You either love the desert or hate it.
I stand in the love camp.
In fact, I’m probably the fan club leader of the camp.
To be perfectly on honest, on paper the desert doesn’t boast a strong resume.
Hotter then hell, drier than dry (aka wrinkles), creepy looking critters that could kill you with their nibble and plants that say,
“Don’t you even dare think of touching me.”
None the less, I’m still in love it.
I’ve never seen more unique and interesting plants ANYWHERE, EVER.
Plus, the monsoon season is the most spectacular display of mother nature’s fury.
The sweet smell of the desert after a rain is the BEST smell on earth (only second to the smell of a newborn baby).
Maybe it’s just that it’s so different from anywhere else on earth that fascinates me…I don’t know?
I guess it’s one of the feelings that you can’t quite put in to words but when you feel it, you know you’re home.
We took a trip to Arizona this past weekend.
On our trip I had wanted to take some arty-fartsy desert scene pics to possibly frame.
However, the Mr. forgot to grab the camera bag that was in the “pack pile” by the door.
GAH!
The drive across the desert included a loud 30 minute conversation which was followed by an hour of pouting in silence.
In return, the Mr. didn’t give any guff when I asked him to pull over a dozen times on the highway when I spotted something camera (phone) worthy.
I’ll admit the pics turned out pretty darn good for being camera phone pics.
I crawled under 4 barbed wire fences and trudged through some pretty narly tumble weed fields to find the perfect desert foliage.
I even got a honk from a semi-truck driver. I couldn’t tell if it was a “You’re hot!” sort of honk or a “Get off the highway!” sort of honk?
Call me a “desert rat”…I take it as a compliment.
Where’s your paradise?
Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!
I love the dessert too – although I prefer not to frequent it in the Summer. 3 years in Phoenix and 5 years in Tucson taught me to appreciate it’s unique beauty! Love the pics. I’m sure the honks were because you were a hottie!
Yes, I agree. The summers are daunting! Thanks for boosting my ego. I’m going to go with the “hottie” honk too! 🙂
I love the desert. I’m from Chicago but my grandparents moved to Green Valley, AZ when I was five. Spent many summers out there visiting. I LOVE the desert after the rain and the smell. you’re right, you can’t beat it. I miss AZ. My grandparents finally passed a few years ago and I only been back once. I eventually want to take my {future} husband there and show him their house and what I loved about visiting them. :o)
The smell of the desert after a rain is what dreams are made of. I’ve already informed my husband that we are going to retire there…or at least become snow birds. 🙂 Thanks for your comment Erin!
You picked the perfect weekend to come back
I know, right!? It was a perfect 80 degrees! Heaven!
Sonoran Desert. Yes. When I moved to Philly from Tucson I took some creosote and put it above my sink. When the steam hit it from my hot water (did dishes a lot to stay warm!), the smell almost made me cry every time. I am now back in the land of the saguaros. (But nothing beats a beach with bare feet and warm sand at sunset either.) 🙂
That’s a good idea…never thought of doing that!
Have you smelled Fall in Vermont? That’s perfection to me. That smell combined with the bright blue sky and fresh, crisp air…it can’t be beat!
No, I haven’t. But there’s something so wonderful about beautiful smells of nature that you can’t beat! Vermont in the fall is now on my bucket list! Thanks Abby.
That’s great! If you ever make it shoot me an email and we’ll show you all the best that VT has to offer 🙂
You bet I will! Thanks for the offer Abby! 🙂