I forgot to post these first two pictures. Even though Willcox AZ has near desert climate, the hotel had a surprisingly large number of rose bushes with beautiful roses of many colors (yes, I am learning to stop and smell the roses).
We ran many errands upon returning home to Phoenix. The big one was to close on the paperwork for refinancing our condo here - having bought in the fall of 2005 as prices were going up, we are underwater, so we are glad to be able to have refinanced. We also got rid of the internet connection from the cable company and are now using a portable mifi connection.
Saturday morning, Patty and I went out for a hike at Dreamy Draw park in Phoenix. This was called Dreamy Draw because of the vapors from the mines that caused hallucinations for the minors - it has to do with the mercury found there. There are some fifty mine shafts and we went by many of them as we hiked. They have been filled in but you can easily see the square openings for the mine shafts. There is more info on their website at http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/piestewapeak/hikingmap/ We did a circle route out from the Northern Ave entrance on the west side of the park out route 100 the north to the boundary of the park, then west to the paved bike path and then south back to the entrance.
On Sunday, Jane, Patty and I went out in North Mountain Park, along a section of Route 100 which goes from Mountain View Park on 7th Ave to the North Mountain Visitor Center on 7th Street. We saw that some of the saguaros were starting to bloom, but the majority have not yet started. Here is one that has several blossoms - if pollinated they will turn into red fruit which are edible. A few years ago, I went on an outing where the Tohono O'odham tribe are authorized to enter Saguaro National Park to harvest the fruit from the cacti. We collected fruit in the morning, then at lunch had the opportunity to peel and prepare the fruit. They cooked the fruit down to make jam and jelly, even juice and liquor to celebrate the harvest.
Three weeks ago, when hiking here, the creosote bushes were full of yellow blossoms. Those that were pollinated have now formed these seed pods. Although these are called creosote bushes, they have no relation to the creosote most people know about. Petroleum based creosote is produced in oil refineries and is the brown creosote we see on telephone poles and railroad ties. Wood based creosote is the gas released when burning wood in your fireplace or wood stove that then condenses on the cold chimney, usually near the top of the chimney - after accumulation, that creosote can be ignited and cause chimney fires. That is why it is important to clean your chimney regularly. Creosote bushes got their name because when it rains, the smell they give off is similar to the smell of creosote.
Many palo verde trees are still in bloom with their beautiful yellow blossoms.
To cut down on water loss, palo verde trees have very small leaves. To get enough chlorophyll for photosynthesis, the bark contains chlorophyll and is green in color - hence the name palo verde (green stick in Spanish). They are leguminous trees and those blossoms that are pollinated form these green beans which are about 2-3 inches long and have several seeds in each bean pod.
Here is one of the palo verde trees that is still in bloom.
And here are Patty and Jane heading back south on our morning hike.
Saturday morning, Patty and I went out for a hike at Dreamy Draw park in Phoenix. This was called Dreamy Draw because of the vapors from the mines that caused hallucinations for the minors - it has to do with the mercury found there. There are some fifty mine shafts and we went by many of them as we hiked. They have been filled in but you can easily see the square openings for the mine shafts. There is more info on their website at http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/piestewapeak/hikingmap/ We did a circle route out from the Northern Ave entrance on the west side of the park out route 100 the north to the boundary of the park, then west to the paved bike path and then south back to the entrance.
Three weeks ago, when hiking here, the creosote bushes were full of yellow blossoms. Those that were pollinated have now formed these seed pods. Although these are called creosote bushes, they have no relation to the creosote most people know about. Petroleum based creosote is produced in oil refineries and is the brown creosote we see on telephone poles and railroad ties. Wood based creosote is the gas released when burning wood in your fireplace or wood stove that then condenses on the cold chimney, usually near the top of the chimney - after accumulation, that creosote can be ignited and cause chimney fires. That is why it is important to clean your chimney regularly. Creosote bushes got their name because when it rains, the smell they give off is similar to the smell of creosote.
Many palo verde trees are still in bloom with their beautiful yellow blossoms.
To cut down on water loss, palo verde trees have very small leaves. To get enough chlorophyll for photosynthesis, the bark contains chlorophyll and is green in color - hence the name palo verde (green stick in Spanish). They are leguminous trees and those blossoms that are pollinated form these green beans which are about 2-3 inches long and have several seeds in each bean pod.
Here is one of the palo verde trees that is still in bloom.
And here are Patty and Jane heading back south on our morning hike.
Minors or miners?
ReplyDeleteInteresting to know about the creosote!