Desert dust skies

July 30, 2017


I’ll never forget a moment in my college years when I was exclaiming over a particularly vivid Houston sunset. A friend remarked, “You know that’s because of pollution, right?” I probably responded with an exasperated sigh — so much for the romance of natural beauty! — but of course she was right.

Last week we enjoyed color-suffused skies here in Austin thanks to dust blown all the way from the Sahara Desert in Africa. I know it’s just dirt in the air, but in my imagining it floats here from undulating, tawny dunes right out of The English Patient. Still a romantic at heart. And why not? Just look at the colors that blossom from low sunlight beaming through wayward desert dust.


I admired the skies again a few days later — this time a golden sunrise and the sinuous silhouettes of live oaks reflected in an office building’s windows. As a cool counterpoint in the foreground, silvery blue agaves add their own sinuous, serrated-leaved echo.

Air pollution. Erosion. Prosaic office parks. You never know when something undesirable will give rise to something beautiful. Keep your eyes open, friends.

I welcome your comments; please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading this in a subscription email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post.
_______________________

Digging Deeper: News and Upcoming Events

Get on the mailing list for Garden Spark Talks. Inspired by the idea of house concerts, I’m hosting a series of garden talks by talented designers and authors out of my home. Talks are limited-attendance events and generally sell out within just a few days, so join the Garden Spark email list for early notifications. Simply click this link and ask to be added.

All material © 2006-2017 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

10 responses to “Desert dust skies”

  1. Robin Peckover says:

    The thicker and deeper the mud, the more beautiful the lotus blooms. Redemption, in all its forms, is one of the powerful mysteries.

  2. rickii says:

    When Mt St Helens erupted, we had the most beautiful sunsets imaginable.

  3. Eyes open and ears closed to those that can’t relax and enjoy what the world has to offer in beauty.

  4. Kris P says:

    You’d think we’d have better sunsets every single day here in LA County! Thanks for sharing yours.

  5. The Sahara and Himalayas influence more than we realize, I keep hearing! Too bad the latter can’t send you some cooling relief from the D*ath Star.