There have been a few events lately that had me lightly wondering why we are still here. This photo helps explain why to me and the rest of the world.
Click for a larger view
These are yucca plants, similar to the one which Mark encountered (but without the handsome blooms) on his previously recounted buttock ride down to the creek. Like most other desert plants I have found, they aren't happy growing just anywhere either. They seem to pick out-of-the-way places where the deer and elk (or sliding hikers) aren't likely to pester them. These particularly nice examples are growing on an isolated ledge jutting out four stories above and sixty feet behind the rat trailer. They keep the company of some of the most joyously lush and vibrant yellow clusters of wild flowers I have ever seen. Photographing them is quite another story:
Disclaimer: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME
- Especially do not try this if you are accompanied by two whacko Aussie cattle dogs who will blast between your legs as you pick your way over the crumbly two foot wide section of ledge with a sheer drop on one side.
- If you place a foot on an unstable rock which gives way and crashes over the edge, Mark will never notice from below, even though you just did a geriatric sideways splits and came up howling like a banshee. Your solace is; at least you didn't go over the edge with that picturesque rock.
- Once the dogs are out of the way, you will enter the Josef Karsh zone as you jockey for that most sublime shot. This will cause you to keep your eye jammed into the viewfinder while crab-walking backwards for the right frame. This, in turn, will cause you to inadvertently squat on a younger yucca. I have yet to figure out why these spikes leave a lingering and unpleasant burning sting at the contact point but they do - just take my word on that. Still, I just had to share this view with you.
So how's that for some awesome no-fuss backyard landscaping?