How often have I heard someone say “the desert is gray, colorless, boring? I once heard a woman looking out at the mountains in Borrego Springs complain that they were uninteresting. I felt sorry for her companions and wondered if maybe she needed cataract surgery or just a “recognition of beauty” implant. Listening to public radio the other day I heard an announcement that because of the recent rain and cool spell there would be a splendid bloom of desert flowers. The two places that were mentioned were Picacho Peak State Park and Lost Dutchman State Park. We consulted Google maps and chose Lost Dutchman since it was closer. We drove into the park and with guidance from a host and a ranger we set off on a hike to the high places where the desert was indeed in flower:

She is no spring chicken but there was no telling that from her performance. Her range is 4 octaves and her scat singing is just incredible. She matched the saxophone with ease and even sang against the base. We had the pleasure of dining with Susan and Lee Berk, he is a college classmate of mine, at their place and walking to the concert from there. We found ourselves surrounded with lovers of Jazz from Susan and Lee to the entire audience including the head of The Nash where we had been the week before. We will be returning to Phoenix next week and will hear Anat Cohen perform at MIM and Ladysmith Black Mombaza at the Scottsdale Performance Center. In the mean time we are settled in to the Pima County Fairgrounds for five days of RV Rally, a totally different cultural experience.