Annual Visit to Mt. Lemmon

We took our once a summer trip to the top of Mt. Lemmon in the Catalinas.

One needs a reason to take the drive up the 'switch back' up to the clouds over the top.

This year it was to take the grandsons to experience this Sky Island.

We stopped at the overlooks, with one eye on the rain cloud over our destination.

Beyond the pine forests is the ski area and the Iron Door restaurant.

Clouds, pines, wildflowers and winding roads.

Temp 64 degrees at the top, 93 in the valley below.

Az.Buddy's front yard

It doesn't need mowing in the summer. Or shoveling in the winter. Lots of places for the bunnies to hide from Buddy the Border Collie. Lots of color too.

Stieg Larsson - IMO

I hesitated to review Millennium Trilogy until

I saw the first two Swedish Films based on the first two

novels. I am now half way into the third novel and like the

others it is a page turner that will keep you from falling

asleep reading.

The films "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Girl who Played with Fire" were very good interpretations of the novels. Small side stories and characters were by necessity left out but did not detract from the movies. Some idiot said that he would wait for the "real thing" from Hollywood.

IMO a Swedish interpretation of a Swedish novel has to far outweigh anything that Hollywood could do. BUT I have to admit that I will probably go see them because I am a fan of both the books and the films.

While not claiming that either the novels or the films are

great art, if you like mysteries with good characters you

can't miss with the Millennium Trilogy.

Search Stieg Larsson in Wikepedia for interesting

information about this unusual author and his books.

Simply Clouds

The desert provides spectacular visions of clouds.

None more so than in the season of the monsoon.

Whether it is from your back yard, or high in the foothills of the Santa Ritas, the open desert provides long vistas of clouds.

Clouds vary in countless ways.

Direction and position of the sun.

Weather.

Are they from the east, the west, the north,

the south?

I love the sea but find the waves predictable.

Not so the clouds of the desert.

August Wild Flowers

The hills, the canyons and roadsides are green with spots of color.

Reds, pinks, yellow, white and blue.

If I could tell you their names. You would forget.

Looking up wild flower names is a real challenge.

So I will do my best.

Red Bouvardia

Prickly poppy. Looks like a sunny side

up fried egg.

Table mushroom

Purple mat

Desert Poppy

Can't find anything like

this pink flower that is abundant

along the road to Madera Canyon.

Blossom looks like pink pussy willow.

Madera Canyon

August is a great time of year to visit Madera Canyon. Everything is green. The foothills, the mountain side and the valley floor. Buddy loves to get wet in the running water and tries to eat the grass. Birds are abundant since the young have fledged. Wild flowers provide color contrast. Check the blog in a day or two for our August wild flowers.

The Timing of the Night Blooming Cereus

One needs to either stay up late, have insomnia or get up early to catch this cactus' blossoms in full.

The following series starts at midnight. Second photos are 6:30 am and the final at 8:30 am