A Couple More Peaks At Arizona

Pinnacle Peak, our goal for the day.

One very expressive saguaro cactus.
What's he trying to say?

Mary and the guys heading upward.

Rock climbing, anyone?

The rocks along the trail had great character.
Here is the smiling cartoon rock.

Plenty of great views along the trail.

In every direction.

No shortage of depth in this image.
From the touchable rock on the lower left, look to the cactus-filled valley
between it and the rocky hillock, the mounds welling up from the valley floor
and the mountains beyond.
They spread out before you under the infinite blue, blue sky.

But there are also matters closer at hand.

No, do not touch!

Teddy Bear?  Really?
Do Teddy Bears shred you if you hug them?

And don't try to smell them.

And never, ever sit on any kind of cactus!

The top of the jowly rock's face obscures part of the distant trail.
That's his foot on the right.
Obviously, he is climbing instead of taking the trail.
Rock climbing?

Invasive species, like golf courses, are plain to see
from high above the valley floor.

More invasiveness.
Looks like about 7000 square feet worth.

The baby's head emerges from the crawling troll's backpack.
Perhaps the thin air had some effect on my perceptual process.

This one looks like a big rock.

Mary leads the old guys back to the car.

They kept up for awhile.

But not for long.

Where'd she go?

 But enough about rocks and hiking.  The desert was in bloom!  Very lovely...just don't touch!

Lovely buds.  The stem?  Not so much.

Many of the saguaro cacti were blooming.

Like this...

...and this!

The flowers were well protected on this barrel cactus.

But nonetheless beautiful for their thorny accompaniment.

Full bloom.

The aerial view of one not quite all popped.

And finally the delicate blooms of a flowering tree.

They don't climb

Oh hell!  Another boring day in paradise!

The view from the front door of Casa Foringer.

One of Becky's friends.

The view out front.
What are those white things in the sky?

The Foringer Estate.

Becky and Dave are doing so well, they even have a cabana boy.

Exciting times at the homestead.
"7 come 11," shouts Lorrie.
Or maybe she's about to knock some sense into Dave.

Just makes you want to clamber up onto Old Bessie and ride off into the sunset, don't it?

But not before dinner.
Mr. Sausage tests the grill.

Look, in the sky!
The killer bees have passed us by!

Not quite full.

Camelback beckons.
When will we ever get there?

But plenty of hiking available right here in the nearby McDowell range.

The rooftop view is stupendous, both for the mountains and the sunset.

Going...

Going...

Gone...

"I'm not going to deal with these crazy women," opines Dave as he leaves the scene.

A fine group of young men.
Well, a group of men, at least.

Don't ask.
I have no idea what's going on.

Almost everyone looks perfect!
Let's try again.

Isn't it amazing?
I have 30 or 40 pictures where Becky has photobombed,
and her eyes are wide open in every one.

Now this shot captures their essence!

I'm still trying to figure out how Chris kept his face in focus
while his hair is blurry.
Maybe it's the bees.

I think the disembodied hand on the left is accompanied by a song.
"Stop, in the name of love..."

But all good rooftop sunset and bee appreciation evenings must end.

"So do you think these people will ever leave?"

"I'm beginning to wonder..."

"They've been here for many moons..."

"I'm getting a little teed off at the way they all putter around."

"I've got it!  Let's show them our pet scorpions!"

"Yeah, that's it!  Especially the ones that drink wine!
That'll clear everyone out!"

Becky fessed up to the fact that scorpions do, in fact, climb, and the New Yorkers skeedaddled faster than you can say "blizzard!"  Peace returned to Arizona.