Scenes from the Desert

31 03 2010

After walking through the neighbourhood in Parker, AZ we’ve come to realize that in the desert – Anything Goes.  And when I mean “Anything” I mean the most random things you can think of can be considered “yard art”.  It’s really quite amazing that walking past no more than 20 houses you can see little stone piglets rooting around in the garden, a trio of stone coyotes howling at the cactuses, and a submerged hippo, serpent and other unlikely animals in the desert.  There are native inspired wall hangings of the sun, the mythical creature Kokopelli and weird Native American head statues siting on top of a hill.  I think I even saw a rooster at one house.

The one thing that brought the most enjoyment and was the least bit surprising to see were the various types of cactuses (or is it cacti?)  For being a barren desert, this place is full of blooms (a result of so much spring rain this year).  Everywhere you look are bright pink cactus blooms.  The pink is so intense that even the camera can’t capture the full colour of the flowers.  The mountains are covered in new green growth and sage bushes and there are yellow and purple wildflowers sprinkled around the dessert.  This doesn’t even include the bright green paddle cactuses and pink barrel cactuses that are soaking up the sun.

And as the sun sets on the mountains and the daytime scenes fade away into the shadows, there’s a new scenery as the stars come our twinkling.  Every night I get a kink in my neck because I’m constantly looking up at all of the stars and watching the Easter Bunny appear in the full moon.


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A Christmas Miracle

31 12 2009

We spent Christmas in Parker, Arizona aka my place of ultimate tranquility.  

Every day something random would occupy all of our attention.  One day it was toy helicopters (the family seriously doubts my flying ability, I believe the words ‘kamikaze pilot’ were mentioned once or twice).   Another day we focused on all of the Christmas presents that have been given in the past, and the phrase, ‘It’s the thought that counts’ became the token phrase of the day. 

On one specific day I looked out the window and saw something fluttering on the ground – I thought it was a leaf.  Until I looked closer, and then I freaked out, ‘hummingbird down!  hummingbird down!’  There was a hummingbird flailing on the ground under the feeder.  It looked like his wing was broken, sprained or dislocated.  We brought him inside and did what any other helpful person would do – we took pictures of him. 

Nathan was ready to “end it”.  You know what I mean.   Before we could resort to that, we took him to the front yard near the rosemary bushes and left him while we went for a walk.  When I got back, the feeder had been brought down to him and he had been placed on it.  Although done with the best of intentions, there was no way he could feed where he was placed.  So, being the lover of hummingbirds that he is, Nathan’s dad went out to help our little friend out.  He moved him to a better position, and with a quick drink of the feeder, all of a sudden the hummingbird took flight.  It’s a Christmas Miracle!  For the rest of the day all we heard was, ‘These hands have healing powers!’


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Tranquility at its Finest

29 11 2009

It’s a very special time when you find a little piece of the world that allows you to escape from the regular hustle and bustle of life.  I think that I may have found my little place of tranquility in Lake Havasu City and Parker, Arizona.

This is a place where darkness really exists (instead of the constant glow of streetlights, billboards or traffic) and the stars come alive at night.  This is the type of place that makes you wish that you knew more about the constellations and the stories behind them.  With towering mountains in varying shades of red and brown that are like chameleons that change their colour from yellow, orange, red and pink with the time of day and the lake water that is as smooth as glass offering mirror images of these mountains.

It’s like time slows down and your senses reawaken.  Instead of trying to block out the noise of honking horns (which doesn’t exist because no one’s in a rush) and the constant chatter of people around (because the one thing you can guarantee here is space), you’re able to revel in the sound of your breath as you run up and down the neighbourhood hills (for fun), and you’ve slowed down enough to catch sight of the elusive hummingbird as it feeds.

Not only did we catch sight of hummingbirds but we also saw a hawk as it perched on the deck railing, a little gecko scurrying between the rosemary bushes and roadrunners, bobbing their heads as they crossed the street (they are a lot smaller than the infamous cartoon roadrunners). The iconic moment that makes me feel like I am in a place that is outside the realm of my regular life is seeing orange, grapefruit, and lemon trees – westcoast or eastcoast, this is not a sight I am used to seeing.

We have been fortunate enough to take a week off during the American Thanksgiving holiday to recharge our batteries in an oasis in the middle of the desert in Arizona.   We honoured the holiday with a feast American Style – deep fried turkey.   I got back in touch with my baking roots and kicked off the week by baking (and decorating) gingerbread and homemade chocolate chip cookies – it feels good to be back in a well-stocked kitchen!  We took advantage of sunny, 75 degree, days by going out on the boat – speedboat and not sailboat; which, after 5 months of sailing is an entirely different experience.

And, to cap off each day (and start off some days), a relaxing dip in the spa taking in the amazing views from the backyard.


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