Wandering a Desert Land

The Dryad wandered far from home,
Beyond her emerald wood,
To places she had never been
And never dreamed she would.

She walked beneath the blood red rocks,
Their withered, stunted trees,
And through a land cut to the bone
By ruthless, ancient seas.
She rested where the ancient ones
Had built with strength and stone
The palaces that linger still
Though they are now long gone She wept for forests lost to flames,
The blackened, ghostly chill
Of spirits older than her own
Who call their children still. She strayed beside the river bed
That carved an ancient land
And lingered near the rippled rock
That bears the river’s brand.
The soaring canyon swept the sky
And sang a song of years,
Of longing and remembrance,
Of life and death and tears.
The Dryad wandered long afar
Amid these ancient dreams,
But deep within her secret heart
She missed her woodland streams.

The broken trees, the withered limbs
That spring from barren rock
Are testament to pine and oak
Sprung from a stubborn stock, But rivers should run clear and bright
Beneath the Douglas Fir
And trees should dance in cloud draped skies
Where mountain breezes stir.

The Dryad found great beauty in
The distant desert lands,
But joyfully she has returned
To her own sylvan strands.

The Storm that Ate the Canyon

Cactus Flowers

Though sparse and harsh, the desert sand,

Seared by Sol's fierce power,

Still produces the rarest charm...

The fragile Cactus Flower.

Critters of the Canyon

Condors...

Ravens...

Elk...

Deer.... And the answer to that age old question....

Yes, They Do!

The squirrels, doing what they do at home... On the lookout for handouts!

And, of course, the lizard!
Oh... I missed the Coyote... twice. What was I thinking putting the camera down for two minutes?

The GRAND Canyon!!!!

Again, I have to open with the caveat that these pictures cannot capture the grandeur, the panorama and the array of colors, textures and light play that fill the Grand Canyon. nor can they fully expose the depth and breadth of the canyon as it sweeps across the horizon. I have seen pictures of this place all my life... I was, nevertheless, stunned by it when I finally saw it in person. Again, in no particular order...
Notice the white dot in the middle of the picture... that's a helicopter... at full zoom!