by Carol Redmore

The Saguaro Lake family picnic is a tradition since Fred’s parents discovered Arizona and bought the Fountain of the Sun house where we now live. This always included a hike up Vista Trail. This year, however, our son and his wife and five kids did not come for spring break as they are planning a big summer vacation—but their oldest daughter, our granddaughter Ella and her best friend saved their pennies and were able to come on their own. Last year we had all gone on the Diamond Belle boat ride and this year the girls were happy to do that again.

While they went on the boat, Fritz found a shady picnic table and settled in to read his book. I wanted to walk up to the Vista Trail and walk at least a little of it. Since the good winter rains nurtured the wildflowers so well, there was yellow brittlebush blooming all along the roadside and covering the hills, along witih some blue lupine and orange mallow. With my good friends, the ski pole hiking sticks, I made it part way up the trail. As age creeps on, balance, especially going down, is less then desirable, so I didn’t scramble up too far. Instead, I found a large, flat rock under a mesquite, and in the cool shade, I could look up the trail that ascended with the yellow brittlebush . There was no need to go farther.

But before I got to the Vista Trail, I had to walk some distance up the road from where Fred had settled with his book. When I stopped to look out over the lake to see if I could spot the girls’ boat out on the lake. I discovered I had stopped by a path that wound from the road down to the lake. The brittlebush edged the path with gold, and the orange mallow spilled over; I was hidden from the road as I inched my way down to the lake. It was a gift, this unexpected path.

So often the unexpected small things often turn out to be the best.

The same is true at the Gilbert Water Ranch, which is always a delight. This time I rejoiced in the green-ness. In February only a few leaves laced the branches—now everything is lush green. One day I did nothing more than sit on the ground and watch the leaves of a branch caress the water; quietly, ripples of water danced out from the leaves. Yesterday, a great egret, shining in the sun, swept overhead and landed (considerately) in the water right before me. He was framed by a bush flowering with pink blossoms.