Reflections

WATER

The world turns softly
Not to spill its lakes and rivers.
The water is held in its arms
And the sky is held in the water.
What is water,
That pours silver,
And can hold the sky?

~Hilda Conkling

Reflections of Autumn

The creek has pretty much stopped flowing for now, but the pools of still water reflect the colors of the season, such as they are in the desert.

Catch more Weekend Reflections here at James' Newtown Area Photo.

Watery Wednesday - Bird

A California Towhee enjoys a watering hole at Torrey Pines Natural Reserve in San Diego.

Linking to Watery Wednesday a fun meme hosted by 2sweetnsaxy.

At the pool

Sonoran Desert Toad

Just chillin'

On the rocks

Rumor has it that colorful collared lizards can now be observed in Rattlesnake Canyon.  On Saturday we went to see what we could find.  The only problem is, when the weather gets hot and sunny enough to see reptiles, I  prefer to go out very early in the morning.  Chris pointed out that we weren’t likely to see heat-loving collared lizards so early in the day.  He was right, we didn’t find any collared lizards.  I was not disappointed though, because we did see:
a tiny trickling waterfall

some water still standing in Rattlesnake Creek

green and orange colors in the creek bed
 
Red Admiral butterfly

greenish yellow lichen

Trailing Four O’clock

Desert Grassland Whiptail lizard

Still waiting for our first grandbaby to make an appearance. :)

Reflections at the Oasis

These pictures are from last month when I went exploring and came upon an old horse trail.  I looked over the railing on top of the embankment and couldn’t believe how non-desert-like the area seemed with the water and green grass.  Just when I started taking some reflection photos, I had an eerie feeling that I was not alone.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sure enough, there were two coyotes watching me.  I backed away because I’m afraid of them.

Just the day before I had seen a coyote tearing into a javelina (wild boar-like animal).  I’m so glad to have 20x zoom on my camera to snap pictures from a safe distance.

More Weekend Reflections at Newtown Area Photo here.

Cactus in a creek

Just kidding!  It’s a reflection of a cactus in the creek turned upside down so it looks like the saguaro is in the water.

See more Weekend Reflections hosted by James at Newtown Area Photo.

Where am I?

This is a multiple choice question. Where were these pictures taken?

a. California
b. Arizona
c. Wisconsin
d. Massachusetts

 
 


If you guessed Arizona, you’re right!  That cactus was a big hint.  But the robins, rainwater, and green grass look like they could be in one of those other places listed.  I’m enjoying this wet wildness while it lasts.

Reflections of the garden center

Last week I popped into the nursery for some flower seeds.

I noticed reflections in a puddle of water and realized this might be the last time this area sees rain until the summer monsoon season.

Here’s the same puddle from the other direction. 

The nursery kitty was so friendly, it was hard to get its picture as it kept walking towards me.  I made a little collage of the cat and some flowers and used the reflection effect on Windows Live Writer.

For more fun with reflections, visit James’ Newtown Area Photo.

Going with the flow…

Yes, sometimes water even flows in the desert!  On this short walk we follow the water as it meanders along Rattlesnake Canyon, joins with Sabino Creek, spills over the dam, and then branches off to a quieter pace.

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”  ~Lao Tzu

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.

Reflections of Nature

                Yours truly enjoying puddles of rainwater

           Here, a little ice had formed, but it melted quickly.

Tree branches reaching across the tea-colored creek.  Now I’m not sure if they are reflections or shadows…maybe both!

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

Reflections - desert trees

Greetings from the Sonoran Desert. This post is for Weekend Reflections, a fun photo meme hosted by James at Newtown Area Photo.

desert trees
whisper the color of spring
february

Weekend Reflections

morning sun
shines on canyon wall
the desert speaks

Click here to see more Weekend Reflections posts hosted by James.