California Cactus

We were on a drive through the Livermore Hills of California, and looking out at the San Andreas Fault. There were distant cattle in the dry, rustling grass of the hills, not even noticing the heat. Growing up in California, I was told the cattle had shorter legs on one side than the other, so they could more easily walk on the slopes of the hills. I’m not sure when I figured out my leg (pun intended) was being pulled when I was told that story.

I spotted a patch of cactus, in the dazzling sun, growing alongside the road, prickly, strong, and fighting for survival. The temperature that day in August was 105 degrees in the shade. Never the less, I asked that we stop so I could climb from the air-conditioned car into the oven of a day and snap a picture of the hardy succulent.

“Well, art is art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now, uh... now you tell me what you know.” ― Groucho Marx

"Paintings With Personality"