Hummingbird in a Mesquite Tree, Cactus Wren on the Seed Bell and a Pair of Quail on the Seed Cake. Click on the image to enlarge.
Arizona
Wickenburg Wall Caricatures
This wall art on a building on Frontier Street just east of the Yavapai Street Railroad crossing is just one of the many interesting things to see in Wickenburg. The caption is “HOWDY,” and depicts cartoon caricatures of a horse, some six-shooter packing cowboys (one with a lasso), a lady and a couple of other townfolk. Although they are cartoons, they are not too far fetched from what you might expect to see in town during roping season which is currently underway.
I took the photo this afternoon when we were on our way to the clinic for a medical test (nothing serious). Click on the image to enlarge.
The Dog Park
Now that Second Spring is upon us and cooler temperatures prevail (only 92°), we have resumed our periodic visits to the Wickenburg Dog Park. Bay Bay and Cabela were off-leash for the duration of our visit today as we walked a couple of laps around the park.
We will likely visit the dog park again when the weather permits as it likely will during the fall and winter months and into spring. As you can see from the composite photo above, we all enjoy ourselves when we visit the dog park.
Photos courtesy of Verna. Click on the image to enlarge.
Reconnoitering a Local Crafts and Gift Shop
We took the dogs to the groomer today and afterwards we drove up US 60 the short distance to check out a tourist-y shop that had changed hands since the last time we were there several years ago. We finally had the opportunity to take a look. The sign outside the store says “Collectables and Gifts, Southwestern Decor, Garden Pottery and Nursery.” Yep, it was all of that, but terribly overpriced (for the most part) and dealing with mostly imported goods and not necessarily “southwestern made” stuff.
It was fun to look around the stuff, some of it quite nice (but too expensive for what it is) and colorful to boot. Verna posed with some metallic sculptures in the outdoor portion of the place. Click on the image to enlarge.
Black Butterfly Browsing Red Bird Flowers
As the summer season winds to a close, the Red Bird of Paradise Flowers continue to attract hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. I captured this lovely black butterfly in my camera as the little critter lit on one of the flowers in the courtyard.
Click on the image to enlarge.
Devil’s Tongue Cactus Flowers
When we got back from our three-week vacation, we discovered that the Devil’s Tongue Barrel Cactus was covered with flowers and buds. It is sure to put on a good show as second spring arrives in our part of Arizona.
This cactus was in a pot when we lived in California, but now it is in the ground in my rock and cactus garden. It sure seems happy to be in the Arizona Desert!
