For all the toll the desert takes of a man it gives compensations, deep breaths, deep sleep, and the communion of the stars. – Mary Austin

A desert is a place without expectation. – Nadine Gordimer

We started the morning off with a drive through Saguaro National Park East. I’ve always loved desert forms and shapes. They are endlessly fascinating. The strange shapes of the desert plants give clues to their unique ability to survive in the harsh environment of the desert. The amount of life in the southwestern U.S. deserts is staggering.

The Rincon Mountain District, which is where we were driving and walking, is home to 1,162 species of plants. Simply amazing! 25 of those plant species are cactus.

Today, we saw many birds and a jack rabbit. There were signs showing that wild pigs or javelinas roamed the area, but we didn’t see any on this trip. Maybe next time.

The Giant Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) is one of my favorites and is an icon of the west. Within the Saguaro National Park there are 1.6 million of them. It is one of my favorite forms in the southwest. The Giant Saguaro lives on the average about 150 years but some live to be 200 years old. During the rainy season, they are able to absorb 200 gallons of water, store it and then use the water throughout the remainder of the year. A 20 foot Saguaro specimen can weigh up to 2000 pounds.

Many species of birds use the Saguaro including the gilded flicker, gila woodpecker, elf owls, screech owls, purple martins, finches, harris hawk, red-tailed hawk and sparrows. Other animals like the bat and many rodents eat the Saguaro fruit.

I’ve always found walking around the desert to be both relaxing and invigorating at the same time. I’m not sure what causes that dual feeling, so I tend to just enjoy it instead of questioning it.

If you’re interested, please view my other photos from this morning’s shoot.

Have a great day!

Michael

It was initially quite overwhelming. There is so much to see that you don’t really know where to start. So, we just picked a location and then a booth and moved on from there. After awhile you start to see things that inspire you and then you get into a flow.

I love specimen mineral pieces, wooden carvings from Bali and small bronze statues from India. So, I focused on those booths and kept my eyes open for other interesting things. We had a lovely lunch at a restaurant called Feast. It was a nice break from the myriad displays. What was surprising was how fast 1:00 p.m. came. It felt like we had just started.

We continued our search for rocks and gems by perusing a large exhibition at the Holiday Inn. This took up the rest of the day until the show shut down at 6:00 p.m. My knee joints were aching. I’m sure it was from the many miles we walked. We finished off the day and went to dinner at a restaurant called Wildflower. Erica and I shared the calamari salad. She ate the duck and I had a Thai curry with shrimp. Very good!

Tomorrow is another day of exhibitions and walking.

Have a great day!

Michael

It’s really exciting to be back visiting this desert community. The last time I was in Tucson for any length of time was in 1975 right after high school. I was with a friend and we were on a three week driving tour of New Mexico and Arizona. We camped most nights. One thing I loved about the desert was the sky at night and in the morning.

After we got back from dinner last night, I stopped for a while to look at the sky. Even with the lights of the city, I could see more stars than other areas of the country. They were sharp as knives. The low humidity of the desert makes the air especially clear.

I watched for some minutes before retiring for the night. I look forward to seeing the sky right before sunrise tomorrow morning.

These are the moments that make my life special.

Have a great day!

Michael