the lovely evenings in the desert

I am still amazed by the beauty of the mountains and the desert landscape. Tonight, I attended an art exhibit at the Tohono Chul Park; an oasis within the city. It is their 25th anniversary, so they had drinks and appetizers and free entrance to their living museum. There are pathways to various botanical gardens outside, and the art exhibit inside. Many local artists are shown, and high schoolers entered a competition for first prize by creating drawings and paintings in various categories. My favorite category is the colored pencil. Crisp and clean, colorful original drawings. Fabulous entries by teenagers.

On my drive home, the sun and the shadows on the Catalina Mountains are simply gorgeous. Just beautiful and mesmerizing at this time of day. A lovely evening in the desert.

So now that the sun has set, I can open my windows again and feel the westerly breeze blowing in. My natural air conditioner after a hot, sunny, cloud free day.

I almost forgot to mention that I began the day with a 6 mile hike to Blackett's Ridge. This hike is a steady climb of 1700' and 3 false tops to a pinnacle with 360 degree views of canyons and mountains as a reward for your efforts. Truly the trail ends there as there is nowhere else to go. A nice day.