Spirit dolls and water in the desert

I just mailed three spirit dolls to a friend who commissioned them for her winter desert home. The orange one is larger to give a little variety when she hangs them together.

Meanwhile in the desert, New Year's rain and snow melt have the water running high in my favorite hiking spots. This first photo is from Catalina State Park, where the normally dry wash had water high enough that hikers were taking off their shoes and socks to cross and kids were playing in it like they were at the beach.

The next ones are at Sabino Canyon.

Water rushes over the dam at Sabino.

Can you believe this is the desert?

Here are some more desert-like photos from Sabino Canyon -- a giant saguaro cactus and a horse clip clopping along.

And just to give you an idea of how popular Sabino Canyon is, here's a shot of hikers on the tram road that goes a few miles up into the canyon. My friend and I took off on the hiking trails to escape the crowds.

Have a colorful day