Photo: Uprooted Palo Verde Tree

We are near the end of the monsoon season in the Arizona's Sonoran desert, and we get dramatic skies and, at times, strong lightning and thunderstorms.   The clouds build up in the late afternoon and sometimes, not often, we get sudden, but very brief, high winds and a short downpour.

We had one of those storms on Thursday evening.  These are photos of an overturned palo verde tree at the entrance to our subdivision.

As these photos show, desert trees often do not have tap roots.   After all, why would a root grow deep when the only water is near the surface?  This causes desert trees vulnerable to being blown over at times, even though they have spindly leaves that allow wind to blow through.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from a festival in Punahka, Bhutan, in the Himalayas.

Photo: Boujum Tree

This magnificent boujum tree is in the Desert Botanical Garden.  I tried planting a boujum tree in a pot on my patio, but it did not survive.  I will have to do more research on the proper care and watering.

This week we are showing photos from our cruise along the east coast of Baja California, with some samples of the marine life in the Sea of Cortez on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: A neglected orchard

I showed a photo of a well cared for orchard a few days ago.  This is a scene in an orchard that has obviously been neglected.  It is the same orchard in which the untrimmed palm tree was located that I showed during the past few days.

An uncared for orchard is already the equivalent of a smorgasbord for scorpions.  The untrimmed palm tree  int he middle of an orchard is like adding a resort hotel for the scorpions.

This week we are showing photos of the architecture of Budapest on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: a palm tree that badly needs trimming

When I see a palm tree that has not been trimmed, the first thought that screams into my head is:  "SCORPIONS."  The dense, dead palm fronds are excellent habitat for scorpions.  Citrus trees are also habitat for scorpions.  An untrimmed palm tree in the midst of an orchard would compound the problem.

This week we are showing photos of the architecture of Budapest on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

A problem in an orchard

Walking past this orchard revealed a problem, which is apparent in this photo.  I will explain the problem tomorrow.

This week we are showing photos of the architecture of Budapest on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Theme Day Photo for "Zest:" A heavily laden grapefruit tree

Today's June 1 Theme for City Daily Photo bloggers around the world is "Zest."  Citrus flavors are zestful, particularly lemons and grapefruit.

This grapefruit tree is loaded with fruit waiting to be picked.

It can be a problem for people with citrus trees to find people to pick the fruit off the tree.  When we lived in an groves neighborhood there was a citrus company that had crews who came through and picked the trees, as it was too much for the homeowners to do.

 In some residential areas, people put little grocery bags of citrus in front of their houses with a little box for people to drive by and take some fruit and put a little money in a box on an honor basis.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the architecture of Budapest, Hungary.

To see how other City Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted today's theme of "Zest," please use this link.

Photo: A cluster of ripe grapefruit

School children in Arizona learn that our economy was historically based on the "five C's."  Cattle, copper, cotton, citrus, and climate.  The economy is more diversified today, but the five C's re still important.

Today's photo shows a cluster of grapefruit ripe for picking in the Valley.  There used to be citrus packing operations in the Valley, but they have largely been replaced by homes that have gobbled up the firmer citrus groves.

This week we have photos of the Patagonia region of Argentina posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Citrus Grove Viewing Platform

Some of the homes in the Valley of the Sun are located in former citrus orchards.  The Arcadia area of Scottsdale-Phoenix is one example.  The groves are of Mesa is another.

This is a photo of a backyard in the groves area of Mesa.  The houses are typically on several acres and they include old citrus trees.  They are located near the Falcon Field airport.

The people who have the backyard shown in this photo built a viewing platform in their yard.  This would enable them to see sunsets across the valley, and also to watch the planes take off and land at Falcon Field.   It seems like a very large and sturdy structure for only occasional use.

This week we are showing photos of the Galapagos Islands on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Joshua Tree and Triangular Public Art at Paradise Valley Town Hall

Yesterday for the "triangles" Theme Day I showed  a piece of public art at the Paradise Valley Town Hall.  This is a Joshua tree outside the Town Hall.  If you look closely, you can see the tip of another one of the triangular sculptures like I showed yesterday, right in the middle of the photo behind the Joshua tree.

This week we are showing photos of the Sydney Opera House  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Aspen Forest near Flagstaff

Arizona is not all desert and rocks.  Stuart's off roaring also includes the high country forests around Flagstaff.  He took this photo in as aspen forest.

This week we are showing photos of the people of the Sepik River, Papua New Guinea on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Joshua tree

This is another iPhone photo of a Joshua tree northwest of Wickenburg.  With the late afternoon sun, my husband pulled over to the side of the highway and snapped a few quick photos while returning from Kingman to Phoenix.

There is discussion of upgrading the highway to an Interstate, which would make it more difficult to stop and admire the Joshua tree forest.  The route through northwest Arizona connects Phoenix and Las Vegas, and they are the two largest U.S. cities in proximity to one another that are not connected by an Interstate-quality highway.

This week we are showing photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Joshua Trees

This is a photo of the desert with Joshua trees in the desert a few miles northwest of Wickenburg, about an hour northwest of Phoenix.

Yesterday I showed an iPhone photo of a road runner, so I will post a few more iPhone photos today and during the next few days.

My husband had a business trip to Kingman, about three hours northwest of Phoenix, and on the way back he stopped to take a few photos of the Joshua trees, even though he did not have his real camera with him.

This week we are showing photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: A tree after a lightning strike

This is a close-up photo of a juniper tree trunk that has been singed and felled by a lightning strike.

Hiking on the many trails in the Sedona area is a popular activity, and during our recent weekend there we noticed that there were a lot of trees that had been burned by lightning strikes.

During a hike of about 90 minutes, we must have passed a dozen trees that had been charred and felled by lightning, undoubtedly during Arizona's July-August "monsoon" season.

Most of the trees in the forests around Sedona are juniper and pinion pine, both of which are, fortunately, resistant to fire.

This week we have photos of the Hassan II mosque of Casablanca, Morocco posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Three Palm Trees

Dave stopped to rest on his bicycle ride in Indian Bend Wash, so he experimented with taking a few photos of the palm trees that I showed yesterday.  This grouping of palm trees is rather feng shui.

This week we have photos of a colorful tannery and madrasa in Fez, Morocco posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Indian Bend Wash Lake and Palm Trees

This is another typical view of the scenery on the Indian Bend Wash flood control greenbelt running through much  of the length of Scottsdale.

The height of these palm trees is a clue that the Indian Bend Wash project has been around for a while and is not new.  Date palm trees grow at the rate of about 1 foot per year, and these look to be about 50  feet tall.

That makes sense because Indian Bend Wash was planned during the 1960's.  Scottsdale insisted on the greenbelt as an alternative to the Corps of Engineers' plan to build a concrete channel that would have been 23 feet (7 m.) deep, 170 feet (51 m.) wide, 7 miles (11.3 km) long through the heart of Scottsdale.   That would have ruined the city.  Instead, the city achieved a treasured asset that people love and that enhances the property values of those who live nearby.

This week we have photos of a colorful tannery and madrasa in Fez, Morocco posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Theme Day -- Detail of Giant Sequoia

The Daily Photo theme for Oct. 1 is "Detail."  I post lots of macro photos of cacti and flowers throughout the year, so I thought I would take a little liberty with the theme by posting a photo from our neighboring state, California.

This is a detailed shot of one of the world's largest living things, a Giant Sequoia in Sequoia/King's Canyon National Park.  The late afternoon sun caught this knot and bark, whose rough texture also provided a habitat for moss and lichen.

Today is the first day of a federal government shutdown, so Sequoia and all other U.S. national parks are closed.  People cannot enter the parks, and people who are staying in the campgrounds and lodges in the parks are being told to leave.  What a shame for people who had planned their vacations, especially foreign visitors for whom this was a long and costly trip.  What a shame for our national pride and sense of identity, and as a reflection upon our political system.

This week we have photos of the Wadi Rum Desert of Jordan posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

To see how other City Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted the theme of "details," please use this link.

Photo: Last Light of Day on Tall Palms

After taking the sunset photos that I showed the last two days, I remembered that at times there is a photo opportunity in the opposite direction of the sunset.  I therefore walked out my front door to check.

This is a scene of the tall palm trees in my neighbor's yard.  The trunks have caught just a little of the red hue from the sunset in the opposite direction.

These trees have recently been trimmed, which is very difficult because they are about 40 feet (12 m.) high.

This week we have photos of Tanzania posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Palm tree and the evening sky

Sunsets often bring different bands of color, was the case the evening that I took this photo from our back yard.  The bottom of the cloud layer caught the glow from the setting sun, but  the clouds were too thick to allow the color to penetrate.  The skies were clearer closer to the horizon.

Our neighbor's palm tree accented the scene.

This week we are showing photos of wild animals and a coffee plantation in Tanzania, Africa on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Fashion Square Palm Trees

This is a photo of a row of palm trees  along side part of Scottsdale Fashion Square, which is the largest shopping mall in the Phoenix metro area.  It has managed to have attractive features despite growing in size.  Over the years it has been extended over Camelback Road to add a Nordstroms and over Goldwater Boulevard to add a Neiman Marcus.

Dave and I live only a mile from here, so we often walk to one of the restaurants.  I do not like to shop in malls, however.  I am a catalog shopper.

This week we are showing photos of street scenes of Marrakech, Morocco on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.