Small And Beautiful Blossoms

As some of you may know, the early months of this year brought lots of rain to California, which ended their drought. It has also been a blessing to the things growing around here. Compared to the last years, the plants that we had seen have larger blooms and there are a lot more of them. It has also brought into bloom many wild flowers.

Last Saturday B and I were hiking the trails. We were seeing lots of flowers now starting to bloom. The shrubs are about through. In the past couple of years that we have been here, we have not seen many of these flowers.

While we were hiking, it brought back memories of when I was a kid and riding with my Dad checking on the cattle on the mountain. Dad always seemed to know which wild flowers were in bloom and where to go to find them. When we were ready to head back home Dad would say that we needed to go to such and such a place. Once there he would pick some flowers, get his handkerchief wet into which he would wrap the flower stems, and then put them in his saddle bag until reaching home where he would present them to Mom.

So, as we headed back I started to pick a few of the different kinds of flowers that we were seeing. I made it a point to only pick from areas where there were lots of that kind growing. Also I limited it to small blooms. The largest are about one inch in diameter. That ended up with this. (You may want to enlarge these photos for better viewing.)

We also say a white blossom that was interesting. I had not taken my camera so I didn't get a picture of it. Since there was only the one bloom I didn't pick it. I tried to see if I could find it on the Internet to no avail.

So on Monday we went hiking again and this time I took the camera. After almost two miles we did find the plant and there was still a bloom on it. As you can see, it is the only bloom on the stem. There looked to be some very small buds further up the stem. There wasn't much for leaves at the bottom. I have no idea what is name is but we thought it was very unique.

So then we went picture 'picking.'

At the two mile area, which we call the picnic area because that is where we picnicked with W and C the first year were were here, there were several small blooms. This is an over view followed by individual ones. You will be able to see them better if you enlarge the pictures.
These next ones were so small, you had to get down close to see them.
Those are leaf pieces on the ground.

There were also some of these in the same area. They just looked like some fuzz on a stem until you looked really close.
Then there were a couple varieties that seemed to like each other and were growing together. They also seemed to love the sun.




There were also several of these in different areas. The buds all came out at the end of the stem.

In another area, there were about three kinds of very small flowers. I tried to get pictures up close of the yellow ones but they didn't turn out. They were maybe 1/4 inch across. You can also see some orange color in the photo. These were even smaller blossoms.

There are lots of yellow blooms now besides the ones I have shown. Here are a couple others.There is also a small purple bell, about an inch long. It's blossoms open as the end uncurls, sort of like a fern uncurls.

I also liked these small purple ones with their yellow, pointy center.

There are several bunches of these red flowers. They have been blooming for awhile and are on more of a bush.I laugh when I see this one because it looks like it just can't quite make it blossoming, but there are small blooms that come out on the edge. In the second picture you can see who it likes to be near.
It is interesting how in nature the color of flowers that grow together really go together.

Because of all the rain, there is also lots of grass. Also the yucca plants are much fuller and thicker this year. Most of their blossoms are all white, but this one had some color also.

Looking out across a hill it is pretty seeing them growing up and blooming.B is standing by the one on top of the hill on the left of the above picture.
Last but not least was the small yellow flowers growing along the path, shortly after starting up the trail. They remind us of the butter cups that we had in Montana.
Note the little violet colored and shaped flowers growing next to them, again complimenting colors.
Besides the flowers that we got pictures of, there is one other thing that I got.

A tick, the same kind that B got in February. That meant that we had to make a trip to town to get antibiotics as they also carry Lyme disease. They are sure more irritating to the skin than the ones I use to get when I was a kid.

Road Signs

Think back to when you had to learn about road signs and what they meant. We all had to learn them and understand them in order to become drivers on the roads. Now I know that it has been a few years since I had to take that test, but I don't think the meaning of the signs has changed, or there would have been a general notice plus lots of news and media accounts regarding any changes. Diamond signs are still warnings but what is with the symbols on some of them? I'm puzzled!

I think that I know what this means. The road is going to go the the right and that you should be prepared to turn that direction. And it should be taken at a speed no greater than thirty miles and hour. (See the little sign below the diamond shaped one.)


I have no problem with this one or ones like it. However..................................................






if the above sign is correct, what is with this sign? Did they run out of signs with the arrow pointing to the left when they were putting the signs up? My eyes tell me that the road is making a left turn and the cars sure seem to be going that way?





This is not the only sign that I question. Following are some others. I'm sorry that some of the pictures aren't the clearest. I was taking them on the go. If you look at the edge of the road, you can see that there isn't a place to pull over and that there is always lots of traffic, who seem to manage this road in spite of the signs.



I always have a good chuckle whenever we get to this sign. One would think that you are going to be making a very sharp turn to the right, but the road sure isn't going that way. Maybe we should be paying attention to the speed signs so that when the road goes opposite the arrow we will be prepared?



This next one is also one for some thought. Again, it says that you are going to go left and the road is most definitely going to the right. It is not often that you see a sign telling you that you are going to be going in a circle, unless you are in a parking garage. This doesn't look like a parking garage to me? Or did they run out of signs again? One would think that they would make more signs and then put up a correct one?



OK!
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I have to admit that after going for awhile in the opposite direction, the road does go the way the signs indicate. Also, you don't make a full circle, but it does come real close to making one. But, I still get a laugh when we are driving the Ortega Highway. If I was driving though, I would be too busy watching the road to laugh as it is full of twists, turns, and traffic,.....and signs!

Sorrow

This may not be a topic that we like to think about, but due to the happenings in the life of a friend of ours, I have been reminded of the experience that we have had. I have been reflecting on those memories and this is what I have learned.

Sorrow is an unwelcome presence that takes up residence in one's heart. One can try to push it out or ignore it but it is there to stay. At first it seems to occupy every space, but in time one finds that isn't so. However, its size doesn't diminish. It is as if one gets use to its presence, sort of like a picture on a wall or a chair filling a corner of the room. It is just always there. At times it draws back our attention and those feelings that were present at its entrance come flooding back. However, over time it does become easier to look away and see the other things that are also there; the things that bring us happiness and joy. Just because we look for happiness and joy, it doesn't mean that one doesn't recognize sorrows presence. Rather, one appreciates happiness and joy more so because of the presence of sorrow.

Hitting The Trails

Since we are back in California and at the same camping place as last year, we have been doing some hiking.

Last year we made one trip on a trail across the highway from where we are staying. We saw a falls there with little water going over it and wondered what it was like after they had some rain. Since there has been lots of rain in the past few weeks, we decided to check it out. There was lots of water, but it was obvious that there has been more at times. It isn't just one falls, but a series of falls. This was the first group of falls.

Looking up stream.

Following the water as it moves down stream,
And down further,

And into a pool. I had zoomed in on the first pictures, but here you can see the canyon that started to form. The trail is a ways above the water on a steep hill side.
From the pool on down.
And down some more.


We went down around toward the bottom and got the next picture of the water's passageway.

I should say B got this as it was pretty steep and muddy. You can see another pool and more falls.
And it kept dropping but the side trail was too slick to go down.

We followed the trail on down, which parallels the stream. At times we could hear more water falls but couldn't see them. We finally came out next to the stream where I took these pictures.

We were by this part last year also and there wasn't the trash in the trees. It shows how high the water was a few weeks ago when they were getting all of the rain. Where I was standing, the water would have been about to my shoulders.

Then there was this nice pool with a sandy shore and gradual beach. If it had been a hot day it would have been a great place to cool off.

Further down we found these growing on a stump. I thought that they were pretty.

Now, after seeing this falls, B wonders what it looks like at Teneja Falls. But that is a LONG hike in or we have to drive around to get to the shorter route in. (See This, That, and Other Things 4/28/09)

Giggling in Bed

My Uncle V and Aunt S shared with us an interesting part of their marriage.

They told us about their grown daughter visiting them. The next morning she stated, "You two are still giggling at night!" It seems that they have been doing this their whole marriage. (They were married just two months before we were.)

They elaborated to say that they share the funny things that happened that day; what the kids did, what happened at work, or a joke that they had heard that day, etc.

Uncle V said that there was a problem with this though. While they were still working, S had heard a joke at work that she wanted to share with him. So, after they had gone to bed she started to tell it to him. Before delivering the pounch line she paused. He anxiously waited for the punch line but the pause got longer. He then realized that she had fallen asleep. Unfortunately, the next morning she couldn't remember the joke. He said that he is still waiting for the punch line.

I thought that this was a good idea for a happy marriage. All to often, we don't look at the positive and fun things in our lives and our marriages. What a good idea, to have a good giggle with your spouse before falling asleep.

Other Cultures and Places

Sometimes it is hard to know where to start. This is one of those times. Over a time of two days, I have to say that I have had a first hand experience that has soften my heart and given me a new outlook on some peoples' lives.

My only living uncle and his wife are snow birds in Yuma. They took us across the border into Los Algodones. They have been there a number of times. It was my first time to go south of the border.

The thing that first got my attention was the people calling for your attention to check out the things they had for sale. Some were quite humorous. "Come and buy something you don't need." "Looking is free." "Come take a look at my junk." What really seemed strange to me were the people outside dental offices and places to get your eyes check and glasses encouraging you to come in. We did end up getting B's glasses on the second trip there.

As we walked around the blocks, the side walks were covered with stalls with coverings over them and things hanging from above. If the stall was part of the store, most of the time you couldn't tell the difference from the 'stall' to when the store began; they just flowed out onto the sidewalk. This is an example of what it was like. This was the stall where we did buy two cloths. I wanted to get a picture of the lady who had it along with her things but she didn't want to be in the picture.
There was an isle down the middle to go through. These are some table cloths along with a few other things too. Those are hats with tails or braids. Several places had table cloths. Some were plane lace, some had some coloring on the lace, and some were colored woven cloths.

There was lots of jewelery most of which was silver, leather goods, blankets,pottery, copper works, clothing, etc. Embroidered dresses that I had seen in San Antonio for well over one hundred dollars were starting out at forty dollars.

My Aunt had told us not to take the asking price as they would come down. As a rule you could talk them down by two fifths of their asking price and sometimes half if they had an outside stall. Those indoors were a lot firmer on their prices. When we were going to leave, towards the end of the first day, one of the ladies kept trying to sell us a table cloth and got down as low as seven dollars when she had started out at thirty.

We saw few middle aged men. Those we did see seemed to be shop owners. Most of the people selling things were women. It was not unusual to see their preschool age child or children off to the side quietly entertaining themselves. It they were under two there was a grandma with them, usually sitting on the sidewalk with her legs curled up under her, and holding out a woven cup sized basket for donations. She might have a small wrapped candy to give out in return. We saw a number of these women who looked like they were probably in their forties or fifties. I'm assuming they didn't know English as I heard only one of them speak and that was just thank you. Some of the mothers we saw looked like they were in their late teens.

Something that impressed me was the artistic skills of some of these people. We saw one man with a spool of silver wire that he was holding on his arm. He would twist and crimp it as he unwound it, making a beautiful pin with a name on it. It was amazing how uniform the letters were. Another was making bracelets with names on them. He had a strip about 3/4 inch wide that had threads lying parallel to the strip. He would wrap another color around the strip, moving the parallel threads to make the letters. He worked so quickly, I never could quite figure out how he was doing it. The wrapping thread also looked braided when he was finished.

When we were killing time waiting for B's glasses, we stopped and talked to some of the people. They weren't as busy the second time we were there. We went into a shop that had many wool rugs and wall hangings. The man wasn't a lot taller than me and he looked to be in his early twenties. He told us he was from Oaxaca, Mexico. He showed us some pictures of his home and the process of making the rugs. They raised the sheep and he had a picture of his grandmother carding the wool. There were pictures of them dying the wool in pots over an open fire after it had been spun. The loom was set up outside. He showed a picture of what looked like a stone basin where he "washed his face every morning." The area appeared to have a lot of foliage. He had a picture of a prickly pear cactus and said that they use it for one of the red colors. For a richer red they use pomegranates. If we had a place to use it, we would have bought one of his smaller rugs.

One man had pine needle baskets that he had made. He was in the process of making what was to become a wall hanging. He asked us if we thought people would buy something like that. The pine needles were about six inches long. He had calluses on his thumb from stripping off the base after they had been soaked. While we were talking to him he showed us how he made them. His baskets were very pretty with some open areas, some areas with braiding, some areas a slight green cast to the needles. Other areas had circle inserts. He said the green was from using younger needles. He also had a hat that he had made and said took him a week to make. We asked what he could get for it. He said he asks forty dollars but is lucky to get twenty for it.

We saw one of the artists when we first entered with my aunt and uncle. He had done some work for them. They would bring him cookies, so he remembered them as the cookie couple. He did all of his work with spray paint, paper, and plastic bags. My uncle said that when they first met him he didn't use a mask and was inhaling the fumes. They told him to use a respirator mask to protect himself, which he now does. At first he was the only one doing this but has taught about three others now who were also there.

He does the glass on lanterns, cream cans, saw blades, TV satellite dishes, mail boxes, etc. We watched him paint a satellite dish in twenty three minutes. He started by spraying the top half with several layers of different colors. Next he picked up some heavy paper with a jagged edge and used it to diffuse the paint as he sprayed on some white to make some clouds. Then he put some plastic over the edge of a stick and made the trunks of pine trees in the distance, pulling the color up from beneath other layers. He bunched some plastic and made the tree branches. At times he would spray some colors onto a piece of paper, take the plastic bag that he had bunched and twisted in half, dab it into the colors, and make rocks, bushes, or whatever. He would put his finger in white and streak it for the water or use a piece of paper with a little white on it to make the water falls or reflection. The water spray he did like the clouds. It was something to watch.

Here he is at work on the one we saw him do and the finished product.

These people are trying to make a living at a legal business. They are willing to put in the time and work and yet they get little for their time. Yes, maybe it doesn't cost as much to live there, but they aren't getting much for their living. After speaking with some of these people we really wanted to buy something just to help them out. Maybe if we didn't dicker so much and paid more for their goods, more would be able to make a living there and not be trying to enter our country illegally or work at an illegal job. And yet, with all their difficulties, we found them to be happy. They are willing to joke with you, tease and be teased, and just enjoy life.

Old Buildings And Other Things

One of our stops was in the old town of El Paso. We did a walking tour of some of the old buildings in the down town area. There were two building that impressed us.

The first was a hotel that is still in use. It is still a grand place, and was when it was built. It has a very beautiful stained glass dome in it.
The other building was the down town post office, also still in use. It also has a dome and the old original boxes lining the walls. The boxes are much more ornate than the plain ones of today. However, what impressed us the most was the floor tiles. Here are examples of two of them.
This one looks as if it is on a wall, but in order to get the lighting right we had to take a picture of it upside down and then flip it over.

There were about eight of these on the floor. (Samples of old postage stamps for those of you too young to remember single digit postage stamps.)

As we were driving across Texas and into the western part of the state, the land became much dryer. I wonder how they raise cattle there, (and there are cattle that we saw,) with such scarcity of grass and water. I also found interesting the few ranch house that we saw. They seem to be small, low to the ground homes. This one was close to where we stayed one night. The road into it is also very typical to what we saw.

Sometimes in life, a turn in what you are doing presents something special that you would have otherwise missed. An example of this, that I will always remember, happened many years ago one morning while I was skiing. I had just started down the hill when I fell and ended up looking back up the hill. I saw the beauty of the sun lighting up snow that a gentle breeze had just blown out of a tree. It was a scene well worth the fall.

We had a similar experience shortly after we crossed into Arizona.

We had looked for a place to spend the weekend that would honor our Pass Port America and that was close to a church. We found one at the small town of Clifton. It was about seven miles out of our way, but what the heck. We had been traveling down route 70.

We had been climbing prior to turning off to head to the town. Then we started climbing more. This area is covered with flat land with hills or mountains popping up out of no where. (Look at the above picture to see what I mean.) We were starting into one of these mountains. Before we reached the town, we noticed huge tailing piles stretching for miles. We wondered, what kind of mine was this?

We reached the town not too far up in the mountains, laid out beside a river in the base of a canyon. We learned that they were open pit mining copper and gold. They had also found diamonds but had cemented off that area. Right now they figure the gold will last thirty years and the copper one hundred years. However there is talk of increasing the copper mining which would then last fifty years.

The canyon divides with the trailer park up one draw and the old town and mine up the other. Since we had some daylight left and we were told that we could drive up and look down into the mine, we decided to check it out.

This was just one of the pits. There were several. At one time we had a pit on each side of the road, route 191. If they expand this to increase production, the opened surface will become the largest in the world. At this spot the elevation was 5520 feet. We continued on up the road and eventually ran out of the mine area and into the winding mountain road. Oh, there was some snow up there in the shade on the north side of the hills.

There is another town, Morenci, close to the mine, that is stretched along the upper ridges and their sides, with a population of over one thousand.

The next day we drove on up the canyon above the RV park. This is what we found.


What a nice side trip, and to think that we might have missed it all, never guessing what lay to the north.