to see the essential West, you must do it on a horse.
I don't own a horse, but I love a good trail ride. Last weekend I ventured out with my favorite cowpoke (Mackenzie) to Fort McDowell Adventures for a 90 minute trail ride. It was hot, it was dusty, but boy, we had a good time!
Fort McDowell Adventures is located on the Fort McDowell/Yavapai Indian Reservation just outside of Fountain Hills, Arizona. It's a little more than 40 miles outside of downtown Phoenix, but it is the middle of the Sonoran Desert. Mackenzie was traveling with "Sugar" and I enjoyed my ride with "Max," who was a little naughty sauntering along, eating whenever he found anything remotely green.
We saw some awesome things in the unspoiled desert, mostly courtesy of the guide's two Australian cattle dogs. They found free range cattle and wild mustangs and barked wildly at both. We found the nest of a bald eagle (without the dogs), towering in a tall tree near the Verde River.
Ahhh, the Verde. Water is scarce in the desert and rivers even more so. The Verde River is one of the few exceptions of a "wet" river, at least the part of it that runs through the Fort McDowell Reservation.
The riverbanks of the Verde provided a stark contrast to the dry desert we just rode through. Green, with lush trees and evidence of beavers amid the river rocks. I don't think I've ever crossed a river (twice) on a horse. Very cool.
Mackenzie LOVED it. She would go everyday if she could. Me, I dismounted the horse and walked slowly like Popeye the Sailor Man back to the car. I was lucky that the "bow-legged sailor" didn't stick around too long. I was dusty, sore and smelly, but gosh, I had an awesome time and saw the desert the way it was meant to be seen - from a horse.
I hope I didn't scare anyone with the title, but this death sure hit close to home:
This giant saguaro was in our front yard when we bought our house 11 years ago and it was standing for well over 100 years in the same spot before the house was built. It was about 35 feet tall and defined our front yard.
It was the background for Christmas cards and Easter egg hunts and the foreground for many, many pictures of rainbows and blue skies.
It is survived by its smaller twin, but it's just not the same. It doesn't really matter what brought it down, but evidently it was an internal infection. These giant saguaros live for hundreds of years, but when a cactus wren (think woodpecker) makes a hole in them for bird condos, it opens a wound that can never heal. For our giant silhouette, it came down without anyone here noticing. Kent just looked outside during the day and it was stretched out on the ground.
I know it was a plant, but it sure felt like part of our Arizona story. RIP old friend.
I'm sitting here on New Year's Eve about to begin the festivities with close friends. 2013 is coming very fast, so I have barely enough time to think back on 2012. Here's the quick and dirty "best of"
I haven't written about a Chance Encounter in a while, probably because I haven't encountered anyone too interesting. The other night we looked out our front door and found a whole herd of interesting (sorry for the bad pictures - they were taken through a window).
Just in case you can't figure out what you're looking at, here's a better stock picture:
These are javalina (have-a-leen-a). There were eight of them on our porch, including at least two little ones. They were having a great feast on our leftover pumpkins. At one point a car made a loud noise about a block away and they scattered in a flash of little hooves clattering on the brick walk.
This one came back and he was very sassy. Right here he's standing less than three feet from me with only a window between us. He was chomping away at that pumpkin. At one point he raised his head and looked right at me wiggling his snoot. We were really connecting.
So now that you've seen these guys, guess what kind of animal they are. Razorbacks? Boars? Pigs? Well, not exactly. A javelina is a Collared Peccary which migrated over time from South America as far north as Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. They weigh about 35-50 pounds and travel in herds (like the herd on our porch). They have very poor eyesight, but a great sense of smell and pretty good hearing. If you startle them, they will run off but leave a musk smell like a skunk. That's why they're also called Skunk Pigs. However, "pigs" as known in the U.S. are derived from European pigs, while javalina are native to the Americas, so they are not related to domesticated pigs or feral pigs (razorbacks).
Their natural food is cactus, but hey, this guy lives in Scottsdale. He loves ornamental flowers. He has an accurate calendar and knows trash day. If you put out your trash can the night before pickup, you will find the street littered with trash from all the trash cans down the street. That's good eatin'. These guys even tried eating the votive candles and metal pumpkin pails in front of my house. This guy spared my pumpkins before Halloween, so I could hardly begrudge him a little snack and chat with me.
I guess we had a chance encounter over a good meal.
The approach of Fall in the desert part of Arizona is not much like the rest of the country. This is approaching our best time of year with clear blue skies and temperatures in the 70-80s. You won't see a cloud in the sky until the early spring rains in February. Fall begins when monsoon season ends. When I first heard the term "monsoon" used to describe a season in Arizona, I pictured torrential rivers carrying away houses. I guess there are some big rains, but to me monsoon season reminds me of the most beautiful clouds and sunsets.
These are all taken near sunset. The clouds in the east are reflecting the sun setting in the west.
You just can't take your eyes off of them, which is why some of these pictures were taken from the car. Now that monsoon season is over, we won't see these beautiful towering thunderheads for another year. Not to rub it in, but we will see clear blue skies all winter :)
Anybody who reads this blog knows I live in Arizona. I love living here. I'm not a "native" in that I was born here, but anyone who has ever been to Arizona knows that my 16 years of living here entitles me to the title of "native." One of the best things about living in Arizona is getting to travel to all the interesting parts of this state and to see the landscapes and creatures.
Last week I attended a legal conference on water law. The conference was fairly mundane, my third consecutive year of attending this conference. The one thing I look forward to every year is that the conference is at the Arizona Biltmore, the Jewel of the Desert.
If you have never visited or seen pictures of this world famous five star resort, it is an architectural dream. It opened in 1929, seven months before the Stock Market crash that began the Great Depression. It's unmatched character is the heavy influence of Frank Lloyd Wright both then and now. It is timeless.
The entire structure is made from pre-cast concrete block, made on site and known as "Biltmore Block." The strong geometric lines were designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. (Not many people know that Wright had a school of architecture - Taliesin West - in what is now Scottsdale. He was not a stranger to the desert.) Everything in the hotel follows these lines, from the mission furniture to the light fixtures down to the carpet. It's like a step back in time.
Movie stars and politicians could be seen at the Biltmore pool; Marilyn Monroe called it her favorite pool. My claim to fame is that my niece and nephew have each worked poolside at the Biltmore, my niece fetching towels and my nephew regulating kids going down the slide :-)
Every President since Herbert Hoover (in office when the Biltmore opened) has stayed at the Arizona Biltmore (with the exception of the current President). There is a cool hallway off the lobby that has a picture of each President at the Biltmore, usually on the golf course.
So many people think Phoenix is a recent oasis that popped out the desert, but it truly does have a history. A living testament to that history is the Arizona Biltmore. If you visit Phoenix, or just live in the area and have never seen it, its a jewel in the desert you cannot miss.
A disclaimer - I did NOT receive any compensation, consideration or even recognition from the Arizona Biltmore for writing this post. (I did use historical pictures from its website, but the current pictures are mine.) I love history, this is Arizona history, and the opinions expressed here are my own.
While everyone in the rest of the country has been celebrating Valentine's Day today, here in Arizona we are starting a centennial birthday celebration that will last all year. Today, February 14, 2012, is the 100th birthday of the State of Arizona. Arizona was the 48th state to enter the Union and the last in the continental U.S.
It took 56 years for Arizona to gain statehood and couldn't even get the Union to recognize it until the Confederate States of America named it as a territory exactly 50 years before statehood. Arizona has always been a wild and rugged place. Here are some fun facts you definitely don't know about Arizona:
Arizona is built on the "Five Cs": copper, cotton, citrus, cattle & climate
The saguaro cactus grows exclusively in the Sonoran desert, which is in Arizona and parts of Mexico
The hottest day recorded in Arizona was on June 29, 1994 in Lake Havasu City - 128 degrees. Strangely enough, even though I didn't live in Arizona at that time, I was there.
Arizona has more golf courses than Scotland
The first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor grew up, practiced law, was a judge and legislator in Arizona before being appointed to the Supreme Court
The town of Show Low was named during a card game when two men agreed the one who could draw the lowest card could stay and the other would go. C.E. Cooley turned up the Deuce of Clubs and said "show low it is".
The London Bridge was purchased and moved to Lake Havasu City on the Colorado River
Arizona has plenty of natural resources (especially copper, silver and gold) and gorgeous places to visit. Everyone knows about the Grand Canyon, but some other great places include:
Monument Valley
Bisbee
Tombstone
Arizona is a different place and not always in a good way, but different is also unique. It's not like anyplace you will ever visit, which is why we would love to have you come visit. Happy birthday Arizona!
When we moved to Arizona, the only critter I was concerned about was a rattle snake. That was 16 years ago. We live in a suburban area a bit removed from the immediate Phoenix metropolitan area, so we do tend to see more wildlife. To date, the only rattlesnake I have seen was about 1/2 mile from my home at my church. I watched a fireman pick it up by the neck and hold it up. It was 6 feet long. Since then, the only Diamondbacks I have seen are at the baseball game or in a tank.
I didn’t imagine then what other critters I would frequently see. Here is the one I see most frequently:
This is a bark scorpion which we find in our home on a semi-regular basis. They are venomous, and when they sting it hurts – a lot. It can also make your extremity swell or feel warm and tingly. I have never been stung, but my daughter was about a year ago and it was a very long night for my husband and I. We also find these on occasion. It’s a black widow spider:
Another critter we see every so often are javalinas. These are pretty unique to Arizona, and they look like wild pigs. Funny thing is, they aren’t related to pigs at all. I don’t have my own picture because they tend to herd around at night. This picture was taken about 3 miles from my home, but he’s pretty typical. I think they have a schedule of when our trash is picked up because they routinely turn it over the night before pickup.
We do see coyotes sometimes, but mostly we hear them – every night. Sometimes they make the sound of a woman or child screaming and packs of them love to call out to each other. It is really something eerie to hear them barking and wailing.
Finally, the most interesting animal we see at least a couple times of year is this one:
NO, NOT THAT ONE, THIS ONE:
This is a bobcat. The one we see likes to come up from the wash on the side of our house and wander around in our front yard. A couple weeks ago I parked my car in the driveway in front of our house. As I walked to my car and came around the corner to get in, I encountered my furry friend about 3 feet away. They are beautiful animals, and when you see them you immediately think of a big housecat – think 40 pound kitty. Luckily, they don’t usually want to see us any more than we want to see them (except the time one stood next to our house and looked in the window).
While many people would think it’s scary to live out here in the desert, I’ve learned to enjoy the unique critters we see just like I love the unique plants and scenery. How many people can say they see this sight 2 blocks from their home?
