High Noon

10,000 years ago, Og was talking to Moog, "Carga hoonk gohenka". Rough translation, "Short shadow when sun directly overhead".

Nature doesn't know about clocks and all that man invented stuff. Today it is called high noon (or 11:00 a.m. with DST) when the sun is at its highest overhead casting the shortest shadow. Hiking in the "desert ranch land" behind the Saguaro SKP park, this north south fence line (according to my GPS) casts a shadow almost parallel to the fence line.

 
Looks close to high noon. At least at this location. However, according to the accepted time for this location, it was close to 12:30. If Arizona observed that other foolishly invented concept of daylight saving time, it would be 11:30 a.m. as this photo was snapped.

Og and Moog didn't deal with clocks or time. Their focus was finding food.

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Regarding daylight saving time.... How about getting rid of daylight saving time. What's the point. Rather than resetting all clocks ahead one hour for eight months of the year, how about resetting all clocks around the world ahead one half hour and leave the clocks the same year round.

Happy Green Day

Not to be confused with the Green Party or the Green Movement. This is about just celebrating the green.

Just a few days away from the vernal equinox, there isn't much evidence of spring time green in the desert. The only greening of vegetation seems to be the cottonwood trees as they bud out to present a green tinge to the brown landscape.

Green is what it is all about on St. Paddy's day. To celebrate the day, the fountain at Fountain Hills (Arizona) spouts green. How about that.

This photo from several years ago when I happened to be there to celebrate the event.

Random Photo -- Beach Boy

At sunset -- La Jolla, California.

Tucson Festival of Books

Returned to Benson today from the Gilbert Ray Campground. Just ten miles from downtown, the campground sites are surrounded by desert flora -- saguaro, palo verde, creosote. Fauna is present with quail, cactus wren, gila woodpeckers among many others. Gilbert Ray is my favorite place to park when in the Tucson area.

The Tucson Festival of Books was the reason to be in Tucson. The Festival was tents on the mall of the University of Arizona campus. In addition, auditoriums, class rooms and lecture halls were used for the author presentations and workshops.

C-SPAN Book TV was present to do live broadcast of several programs through Saturday and Sunday. The televised presentations were none in which I was interested. So I passed on the opportunity to try to appear on TV.

The Book Festival is not only for adults. There were numerous tents and venues appealing to the younger readers. Between sessions there was eating, visiting booths or watching mall entertainment to occupy the time of young and old. These chess players were intent on their game.

The National Parks were represented on site with several booths including performers relating first person experiences of the west's earliest explorers.
 

My interest is non-fiction. Specifically adventure travel. The subject of one panel discussion was the Grand Canyon. Four authors related their love and relation to the Grand Canyon. One of those was Craig Childs. I've read all his books except for his most recent -- Finders Keepers - A Tale of Archeological Obsession and Plunder.

Nature is an unforgiving and treats all alike regardless of age, color or belief systems. Craig Childs and others like him explore Nature and live to relate their experiences including some life threatening times. Admiration and respect of that natural world is infused in the writings of those authors. That theme came through at the presentations I attended.

A session titled "Crazy Desert Dudes" included authors relating their experiences of challenging Nature on Nature's terms. More authors and books to place on the list for Southwest adventure reading.

I'm already looking forward to next year's Festival.

Happy Pi Day

Random Photo -- Surfer

A random photo from the past. A San Diego surfer.

Joys Of Mud

Going through some old photos of my children in their early years.... Came across this photo and found myself laughing. Vanita, TJ and neighbor boy (name?) are enjoying the miracles of mud.

No mud flinging that I recall. 

Random Photo

Silver Slug rests amid a field of California Poppies.

Taken in 2003 near Lancaster, California during an Escapade gathering.

How Bad Is It

How bad is the US economy. Pessimist or optimist. How about some facts and figures.

Thanks to Boonie for the URL pointer to My Budget 360. It is a great site with articles and an analysis about the state of the US economy. A couple of recent posts:

• Over these past two years, I've wondered why commercial real estate didn't take a hit in this down economy. The answer: Feds and Banks Bailout Commercial Real Estate
• The news about the oil rich nations of the middle east is that their wealth is concentrated in just a few families. Check out growing income inequality in the US and banking behemoths.

Just Wondering...

Did I miss something when I took Econ 101 in college. Need demand for creation of a supply. Appears the politicians and pundits didn't read the same books. There continues to be talk about creating jobs -- i.e. supply. Huh! No financially savvy company will create a supply (with those new jobs) if there is no demand.

Just Wondering.... Again...

How come any Federal budget item that has voters or lobbyists doesn't get cut. You heard it here first: That Federal budget will be in the news for months to come until the Federal legislators finally ignore voters and lobbyists and make everyone (the ones with votes and lobbyists' clients) suffer. That includes recipients of the Federal largess including the Pentagon suppliers, Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, etc. As an example: What's wrong with death panels? We are going to die. Get used to it.

Saguaro East Hike Photo Ops

 Unusual form for crested Saguaro.

Natural water tanks. Good place for a dip to cool off. Modesty prevented such action.

Along the trail a photo op with snow atop Mount Lemmon far in the distance.

Patient fellow hiker, Duane, waits for me.

Appears this hare believes he may be unnoticed. Those ears sure were noticed in spite of the hare's intent.

Desert garden.... Palo verde is nurse tree to four small saguaros. Teddy bear cholla is in front. Prickly pear occupies a small space. Finally within the branches of the palo verde is the desert mistletoe.