Life Amidst The Palms

The Palm Springs area has a way of growing on you. The days have been sunny and warm with just a hint of wind. We have found a golf course where we can actually play 18 holes with a cart for $15 a person. We were taken to a beautiful new spot for cocktails the other day where we were a bit under dressed but no one seemed to care. (Oh yea and Mike actually picked an orange from the "deliciously" landscaped grounds - we ate it in the parking lot... you can take the boy off the farm...). And we both won a few bucks at bingo last night!

In between all of that, we visited the Moorten Botanical Gardens; a cactus garden that offered my camera a chance to shake off some dust.

This is a crested berry cactus; I have admired and photographed the Crested Saguaro, but didn't know that other cactus also "crested".

The barrel cactus garden was impressive.

And everywhere the bougainvillea added a touch of color - it is too early for most of the cactus to be in bloom, but some were.

The Bladder Pod Bush doesn't look like much... until you look at each individual flower!

This "Snakey Lookin'" cactus grows along the ground instead of upright.

I understand how the earth has changed, but seeing this kind of thing still amazes me.

I will take their word for it that this is the "World's First Cactarium".

Inside this cactarium, it is a maze of unusual and unique cactus - note the ones that grow out of the bottom of the pot. Once again, looking close you see the true beauty of some of these prickly creatures.

This plant just looked kinda gross from a distance.

I could add lots more pictures but I will end with this little beauty; of course when there are flowers and pods, there will be birds. Not sure what kind of bird this is, but I do know he/she had a beautiful call.

Till next time.