The desert is in the details: Tucson Mountain Park (Weekend Coffee Share #11)

October 23, 2021 /

Good morning, and happy Saturday! Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. Today we’ll visit the rough, rugged, and prickly scenery of Tucson Mountain Park.

I wish we could have coffee in person, maybe sit out on the patio (it’s cool–55F–and sunny this morning) and talk and share and laugh. Dang, I miss doing that. But, as with so many other activities in these plague times, virtual will have to do. So pull up a seat, and let’s share our weeks with each other.

As I mentioned in last week’s post, husband and I drove to Flagstaff last weekend. We weren’t there long, just a night and a day so he could have a follow-up appointment with his knee surgeon. I’d planned to take a walk in the forest, soak up some fall color, and take some pictures to share, but that didn’t happen, because it was f-f-freezing and windy. All I managed was this boring picture from the orthopedic clinic parking lot:

San Francisco Peaks from Flagstaff Bone and Joint parking lot, 2021 October 15

At least it includes a mountain, trees, and a little fall color.

We got back Friday night, and on Sunday we drove to Tucson Mountain Park. It was our first trip out there, and it was lovely. We’re so lucky to live close to so many natural areas in the Sonoran Desert.

As a Californian who grew up with the Sierras and the Pacific Ocean each a couple hours away (in opposite directions), I never thought I’d appreciate the stark beauty of a desert, but I do. And I’ve learned that a lot of that beauty–and whimsy–is in the details. Want to be impressed with a desert? Get in close–but watch out for the prickly things, like this cholla cactus, a well-fortified home for birds:

Oval, tightly-woven grey bird nest surrounded by green, spiny cholla cactus branches
That is one well-protected nest!

Fall in the desert is seed pod season. The seeds of desert trees and plants have fed animals and humans for millennia.

  • Closeup of a branch with narrow yellow and brown leaves and small, black, dried fruits
    What passes for fall color in these parts
  • Closeup of brown seed pod containing brown-black seeds
    Palo Verde seed pod

The desert is full of textures–and a lot of those textures are pointy.

  • Edge of prickly pear cactus pad with spines growing from scarred areas
    Beware. Those cute, fuzzy things? They will hurt you.
  • Smooth green cactus pad studded with white spines and yellow glochids
    Yes, the desert flora is out to get you
Beware the prickly pear. It is well-armed.

But some are rough and rugged and gritty–and populated with pointy things.

  • Hillside studded with saguaros on the right, land dropping away to a valley on the left
    Lots of Sonoran Desert shapes and textures
  • Hillside studded with prickly pear, saguaros, and other Sonoran Desert vegetation with a dark tan rock formation in the background and a hillside rising on the right
    An array of desert textures
These pictures give a sense of the shape of the land–or the different shapes. Whichever way you look, there’s something a little new, a little different, maybe a little surprising or even whimsical–like these saguaros. Saguaros are always whimsical.
  • Crooked saguaro cactus that looks wobbly
    The Jack Sparrow of saguaros
  • Two mature and several immature saguaros growing on a slope next to a rock formation
    Enthusiastic saguaros

Saguaros are almost all hilarious–and nearly impossible not to anthropomorphize. The one on the left reminded me of Johnny Depp playing Jack Sparrow, because it looks like it’s had way too much rum and is teetering around the mountain in search of more. The group on the right looks like two cactus parents trying to convince their jaded, bored cactus children that this trip to Arizona is GREAT! JUST GREAT! LOOK HOW GREAT IT IS! If the young’uns had eyes, they’d be rolling them.

Look closely at the hillsides, and you’ll see signs of human activity too. I don’t know what these buildings are or when they were built, but I love how the stonework helps them blend into the surrounding landscape.

  • Ruins of stone building on desert hillside with three windows in front and a shape that makes it look like it's frowning
    This building looks irritated
  • Rocky mountainside with desert vegetation, saguaro cactuses, and stone building
    Why did someone put a building up there?

Thanks for hanging out with me this morning and tagging along on my Sonoran Desert photo safari. I’ll leave you with a few lessons I’ve learned in my almost-year of living in the desert:

  • You can thrive, even in a harsh, difficult place. Bloom where you’re planted. (Note: If you aren’t a cactus, air conditioning helps. A lot.)
  • Beauty and magic is all around us, no matter where we are. But if you want to see it, you have to look for it–and look closely.
  • Beauty is found in unlikely places. Example: cactus flowers (see here, here, here, here, and here)

And finally,

  • If people get too close, poke ’em with something sharp.

How was your week?

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15 Comments

  • Bobbiem91

    October 23, 2021 at 1:23 pm

    I so miss your humor. How was my week….Well I got 4 more chapter of my first book of my trilogy edited. I worked Thee days, more fourth day was canceled which was fine. Changed my mind on what to do for NaNo and am blocking out a different book that has been hanging on in my brain for the last month. My other half found a horse and sent me to look at it—but mistake. Instead of just one horse, we’re getting 3. Sally will be the last one to get here, but she is the one I’m paying for. She is a black mustang who is gentle and tame and mine…lol. She is 7 yrs old. (a kid in horse years) We are getting Maggie, a 23 y/o and her daughter Ginger who is 14 from a couple who are moving and can’t take them with her. They are free and are a red-brown quarter horses. Once we get sally, I’ll consider the brother and sister at the shelter if they are still there If we get them, we’ll have our little herd. I can at least work Sally and she has been saddled and ridded. Maggie has been ridden before also. I told him he shouldn’t send me to look at a horse. He was warned–but ok with it. He see the place as a sanctuary for younger horses that don’t have another place to go. The equine shelter wouldn’t take Maggie since she is 23 y/o. and they owners didn’t want to split them up.

    Time to get back to work. I need this book ready to type up by the end of next week. Miss you. Oh, we had our first snow. Didn’t stick around, but it did snow and I had the pleasure of being out driving in it.

    • Janet Alcorn

      October 23, 2021 at 7:49 pm

      One of my high school friends has a t-shirt that says, “I do not need another horse.” I’d recommend one for you, but it doesn’t seem to do her much good, so why bother? 🙂 Congrats on the horses—they sound wonderful. And congrats on all the editing progress! I feel like a slacker by comparison.

  • Susanne

    October 23, 2021 at 3:02 pm

    Hi Janet, I’ve always been fascinated by cacti and desert plants (I’ve only known about cacti, until now!), it”s so interesting that something can grow and thrive there. I’ve seen some cacti in Italy too! But other types of cacti, obviously. It gets very dry and hot there in the late summer but the winters can be cold with snow and lots of rain at times.

    • Janet Alcorn

      October 23, 2021 at 7:50 pm

      I didn’t know Italy had cacti! Very cool! We get some cold winter nights and the very rare dusting of snow, so the cacti here aren’t very cold-hardy. We definitely have the hot and dry part covered though.

  • Natalie

    October 23, 2021 at 3:41 pm

    I agree beauty and magic is all around us, we just have to look for it. Your last bulleted point made me laugh 🙂 Thank you for your lovely photos and linking up with #weekendcoffeeshare.

  • Inspiring Max

    October 23, 2021 at 11:25 pm

    Hi Janet
    I love that quote “bloom where your planted.” So true. Sometimes its amazing what you discover about yourself through the journey even if it’s horrible.

    • Janet Alcorn

      October 24, 2021 at 7:47 am

      Yep. And we can discover a ton when things aren’t horrible too, by being present and paying attention to what’s around us.

  • Deborah Drucker

    October 24, 2021 at 1:23 pm

    Having a bit of trouble leaving a comment. FYI,This is the second time that’s happened. Wanted to say nice photos. Really like the shot of the bird’s nest and the stone buildings.