In Arizona, because of the scarcity of rain we love our monsoon season with its thunderstorms and the moisture it brings that waters the earth and greens everything up for a season. It brings the temperatures down and just feels so refreshing.

Wednesday we had an epic monsoon storm. Without much warning (no sprinkling at all), the sky just let loose and didn’t stop for about 30 minutes. Since the fire burned all the vegetation on the mountain ranges around here, the water just flowed. No vegetation to hold the water and to disperse it, so the rain water could only run down the mountainsides.

Our creeks were all raging furiously.

This creek crossing is near our home but even though there were culverts in the wash, the water flow was too great for them.

The same creek crossing as pictured above.

At this same time, my cousins were here for a visit for the afternoon from Tennessee. My cousin is a truck hauler so he was on a job here in Arizona.  I think they got more than they bargained for when they came to visit! They brought their 22,000 pound semi truck up to the house and seeing the rain was coming, they were preparing to leave but then the skies opened up and it was too late.

We cross this creek bed every day when we leave or come home.

Wesley was on his way home when the storm hit. He was able to cross over the first part of Big Bug creek in his truck but the second one he couldn’t. After parking his truck on high ground, he waited for the water to reside just a bit, then placed a small tree over a narrow area and traversed the creek.

A flash flood happens very quickly but give it about an hour and the water will have completely stopped flowing. The water hits hard and fast and then is gone. This is the main creek crossing near the highway.

This video shows just how wide the flash flood was at Grapevine Creek. We didn’t see it at its peak but only after it had resided quite a bit. We don’t have to cross this creek to reach our home.

Notice the bushes burnt and dead sticks laying over. That is a result of the flash flood coming through and laying them down.

Audrey didn’t waste any time walking in the mud/silt that was up to her knees. All soil that had been washed down because of the fire and no vegetation to hold it.

This video shows the tremendous amount of water that was flowing through Grapevine Creek. It was incredible.

Late that night my husband had to start repairs on the main creek crossing. The flash flood had washed a 3′ gully, making it impassable. After about 5 hours of work, the road was ready to be driven on. My cousins were able to drive their semi truck across with no damage. Whew!

It was quite a gathering down there at the creek. Russell, my son and cousin were all down there with a truck, semi & tractor. I arrived with my cousin’s wife. Our neighbor, who owns a gravel pit had sent a worker over with his big front loader to fix the creek crossing – not knowing we were already working on it – and then our neighbor showed up on his quad. Grand Central Station, I tell you!

Had a great visit with my cousins but after all the excitement they had, I hope they still want to visit us in the future! haha

What’s posted at the entrance to our road.

And lastly, this made me happy when I saw this deer in our valley after the recent Goodwin Fire.

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Copyright 2008 Treasuring the Moments

Scrub Oak
Cyphomardra Betacea

Copyright 2008 Treasuring the Moments

For the A B See Photo Meme, I’m approaching it this way: my children will use this for their nature study. Each one has their own letter from the alphabet (starting at A) and they are to find something in nature that corresponds with that letter. They take a photo of it and place it in their Nature Study journal, as well as writing a few facts about it.

This week’s photo was taken by Wesley, my 13 year old son.

The alligator bark juniper, called so because its bark resembles alligator skin. It is only found in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas and can grow to 55′ tall.

Copyright 2008 Treasuring the Moments

We found out it is a Gordian Worm or it’s also known as a Horsehair Worm since it looks like a piece of hair from a horse.  They are parasites that can live inside an insect and you find them in ponds, puddles of water and other damp places.  They are not harmful to humans, thank goodness!  From what I understand, you do not see them until they’re an adult and not much is known about them when they are still larvae. 

If you just have to know more, go here and here  where you’ll get to read about a lady who stepped on a cricket and noticed shortly after a long thread-like worm emerging.  Doesn’t it just get better and better?

Ours (My goodness, I sound so possessive.)  is an adult male.  We could tell because of its forked tail.  I was going to post a picture of our little darling but Flickr just wouldn’t cooperate and since I didn’t want to let you down after getting your interest peaked, I settled for one from Wikipedia.

They say that sometimes you’ll find them in your toilets after disposing of an infected insect.  So if some time you see a black hair in your toilet and you don’t have black hair,  you just might want to take a second look .  

 Copyright 2008 Treasuring the Moments

He thought from previous readings that the white on the caterpillar was eggs.  I scoffed at the idea (Would I do something like that?) took him lightly and kept to my own research.

Well he pulled out his books, started going through them and found what he was looking for.  Guess what he found?  The white on the caterpillar was cocoons!  To be exact it is the cocoon from a braconids wasp. 

Some interesting (and somewhat nasty) info they learned about these insects were:

1. The adult wasp lays eggs inside of the host.  The larvae feeds on the host until it is time to pupate (that is the stage between larvae and adult). 
2. It will either pupate inside the host or outside – which is what the larvae did in this case.  The white cocoons on the caterpillar we caught is the pupa.

Wow!  I’ve never heard of such things.  There is so much about the natural world that I know nothing about.  Lots to learn.

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I wanted to get some pictures of Zach to send to a friend who is a nature enthusiast.  I wanted Zachary to be in the picture but I also had to be sure to zoom in enough to actually see the caterpillar.

Attempt #1 – "This won’t work.  I don’t want it to look like you’re about to eat it – with such relish too!"

Attempt #2:  "This is Zachary reporting for the ENN Network.  There’s been a serious outbreak of hairy, black caterpillars carrying braconids wasp larvae…" 

Nah, this picture’s not going to work either.

Attempt #3 A smile that looks painfully forced. 

Hey, Zachary.  What do you say we just take a picture of the caterpillar? 

Copyright 2008 Treasuring the Moments

"Hello there."

We hiked 1.7 miles to Gem Lake.  It wasn’t quite the "lake" we had in mind; it was more like a pond.  The hike took us through a lot of rock so it’s somewhat curious to think of there being a spot of water at the top.  There was even a small sandy beach to sit upon.   

I always find it fascinating to see rocks perched on top of another.  You wonder, "How and when did it end up there?" 

Notice the rock with the hole.

"Peek!"

I was so excited to come home and identify these wildflowers.  They almost had the look of a tulip to me.  Do you know what they are?

 This one had opened more. 

And the name of this wildflower… purple pasqueflower. 

They are also know as Wild Crocus and Lion’s Beard and are a member of the buttercup family.  And finally, the purple pasqueflower is South Dakota’s state flower.

Copyright 2008 Treasuring the Moments

Ostriches, the world’s largest bird, who in one stride can cover 10-16 feet.

Zebra’s – whose skin is actually white but has black and white hair patterns

 Giraffes – who could care less about manners when eating…

And have no shame when it comes to begging for food.

Common thought on why giraffes tongues are blue/purple is that it keeps them from getting their tongue sunburned .

Bearded Dragons

And many other wild animals from the land of Africa

 I can hardly believe this is Arizona and it’s in my backyard.  I didn’t go on this 2 1/2 mile hike but the rest of the family, along with some friends, went and took these pictures. 

 Wesley actually got himself stuck in this piece of ice.

  This was the 50′ waterfalls they hiked to.

Why did He (God) expend such immeasurable might of mind upon a world which is to be burned up but that He would fit it perfectly to be not the home but the school of His children?  The infinity of His skill is such that the most powerful intellects find a lifetime too short to penetrate a little way into a few secrets of some one small department of His working.

How kind we think it if a very talented friend spends a little of his thought and power of mind in teaching us or planning for us!  Have we been grateful for the infinite thought and wisdom which our Lord has expended upon us and our creation, preservation, and redemption?

Taken from Kept for the Masters Use by Frances Ridley Havergal.