Velvet Mesquite

I love Spring.  It's the one time of year the Sonoran Desert comes alive with color. Cactus everywhere have begun blooming.  I came across these leaves of a Velvet Mesquite tree as I walked on a nearby desert path. They just popped out at me.

It's a sunny, rapidly warming (hanging around 90°/32° right now), exceptionally dry and breezy time of year.  April is perfect to get up early and sit on the patio in the peace and quiet, pierced only by the dulcet songs of the awakening birds.  I always tell folks that if you're going to visit southern Arizona, come in April. You're all invited; I'll sleep on the sofa.