Desert Flowers

Such a beautiful day for a cruise through the desert; it was sunny and hot and fearing the snakes would be out we didn't venture too far off the beaten path.  Wes drove out US 95 towards the Proving Grounds, a military base, east to Senator's Wash and the Imperial Dam.  Bill and I directed Wes to Senator's wash area as we have Albertan friends, Larry and Sheila, who have boondocked this area for the past 16 plus years.  Here is where we found several strawberry cacti in bloom with their delicate bright pink flowers, nestled low and close to the desert floor. They like to grow close to rocks, I guess for warmth and perhaps any chance of moisture.

The ocotillo were also in bloom with their orange plumes high up the stalk,  Luckily we were able to find a couple of lower poker like flowers to zoom in on.  The "stalks" are very green with very delicate green leaves that at a distance look brown and dead until one takes a much closer look.  Many bees were a-buzzing around these mutiples of flowers, almost in a frenzy to get the sweetness before the next one took it from them.

Nini (Dorene) is seen here, taking her picture of this beauty of an ocotillo, difficult to do as the breezes were moving the stalks quite a bit; several shots needed to be taken.

This is a close-up of the flower, a bright firey orange colour of about 10-12 inches in length.  Very nice.
I couldn't resist taking a picture of this beautiful, magenta bougainvilla; these grow everywhere in the Yuma area and are very bright and colourful against adobe fences and homes, probably a good contrast to the sand of the desert.  Wherever there is water, plants grow and grow well.  Stay tuned for the date palms and the agriculture of Yuma!

St Patrick's Day Parade

Adjacent to SunRidge is Blue Sky RV Park, from which the parade for St Patrick's Day began.  Trucks, cars, bicycles, motorcycles, golf carts all decked in St Patty's green, donning balloons, beads, banners, shamrocks of every size and flags, and their occupants  with green outfits to match paraded through our campground for all to see.  It was amazing to see how creative we seniors can be to show off the Wearin' of the Green!

Southwest Sunsets over the Desert at SunRidge RV Park

Sunsets are spectacular, but none as spectacular as those in the desert of the southwest.    Somehow, the desert brings out the beauty of the fire reds and the burnt oranges and sunny yellows in these beautiful sunsets.  At day's end and after the heat of the day, these glorious sights are a beauty to behold!  These were tsken at SunRidge RV park in the  foothills of Yuma, about 5 miles from the park where Bill's sister, Dorene and her hubby Wes stay.  A very quiet and friendly park, and very close to all ammenities.  The people are mainly from Alberta and British Columbia, and after seeing so many in the 281 site park, we began to wonder
 if anyone was at home.  But wait, our

 kids are in these provinces, so we do know that someone is holding the fort and keeping the economy running,  thank you. Loved it here...the best part was full service park for $50.00 for the month from March 15th to end of April plus electric.  We will return next year, maybe for the month of March.

Midnight at the Oasis

 After dinner with family and friends at the Desert Hills Golf Club, and sitting in chairs along the curb, we watched the parade of classic and antique cars in Yuma otherwise known as Midnight at the Oasis.  The afternoon was warm and sunny, finally, the first of a couple of warm days here in this valley.  Up 'til now, it has been cool with a cold north wind blowing daily.  How very nice!

 Not sure of the numbers of vehicles in the parade, but organizers estimated that there would be well over a thousand vehicles come Saturday morning.  Classics attended from all over the US, but we noted a couple from each of BC, AB, SK and MB.  Blair, I included a couple of Thunderbirds for you!

 A very nice '56!

 The classic and rare Corvette!

Cars, trucks, hot rods, panel trucks and station wagons entered the park to await their final placement for the big show!  What a treat!