Good, Bad and the Sublime

Indian Paintbrush

The good:  spring is in full swing in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico--flowers blooming everywhere, birds chirping their hearts out, the air completely perfumed with Creeping Barberry.  The bad:  flies driving you completely out of your mind.  The sublime:  getting back to the cabin for the Cowboy and Champ welcome wagon, two neighborhood dogs who love to greet us as we roll in.  They both chase us up the road to our place, wait patiently while we let Becca out of the Jeep, them romp playfully until they decide to go home.

Rufous-sided Towhee

Becca and Dr. K

Get on down the road

Creeping Barberry (Mahonia repens) blooming all over the mountain

We're headed there

Break in a natural grotto

Down canyon

These trees were blooming all along the Bridal Veil Falls Trail

Closeup of the flowers (I believe the tree is a Fragrant Ash)

Mountain Rose

Chocolate Daisy

Apache Plume flowers

Creeping Barberry bush

An idea of how big the Barberry bush is

Chocolate Daisy zombie

At the falls

Cottonwoods leafing out in the creek bed

Heading back

More daisies

Another Mountain Rose

Waiting at the trailhead

Cowboy greeting us when we get back

Becca, Cowboy and Champ

Champ loves Dr. K