This is Verna and Baby Jerry, our new grandson, who is almost a year old. They were playing with some toys and laughing when something would make noise. I took this image at our campsite today while the kids and Jerry were visiting. Click on the image to enlarge.
To our delight, the big saguaro cactus out front has three new flower buds. We thought that the flower season might be over, but these three appeared. Two on the lower stalk and one on the upper stalk. A few of the withered older flowers on top of the saguaro fruit can be seen.
This image was taken from thirty feet away in the courtyard. Out of focus in the foreground is the arch over the courtyard gate and the top of one of the ocotillo canes to the right of the cactus. Click on the image to enlarge.
With a little poetic license, the alliterative title works for this Pride of Barbados (a.k.a. Red Bird of Paradise) flower as the sun strikes it from behind. The lighting at this time of the day (late afternoon) augments the yellow tones in these beautiful flowers. All three of the Caesalpinia pulcherrima shrubs in the courtyard are doing their summer thing constantly making these delightful flowers that we love so much. Click on the image to enlarge.
Two very pretty cactus flowers opened up here over the last couple of days; a Star Cactus (astrophytum) flower and a Fishhook (Mammillaria grahamii) flower. Both are shown above with the star on the left and the fishhook on the right. Click on the image to enlarge.
Despite 102° temperature outside, we grilled burgers and roasted corn on the Grill Master today. We did have refreshing beverages to offset the heat, however. The burgers, corn and carrot salad were all delicious. Happy Independence Day!
Verna and I were visiting Arches National Park on July 21, 2008. This was when we were still considering retirement in about a year from then and deciding to use up some of our accrued vacation time.
The object in the background is a sandstone hill where three arches-in-progress graphically show the evolution of arches sculpted by wind and rain. There is a mostly completed arch on the left side with a just beginning stage in the middle and an intermediate stage arch-in-the making on the right.
Click on the image to enlarge.
