Mexican Bird of Paradise

This is a Mexican Bird of Paradise in my neighbor's lush garden.

A closer look.

Elaine always has something of color in her gorgeous backyard, from the earliest days of spring, into late summer. Right now, it's this fiery red and orange plant. They've been blooming for a couple of months now but the rains have really brought out the boldness of the colors.

It was another hot day today, hovering at triple digits, at a time when average temperatures are now supposed to be falling off into the nineties. The worst of the summer is behind us...or so it's supposed to be.