I know… you didn’t know I was gone. I am not supposed to tell you when I am gone. But I am back now, so there you go.
We went to visit my oldest daughter in Arizona. You may remember the pictures I showed you from our trip when we helped her move there. There were lots of pictures like this…
Because they like their horse statues and horse fountains and horse art. Which is cool, because I love horses.
The drive there was interesting. There is a lot of desert between Southern California and where we went. Miles and miles of this…
And we tend to think of deserts as dry places, but we were chasing a huge storm that had just swept through San Diego…
The clouds were spectacular…
They dumped some pretty good rain on us as we drove. And we got some more rain the first day in Arizona.
But watching the clouds spill over the mountain ranges like giant tidal waves reminded me of the fog rolling in back in the Bay Area. So did the way the clouds would wash up to the fronts of the mountains…
And it was cold, too. But after five or six hours we arrived in the land of the really big cacti. Remind me to tell you about the saguaro cacti… I learned something freaky about them…
And we did some really awesome things on this trip, and I have some great pictures. So be prepared for that, on top of all the other weird stuff.
Pouring My Art Out 
Did you learn how old they are before they grow their first side arm? Did you make it to the Sonora Desert museum this time? You should have.
No, but I found out they have a supporting structure of branch-like ribs…
They may grow their first side arm anywhere from 50 to 75 years of age, but some never grow one at all. A saguaro without arms is called a spear. ( from Wikipedia)
With the right growing conditions, it is estimated that saguaros can live to be as much as 150-200 years old. Saguaro are very slow growing cactus. A 10 year old plant might only be 1.5 inches tall. Saguaro can grow to be between 40-60 feet tall (12-18m). When rain is plentiful and the saguaro is fully hydrated it can weigh between 3200-4800 pounds. (from desertmuseum.org)
You really should try to make the Sonora Desert museum outside of Tuscon next trip.
Okay, I will mention that. I will tell Jessica to check it out too.
I’m prepared, and stuff.
It’s all about the stuff.
Welcome back storm chaser
I like that name!
your’re welcome 🙂
I can keep it?
Sure!
Yay,