The shadows are long while the sun sinks behind Troon Mountain.
The smell of the creosote is so sweet but just for an instant when you walk by a bush sporting tiny yellow flowers that creates an island of fertility.
Ocotillo is bursting in dazzling orangey- red.
The whole desert is a riot of colors right now.
Lantana bushes — some lavender, some a mix of shades — spice up the palette.
Birds are noisy as hell. Especially the Curved Billed Thrasher especially when I got near her nest. There were two newly hatched birds, mouths wide open. Mother screaming. Whit, wheat. Whit wheat.
Oh the bougainvillea!
It’s spilling over the walls wherever it is planted. Now this is magenta of another order.
Not to be outdone, the prickly pear is bringing forth gorgeous salmon and pink flowers. I’ve heard the juice can be used for intoxicating mixed drinks, if you dare to get near it.
All against a stunning backdrop of magnificent mountains full of massive granite boulders.
And there is that one standing stone, so perfectly placed in a neighbor’s front yard. Naturally colored in oranges and grey-black tones by varnish.
But the most special sight of all was when I literally stood staring at a hummingbird that landed on a little branch and it did not move for about a minute!
That is so rare. Time stood still and so did I.
A few photos I took on a goodbye walk in my Scottsdale neighborhood
