I have several wind chimes and ornaments hanging in the mesquite tree next to the RV pull-thru. My brother, Fred, and sister-in-law, Sherry, brought this from Grand Canyon years ago and gave it to me. The Kokopeli figure and Native American decorations plus the colors are a perfect match for our beautiful new home. 🙂 Click on the image to enlarge.
I was goofing around with the computer last night and discovered that Google Maps® updated their aerial photos of Wickenburg. This is our parcel with the landscaping (mostly) installed. This is the highest resolution available. North is up.
My goodness! What nice little piece of the desert!
. . . and there’s nobody there to hear it, does it make a sound?
This is the spectacle that greeted us as we pulled into our driveway after our trip out to California. Image courtesy of Verna – click to enlarge.
We got the bad news this morning that our giant saguaro cactus, the “big guy,” is doomed. Our landscape contractor did an analysis after the crew dug up some of the soil around the root base.
The verdict is that the cactus has root rot, a symptom of over watering this type of cactus. The experts assume that the previous owner must have done too much irrigation and the root rot originated there, since we have NEVER watered the big guy in his current home. Regardless, he is going to be hauled away to cactus graveyard.
Eventually, the big guy will be replaced with another similar saguaro cactus as soon as the arrangements can be made. We’re sorry to see the big guy go, but we know that another will fill the empty hole when the time comes.
Image, saguaro root rot – courtesy of Verna. Click to enlarge.
A troubling gap appeared at the base of our giant saguaro cactus. The gap between the cactus and the ground is on the north side of the root. Verna noticed it yesterday but we don’t know for sure how long it has been like that.
Image – the gap at the base of the saguaro – courtesy of Verna. Click on the image to enlarge.
Needless to say, I immediately placed a call to the garden shop that sold us the saguaro. The owner indicated that he would get in touch with the expert from the cactus farm and that they would have a look at it tomorrow. It’s troubling, but they assure me there’s no reason to panic.
This is our giant saguaro cactus we call the “Big Guy.” I took this image of the Big Guy from the road in front of the house this afternoon against the cloudscape and the natural vegetation on the hill to the east of our house. Click on the image to enlarge.
