Way to the Roof

For the Indians of the Southwest,  the only cool spot during the hot summer evenings was on the roof of their pueblo style dwellings.  And this was the way up.  No fancy stairs.  And hopefully the lashings holding the rungs didn't give out.

"Way to the Roof"     © Kathy Dunham 2011

White Prickly Poppy

Related to the Matilija Poppy, this cousin looks very similar although it's smaller in size.  It also has sharp, prickly spines on the leaves, stalks and buds.  It grows at an elevation of 1,500 - 8,000 feet in most of the Southwest.  The plant is distasteful to livestock and tends to increase in heavily grazed rangeland.  The plant is also poisonous but the yellow sap has been used to treat some skin diseases and the plants were also boiled for baths in the treating rheumatism.

"White Prickly Poppy"     © Kathy Dunham 2011

Monsoon Sunset

This time of year the Southwest gets moisture coming up from the Gulf of California creating monsoons.  Sometimes we just get big clouds, other times it's rain and thunder and lightening.  Tonight it was just clouds here in the desert.  But they were certainly colorful.

"Monsoon Sunset"   © Kathy Dunham 2010

Fresh Chiles

If you've ever seen those dark red chile ristas (lots of chiles tied in a 2' long bunch) hanging from the eaves of houses in the Southwest, well let me tell you, this is how they start out.  Fresh chiles are licked and tied together with raffia and strung up to dry.  This is a simple storage solution and you just pick a chile when you're ready to cook.

"Fresh Chiles"     © Kathy Dunham 2010