Sweetness

 

It's time for the ripe saguaro cactus fruit to split open allowing birds to feast on the juicy pulp and dark seeds inside.

The desert looks and smells as if the saguaros are blooming all over again, this time in rich shades of red rather than white.

Red ripe saguaro fruits are a sign that the rainy season will begin soon.  Moisture is always welcome in the desert.

Springtime Shadows

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. ~Shakespeare

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday hosted by Tracy here.

Spring is in the air

The bluebirds might have gone but some waxwings linger.  Wildflowers bloom here and there under nurturing clouds.

Visit Skywatch Friday to enjoy more skies from around the world.

Reflections – Sitting quietly…

Sitting quietly, doing nothing,
Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.
~ Zen saying

For more Weekend Reflections visit at James at Newtown Area Photo here.

Winter Reflections

This post is for Weekend Reflections hosted by James at Newtown Area Photo, a fun photo meme where you can view all kinds of reflection images or share your own.




These puddle reflections are from last weekend. Puddles and snow are rarely seen here. The short winter in this little corner of the Sonoran Desert is coming to an end. Spring begins in February.

Spring: February through March
Fore-summer: April through June
Summer Monsoon: July through Mid-September
After-summer: Late September through October
Fall: November through Mid-December
Winter: Late December through January

Above are the six seasons for this area according to David Wentworth Lazaroff's Sabino Canyon: The Life of a Southwestern Oasis.

Western Bluebirds

I recently saw bluebirds in the desert for the first time.
If not for the zoom on my camera, I probably wouldn't have been able to identify them. They're quite shy.
They feed on the berries of desert mistletoe, those reddish clumps hanging from the trees.
I started seeing them in December. Western Bluebirds are year-round residents of northern Arizona, however I understand that here in the southeast, they're just visiting for the winter.


Males have blue coloring where females are gray. Both have chestnut colored breasts.
I will enjoy the watching the bluebirds while they're in the area. Do you ever see bluebirds where you live?

Better late than never

For months I've been enjoying beautiful fall foliage on blogs from other areas. Around here, deciduous trees are few and far between. But lately I've been noticing this one small stand of cottonwood trees on my way to the market. These cottonwoods, tucked behind an office building, could easily go unnoticed most of the year. However, because I'm blogging, these trees have my attention.


12/16/09

12/20/09

12/27/09

Once they get going, they sure change quickly!

Next time I go by this tree, I expect it to be nearly bare.

Then before long, new leaves will begin to grow. We have short winters here in this corner of the desert, lasting from late December through January.

For more posts with the color yellow, check out Mellow Yellow Monday.

Santa's Big Adventure

I often pass by this house when I go for a walk. The lady who lives there is creative and resourceful using the same bale of hay as a platform for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations.

Here is Santa Claus on his sled with a reindeer. In case you don't know, the little browns sacks on the ground are luminarias, or southwestern lanterns. Traditionally luminarias have candles set in bags of sand, but these use tiny electric lights which are less dangerous.

I noticed the reflection of the white reindeer in the window across the street during daylight...

and I found the reflection again at night.

Oops, my camera moved while shooting Santa and the reindeer!
(The following pictures are not of reflections)

I liked the squiggly picture in the camera screen, and tried shaking the camera some more.

Motion distorts images like reflections. Maybe that's why it appeals to me.

Okay back to earth now. Santa looks a little dizzy, but he's safe and sound.

This reminds me...One day last year, this very Santa Claus and his sled went missing! Turned out someone had played a prank and switched the decorations in the neighborhood. Santa eventually made it home from up the street unharmed. The practical joker brought neighbors together who had not met before. It wasn't me!

For all sorts of reflections posts visit Newtown Area Photo, hosted by James.

Weekend Reflections - Creek

desert rain
settling into dark pools
autumn colors

See more reflections at Weekend Reflections, hosted by James.

Shadow Shots - Little Dog

I saw this cute little dog at the nursery the other day. I took its picture hoping to catch a shadow shot and was satisfied with this one.

I don't know much about small dogs, but the shadow looks like some kind of Terrier to me. If anyone knows the breed, feel free to say so in the comments.


This last picture isn't a shadow shot, but if you look closely you can see the dog was wearing a bandanna with turkeys on it in celebration of the fall season and Thanksgiving. Have a nice weekend!

click any photo to enlarge

To see more shadows, visit Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday.

Yellow Autumn Mosaic

Mellow Yellow Monday and Mosaic Monday

Greetings from Tucson Arizona! For a change, today I have photos that are not of the desert. My father-in-law took these pictures in Wisconsin. They have plenty of the color yellow and showcase the fall season in Midwestern United States.

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." ~Albert Camus

"Yellow mellow, ripened days... Beauteous, golden autumn days." ~Will Carleton

Click on any picture to see it bigger

To see more posts with the color yellow, visit Mellow Yellow Monday.
For more Mosaic Mondays hosted by Mary visit Little Red House.

Scarecrows

These scarecrows are part of the Fall Festival at Tucson Botanical Gardens.

Traditionally, scarecrows are human figures placed in fields to discourage birds from feeding on crops. But these days they are more often used to celebrate autumn.

Some alternate names for scarecrows are: Mommet, Hodmedod, Tattie bogle, Flay-crow, Mawpin, Bird-scarer, Moggy, Shay and Bogeyman.

Madame Monarch

Paper Dancer

Paper Dancer unwinding

“The first and great commandment is: Don’t let them scare you.” ~Elmer Davis

Skywatch - Around the Track

Yesterday morning I walked around the track.

I didn't know if there would be a colorful sunrise,
but I had my camera just in case.

Once the sunrise colors appeared, they were constantly changing.

orange clouds

purple clouds

yellow clouds

And, two hawks were calling back and forth across the track.

pink clouds

Briefly, the mountaintop glowed,

and both old and new leaves lit up.

Light and shadows graced the ridge,

for just a moment before the clouds turned gray.

To see more skies from around the world, check out Skywatch Friday.