Step into the desert
at high noon
when light washes
the world dry and still.
A lizard blends into the sand ... a bird leaves its mark ...
Twisted plant fiber becomes a basket ... or art.
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| Workers at the Living Desert in the Coachella Valley, CA. |
The land provides material for human shelter in the form of woven sticks and adobe bricks.
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| Adobe wall at the Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs. |
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| Dried fan palm leaves form a roof to block hot sun. |
In a palm oasis fed by water seeping up from the San Andreas fault, magnificent native California fan palms (Washingtonia filifera) have beautiful, intricate patterns on their trunks. Actually, they're more closely related to grasses than to trees. Either way, they have beautiful patterning.
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| Mature leaf stems of California fan palms are armed with thorns. |
Also in the oasis, sand and rocks form a collage in shallow water (above) while in the drier desert mountain foothills a rock (below) is swirled with rich colors to rival any abstract painting in a museum.
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| Rock in the Santa Rosa San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. |
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| Pebbled bench seat in shades of brown and gray. |
I love the desert -- the sand, rocks, prickly plants and sunshine. My time here ends in a few days, but I have a backlog of blog posts ready to bring back warm memories.
Have a colorful day
great post, Sherrie, that rock in the mountains is especially appealing to me...and the pebble bench...well, and all the rest =)
ReplyDeleteThese textures are wondrful and a unique way to view a part of the desert. Thanks you for shaing them with those of us still in the wet part of the country.
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