sunday drive...

So yesterday we drove down toward Nogales to run an errand...

On the way back up, I stopped at a highway rest-area to take a couple photos of the western end of the Santa Rita mountains, where I went hiking in Madera Canyon last weekend...

These are probably the last of the summer wildflowers before the first winter freeze--which usually arrives in late-December...

The distinctive lower peak to the right is Elephant Head Rock, 5641', between Mt. Hopkins on the right and Mt. Wrightson in the middle.

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No less, ahem, 'picturesque,' is this mural back in Tucson:

Note how elegantly it captures the desert sunrise over the grid of city lights...with the liquor drive-in window perfectly placed on the left. Yes, 'drive-in liquor.' Scenic and Salubrious.

I think this is my favorite, though:

On the corner of Craycroft Avenue and Speedway Blvd., about a mile and a half from where we live, is this gem. A florally-crowned blonde Gaia-esque figure bestows much-needed water on the desert, with a mysterious golden pearl floating above her palms...

For months, I've wanted to pull into the little parking lot to take a photo.

Breathtaking.

In all fairness, Tucson does have some good murals.

But this one is a perfect example of skill-but-no-taste...no?