in the desert...

we had an amazing weekend in the desert. have i ever told you what a desert girl i am? i can't get enough of it. there's something about the barren, sparse beauty of it that just gets me. everything in the desert is intensified. and the sunshine, oh, bring it on...

something so crazy was happening at our campground. the gypsy moth caterpillars were hatching.

apparently this happens every spring. they literally take over the cottonwood trees. you can see the trees that have already hatched because there is not one single leaf left on the tree. the ones that have not hatched are covered with the nests.

it was fascinating.

and the girls couldn't get enough of them.

we went for a beautiful hike, where the girls collected lots of rocks,

we relaxed in the shade and read books,

we swam in the river,

(love that belly!)

we went for evening strolls,

and just had a really good, relaxing time. it was lovely.

as usual, i was very inspired by both the landscape and the flowers in the desert. i always think about how hardy and tough and strong these flowers have to be to survive there. these are no yard flowers, receiving fertilizer and daily waterings. these are the real wild wildflowers. they are on their own, surviving, thriving, in the harshest of conditions. so inspiring.

i have wanted to make a sego lily necklace for a very long time. i love the simple beauty of the four heart shaped petals meeting in the middle there. i think i will try it this week.

(i do not know why this is underlined?)

i hope you all had fabulous weekends,

(with lots of love that wasn't quite this prickly...)