Wandering the Desert looking for trouble!

Yesterday morning we awoke to YES clouds & rain. Unfortunately
for us we didn't receive any rain.

We decided to put our walking shoes on and again explore the neighborhood even further. We were able to access the Desert and take a few photos of a nasty cactus pictured above. We hope that if you come visit you stay FAR, FAR away from these nastys. If you look closely, you can see a barb that flew in the wind and ended up stuck into this aloe-vera plant. Freaky!

The jumping cholla (Opuntia fulgida), also known as the hanging chain cholla, is a cactus that is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

FIRST AID:
When a piece of this cholla sticks to an unsuspecting person, a good method to remove the cactus is with a hair comb, which is standard equipment for many who hike in the cholla's biome. The pieces should not be handled, as the spines are barbed and can cause painful, very slow-healing wounds if the barbs become embedded in the skin. If the barbs pass through clothing before entering the skin, it may be possible to pull the clothing away from the skin, pulling most of the barbs out of the skin. This reduces the problem to the less-painful task of removing the piece from the clothing. After doing so, the article of clothing may be removed to expose any remaining barbs still embedded in the skin. Another technique for removing barbs from the skin is by applying hot water (by the use of a bathtub or shower) to the affected area. This will open up pores in the skin, making it easier for the needles to be removed or possibly even removing some needles entirely. If the cholla is encountered on a dedicated footpath, it may be good manners to place the removed piece off the footpath where it is less likely to be accidentally stuck to other people. Cholla barbs should be carefully removed from shoes, as the barbs will continue to work their way into the shoe material.



While we were walking down the sidewalk we ran across a Hummingbird resting on a branch of a small tree. We were surprised to see one actually, for whatever reason we didn't figure Humming birds were a prevalent bird of AZ.


This is an example of one of the 40 or so homes that are for sale in our neighborhood. It seems every day you wake up and drive through the neighborhood another home pops up for sale. It's crazy!

We finished putting up the gazebo in the backyard & think it really sets off the look of our house.

We laughed when DH went and grabbed the rake, seems he remembers from his college job in making things look a little more detailed with dragging the rake across the small gravel putting a finished look to it. The "Arizona" version of yard work! Sometimes I think he creates work for himself just to have something to do.