Saguaro cactus Arizona                      click to enlarge

This is one of those old pictures of the desert with its Saguaro cactus I dug out of my archives because I realized I hadn’t been there in years and it is time to go back and update my portfolio. The Saguaro cactus hang out in southwestern Arizona and Mexico and are fond of sun, adequate but infrequent moisture, and nature. They like to stand in one place for very long periods of time and are impatient with chain saws or people who dig them up for yard décor. I believe that they are predominantly Gemini, Cancers or the occasional Sagittarius, although the one on the right is definitely a Taurus.

I was on a road trip to see an old friend when I stopped to see these two specimens standing along the road. I was interested in them for several reasons. One of those reasons was I was lost and wondered if they were edible. They’re not. Another was to marvel at how well they fit into the scenery, it’s as if they were native to it.

The Saguaro have many uses, from being a friend to the Indians who first dwelt here, and providing condos and town homes for small birds and other creatures, to being a tourist magnet which generates mucho dinero, which is Spanish for, a ‘huge freaking amount of money’ for the local economy. They are also used as a geographic waypoint establishing ones position on the earth as being in the Southwest portion of the United States. This is handy if you’re not sure what your position is on the earth. With this knowledge in hand you can figure out where someplace else is and go there.

Having rejuvenated my interest in Saguaros I now fully intend to revisit them and update their current conditions. I know they’re off this dirt road that you turn on just past that stand where they sell Indian jewelry and you go like maybe 18-19 miles until you’re absolutely certain you don’t know where you are and they’ll be right there on the left. See you there.