First- the desert blooms we have been awaiting are starting to arrive in earnest. Not from the rain, because we have still only had three days of rain since early December. Rather it seems the flowers are being pulled into bloom by the heat. Two days ago, our thermometer read 115 in the sun, 104 in the shade. Lynn's reading on the north side of his rig had 103.9 as confirmation that we really did have that kind of heat and not a busted thermometer. One never knows on April Fool's day! So for this post, I'll just put up a few of the first bloom shots. Much more to come, and I am guessing they will come pretty fast now.
And because we have come to really love this part of the country in the winter and spring months, we have signed on to an annual lease of a spot. The cost is reasonable enough that reserving an entire year is more cost effective than even a month would cost in some other places, like Florida Keys for example. And with fuel costs being what they are right now, honkering down for longer stays seems like a good idea. So we picked a corner lot- pretty much a bare lot (although I forgot to take a picture before our first efforts to improve the lot began). We are permitted, and this is part of the reason we decided to do this, to landscape the lot the way we wish. We can create shade structures, a shed, and a layout of the space to suit what we would like to have. We have missed that "this is ours" feeling that you get when you own a piece of land or a home, and this gives us a bit of that feeling back without having to make a costly and/or long term commitment.It just feels right. And even though we extended this year's stay here by a month, we are still running way short on the time to do all the things we would like to be doing. That being the case, we can make the case for spending more time here....at least until that no longer feels right. So a slide show of the lot and the beginnings of the work will appear in today's post. Days were spent hauling rock from the desert (where allowed). There are stone borders to be built and a rock barrier and retaining wall on the wash that makes the back of the lot. Concrete dumped there to control erosion prior to our taking the lot will be removed and "beautified and fortified." Plants are being introduced where once there were none and this too is only a beginning. A shed is in the planning and some nice shade structures are on the drawing board. We are pleased with the progress and the rate of the progress to date. For sure a lot of neighbors like what they see and are dropping by to offer encouragement..if not a helping hand. A few have wondered why we would put this kind of effort into someone else's property. In a word- FUN! I trust you will see the developments as this and other slides shows will demonstrate. We must be careful though- the last time we put this kind of effort into 'scaping a place it turned into a full time business. Already we have been asked to do some other lots....maybe a few- but no new business; I mean it this time!
And there have been a few other developments with the coming of the heat. Snakes and lizards are starting to venture out. No snake shots this time around, but how about a nice big fat Chuckwalla munching on a weed near our concrete slab?
...and another one of those famous Arizona sunsets!
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