Desert trees 04-26-08

All these pictures were take in Lake Havasu City, AZ, on 04-21-08

Desert Museum Palo Verde (Parkinsonia aculeata hybrid)

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And a detail of the branches and blossoms. Palo Verdes have green bark and branches, in some varieties it peels like crape myrtle bark.

I'm not sure about this one, another Palo Verde anyway. Possibly Parkinsonia macrophyllum.

And a close up of the flowers.

This very slow growing bush is Cassia nemophila - it was planted about eleven years ago. (I might have closed the door of the van!!)

These are the seedpods of the Cassia nemophila.

Did you notice?

I cannot resist taking pictures of odd things that I notice, digital makes it so easy to just whip out my camera and click away. Like the Fairy in the Trashcan http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2008/03/fairy-in-my-trash-can-03-28-08.html

Walking through a parking lot today I saw these wings in the back window of a car. I wonder who left their wings behind. And do they miss them?

Last October I took this funny picture of Bermuda grass that has grown up through the sign pole (7 feet?) and out the top. Bermuda grass will grow anywhere if you don't watch it carefully.

When I was on a road trip in July 2005 I drove through Hailey, Idaho, and noticed these odd stop signs. A main highway goes through the center of town and is apparently very dangerous. So, before you walk across the street you are supposed to take a red flag, hold it high as you cross the highway and then put it in a similar holder on the other side of the street. I think the matching motorcycle adds a nice touch. I wonder if he forgot to carry a flag.

On the same trip, somewhere near the Idaho/Utah border this truck was bearing down on my van. I was afraid if I didn't get out of his way he might take a bite out of my tailpipe. I have since seen this sort of grill decoration all over the West.

Fiberart For A Cause 04-24-08

Denise Aumick

Stone House Window10”h x 8”wPhoto, modeling paste, plaster tape,acrylic paints, pigments. Created and mounted on 10"x8"mat board,signed, dated and ready for framing.
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More than 100 artists worldwide have donated 235 fiber collages to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Collage Mania will be held May 5 and 6 with a preview of all collages beginning April 28. More information is available here: http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/CollageManiaDetails.html

100% of the proceeds are donated directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause which has already donated more than $150,000 towards cancer research and education in the past three years.

LHC - Two more quilts hung 04-22-08

Before leaving Lake Havasu City I hung two more quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection (TCQC). It is a good opportunity to let a different set of people enjoy these treasures.

Ruth Power's prize winning "Early Birds" is hanging between the windows in the living room. Hard to take a picture with all the light streaming in, even with the blinds closed, but at least we can be assured that no light will shine directly on the quilt!

Ruth B. McDowell's "Summer Lily" is on the opposite wall. This is the one Ruth quilt that was not displayed at Back Porch Fabric Shop - it is very long and I was concerned about it hanging down behind the tables. "Early Birds" is reflected in the mirror over the diagonal wall fireplace.

The quilts will hang for two to three months. I don't like to hang any quilt for much longer, they do need some rest time. The exceptions to this rule are very small quilts, less than 24" in either direction, which I don't feel are damaged by long term display.

Driving in the desert 04-22-08

A series of pictures taken while driving in the desert. Click the picture for an enlargement - some of the pictures won't enlarge, I don't know the solution to this problem.

I-40, which starts at Barstow, CA, and ends in North Carolina near the Atlantic Ocean, runs through deserts for many of the miles it covers. The first section from Barstow to Arizona is not flat, as we tend to think of deserts, and there are many grades up and down to get over the multiple, but not very lofty, mountain ranges.

On a weekday the traffic is normally light. There seem to be more trucks in the early morning and late in the afternoon.

With the truck and motorhome/boat behind me it almost looks like I have the road to myself.

From a close by hill the desert stretches out to the mountains miles away.

Most of the time there is haze in the air, not from moisture, but from dust and, more recently, smog from even the smallest of towns.

The haze lightens the color of the mountains and I can't make the mountains darker in the pictures without darkening the foreground. This is a more accurate view - despite the sunshine and blue sky, the mountains can be somewhat ominous and glowering.

Up and up and up, the road cut shows how much earth was moved to make the grades more reasonable.

At the top of the grade with a truck laboring up the eastbound side.

Over the top the road stretches out to another mountain range to be crossed.

Moon on a wire 04-22-08

It was 5:45am and time for the Poodle Prince to have breakfast! I noticed the moonlight reflection on the lake, but had to bend down to see the moon and realized I could also see the moon in the pool. I am amazed that I was able to adjust the camera to get a good shot in low light. I didn't realize the moon was on the wire until I looked at the images later in the day. Sometimes things just work out! Click on picture to enlarge.

Corky is home in LBeach with his parents, I am home in Placentia and ready to fall into bed. More desert pictures tomorrow.

LHC - Ocotillo blooming 04-21-08

One of the strangest desert plants is the ocotillo - I don't know if it is a tree or a bush (the dictionary refers to it both ways). Most of the year it looks like a bundle of dead brown sticks poked into the ground. But in the springtime it comes into its glory.

You'll notice these pictures are taken in someones front yard. It is difficult to find a plant where the flowers are at a level I can photograph them. Mostly the flowers are on the very tips of the stalks which are six to nine feet tall. The cultivated plants are bushier and have stalks of varying lengths.

The roundish leaves grow right out of the thorny stems - no branches at all. They remind me of dichondra (on a stick!) and are very green and lush.

The multiple blossoms form a plume, somewhat like cannas. Everything is very short lived except the stalks, when the temperatures go up, the leaves and flowers don't last and all that is left are those brown sticks.

LHC Sunday 04-20-08

A quiet Sunday, not much activity on the lake. I hung some quilts around the house. There are usually three or four pieces on loan from the TCQC decorating this lovely home.

"Judith's Garden" by Terry Grant (Portland, OR) will hang in the breakfast room for a few months.

Ruth McDowell's (Colrain, MA) "Hollyhocks" fits nicely on this narrow diagonal wall between the entry and the living room. Another of Ruth's quilts will hang on the long wall between this quilt and the fireplace. There is a mirror over the mantle which reflects the artificial palms in one corner of the room.

This is Corky's view out the guest room window. He has never taken any interest in birds, bunnies, cats (unless they are in my backyard) or other moving critters, but today he really focused on this bunny which hopped closer and closer until it disappeared under a bush beside the window. There was a lovely quail also, but he moved too much for a photo to turn out.

Not a very spectacular sunset this evening, instead it was a lovely calm pastel. Today's high was 87F and the wind wasn't terribly strong. Corky and I managed two walks, one about 7am and one a little after 4pm. He is such a good influence on me!