The Desert Bloom

Springtime...it was my favorite time of year growing up and it is by far the prettiest time of year here in the Arizona. We had a decent amount of rain this past winter which usually brings about a lavish display of color when the wildflowers bloom in the spring. For the out-of-state visitors who have never witnessed it, the brilliant colors are a striking contrast to our normally dry, brown desert and definitely worth a look.

I had the opportunity to take a drive to Tucson a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to accomplish two goals. One was of course, the wildflowers. The second... I had been wanting to check out the old Barrio District. This is an area of old adobe buildings and houses that survived an urban rebuild. Most have been torn down leaving a small section that consists of a few blocks of streets that are lined with some unusual architecture that is plastered in a variety of colors .

The lighting conditions were less than ideal but I managed to snap a few pictures here that I'm happy with. On the drive home, we stopped at Picacho State Park to see if there was any wildflower activity. Unfortunately, we arrived at the worst time of day for photography but I didn't want to leave without something. Here are a few pictures from the day.