Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Summer beauty

110 degrees expected today and all week.  Actually, this is the forecast for most of June.
The riparian park experiences the heat, too. Bushes die, ponds are drained, birds fly north.

This pond has been left to dry out for the summer. 
But there are 6 other ponds for the birds to populate.

Some of the bird blinds are abandoned for the summer. 
The morning glare hits hard.

And the only person I saw was the "Tai Chi man" (no photos, please),
practicing his moves amid the flowers, cacti and cobwebs.

The early mornings in summer are lovely. 
Hot and a bit sticky, but the air is loud
with insects and birds. 


Some days we just can't see the birds for the beauty.

20 comments:

sealaura said...

beautiful pics. I know what you mean when I moved back to cali from the midwest, I had a newfound appreciation for the desert. It is indeed beautiful, dry and HOT here too but I love it!

Banjo52 said...

The glare you mention is what I'd expect in AZ for every moment from here to October. But in every other shot, the colors are rich (I'm tempted to say "thick"), and the air seems crystal clear, like our skies in October. Your pics are a real education about Arizona.

Unknown said...

It is really a beautiful place. And a paradise for the birds in summer.
Costas

Cyndi and Stumpy said...

If i didn't know you were in Arizona, I'd swear you were someplace tropical. I'm so glad to come here and learn about a greener, wetter Arizona.

MadSnapper said...

I had trouble looking at the beauty you photogrpahed because out beside was the other beauty of those precious puppies. the sunflower is wonderful and I would so much like to walk on that path under the trees. i could handle it because it is 98 here so what is another 15 degrees? HOT here and HOT there. loved all the photos

Thérèse said...

We have to meet there one early morning...

Something Happened Somewhere Turning said...

Lovely pictures.

Remington said...

GREAT pics! If you need some rain -- we got plenty -- I'll send it your way....

Dog Trot Farm said...

Beautiful photos Brenda. I promise I will no longer publically complain about the heat and humiditiy here in Maine. A Southerly breeze( ocean air) later in the day usually provides relief here. However, you certainly do reside in a most beautiful part of the world.

How Sam Sees It said...

Nice photos, Brenda! I still enjoy the Riparian Area in the morning (I'm surprised we haven't seen you!) - even though the heat is starting very early these days!

Sam

Barb said...

Brenda, your photos are wonderful. My friend from AZ says she gets up at 5 AM to exercise! Glad you were out and about early, too, to take these pictures.

Stella said...

Very beautiful country . . .but too hot, too hot, too hot!

Jo in Minniesnowda

Joanna Jenkins said...

With those temps it's amazing anything is green! Try to stay cool.
jj

Tracy said...

I admire you for getting out in the heat. Also for getting up so early in the morning.

Diane AZ said...

These pictures are gorgeous! How great that you have ponds to visit in the summer. I love the blue sky reflected in the water. I can almost hear your cicadas buzzing.

Anonymous said...

I knew we had even more in common. Unforgettable, unbelievable match. Broke every record. I'm just sorry it ever had to end.

TheChieftess said...

Beautiful pics Brenda!!! Especially the last four, those are definitely my favorites!!!

Some very good friends of ours are moving to Arizona...it's a bit too hot for me...however, come mid February, I may be high tailing it out of the snowy mountains we're moving to and over to Arizona, to thaw out!!!

I still can't figure out what I'm going to do with my basket of flip flops???

Gus, Louie and Callie said...

What beautiful pictures. We sure can relate to that temp..
Yepper that was a Wisconsin corn field. MeMaw sent a picture and the corn is almost up to Grampy's chest now.. We sure would like to try and get lost in that...


Big Sloppy Kisses
Gus, Louie and Callie

Tash said...

I thought the trees in the 1st photo were moving.
I LOVE these images and your words. Beauty and the birds.

Mary said...

Kadence "helped" me survey a very small pond a couple of weeks ago. A few days later I commented that it was rapidly drying up due to the lack of rain. She immediately went into her "viromentlist" mode and spent the next 20 minutes formulating a plan to save the pond and the world. "We GOT to do this!!"

Wonderful photos, as always