Home is Where the Heart Is

Once again we made the trek to the greater Phoenix area to see some family. Once again, Picacho Peak made for really wonderful scenery in the early evening light as the sun sank lower on the horizon. I really like Arizona for a lot of reasons. A lot of people have a hard time appreciating the beauty in the desert. Maybe it's because I was raised here, maybe it's because my dad's a landscaper, but I have really come to like the desert. It offers some of the most amazing things. I like lush, green places too. Someday I'll live in a lush, green place. But no matter where I go, the desert will always be home to me.

Also, happy birthday Macki! You're the best. :)

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Sacred Grove

A grove in the Tucson desert.

Unravelling

The growth of desert plants is so much more interesting than other plants. Well, to me at least. I love watching big century plants and other agave-style plants (like this one) grow and how every year, new "leaves" unravel from the center. I especially love when plants, like this one, have spikes on them - all of the leaves have cool wavy grooves in them from where spikes from other leaves were pressing into them before they unfurled from the center of the plant. The perfectness of nature is really quite astounding - the way it all works both together, and within itself.

Out West

The desert really is misunderstood by those who haven't ever lived in one... well, ours at least. You can find the most interesting things here. Even after 19 years, it all still amazes me. I think one reason I like it so much is because it is more linear and patterned, as opposed to a tree that has branches going every-which-way. And I do love places with real green vegetation and the randomness that those plants can sometimes bring, but I appreciate the architecture of desert plants as well. Less can really be so much more (although, that fourth picture definitely does not apply here, haha!).

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