Cactus #23 - #2?

These cacti take me to #24 or #29 depending on how we count them.  After all, there are seven on this page.  Yes, I'm counting those brown sticks over on the left side because they are a desert plant of some kind and are new to me!  I think it is an Ocotillo plant, which goes dormant in winter.

Cactus #22 - En Plein Aire

The other day I hopped on my bike with my journal and watercolor paints to paint "en plein aire".  I found a rather interesting small garden by the side of the road, near an autobody shop where cacti and old metal found a home together.

I learned a couple of things about "en plein aire" which seem obvious in retrospect:  It is hard to paint on your lap, even if you are lucky enough to find a place to sit down.  Sketching is easier and I can add colour back at home.  Without an easel, painting isn't practical for me, but I enjoyed sketching outdoors.  I've done this a few times here while walking around our condominium complex which is nicely landscaped with cacti.

From Our Window

This is the view from the 2nd bedroom of the condominium we are renting in Palm Springs.  I've painted it for Janice, who asked for mountains.

Cactus #21

Yes, there are blue and purple cacti at Canyon Sands!

Cactus #19 and #20

If Picasso did Cacti, this might be what they looked like:

In my dreams.  LOL

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you.  My wish for you this day and in 2014 is that you are happy, healthy, and at peace.

This photo of me and my husband was taken at the Southwest Church photo booth last Sunday.  I'm shy about this kind of thing but it seems to be the thing to do.

Cactus #18 - What's in a Name?

Today's cactus is actually a succulent.  There are a lot of succulents planted amongst the cactus here at Canyon Sands.

What's the difference?  All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.  What makes a cactus a cactus is not the spines, as you might think, but something called areoles.  An areole is the little fluffly part that the spine grows from.

So perhaps I need to rename my series "29 Succulents".  "29 Cactus" sounds much better although I now realize that this isn't grammatically correct and should have been "29 Cacti".

Oh well.  What's in a name, anyway?