Desert Crone

First, let me say the new song is a shout-out to our friend Suspect, not that he's likely to show up here but because he introduced me to Weezer and because I think of him often and hope he's doing well. 

I was reminded of the song yesterday when Mom & I were shoe shopping at JC Penneys. I didn't realize they have a sound system until I heard "Hip, hip" "Hip, hip" coming thru the ethers.  Just  makes you wanna dance doesn't it! If my eighty-something mother was embarrassed by her sixty-something daughter itty-bopping in the aisle she didn't show it.  Bless her. We sat down for her to try on the sandals she had her eye on and I continued bouncing my feet - come on, how can you not - causing the sales girl to think we're pretty cool -- well, that's what she said anyway. Who knows what she said about those crazy gray-haired ladies when she disappeared behind the curtain to shoe heaven....  

And - big news - the hawk (see 2/4/10) was back yesterday morning.  A cardinal has also started visiting in the morning and I hope they don't meet.  Cynics will say the cardinal is back because he comes every year.  I, however, like to think that he's shown up every day since Laney & I took that overlong walk up a nearby wash because he followed us here.


<---- Cool layering doncha think?  Enlarge it, its really cool and this layering is the reason we ventured up that wash from the main one that runs thru here.  Further on up the wash we encountered the cardinal atop a palo verde singing his little heart out.  So Laney & I sat there for a bit while I tried to get a shot of him but, alas, I hadn't yet realized there's a zoom function on the camera. Since it was pointless to take a photo of a tiny red dot we moved on.                    

                                                                                               

I love poking around in the desert and if you take a close look at the photose you'll see one of the reasons why.  There are centuries of stories in these photos. Why is some of the dirt darker? why are some lenses fine and sandy while others are full of pebbles?  and what caused one lens to force its way into another?  and why do some roots, close to the bottom of the wash show evidence of  burning? The imagination runs wild....

While I don't know this to be true it's a possibility that the mine tailings we see now replaced what was once a mountain - or what people who have really big mountains would call a foothill, or just a plain ole big hill.  So runoff/flooding would have been different back then. I've found evidence of occupation in the form of cores and flakes and what was perhaps once part of a stone tool.  Not surprising with the Santa Cruz River so close. There would have been water in it then I suppose..........


Late 19th/early 20th century photos of the Tucson area show there was not only water in the Santa Cruz, there was room for pleasure boating.  One can't help but feel sorry for the ladies in those photos in their long dark dresses.  What good is a teeny little parasol when you're covered head to foot and fingertips in dark clothing!  Maybe it wasn't as hot here then (just guessing) but it was surely more humid - which is worse if you ask me.  I'll take dry heat any day.

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