During the Shutdown, I've been lucky in that I've had means of escape, in particular the ability to roam a patch of undeveloped Sonoran desert right nearby us. Most people don't even pay attention to this land, as much of it exists in a no man's area just outside the freeway loop that encompasses the city, and also where the great power lines cross the Valley on sets of tall pylons, a fact that blissfully suppresses the land value and zoning levels,.
One finds in this area old dirt roads, some still used by utility crews, others mostly grown over, some dating back to the original large ranch here. Some of the barbed wire fence remains, and the animals have made paths through gaps, where people walk as well.
One of my favorite spots is one I call the Grove, a gathering of three plants, which happen to be one's best friends in the desert in the height of summer---the ironwood, the palo verde, and the saguaro. Each of these by itself is capable of casting a saving shadow in the brightest of hot summer afternoons, when there would otherwise be no relief from the sun. Delightfully, each make a particular type of shade which is useful in various circumstances, and having all three together means a spot is particularly rich.
The palo verde and the saguaro often grow in symbiosis, of course, because they shade each other during their formative development. The palo verde---having mostly green twigs for its leaves", is diffuse and tangled. The saguaro of course is noble and straight, with a thick sharply-defined shadow. The overlapping shadows of each, intermingles with each other, are a delight to experience.
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