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A Little Hope

New growth grows out of a saguaro arm on the Latigo Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on August 6, 2021. Original: _RAC6047.ARW

A few summers ago I noticed the park was closing after sunset so I went out for a late afternoon hike, not expecting much, just wanting to be out in the desert. It was still plenty hot so I took my favorite trail as it’s an easy hike, stopping for a water break at my favorite saguaro. She seems the worse for wear every time I see her, damage spreading further down her arms. After we exchanged pleasantries I continued down the trail but stopped after a few steps, my brain telling me it saw something but couldn’t tell me what. I stepped backwards until I was in my original spot and stared for the longest time before I realized what first caught my attention: she was pushing out new growth from one of her arms.

She never gives up, this one.

📷: Sony A6600 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: August 6, 2021

Sonoran Gothic

A crucifixion thorn grows next to a saguaro skeleton on the 118th Street Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on August 8, 2021. Original: _CAM3378.ARW

A nod to Grant Wood’s “American Gothic“, even if only the saguaro skeleton keeps to the long vertical lines of the iconic duo in the painting. The crucifixion thorn is not to be contained and confined, it is an explosion of life, a dancer in the desert, the beauty of being true to yourself.

📷: Sony A6500 | Sony 16-50mm f/2.8 G
🗓️: August 8, 2021