Lazy Sunday Scenery

This morning is dawning clear and bright although random thunderstorms are predicted for today and the rest of the week. There's a house finch fighting with its reflection in our living room window and Patches is watching the hummingbird feeder in anticipation of our first hummer to arrive. The hummingbirds haven't discovered the feeder yet, but I'm sure they will.

The pictures this morning start in Bullhead City and cross over into New Mexico as we traveled east along interstate 40. The land changes back and forth from desert terrain to lush vegetation depending upon the elevation as you travel. The prettiest area was around Gallup, NM with all its red rock formations. There's a great state park just a few miles east of Gallup with a nice little campground that has some of the most wonderful views we've ever seen. It's one of those places we have to get back to someday.


This black hooded oriole was extremely skittish so I was never able to get close enough to him for a good close up. He was so vivid against the deep blue sky of Arizona.


Standing on the hill behind our trailer (that's us down in the lower right hand corner) you could see across the Colorado River to Laughlin, NV. Like Las Vegas, it's a good place for us to lose our money.


Approaching this church along Interstate 40 in New Mexico it stood out from the cliff it was built upon, but as you got parallel with it the church blended into the rock.



The little white cloud that cried. I know, that reference is way too old for most of you, but my mother played that song by Johnny Ray so I learned it. Notice the rain coming down over the mountains in the lower right hand corner.


Black lava flows create a vast, jagged topography around Grants, New Mexico. Ancient volcanos in the area created the area that houses the El Malpais (bad land) National Monument. As you drive along the highway there are domes of lava with deep fissures, some so deep that ice can be found in them. It's an arresting moonscape dotted with greenery.



This vivid crimson flower is growing wild here in the campground. I can't find it in my wildflower book and am unable to locate any information about it online. Kim, help!


Last but not least, Patches met a miniature schnauzer at the pet walk yesterday. The poor doggy wanted to play so badly, but Patches wanted none of it.