Zooming Out

The foreground in the back.

Because of the heavy rains of the last two days I wanted to see what effect they’d had on the property outside the Rancho’s back fence. I was most concerned about our most recent cactus acquisition, a ferocactus with striking red spines, and I wanted to see if it looked okay. It looks fine, jutting stockily up out of the gravel, and still deadly prickly. In the foreground, above, an equally lethally sharp agave shows off snake-y stripes. Up on the berm, yellow clouds of cassia artemisioides float. The light of the afternoon sun brings each gravel pebble into sharp focus. I think I’ll step back a bit …

The middleground with shadows

The sun’s beginning its setting slide and huge cloud puffs are on the move in its path. Various agaves in yellows, blues, greens and stripes seem to wave the clouds on so that the last rays of the day can reach them without impediment. The shadows are becoming deeper and longer … I’ll step back more …

Rancho with Rubidoux in the background.

Looking up from 14th Street toward Mt. Rubidoux, the shadows are lengthening still further, merging with each other, and conspiring with the pepper trees on the perimeter to cool things way down. Up, and in the distance, Mt. Rubidoux’s becoming really dark and its shadow will soon overtake the neighborhood. Once the sun circles ’round and dips behind the Mt., evening begins in earnest, bringing along with it the cold. I’ll have to bundle up again for my walk tonight; and move extra fast to outrun the chill. It’ll be fun.