It rained all week last week.  We need the rain, but we need it a little bit at a time.  Not three inches a day for five days in a row!  On Friday afternoon, I was so sick of staying inside.  We had a break in the showers, so I headed out to see if I could find a nice sunset vista.  When I left the house, I saw a rainbow in the distance and thought I’d be able to include it in the composition.  Alas, after I got out of the neighborhood and away from all the houses, the rainbow was gone.  But the sun did break through the clouds to throw its rays of light onto the land…

My neighbor Peter loves to grow cacti in his yard.  He picks them up from all over the place, including dumpsters, and sticks them into the ground.  A few months later he has a healthy blooming cactus plant!  I’d better keep him away from this location, where the cacti grow freely in the open grassy areas.  I saw this plant swaying in the wind with its pretty yellow flowers.  I’ve dressed it up a little using Topaz and Fractalius filters.

I didn’t see any Common Nighthawks on this visit.  Sometimes during the day I see American Kestrels, but I don’t tend to see those when I go in the evenings.  This Burrowing Owl stood tall as the grasses behind him were tossed by the wind.  I bet I wasn’t the only one who was glad that the sunshine had finally come out after rain!