Friday Flowers

It's been a better week for photography than I was expecting. First there was the saguaro fruit, green on the outside, revealing its red insides where the birds have pecked their way in, and the solitary red barrel cactus bloom.

Then there was the night-flowering cereus, which yesterday evening was showing promising buds. I did it; I set my alarm for 4.30 this morning, and caught the first bus of the day, arriving at the office soon after 6am. I dropped off my bag and headed for the corner, camera in hand, and there they were; two amazing blooms, seven or eight inches across, fragile and airy concoctions of creamy-white petals accented by the red-tinged bud-casings. By noon, they'd folded themselves away. I'd love to see time-lapse video of such a thing; I wonder if that might be out there somewhere on the web.
( pictures; 6 small ones )

Friday, General

It's been a long day, as I was awake at 4.30 (and only sleeping in snatches before that, to be honest.) The cereus flowers were definitely worth it, though.

In the afternoon, a colleague took me to the DMV, where we hung around for an hour or so (unusually short waiting time this afternoon, apparently) and he got a replacement drivers' license -- his picture keeps mysteriously fading -- and I got an Arizona state ID card, which I can't help thinking of as a walking license, or possibly a license to not drive.

On the way home, the last mile was ridiculously slow; when we got to the intersection it became evident that this was because the lights were not working and the intersection between two fairly major streets was operating as a four-way stop, with an empty police car in place but no actual police persons in evidence. The half-mile between here and the grocery store is currently under reconstruction. The planners don't seem to have even thought about the pedestrian crosswalks separating three sizeable apartment complexes from the grocery store and the southbound bus, so all week I've been solemnly pushing the button and scurrying across the ploughed-up road when I get a walk light, keeping a wary eye out for earth-moving equipment.

Now I'm about ready for bed. Tomorrow, groceries and off to Phoenix, both of which involve crossing that street; will try to print out some photos, too.