We went to The Refuge last weekend.
We had beautiful weather. Blue skies. Sunshine. And the desert was beginning its spring bloom. Here's ragged rock flower (Crossosoma bigelovii), spiky and fragrant ...
and Mexican Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pungens), seen with the dramatic "Torch" rock formation behind it ...
The Sonoran desert is shockingly lush and green at this time of year, as winter is turning into spring. Moss and small ferns sprout in the shade of boulders. Grasses and green weeds carpet the desert floor. It's probably hard to imagine if you've only ever seen the desert in the heat of the summer, when it's bone dry and brown.
And though the nights get down to the low 30s, the days warmed right up in the intense sunshine. Here I am, taking a knitting break with Isis in the late afternoon (working with my yellow yarn!) while Mountain Man and his friend got in their last climbs on the high outcrop in the distance.
No photo of the knitting -- anyways it's just a semi-circle of stockinette for now -- but I'll leave you with the amazing jaggedness of a decaying juniper stump. I love collecting textures.
Beautiful. Can't wait to see what comes of your yellow yarn :-)
ReplyDeleteYour textures collection is a great inspiration. It looks very much like spring over there. We are having freezing temperatures and snow ...
ReplyDeleteI can't remember how I originally found your blog...I've been following it in my Reader for several months now. Thought I'd delurk to say how much I enjoy your blog! I love the juxtaposition of the nature shots and the knitting.
ReplyDelete