My Favorite Place

Waking to birdsong and the squabbles of house finches at the hummingbird feeder makes me breathe deeply; the peppery smell of desert in the morning is at once intoxicating and invigorating. I hurry to open the patio door and see for myself that all the wonderfulness is still there.

Nothing could be more inspiring to me than morning in the desert. It's just alive with little birds, lizards, cottontails, jackrabbits and ground squirrels. And those are just the ones I can see! Add the life I know is there but don't always see -- coyotes, javelinas, bobcats, snakes and larger birds like ravens, vultures and hawks -- the desert is teeming with all kinds of wildlife.

I also love to sit on the patio at night, smelling the desert and listening to the sounds of desert dwellers.
 

Todas las Damas de la Noche

 "Todas las Damas de la Noche" -- all the ladies of the evening -- was created after such an evening, gazing at the sparkling stars overhead, smelling the creosote bush, and hearing quiet sounds of wildlife creeping about. The small "pink" tree on the left is an acacia, inhabited by a small owl; beneath a pair of eyes belonging to a mysterious someone. Other eyes peer from beneath and behind bushes and rocks. And the grandest lady of the evening - Luna - hangs above, giving just enough light to see the wonders of the desert evening.