A Sunday Morning Walk

      I was going to title this "Desert Beauty," but as I thought about it I realized there is very little beautiful abut the desert in September. That is probably inaccurate, so suffie it to say, that as long as I'm restricted to walking in my neighborhood I am enjoying its man-made beauty. I try to get out for my first walk about 6 to 6:30 am, before the sun peaks over the eastern mountains. Usually I make it. Then I go out again about 8:30 am or 9 with JoAnn, again between 11:30 and 1:00, then about 4:30 and finally around 7 pm. I don't go far, but I'm increasing my distance a little every day.

I've come to appreciate the beauty of our neighborhood. For example, I didn't know we had Monarch butterflies. Nor did I know we had caterpillars. I've seen just a few butterflies and only one scrawny caterpillar, but still, those were new to me. We have desert finches which we enjoy, mourning doves, and a variety of desert birds, but we don't have near the variety of song birds we had in Iowa and Indiana.

What we do have are plants that bloom year round and a park near our home that is green 12 months out of the year. I don't want to know how much water they put on the grass, but it has to be a lot. I was struck by their beauty this morning as I walked and thought I would share that beauty.

This is close to our home, directly across from the park. I don't usually walk
on this side of the street, but this morning, with the sun striking the plants
it just took my breath away.

The sage blooms about every 6 weeks spring through fall and we never quit
enjoying its beauty.

The park, directly across the street is a small neighborhood park, and is also
a magnet from about 6:30 in the morning until will after dark. I've never seen
such a busy park. This is the north end.

Lantana on the corner of a neighborhood.