A Painted Dessert

When I hear the word dessert I think of sand, and heat, and cactus. Death comes to mind, as does rattlesnakes and other dried out reptiles who hide in the shadows of tumbleweeds. There is no color other than brown, and one drives through such places as fast as one can, if for no other reason than to not fall asleep during the most boring, need I say ugly, part of the trip. Since Phoenix is in the dessert the trip from here to there has it's share of desolation. I usually just drive through it without much thought, just a part of the trip. This time the dessert surprised me. We have received a lot of rain around here this winter, and it was apparent. The first signs where hills covered in yellow. Then beside the road new specks of color. Blues and more yellow. Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself slowing down! Just to check out the flowers. Every color of the rainbow. Flowers that reminded me of Texas Bluebonnets, buttercups, and varieties I cannot name. Bright pink, light pink, blues, yellows, and oranges. Flowers to rival any home grown garden. Nature had out done them all. And green. Wild grasses turning this usually dead wilderness into a lush inviting oasis of beauty. Beside the road cars stopped as people took pictures of something only God could have masterminded. A Painted Dessert.

I forgot my camera. So I have searched the internet to find some one who remember to bring theirs, so I could share some what I saw.