We have loved Tucson, specifically meaning southern Arizona, for a long time. The Tucson Sheltie National gave us an opportunity to revisit favorite places near there and to do a little exploring. Dana and our friend Lacey went down first, for the show itself. We managed to get in a little desert time despite the lure of the show and old friends. One morning Lacey and I got up and headed for the desert at 6 a.m. Even though it was too early for the restaurant and the Starbucks, the Hotel Arizona staff fixed us up with huge coffees-to-go! It was lovely seeing the dawn break over Gates Pass.

Lacey and I also visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and dropped in on the small acreage Scott and I own down there.

Then the following Sunday, Lacey went home and Scott flew down on Monday. We stayed at a lovely place in the northeastern foothills and did some running around the desert. We went to our little acreage first thing, and were astonished and delighted to find dozens of very young giant saguaro cacti there!

Above left, two young giant saguaros share the thin shade of a paloverde tree with a barrel cactus. That's Scott in the background. Below, the property has lush desert vegetation and a good number of interesting resident birds and mammals. And below right, when a cactus flowers, it makes a statement!!

Then we drove the short distance from our place to the Desert Museum. The grounds were lovely with the first flush of spring, and many of the native wildflowers, plus other Sonoran Desert plants that the Museum had planted, were in bloom in the grounds. Scott and I love the Desert Museum and have been members for many years. It's a wonderful way to get oriented to the desert and to learn how it works.

Above, desert mallow and desert evening primrose in bloom at the Museum. We had a new set of experiences this time. The Museum grounds are full of native birds, who are free to come, go, and nest there. Scott brought his iPod with the iBird app. It's nice to look up the range maps and images of the birds, but what was really fun was playing the calls of the birds on the iPod -- and having them answer, and then show up. For example, I parked myself on a bench while Scott took a short hiking loop because I wanted to watch a big agave in full bloom that was being tended by foraging bees and hummingbirds. A beautiful yellow and black male Scott's Oriole flew in and fed from the agave flowers. But by the time MY Scott returned, the Oriole was nowhere to be seen. We played his song on the iPod -- and in less than 30 seconds, there was the Scott's Oriole, looking all around, trying to find his rival! We called up a number of birds this way and got to see them at very close range.

Not far from our property is small Picture Rocks Pass, which was on the way from the place where we were staying to both our place and the Desert Museum. The flowers there were spectacular. We were so lucky to have come at exactly the right time to see them! There is something about wildflowers that has captivated me since I was a small child. Early photos of me often show me looking at flowers, touching them, or grasping a flower stem in my chubby hand! The fascination hasn't faded. Sometimes I wonder if all the evils of the world could be cured if everyone could spend a day surrounded by such color, form, and delicacy. When I am surrounded by wildflowers, I cannot imagine envy, greed, or any evils. Oh, my, such a day!

Above left, Mexican goldpoppy and Lesquerella gordoni make a carpet of gold. Or do you prefer blues and purples? No problem. Only a few yards away is a miniature landscape of hydrophylls, tackstem, and wild hyacinth.

We still love the Tucson area!