Thursday, May 19, 2011

Rain!!

Believe it or not, we actually had RAIN yesterday.  Well…..actually it was a heavy mist or a light sprinkle but to us it is precipitation and thus we call it rain.  There wasn’t enough moisture to form a puddle so I could take a picture, but I do have evidence of raindrops as proven in this photo of our car.  See the spots in the dust?  That’s proof of rain!

rain car

 

rain

These are the first cloudy skies we’ve seen in a long time!

The merry month of May means flower season when we live in the desert.  There certainly are some beauties blooming around the park but you have to find them fast because they don’t last long.  Here are a couple samples I found today and yesterday.

cactus 1670      cactus 1670  This little guy was blooming at 1670 on Coyote Trail.  This site is notorious for having the big cactus that lay on the ground and burst forth in their big white blossoms.  Well…..this little guy is planted on the end of that row so today he was strutting his own special color.  Very pretty!  If you know the folks from 1670, please send them an email to show them these photos.  Wouldn’t want them to miss the bloom.

IMG_2725  We spotted this little guy at 1803 on Oasis Drive. 

Thurlow 1052       Thurlow 1052 I’ve never seen a cactus quite like this one either.  This bundle is proudly owned by Will and Marlene Thurlow at Site 1052.  There was only one bloom but it certainly is a dandy.

IMG_2652  Here is another odd character.  Only one flower opens at a time as you can see at the very top but the stem sure has a lot of buds and old blooms.  It’s also strange how the long tall stem now seems to be splitting into two arms at the top.  Guess that’s what makes cactus plants so interesting.

 

Here is another rare beauty at Site 489.  LOTS of beautiful blooms!

Cactus 489

    Cactus 489      Cactus 489

 pansyline

Our landscape crews are hard at work cleaning out the creek that runs through the resort and it is definitely NOT an easy chore.  All the mud and sediment has to be removed and then they’re pressure washing the area to clean it out.  Since this creek connects to the big ponds/lakes along the course, it pays to keep them clean.

landscape creek

 

landscape creek

 

landscape creek

Construction of new homes continues.  The view on Shimmering Sands Lane way up at the north end of the park will be dramatically changed.  A month or so ago, it was completely empty.  Now there are three houses and I understand that the remaining three sites will soon be occupied by spec homes plus another hole is being readied across the street.

1245 street

1233