The Rhythm of the Desert

We love the desert. They call people like us Desert Rats. If you had asked Al 15 years ago if he liked the desert, you would have gotten an emphatic no. But when we got together 11 years ago I started taking him to the desert of southern Utah, were he quickly fell in love with the landscape, the colors, and the feel of the desert. The rhythm of the desert. Back then we would camp in our truck camper in far away places, enjoying the silence, and breathing the air. Now, we fit the rhythm into a day that involves our work lives too.

Lately we have had high winds, and chilly temps so working outside and carving is not an option for Al. He has been working on some fantastic digital art pieces though. I will share when he gets some completely done. I work on my photos, the blog, the art show promoter stuff. But no matter what, we still go with the rhythm.

Evenings and mornings are all about walking with the dogs, well mostly Torrey. She especially loves, and expects evening walkies. The winds lately have made some cute photos of her.

This is what she would look like with ears that stand up.

And how about that sexy model look?

The other night Roxy decided that she wanted to play the “Run at mom while she takes photos” game too.

Dogs running in sync. It’s a new game.

She still has attitude though.

The other morning we went for a walk, and I said to Al..”I would sure like to find a nice crystal, and we haven’t found a heart rock for a while.” So what does he find….next time I’m asking for a gold nugget.

That same morning we were walking along with our heads bent to the rocks, and Torrey let out a single Woof. This dog rarely barks so when she does we pay attention. I looked up, and there were two wild burros watching us. I called Torrey to me, she has excellent recall, clipped her leash and handed both dogs to Al so I could get photos. These guys are certainly wilder, and they weren’t letting me get very close.

Those ears though!

And I’m still obsessed with the hummers. The winds haven’t been good for that though. I made a hummingbird feeder holder out of a stick and a pile of rocks. Which blew over several times the other day. I would look out the window to see the hummers trying to get something from a feeder that was laying on the ground. I filled it several times that day, and finally got something stable figured out. You can see the wind fluffing this ones tiny feathers.

My favorite thing is to sit outside and wait for these guys, so I can get their photo.

I love this shot.

We have decided to stay in this particular spot for a couple more weeks, since I couldn’t get a dentist appointment until March 9th. That’s Ok, we are liking it here. If the wind dies down I am going to go to the marshy lake and get photos of the egrets and pelicans I’ve seen down there.

Going with the flow, it’s all part of the rhythm.