desert botanical gardens part two

Here is the second part of the tour. It really is amazing how many different varieties of cactus there are. Who knew? I think the next time I go, I will do one of the guided tours so that I can learn more interesting facts. Cooler weather will definitely be a requirement.

This one had a pretty blossom. Imagine being there when more of them are blooming.

These are actually called Mexican Fence Cactus.

This lizard was posed just right on the rock for his photo.

Would you believe it is called Old Man Cactus?

Taking a little time to have some fun!

The Octopus Cactus. I think there were some creative thinkers that named these cacti.

Sisters. The only thing creative here is my leg.

And then there were some succulents. They really are pretty.

Lastly, one that really screams... don't touch!

That ends the Desert Botanical Garden tour. I have a big week of happenings to cover. I still have highlights from last weekend and this weekend was...

shall I say... wild!

desert botanical gardens part one

One of the highlights from last weekend was a visit to the Desert Botanical Gardens. My sister and the two daughters got up really early in order to get to the Gardens when they opened. Opening hours? 7 a.m!

My sister had a great idea, actually, to get there when they opened, before it got too hot and also before we picked up the college boy at the airport.(9 a.m. arrival) The gardens are very close to the airport, so it made sense. And getting there before the temperature hit the triple digits was a good idea. So, we arrived at 7:15 a.m. By the time 9:oo rolled around we knew we would not have wanted to stay much later than that. It was already getting pretty warm/hot.

This sign caught our eye and gave us a little chuckle. It reads:

What is a Cactus?

A cactus is a plant that is a member of the cactus family.

Now that we have that question answered... here is a little sample of some of the cactus (and other things) that we saw during our early morning tour. It was pretty amazing really and I'm sure that earlier in the spring when they are in bloom, it would be pretty spectacular.

This one was pretty interesting as it grew in a spiral.

This one had one of it's arms cut off showing the inside. When a cactus dies, the skeleton is actually like the wood of a tree.

These were so tall and soared up to the sky.

This walkway was lined with these giants. Really grand! Cute sisters too.

We saw a few special creatures. Birds, bunnies, lizards and some pretty butterflies that cooperated for Rachel to get some beautiful pictures.

These little buds were rather cute.

A women tending to the gardens told us about a special area to walk around to see a flower that was still blooming on a cactus. This variety only blooms at night, but because it was still early we were lucky enough to see it blooming. She was so excited to tell us about it. We found out that the garden's have night visits that are flashlight guided, so you can see the flowers that bloom only at night. Look closely and you will see that the blossoms are on a vine like cactus. It grew along the ground and up and around the trees.

Here is one of the flowers close up. Really pretty. I wonder if they are very fragrant.

A nice photo of Rachel. Other than the picture's that she is in, she is responsible for taking all the photos. She loves my camera and I love the picture's that she captures with it.

See what I mean? Look at this butterfly. She captured it perfectly.

We have many great photos from our tour. I decided to split them up into different posts so that this isn't so long. And, because I accidentally deleted some that were at the end here. I can't figure out how to get them back. So...

to be continued.

one hundred

This is my 1ooth post here on the Fourth Corner. Really. Lets hear a collective..."woo hoo!"

I thought this photo of the college boy would be a perfect image to add to my 100th posting. This was his 100th day in first grade. Gosh, a lot has happened since then. The girl's weren't even in school yet. I was a busy Mom keeping up with three young children. Happily busy.

When I started this blog I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with it. I posted my first entry sitting on the floor in an empty room of our Colorado house. It was loading day. The contents of our house were being tightly packed on to a very large moving truck. I was a nervous wreck. Unsure of what was ahead of us. Unknown territory as they say. So here we are six months later. Half a year. More than one hundred days into this new life. And I'm still not sure what direction this blog is taking. Mostly, things are unplanned. You know, unplanned visits by some pretty crazy animals.

I'm never quite sure what will be next. I thought perhaps I would be showing some remodeling projects. We haven't really done any of those yet. Or maybe some painting progress. The kind with oils and canvas, but alas, he's been busy wrangling reptiles and hasn't gotten his brush wet yet. I had some ideas for myself and still might try to execute those ideas. But right now, life is just happening.

Good happenings.

Mostly.

Thanks for reading.

back again

After my sister Helen and my favorite boy left yesterday, I promised that I would be sharing some of the highlights of their visits. And of course, there was a birthday and the 4th that I needed to mention too. That was the plan. Sharing highlights. I didn't think that I would be sharing this again.

Look who was back.

And this time she brought dinner.

Ya...I said the same thing. Actually, I was sitting by the pool while the Reptile Wrangler was swimming some laps. I saw her out of the corner of my eye in the far end of the yard. You know those reptile expletives that I said my husband learned? Well, I think I had one of my own as I hopped up and ran into the house. Yes, I left him in the pool. You know, cats don't really like water and all that nonsense. So, I snapped a few photos. And I watched as three of the little ones nibbled (I use that word lightly) on the only cute little animal I have seen in this yard. I couldn't really watch continuously, because I was a little distressed by the whole situation. But, like all things that capture our attention...I kept going back to the window. The bad thing? They were not bothered that the pool was inhabited and he was making a fair amount of noise. They did keep an eye on him, so I guess for them it was like... dinner and a show.

After each one took their turn and got their fill, they went over to Momma to get a little cleaning. Then they headed over to the trees to play. After each baby had their portion, Momma finished off what was left. We were a little apprehensive about trying to interrupt or chase them away because they seem very comfortable in our yard.

A little too comfortable really. Reptile Wrangler had already come into the house when we noticed that she perhaps didn't get my memo about the fact that cats don't like water. I know she is only getting a drink, but if I were in the pool? Not okay. The little one's came over and got their drink too, their picture's were blurry, as the sun was going down and the lighting was not great.

At this point, we opened the door and made a bunch of noise. Clapping out hands, screeching and barking like dogs. They ran off and a couple of the little one's went up a tree. Chuck got serious about chasing them off and they disappeared. We are not sure where they came in at, I don't think the babies can actually jump the fence. But, if that is how they got in, I'd say it is time for a little yard remodel.

I kinda like the look myself.

sweet ending

We ended the holiday weekend with a cherry on top. Literally.

Our last stop, before driving my favorite son and one of my favorite sisters to the airport, was to get a cool treat at the Cherry on Top yogurt shop. Yummy. It is a great concept. You fill the cup yourself with your choice from about 12 different flavors of yogurts. And then you get to sprinkle on toppings from about 50 different delicious choices. Then you put it on the scale and weigh it. You pay by the weight.

Cool. Delicious. Tasty.

Ummm... anyone notice who picked the jumbo size cup to fill? I'll give you a hint. She is sitting to my right. Ha! That made us laugh. We all got the regular size and she picked up the biggie size. Well, she said she didn't notice, but I'm not so sure! That's ok. She gets home pretty late tonight so that will probably be her dinner.

While I type, they are both on an airplane flying home. One back to Colorado, one back to Texas. As I was tearful when the four of us drove away from the airport, Leah said...

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."(quoting Dr. Seuss)

Well, my tears have dried and I am smiling.

And I will smile a lot this week when I show highlights of our time together.

4 today

July fourth

4th of July

Independence Day

How ever you say it.

I hope it is a happy one!

speed happens

it's just a number