Wild Weekly Photo Challenge-Scary / Weekly Photo Challenge-Illumination

“Everybody in their own imagination decides what scary is.”

Y. Craig

LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH !

This week, the Wild Weekly Photo Challenge is” Scary”, and the Weekly Photo Challenge is “Illumination”.  Coincidentally, my husband and I are in the middle of a mini-vacation in the Southwest, and the amazing cacti we see everywhere here seemed a good fit for both challenges.

ILLUMINATED !

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”

William Shakespeare

One thing I found very surprising about the cacti was how often the sunlight seems to make them glow. Their incredibly sharp needles (or spines) protect them from predators and also provide them with a bit of shade. This week I learned the hard way that cacti are not only dangerous to touch, but can also be dangerous to walk around, as their needles are sharp enough to pierce sneakers even after they’ve dropped to the ground.

ARM-IN-PROCESS

“I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams…”

Antoine de Saint Exupery

Here then, a few more of my favorite illuminated cacti from the beautiful but dangerous Arizona desert.

THREE’S THE CHARM

DOUBLE VISION

“The desert, when the sun comes up…I couldn’t tell where heaven stopped and Earth began.”

Tom Hanks

RED CACTUS AND ROCK

Here’s to the cactus.  May we all learn to endure hardship and thrive as beautifully as they do!

I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggersThis week’s Challenge is: Scary!  And check out their online adventure magazine www.letsbewild.com !

And for more Illuminations Weekly Challenge Posts, go to here. 

Tags: Cactus, Desert, nature, photography, scary, weekly challenge, Wild Weekly Photo Challenge

• January 14, 2013
• Desert, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Weekly Challenge
• 27 Comments