The last moments of sunlight were so softly lovely last night.
The sun slipped below a cloud bank just above the far horizon, and not long after the light shuttered, a bright, nearly horizontal slash of lightning crossed the western sky. Time to go!
Thunder and lightning boomed and bloomed across Disappointment Valley … wind whipped cottonwood leaves … and ever so slowly, spatters of rain filled the quiet that followed. Peace.
We’ve gotten some rain (!) that has returned our Colorado-turquoise skies to their usual clarity, but I couldn’t resist sharing this image of lovely Alegre and wise Houdini from a not-too-long-ago visit. Their personalities shine clearly: Alegre, curious; Houdini, not interested … and keeping an eye on things as usual. 🙂
Light is a beautiful, wondrous, gorgeous thing.
To it – that big, glowing orb around which our world revolves – we owe all.
Ginormous congratulations to Kathryn Wilder for the win of “Desert Chrome” in the creative nonfiction category of the Colorado Book Awards!!!
From Torrey House Press:
Kathryn Wilder’s personal story of grief, motherhood, and return to the desert entwines with the story of America’s mustangs as Wilder makes a home on the Colorado Plateau, her property bordering a mustang herd. Desert Chrome illuminates these controversial creatures—their complex history in the Americas, their powerful presence on the landscape, and ways to help both horses and habitats stay wild in the arid West—and celebrates the animal nature in us all.
“Testimony to the healing power of wildness . . . a candid memoir that interweaves a trajectory of loss, pain, and hard-won serenity with a paean to wild horses.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS
Give it a read. You won’t be *disappointed*! 🙂
A little bit of smoke haze has continued to infiltrate our skies at various times. That said, this view, from the basin’s northern hills, is one of my favorite in Spring Creek Basin. A landscape painter (or photographer) couldn’t have a much better background for a magical subject. 🙂
The wind. It exhausts us.
It hasn’t been too terrible lately (the gnats can attest), but it’s also *not* bringing the rain we so desperately need.
Pretty girls Mariah and Winona, just trying to survive the wind.
This may have been the healthiest horny toad I’ve ever seen. S/he’s a big granddaddy/mama; I think his/her body would almost have filled the palm of my hand.
Look at that belly! And that tongue!
This is a wonderful Navajo legend about the relationship between the Diné and horned lizards.
This link talks about the symbolism of horned lizards. According to the site, “Na’ashǫ́’ii dich’ízhii (horned toad) is called Cheii (Grandfather) by the Diné (Navajo). Grandfather Horned Toad possesses great spiritual power that enabled him to triumph in a contest with lightning, an incredibly powerful force. The Diné use his songs and prayer for protection from the dangers of the world and the evil intentions of other people.”
And we can all use songs and prayers for protection from the dangers of the world and the evil intentions of other people, eh? 🙂 I didn’t have even a sprinkle of corn pollen or any other offering, but I did endeavor to protect the critter from stout hooves as s/he scuttled between sagebrush.
Who couldn’t love that face!?
Are words necessary?
I don’t think so, either. 🙂
Wind and smoke and haze, back.
But we also got rain. 🙂 Not much. Enough to dampen the dust … until the wind picked up the next day … this day, pictured.
We’ll take whatever we can get.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 