Rule of thirds~Sunday stills Challenge072510

A friend and I drove up by Deep Canyon yesterday and I spotted this blossom among the many that are in the pinyon forest. You can't actually drive through Deep Canyon. There are no roads there for the obvious reason that during a storm, they would be washed away! You can't even get down to it, although there are some hiking trails around it and another friend likes to ride her horse up to the waterfall that is there. I think that is one reason why I love Deep Canyon...the solitude. We ran into an old friend (his daughter and mine went to high school together years ago) and I said, "I come up here for the silence." To which he remarked, "It isn't silent up here!" Huh? Then I shut my mouth and just listened. A fly flew by. A bluejay squawked. Bees were at the flowers collecting nectar. And, he was right. It wasn't silent. I just needed to learn to listen. Sunday Stills Challenge for July 25, 2010.

Agave and clouds~SkyWatch Friday 072310

Monsoon clouds moved into our valley one morning a couple of weeks ago and I saw this cloudburst against an agave plant. More monsoon clouds are forecast for this weekend, so who knows what I'll find! SkyWatch Friday for July 23, 2010.

Bird in tree~Outdoor Wednesday 072110

One morning last week, the clouds moved into the valley quickly and soon it was raining in Deep Canyon. I pulled off on my favorite side road and saw a bird in a lone tree (click to enlarge). It started raining and so I continued my drive home to the desert, where I could see rain coming down, but the rain wasn't hitting the desert floor. It is our monsoon season now and the humidity builds almost every day. Deep Canyon usually gets rainfall because of its elevation, unlike the desert floor. Outdoor Wednesday for July 21, 2010.

"Summer" ~ Sunday Stills Challenge 071810~Thunderheads over the horse ranch

Summer near Deep Canyon means thunderheads and monsoonal moisture. In the desert, it is too hot now to even venture outside, so most days, I go out very early in the morning and get my chores and errands done before 9:00 a.m.!!! By mid-afternoon yesterday, it was 116 degrees on my shaded front porch. Our dogs don't even want to go outside and the birds all disappear. But, summer also brings gorgeous, big, fluffy thunderheads, like these that I took photos of this past week in the sky above the horse ranch where I board my horses in our local mountains. By late afternoon, they had grown and spread all over our skies. I konked out and fell asleep after working with the mustangs that morning and apparently a huge windstorm came through the desert and when I awoke, the entire sky was dark. It was raining, but the rain was evaporating before it even hit the ground in the desert. Up in our local mountains, however, it was pouring! The ranch owner emailed me to state that the skies opened up just as she was out feeding the horses! Ah....summer in the desert southwest! Sunday Stills Challenge for July 18, 2010. Enjoy your day! For other summer challenges, please visit Sunday Stills at: http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/

Thunderheads~Straight Out of the Camera Sunday 071810

I don't edit my photos. First of all, I don't have Photoshop. Second, I wouldn't even know how to edit them. What you see is what I took, straight out of the camera. I suppose that if I were a better photographer, I would edit them, but, at this stage, I'm not. I usually grab my cameras as I head up Highway 74 (the road that runs parallel to Deep Canyon) as I never know what to expect. In winter, it might be snow. Now, in summer, it might be thunderheads billowing above, as in this photo which I took last week. And, yes, by the end of the day, when the humidity had built up, it rained in the mountains. No rain in the desert, as it evaporated before it hit the ground! Aren't the clouds pretty? SOOC for Sunday, July 18, 2010. For other entries, please visit: http://www.murrieta365.com/2010/07/straight-out-of-camera-sunday_17.html

Clouds over mountains~Looking at the Sky on Friday 071610

As I drove up the mountain road today, I stopped to notice the shadows of the clouds on them. Thunderheads were developing in the morning and by afternoon, I could hear thunder. Looking at the Sky on Friday for July 16, 2010. For other participants, please visit: http://www.crazyworkingmom.com/

Rain~That's My World and Watery Wednesday 071210

We awoke Sunday morning to tropical moisture in the Coachella Valley. As I drove up the mountains to go work with my horses, I looked back across the valley to see scattered rain. Our monsoon season is during the months of July and August and Sunday was our first day of rainfall. There were scattered downpours in the mountains and Deep Canyon and I opened my car windows to enjoy the scents. That's My World for Tuesday, July 12, 2010.