The Wicked Blond of the Desert

Over the past few weeks, I have had the chance to explore Arizona and learn about many new things. I did not do it alone... too blond friends from the east coast joined me and it was wonderful. On one of our many outings, we went to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen West... the school where he educated, and perhaps enslaved, his apprentices. Those people were always digging holes in the desert it seems.

Well, while we were touring the estate we learned about FLW's opinion of the cholla cactus, also known as the jumping cactus. You see, when you pass by this cactus the thorns sense movement and JUMP off the cactus and EMBED themselves into your skin. And not only are these little thorny things... no, no. They are barbs, quills of the plant world. They latch into your skin and it is impossible to remove them, to get them out of your skin and away from your veins which lead straight to your heart (I think that veins lead to your heart... any idea Sara?), without RIPPING OUT YOUR FLESH. Wright's name for them? The Wicked Blond of the Desert. Weston and Lauren had a great laugh about that...

Maybe its true. Maybe it is impossible to get rid of me without ripping out your own flesh. What a strange thought. Here is a picture of me and the Cholla/Jumping Cactus/OTHER Wicked Blond of the Desert. I kept a very safe distance, so I have not, as of yet, had to rip anything out of anything. Although today I did prick myself on a cactus while trying to bury an apple core, but that is another story for another day.