Post Christmas Round-Up

Christmas Eve day was grey and cold.  We decided we'd take a restorative walk in the desert anyway.  We took off, and five minutes later went back to the house for jackets, gloves and ear bras.  For all that it was a southern wind, it was a very cold wind.  Here is a picture of Jim hiking in a jacket and gloves.  That very rarely happens.  Note the absence of color in the sky.

Christmas day was like being on a different planet.  It rained in the morning, and then cleared up to be a cool windy day.  We took the 7 Rocks trail out towards the big rocks.  They're visible on the left.  We did this hike in March and just hated it.   Yesterday we decided that we needed a goal so we did it again.  We missed the mark on clothing choices.  We took jackets in case it rained on us, and shirts in case the jackets were too hot.  We ended up wearing neither.  All of it ended up in the backpack.

There's a lot up up/down.  What makes it painful is the trail is covered in loose round rocks which are a pain in the butt going downhill.  Poles are a necessity for staying upright.  However it was a glorious hike.  The sun was out and the wind was howling along the upper parts of the trail.

Interestingly enough, the ocotillos on the upper hills were leafed out and looking good.  All of the plants at our elevation are still leafless and looking slightly dead.

The number of saguaros is always amazing.

Late afternoon sun on the yard.  That pile of rocks is Jim's delivery of 1,000 pounds to be distributed on the thin sections in the yard.

The Christmas cactus from Trader Joe's bloomed.

Then there was a sunset.

It was a good Christmas.  Jim and I both received hats we bought at the 4th Avenue street fair.  It's probably time to get them out of their gift bags and put them away.