Desert Flowers

I have often heard about the desert "exploding into a mass of color" in the Spring, and I am very excited to be in Tucson, Arizona, in the Sonora Desert this Spring. The desert flowers have just begun to appear, so we drove out into the desert this weekend to see for ourselves.

The bright yellow California Poppy seems to be the most prevalent right now. They make a beautiful yellow carpet for the desert floor.

We also found a pretty purple flower, mostly along the roads and trails.

And occasionally a patch of white flowers.

I'm told that the flowers are just beginning to bloom here and that there will be many more in a few weeks. I can hardly wait . . . so, maybe more pictures of more desert flowers later.

Old West Comes Alive

About 65 miles Southeast of Tucson is an area out in the desert where a movie extra acquired some land and began moving in old buildings from ghost towns and abandoned areas to build a movie set. Along the way he has been acumulating lots of antiques, so the "movie set" has also become a museum, Gammon's Gultch.

Every "Old West Town" needs a Main Street. Walking down this one, you feel like you're in the movie "High Noon".

All of the buildings here are very authentic, most having been torn down in old West desert towns or ghost towns and then re-assembled here.

The Town Hall . . .

A place to sleep, the Hotel . . .

A place to park your horse, the Stable . . .

A place to get a whiskey, or maybe a Sasparilla, the Saloon . . .

A place to get new shoes for your horse, the Blacksmith Shop . . .

A place to pick up some supplies, the General Store . . .

And, of course, an Assayer's Office to weigh your gold . . .

And, if you don't behave yourself, the Sheriff is nearby . . . and he has a jail!

Or, if you are guilty of a serious crime, the town has a gallows . . .

And an Undertaker . . .

In addition to all of these various buildings in Gammon's Gultch, many of the building have historical displays, so the the whole town is like one big museum.

There are displays of many historical firarms and law enforcement equipment . . .

And many displays of various utensils , tools, and equipment of "days gone by" . . .

Gammon's Gultch is truly a place where the "Old West Comes Alive".