Cholla by Moonlight.

This is cholla by moonlight. I took it in the Sonoran Desert, Organ Pipe Park, a couple of days ago. I tried it both with and without the flash and they both came out interesting. Cholla is horrible though quite pretty. It is called jumping cholla though it doesn't quite jump. If a human or other brushes against it, it breaks off and adheres, and digs in its spines and pierces flesh etc and tangles in fur, clothes, hair etc. I thought of those who cross the border by night, walking miles through this beautiful, waterless place. My silly dog Shadow had chewed through her leash which I hadn't noticed, and she broke away from me to dance joyfully in great circles. After a minute or two she slowed down, chewed at her feet, tried to run again then gave up and limped pathetically back to me. It was a very humiliating experience for her and an unlooked for triumph for me. I had taken a few days to go to Arizona to give a talk to high school students about self publishing. They didn't shout or throw things so I have no idea what they learned if anything. I did enjoy talking to them because it's not often I get peoples' more or less full attention.....
I also took the opportunity to visit an artist friend who had just arrived in Southern Arizona to live in an artists' community. It would be nice to think she is within visiting distance, but alas it is a long day's drive and a hell of a lot of gas to get there from here!
I wish the entire country was linked together by pedestrian/bicycle paths with rest stops every twenty miles! Oh yes and security patrols spaced a mile apart.......... and solar/wind powered wheel chairs for the infirm on a special track and a GPS unit attached to each person and the solar collectors would provide shelter from sun and rain and and and er............... Oh yes when sun and wind don't cut it peoples' feet running or walking on the specially developed surface of the track would generate power stored in new high tec batteries that could save the power for weeks or months well may be permanently and and and.... Oh yes, so the tracks could be illuminated... and and bicyclists have been generating enough power for their running lights for as long as I remember so there has to be a way of collecting that power too. I'm sure it can be done.... Think of the development along these trackways! Convenience stores and motels and emergency clinics would open in the most undeveloped areas of the country and .... Well wait a minute...... don't we already have a lot of this? Just clear off the auto roads, put all trucks on trains and open the highways to pedestrians and cyclists! People used to walk like that. Obesity would melt away. In fact if kids were forced to walk to school say up to five miles each way, that would be a good thing. Imagine the law suits.
I'm thinking about deleting this entire blog but I'm not going to.

I beat the drum at the Zendo today and I almost have it down.