Looking at the little stuff for a change

Yesterday I grabbed my camera with my short lens, and went for a wander in the desert. Lately everything I have been shooting has been with my telephoto, so it was fun to carry something small, and go looking at the little stuff for a change

The desert is a rough place, literally. The rocks are jagged, the trees are gnarly, and of course the cactus are sharp and prickly.

I stopped to take pictures of a small piece of a tree stump. It had been weathered down to practically nothing, and when I got on my knees for a closer look, I saw it was a spider house.

I decided to leave him alone, and continue on my way.

Dead saguaro cactus are more fascinating to me then the ones that are still upright. The way they dry up and decay, leaving behind only the ribs is fascinating.

The insides are like sponge, and when they are exposed to the elements they dry up in the coolest shapes and textures.

Of course the outside is were all the prickles are, gotta be careful.

This small saguaro has been eaten by the bighorn sheep. I had photos last year of them actually doing this. How they don’t end up with a nose full of spines, is beyond me.

I found a tiny little fish hook cactus growing between the gnarly rocks. He was in a pretty well protected spot.

The hedge hog cactus are way mean looking. But when the sun is going down, and shining through them, the colors are so soft and pretty.

I’ve talked several times about all the old WW2 stuff around here. I still have to marvel that there is still remnants around. This is the end of a small piece of wood I found. There were a few nails, and some other small pieces around too. But look how the wood is so weathered and gnarly. I love all that texture.

Different perspective, and different things to find. It’s a never ending world to discover.