Blooms @ MindSay 
"Go someplace you've never been, at least once a month!"
Seems I'm always at a loss to answer "what do you want to do on".... some special day where I get to call the shots. Today I made the perfect choice, with a perfect bouquet to place on my "desktop":
Up early to beat the record heat that was forecast, hopped in the truck and headed out to find a couple of caches that were top on my list. The first one was along an unmarked BLM road I had often noticed from the freeway- disappearing into a tempting crevice- to where? We caught it off of the old highway and meandered our way out under the freeway.... down into the drainage, around the hillsides and out onto a ledge overlooking the Colorado River- where a lonely picnic table sat invitingly. The view was a jaw dropping panorama - secluded and inspiring. My new all-time favorite cache spot!
Then, a return visit to a desert multi-cache with glowing reviews from the first two to find. A series of 5 ingenius micros we first attempted two weekends ago- we got stumped on #2- a micro at a little pour off in the rocks- crevices everywhere! We gave up and emailed the owner to ask for help to concentrate our search- high, low or in-between? Eye level micro in a micro spot, we were told.
The series skirted the edge of a rocky ledge and drop off- a constant challenge to guess whether you needed to be high or low- always where we were not, it turned out! Next clue- "campers want this"- no doubt- there it is, below- the micro tube protruding slightly from the hole drilled into the end of the dry log.
Next clue- "Long Time Gone"- I stay low while S skirts the top of the rocky ridge. Of course it appears I chose wrong!
"What do you see?"
"Rocks, trees, bones.... "
"Bones! "Long time gone!" Go check out the bones!"
Ok, the next one is "another one.... just like the other one" - which one?
How about the first one- a micro drilled into the bottom of a random rock...... in a pile of rocks.
Now- go high, or low? We choose low- so .... of course....
Luckily these ledges lend themselves to clamboring- glad to have a climbing partner along!
No photo of the final cache- we just sat and enjoyed the view- let the bittersweetness of a challenge completed wash over us. Left behind our cherished Yellowstone NP geocoin- seemed like a good place.
I can't stop smiling. What a perfect morning outdoors. What a spectacular Mother's Day Adventure. A day to remember.
Stopped by our cache on the way home- 'Another Dam Cache'.... an unexpected pond in an isolated desert area.... with wildlife equally appreciative. Orginally placing a plastic container seemed a not-so-great idea- so we replaced it with an ammo can: Didn't post photos of the site before, so here are the first:
Here I am, upgrading the cache box:
And then we headed back home- and stopped at the final cache of the day. One, you would think, I should have already found by now... but it seems that my GPSr overwrites this one with the one on the other side of the freeway, because they have almost identical names..... a glitch I recently discovered. Picked up my first unite for diabetes TB here today.
So here we are! I've passed up iliketiedye in finds, a temporary situation, no doubt!
Stopped at Boston's for lunch- neopolitan mushroom pizza... OMG a variety of mushrooms, pesto sauce- rich amber beer....... I'm thoroughly satiated. What a glorious day!
And to think I considered tossing this one in the garbage a few months ago. I’ve had this plant for almost two years and it miraculously started to bloom. Close to ten buds are coming in on this one. Makes a girl proud.
The catalpa tree in our backyard takes my breath away with the loads of blossoms it displays this time of year. Decided it was high time I took a few pictures!
This seems to be the year of dove nests in our backyard- appears we have another family amid the blooms!
Happy Mothers Day! Enjoy the brilliance of LIFE!
Contrasts. . . .Life and death. Spring and Fall. Moist and dry. Hues of earth and brilliantly colored displays.
The desert is a unique environment, too arid to allow for much decomposition- when organisms, plant or animal, die- dessicated carcasses remain a part of the landscape- adding a sharp contrast to the new growth of spring, providing a reminder of the unending cycle. In the heat of summer, even the living plants appear bleached. But now, in May, the fresh blossoms emerge among the dried remains of years past.
This series of photos, taken along the Ute Canyon trail in the Colorado National Monument today show the contrast of "dead, and..... " red, orange, pink and white flowers on display!
scarlet gillia
Indian paintbrush
Cushion buckwheat
Fishhook cactus
Poppy mallow
Hedgehog cactus or Claret cup
Globe Mallow
Fishhook cactus with visitors
I'm PLAYING dead, are you lookin at ME??? Collared lizard. 
We need the contrasts in life to fully appreciate the good times. May your day be filled with color, appreciation, and love.
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