The Wind...it was a blowin!

 Monday, we woke up to a "Blowing dust alert". That's a first for us! And did the wind ever blow...40 miles an hour almost all day long.

Our home was a rockin' and the slide toppers were a flappin'.  

 Today (Tuesday) was much better...still breezy though at 18 mph.

 The Mission San Xavier was our destination today. San Xavier Mission was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692.

 Construction on the current church began in 1783. A Franciscan missionary, Juan Bautista Velderrain, borrowed money from a Sonoran rancher to build the church. It was completed in 1897.

 Lime-stone mortar and kiln-fired brick were introduced by architect Ignacio Gaona.

Villagers helped...by gathering sand, lime, clay, rock and wood. Brick was laid up for both the inside and outside faces of the walls, then rock rubble and a lime-sand grout poured between. The walls are three feet thick.

 
 
 
 


In some places the walls are six feet thick and coated with a limestone based plaster... a formula that includes the juice from prickly pear cactus pads.

 Following Mexican Independence in 1821, San Xavier became part of Mexico. The last resident Franciscan departed in 1837.



With the Gadsden Purchase of 1854, the Mission joined the United States. In 1866, regular services were held at the church once again.

 In 1872, Sisters opened a school at the Mission. Today, Sisters of Christian Charity now teach at the K-8 school and reside in the convent.

 Extensive repairs to the church began in 1905 when an earthquake caused damage. The next round of restoration followed the years after 1939 after damage was caused by a lightening strike.

 Not much is known about the people who decorated the interior. The artwork was probably commissioned by Velderrain's successor and most likely created by artists from Mexico.








The vaulted ceilings are beautiful. In 1992, an international team of conservators began a 5-year project to clean, remove over-painting and repair the interior painted and sculptured art.

San Xavier became a National Landmark in 1963.




 

A Walk in the Desert

 It was a great day for a walk in the desert so we headed for the Sonoran Desert. We walked the Brown Mt. loop trail.

 The prettiest plant blooming today was the ocotillo. This plant can reach heights to 20 ft. and can live  60 to 100 years.

The Ocotillo is called many different things including Candlewood, Slimwood and Coachwhip.

We did spot a hedgehog cactus in bloom. Like the hedgehog itself, it is covered in spiky "quills". It is one of the cactus varieties that feature bright-colored flowers.

                                        




        

I think this is a  Buckhorn Cholla. It has a whole bunch of spines in each cluster on the stem.
 

 Chain Fruit Cholla are a large tree-like cactus which can grow to a height of 12 ft. or more.

This cholla provides shelter and food for several animals.

 

I saved my favorite for last...the Saguaro. Saguaro flowers are usually found near the tops of the stems and arms. Below is a close-up of the picture on the left.

 The blooms are white and about 3 inches in diameter. They have a strong smell...described as an overripe melon. This Saguaro was way too tall for me to get a sniff.

 During the day, the flowers are pollinated by bees and birds and at night by the bats. I just happened to get this picture of a Gila Woodpecker.  As the first picture shows there were two stems. I snapped just as he flew from one to the other.

 He was sure doing his job today! After the flowers have been pollinated they mature into bright red fruit. When the fruit ripens, it splits open showing juicy red pulp. Each fruit can contain up to 2,000 small black seeds.

Saguaro flowers bloom for less than 24 hours. They open at night and remain open through the next day. They only have that very short time to attract an animal to be pollinated. It was for sure my lucky day!

 

 The Taylors sure had another wonderful day...hope you did as well. Thanks for visiting today!

Y'all come back!