San Xavier Mission

26 October 2006 - Inside the courtyard - the flowers and the friar. Yes, I know the robe is neither black nor grey - you will have to ask someone else about that!!

San Xavier Mission

26 October 2006 - The mission courtyard was 'off limits' so these photos are taken from the only area tourists were allowed. The plants were in bloom here in October and the sky was REALLY blue, right?

 

San Xavier Mission Interior

26 October 2006 - These are some of the interior views of the mission. Note the murals on the ceiling and the many statues. I did not see any mention of any of the artist who did the work on the mission and I suspect many of the missions were the same - artists with more than a small amount of ability but who contributed so much to the beauty that attracted the native Americans into the buildings and then to Christ.

 

San Xavier del Bac (Wa:k) Mission

26 Oct 2006 - This Spanish mission is just north of us and in the middle of nowhere! The original name of the village was Wa:k but is is now called Bac. The mission dates from 1797 and has been in continued use since that time. It was built by the 'Black' monks and later taken over by the 'Grey' monks, so named because of the color (or lack of) their robes. It is a beautiful mission although one of the very poor ones. It always amazes me how they managed to put such beautiful missions together in the remote areas when all the areas were so poor. If only our churches today could get people to give money this way!!!

 

Gambel Quail

26 Oct 2006 - These have to be one of the funniest birds I have seen in way they run. They seem to never just walk but appear to always be running. I remember them (or perhaps a slightly different variety of the same species) back in California that were almost impossible to make fly when hunting. They would run up a draw or out through the sagebrush unless you got right on top of them. Here they are running behind our trailer and these three I caught out in the open. Note the two males and one female all in a row but feet in motion! Green Valley, AZ is having beautiful weather and Becky and I are trying to get ready for our golf matches which start next week. The best we can hope for is to not embarrass our friends.

 

Desert Rocks

9 Oct 2006 - Since another feature of the desert is it rocks, I thought I should include some of the unusual formations we encountered. The first clearly shows a rather unusual layer between two formations. Not sure what to call it but it is the only thing similar we saw on our walks. The second is called Scull Rock (see the eye sockets and nostrils?). The house is the deserts version of 'House on the Rock' in Wisconsin and VERY unique and the last is just a formation that caught my eye.


 

More Desert Wildlife

9 Oct 2006 - You do find the strangest things when you wander around the desert! These are a few of the real surprises you might encounter. The old prospector is not typical but may be spotted, the group photo is the old prospector and his three desert nieces who now live in California, Virginia and Dubai, the little fellow posed beautifully for us as he 'steered' his craft and wily coyoto is no where to be seen but roadrunner is up to his old tricks!


 

And They Say the Desert is Dry!

9 Oct 2006 - This small pond is right in the middle of the desert and has no visible source of water. An old 'desert rat' built a small dam to create the pond and the waterfowl appreciate his effort. He later sold the property to the National Park. It is about a 2 mile walk to visit this waterhole but well worth the walk.

More Desert Plants

9 Oct 2006 - More of the things to see in Joshua Tree. This is the largest oak tree in the park (big tree for the desert!), a Joshua Tree named Barber Pole (for obvious reasons and the only one like it I have ever seen), an 'apple like' fruit on one of the desert plants and finally a pretty little barrel cactus. The desert is full of surprises like these if you get out and walk around off the roads.


 

It Is A Desert

9 Oct 2006 - Lest the flowers lead you to think we are not in a desert, here are a few photos of plants you will not find in Missouri! Still, they have a beauty of their own which most people come to appreciate. The desert is not a particularly 'friendly' placed as most of its plants stick or prick or harm you in some way if you 'snuggle' up to them but for those who know its ways it is not altogeather hostile either. The second photo is of a yucca plant which resembles a joshua tree when it is small; the way you can distinguish the two is the 'hair' like things you see on this plant - a yucca.


 

Desert Surprises

5 Oct 2006 - Not all of the flowers were in full bloom but were still a beautiful sight. This is more of the sights on view in Joshua Tree park in September. If you think the desert is barren and have some time in the fall or winter don't miss the opportunity to see it up close and personal. It lies about 50 miles north of Palm Springs and is easily accessible.