The ocotillo I posted about the other day is now showing several flower buds at the ends of a few of the canes. When they become fully opened, I will post another photo. Click on the image to enlarge.
April 2012
The Evolution of Our Desert House
Unfortunately, the aerial image of the property prior to excavation of the pad where a house could be built is missing from the archives. However, the aerial views of our property above represent three stages in the construction of our house; before, during and after.
Click on the images to advance the slideshow.
Pink Flowers
On our way home from the grocery store today, we passed a retirement community where the landscapers are known to keep things bright and beautiful. I took this photo of these pretty pink flowers in one of the flowerbeds near the entrance to the place. Click on the image to enlarge.
Flowering Plum Tree
Last June, we had our landscaper install several shrubs and trees around the property. One of those is a flowering plum tree in the courtyard. Being a deciduous tree, it lost most of its leaves over the winter. Now that spring has sprung, the tree is showing several little (¾ inch) flowers and some new foliage. Click on the image to enlarge.
Desert Mallow Wildflower
We were at the dog park again today. While the dogs ran around, I took pictures of them and of some of the wildflowers growing around the perimeter of the park. This Desert Mallow, sometimes called Apricot Globe Mallow, can be seen all over the southwestern desert regions. Their half-inch flowers bloom between February and November. Click on the image to enlarge.
Temporary Spa Shade
We have had our spa since last July. We enjoy it a lot, especially on the warmer days. If we get into the spa late in the afternoon, however, the sun going down on the west side of the house shines directly into the spa.
I asked the gentleman who installed the screen patio enclosure to come out and install a roll-down shade for us. He installed a couple more extruded aluminum supports (the same material used for the original patio) to hold the shade on the west end of the patio.
Image: Before and after – click to enlarge
I say temporary in the title since this shade is a cheap Chinese plastic shade that won’t last in the Arizona sun. We are already planning on getting a custom shade from one of the warehouse home improvement stores. We saw one we really liked at our friends’ house on the Colorado River. The supports installed today will be permanent.
