In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. –Albert Camus I don’t always find Camus’ summer within me, but here in Baja California Sur, it’s easy to imagine that mid-February is not the depth of winter. The following photos (taken in the past few days) are meant to be a […]
Desert plants here in Baja California Sur often intertwine and lean on one another like the cardon cactus and elephant tree (torote) pictured above. A local plant expert described this to some friends, my husband, and me as being simbiotico; that is, a symbiotic relationship in which different organisms cooperate. Sometimes, he explained, well-meaning folks […]
As I rode horseback with my local friend Manuel into the desert mountains this week, I noticed lots of Baja fairy dusters in bloom. Just the name of this plant is enough to enchant me, but the brilliant red stamens arranged like tiny whisk brooms equally draw my attention. I like to picture the little […]
A few years ago, when we arrived in Baja for our winter stay, I was slowly recovering from a pinched nerve in my neck. After several weeks of physical therapy and medication, I was still hurting, and, in addition, I had the remnants of a nasty sinus and respiratory infection, often snorting and blowing and […]
The human impulse to say, “I was here” hasn’t changed much in the past few thousand years, has it? Top photo, wall of children’s playground, Baja California Sur. Middle photo, cave paintings at La Trinidad site, Baja California Sur. Bottom photo, wider view of La Trinidad site and its famous deer with checkerboard body. Link […]
Almost three years ago, my husband and I stopped for lunch at the little Baja restaurant whose sign is pictured above, and I immediately noticed the prolific vine covering the fence out front. Its orange blooms overpowered even the adjacent bougainvillea, and I snapped several pictures. As I approached, I noticed some Queen butterflies nectaring […]
The bees on this Sour Pitaya bloom evidently find the nectar sweet. I found the flower to be one of the day’s “secret glories” (the poet E. E. Cummings’ term) as we biked on the Quail Trail. The Sour Pitaya or Pitaya Agria cactus is a cousin to the organ pipe, which also grows in […]
I think these cactus blooms look like fancy bows for holiday gifts. Photo taken Dec. 26th in Baja California Sur, Mexico.
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