Goodbye RAV-E-ShankCar

Among the strangest clouds I've ever seen above Tortugas Mountain

21 years to the day (almost) we bought her our 1998 RAV4 drove off into the sunset; in reality it was towed away from our house this morning.  I donated the car to our local PBS radio station; the Toyota will be sold at a car auction and the profits redirected to the station.  The vehicle was still running well, though her body showed the ravages of time and the brutal desert sun.  She was oxidized badly on the hood and roof.  While Becca and I were hiking west of the mountain I got a call from the tow truck driver saying he'd be at our place in 25 or 30 minutes.  The Beckster and I had to book back to Whitey the CR-V in a hurry, trying to reach home before the driver got there.  As it turned out we arrived just as he was readying to hoist RAV onto the flatbed tow truck.  Because I had my camera with me I was able to snap a few photos of her as she rounded the corner out of sight.  Now I know how Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) felt about Wilson the soccer ball as he drifted out to sea in the movie Cast Away.  Humans are such social creatures that we can bond with inanimate objects.

Not sure how to describe them:  paintball clouds?

Feather Dalea are blooming

Feather Dalea bush

Bumper crop of flowers this spring

Blackfoot Daisy

Another look at those clouds

Had a little trouble spotting this Desert Cottontail

Tres amigos:  Prickly Pear, Claret Cup and Ocotillo

Chihuahuan Flax

Yucca just west of the mountain (you can make out others on the slope)

Healthy bloomers

This and the next 4:  unique looks at a Loggerhead Shrike

Becca contemplating which trail to choose

Yellow Desert Evening Primrose

Move it, will you?

Van Gogh clouds?

That flower stalk is about 3 feet tall

This and the next 2:  Chihuahuan Flax

A day at the beach

One of Becca's favorite spots

Yucca stalk, Ocotillo and sky

Ocotillo and sky

Yucca being steeped in Mormon Tea

Cousin Itt in Hawaii?

Single-stem Claret Cup Hedgehog

Bloomers

This and the next:  Desert Marigolds

Our 1998 RAV4 being towed away

Turning the corner

One last look at her