Welcome To Spring In Arizona!

Spring is wonderful in the Mohave Desert. Wildflowers abound and the Joshua Trees blossom. This year the blooms are magnificent!

These pictures were taken in my yard.  The cactus have buds but so far they haven`t opened.  On a recent visit to the Lake Mead overlook nearby a friend and I found this lovely barrel cactus. It`s about 3 feet tall sitting between a creosote bush and Joshua tree.

I`ll have more pictures after the wildflowers bloom. Thanks for visiting!

Appreciate Where You Live

I admit living in one place 25 years it`s easy to take where I planted myself for granted. Yes I miss the change of seasons I grew up with. But, I have to admit this is a place of beauty. Sometimes you have to take a second or third look.

This is my son. Had we not moved here he would not have found his passion for Wildland firefighting. He worked for National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management 15 years, retiring when he was injured.

Carlos Elmer. In my opinion this photographer put Arizona Highways Magazine on the map.

This is Carlos Elmer`s View. Just down the road from where I live. It`s across the road from the sign above.

Then there is Grand Canyon Skywalk.   An issue with many tourists is the Skywalk folks require you to give them your camera. No picture taking allowed. You can buy pictures after the tour. I prefer the Grand Canyon South Rim near Williams. Take all the pictures you want.

South Rim. You can see the Colorado River in the Canyon`s bottom.

 You get to keep your camera at the the South and North rims. This is the South Rim.

Then there is Lake Mead . Nice views, great fishing despite the lower water levels. It is getting harder to launch boats. Most of my friends fish from the bank. Real hot in the summer. It`s beautiful now.

This is a view I took from the Arizona side, about 10 miles from my house.

My next post will have more pictures and a little more history of the Meaview area including this:

Till next time,

Cathy (and you thought I was just about linens) haha!

Christmas Apron, A Sun Loving Snake, Lake Mead Pictures

Hello this beautiful Sunday morning! I celebrated my birthday early, visiting the thrift stores in town yesterday. I found this beautiful vintage Christmas apron. The trees are red with silver sequins sewn among the cross stitches. It is in excellent condition, made with vintage cotton gingham. Well worth the mere $1.00 I paid.

If you look closely at the top right of my lilac bush in the picture below you will see a snake warming in the morning sun. The night was cool and this smart guy slithered to the of bush to catch a few rays. That`s his tail end  atop the bush.

Next, a few new pictures of Lake Mead. A view from the Overlook on the Arizona side near Meadview AZ. .Snow melt raised the lake several feet keeping boaters very happy. To learn a little local history go here.

I hope you all have a wonderful Autumn weekend!

Cathy

Happy Birthday USA !

Happy Fourth Of July! It`s the weekend of fireworks (not here), picnics, a day at the lake. Yeah, we have a gorgeous lake. We usually get lots of California boaters this weekend.  The bathtub line (that white mark at the water line)  is not as wide now due to snow melt coming out of the mountains and I hear that fishing is getting better.

Independence Day honors the birthday of the United States of America and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. I am the descendent of Pennsylvania patriots who lived in Chester County. Some were working behind the scenes in local Assemblies and churches or were farmers providing food for the soldiers.  I recently read a few of my ancestors wartime biographies. It was fascinating. Millions of dollars of goods confiscated or destroyed by the British Army from farms, stores, even churches. Yes, millions of dollars is accurate.  These folks wrote about how they dealt with Tory,s, the people that supported their King. Spies, treason, it was all documented by everyday normal people. Just fascinating.

Fires are still burning in the eastern and southern parts of our state. It is so dry everywhere. The weeds are brittle. You can buy fireworks but their use is forbidden in most areas. Los Alamos needs our prayers too. I heard East Texas is still burning.

Have a safe weekend,
Cathy