Second Spring

Devil’s Tongue Flower

The really hot days of summer are now over, it seems, with forecast highs ONLY in the 90’s. Some of the cacti around the yard are opening flowers like spring has sprung. This is typical of this time of year which the locals (and that includes us) refer to as “second spring.”

The photo above is the last flower of many that opened on our Devil’s Tongue Barrel cactus over the summer. We brought this cactus from the old place in California, put it in the ground here and it has been happy ever since, having grown to twice the height and a significantly larger diameter than when it arrived. Click on the image to enlarge.

Baby G, Pizza and Daddy

Everyone Loves Pizza

Our son sent this fabulous photo in an email to me today. Baby G looks like he wants to try the pizza, but, of course, he’s not quite ready for that. His daddy looks like he probably will enjoy the pie after he puts the little guy in his crib.

Our Desert House

Our Desert House

Verna and I were doing some minor outdoor chores today. I was spraying to kill some weeds that had cropped up over the summer, and she was snipping off the “sucker” branches from the palo Verde and some Mesquite trees on the property.

After surveying some of her work, she snapped this photo of the house as it appears today. Our new retention wall in front has done its job this summer and kept the property from eroding in spite of a millennium rainfall and runoff last July 18th. Click on the image to enlarge.

Eat and Fly

Eat and Fly

After more than a week away from home, the birds that usually gathered beneath and on the bird feeders were mostly shopping elsewhere. It took a day or so for them to gradually start coming back to the (now replenished) feeders.

This is a shot of a woodpecker that snatched a tidbit from the seed bell and is (apparently) headed somewhere to either eat it or to share it with a mate or offspring. I’m not sure which.

The birds (quail, woodpeckers, curve billed thrashers, etc.) have returned, but not yet in the droves as before we left on our trip. I am sure that the numbers of birds will return to their previous state in a few days. Click on the image to enlarge.

Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink

I took this photo of Verna looking for photo targets of opportunity in the rock and cactus garden yesterday. There is always something in the desert to photograph, including the photographers, themselves. Click on the image to enlarge.

Tree Flower

Tree Flower

I don’t know the name of the tree in the Hawthorne, NV, RV park where we stayed last night, but it has these pretty poof ball flowers in bloom. Tonight, we’re in the foothills near Reno, NV, where there are no flowers, just pine cones.

Moonset in the Pines