River Walk | My Site 1

River Path

Deep within the Mojave Riverbed basin, there is a wild community among the sweet-smelling willows, heart leafed cottonwoods, browning weeds and yellow mustard that is a temporary respite. The call of the mourning dove, the friendly chatter of the quail and the dusty smell of desert mixed with the wet boggy earth of the riverbed transports me back to simpler days of childhood. Shifting fractured light within the trees and on the surface of the water elicit illusionary fragments of memory. This fantastical place of wonder and creates infinite possibilities that mirror a childlike freedom that was once completely lost to me.

A quiet moment at dusk on the river bottom.

mojave-river-landscapes-b&w016.jpA shadow of the new bud rises gracefully against the old tree trunk.

Two cottonwood trees in winter bend in unison as if in conversation.

Branches arch over the still water pool in the riverbed.

A dark bird rises out of the burn scars from a recent fire in the riverbed.

Young willow saplings crowd the path to the river.

A sweet smelling Datura flower and river brambles

Cottonwood trees tower and sway above the dry riverbed.

A resilient cottonwood tree starts again after a windstorm.

Rain puddles in the dry riverbed providing much needed water.

Mirrored reflection of branches span the quiet water of the river.

Tall trees tower in the sandy riverbed but don’t always survive the winds in the desert.

A lone willow sapling emerges from the shallow waters ready to make a start in the riverbed.

Two exposed root inter winded on the leafy riverbed

Flattened reeds form a shelter on the dry riverbed.

A nearly invisible lizard watches the riverbed.

Pockets of dark water reflect the light of the sky.

One alive and one not, the two trees stand tall.

A boulder breaks up the reflections of the willow on the still water.

The reflected forms lead into another world.

A feather lies discarded along the river bottom.