It never sometimes can really rain in Arizona!
A small wash runs through our yard.
The large Bouse Wash, usually bone dry, runs like a river through the town.
Sometimes the sun peeks through, rewarding us with a double rainbow.
Most winters are quite dry, but when we do get rain, the desert comes alive! These photos were taken at the same location, during (1) a normal year and (2) a rainy year. My yard, like the photo on the left, is natural desert and normally brown. The rain we are getting this week will make the weeds and grasses grow just like the photo on the right. That means the weeds will dry through the summer, and greet me with a big mess of work to do next winter, with hoe and rake. That's no easy chore to clear over a half acre of ground!
Of course, it makes it all worth it just to see the desert in bloom.
I love the desert in bloom. It is just so pretty. And that is a lot of rain. You must be getting some of that rain from California. All the blogs there are complaining of rain.
ReplyDeleteWow! That's just amazing. What a toad floater!! I agree, the desert in bloom is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I was lucky enough to be staying at Picacho Peak state Park (AZ) one year when the desert was in bloom, the way it only blooms about three times in a century. I'm thinking that was about 1996. It was absolutely breathtaking! I went back a few years later, after a rainy season, but as pretty as it was, it didn't compare to that earlier visit. Wouldn't you know, I didn't buy my first digital camera until 1999 :-(
ReplyDeleteWe've only been down here once when the wild poppies filled the median on Interstate 10 with solid, brilliant yellow blossoms. That was a sight to see!
Ribbit, this rain (and wind) is supposed to last through tomorrow afternoon. Not looking forward to my Mexico trip at 6:30 tomorrow morning. Travel in the area can be quite dangerous when the washes are full and flowing across the roads.
ReplyDeleteSorry about so much rain, but nothing quite like it... to see the desert in bloom. I recall once yearz ago driving thru Death Valley after a rain. Spectacular!
ReplyDeleteThat is some breath-taking scenery, Granny!! Stay dry and have a safe trip to Mexico!
ReplyDeleteDi, the rain is welcomed, the wind not so much.
ReplyDeleteCaffienated Mom, my friend, "Fearless Marge" is driving her Jeep tomorrow. The washes should be no problem. Scarier is the dentist appointment I have in Mexico!
ReplyDeleteThe dessert flowers are beautiful but I sure don't like all this wind! In IN we have a basement to go to when we have a tornado! Stay safe. Nancy
ReplyDeleteNancy, that photo was taken at Alamo Lake a couple of years ago, mid-March. We'll be heading home before then this year, so I'll probably miss seeing wildflowers in bloom. I HATE the wind! I darned near embedded the door knob in the side of the house this morning, when the wind pulled the door right out of my hand.
ReplyDeleteWow...beautiful pics with the desert bloom.....btw stay brave for that dentist appt in Mexico :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sunny. I broke a tooth (molar) on a piece of hard candy, tomorrow I'll pay the price :-( I have no idea if it will be filled, pulled or what, but it's been hurting for a while.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting climate. The desert in bloom is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the tooth AG - hope you get some relief soon. The rain is more like what we get around here in the winter - only this year El Nino is sending the rains to California and Arizona and we are (relatively) drier than normal this month.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! These pictures are incredible. I've never been to the desert...too afraid I'd get lost. It's interesting to see the landscape change so dramatically.
ReplyDelete1999 was the first year we bought a digital camera too. We bought it before a raft trip down the Grand Canyon. That journal is still the most hit of any of our pages.
ReplyDeleteDan, the first time I saw the desert, I thought it was ugly. Now I see the beauty.
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Kitsap, it was a loooong day. The molar is no more. I had my choice, root canal, pin and crown for mega $$$ or pull it. I had it pulled.
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Thomas, you should go back and look at my posts from last winter. I did several posts about trips through the desert that I think you'd find interesting.
http://annieskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2008/11/november-30-2008-where-in-world-is-egs.html
http://annieskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2008/12/december-1-2008-where-in-world-is-egs.html
http://annieskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2008/12/december-11-2008-where-in-world-is-egs.html
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Daphne, I don't know what I did without the digital camera! I have thousands of photos on my computer! That's not counting the garden blog photos.
Whoa! You're sure getting drenched. I hope the lovely blooms will make up for it.
ReplyDeleteJenn, I'm sure the desert will be gorgeous in March. Unfortunately, I must get home before that, so I won't be here to see it....I have to get my tomatoes and peppers started!
ReplyDeleteYay monsoons. Any ocotillos around?
ReplyDeleteStefaneener, yes...bright green ones!
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