"C" is for Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll,

or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants.  The

fiber is almost pure cellulose and is often spun into yarn or 

thread and used to make a soft breathable textiles.

The use of cotton for fabric dates back to prehistoric times

and fragments of cotton fabric have been found in the

Indus Valley Civilization as well as Peru, where cotton

revenants date back to 6000 BC!!!

So on our outing 9/22/20 (so Don could get a few new

geocaches), I got sidetracked by Cotton, as you might expect.

Lets begin with some facts and figures, from bloom to harvest,

about this fascinating and intriguing plant.

The first thing you notice as you drive through the farmland

is the small white flowers on green plants.  That is the

start of a multi-step process... a white self-pollinating

flower appears.  You often don't see it because they

only stick around for about 24 hours.

Then the white flower will become a pink color and

will continue to open fully. The flower can be a vibrant

fuchsia or even a purple hue.  This phase lasts 24-36 hours.

Then the boll begins to take shape.  It will eventually

turn from green to purple to brown.

When it reaches the pinnacle of its size, the bracts

dry and the boll itself cracks open and pulls apart until

the cotton fiber spills out and

harvest is immanent.

I saw all this taking place (except the harvest)

within this one photograph.

Cotton fields at this stage as far as the eye could see...

while other fields had already turned brown and 

were about ready for harvest.

Arizona cotton is some of the whitest, highest-quality cotton around.  

It is known for it’s extra-long staple (ELS).  Typically, around the world, 

cotton has a fiber staple length of only about 1 inch, whereas 

AZ Supima cotton’s fiber staple length averages 1.5 inches.     

Shorter fibers produce yarns that are rougher and subject 

to pilling on the surface of the product, while longer fibers

 contribute to the strength and softness of apparel and home products,

 ensuring that they are more comfortable, retain color longer 

and resist pilling over time.  And it was developed right here in AZ.  

Something caught my eye as I was finishing my 

photography of the cotton fields.  I felt like I was being watched again.

I found out later that in the third week of Sept (now) large

flights ("kettles") of migrating  Broad-Winged Hawks pass thru AZ.

I caught this one resting on a telephone pole while searching for

prey in some recently harvested cotton fields. 

As a hand weaver, I have used lots of cotton over the

last 48 years.

In fact years ago I purchased some natural colored cotton,

that was developed here in AZ, to weave fabric for 

a summer jacket.  When the yarn was on the cone,

before it was woven and washed, 

you could hardly distinguish the 3 different shades. 

But when it was washed, the colors bloomed.

So I decided to add some stamped embellishment to

the fabric, as shown in this close-up,

and the back looks like this.

Since cotton is so sturdy it was the perfect choice of

fiber for my handwoven seat covers for the dining room

chairs.  (One of my all time favorite pieces of fabric.)

And because cotton  takes color so well,  I once again

chose it for this poncho which is woven

in a tapestry technique, which I developed,  for fabric

for clothing... and once again embellished it with

one stamped dragonfly on the left shoulder.

I've woven many kitchen towels and always used cotton

because of its strength and softness.  The more you machine

wash and dry this great fiber, the softer it gets and I

have had many of these frequently used towels for 

over 20 years.   (Yes Don did get a few geocaches too!!)

 

Just Rewards

Yes,  I did receive my just rewards for

doing my early morning walk...

However, it's always good to keep your eyes 

peeled and

don't forget to look up!!!  Boy was I 

surprised when I saw this eyeing me from above.

  My research upon returning safely home

indicated that this was a juvenile Golden Eagle.

Actually not only one, but a pair of them, so

I deviated from my plan and followed them as they

moved from place to place.

The juveniles have white patches at the base

of the primaries in the wing and at the base

of the tail,

which shows up nicely here even though
the bird is slightly out of focus!!!

As you can tell, the golden eagle has very large

wings with a wingspan of approximately 6'5"

(for the juvenile) and when it takes off it is

pretty impressive. 

They weight about 10 lbs and 

don't get their adult plumage for about 4 years.

They mate for life and their life span in the

wild is believed to be 30 years or more.

They use their speed and sharp talons to snatch up 

rabbits, marmots and squirrels.  They also eat 

reptiles, birds, fish and have been known to

attack a full grown deer.

And as I returned home along the back walkway,

I was startled to see one of the pair

patiently waiting for something to move.

Made me nervous - who's stalking who in

the early morning light.

Birds of a Feather...

"Birds of a Feather Flock Together" is a

hyperbole...which is an exaggerated statement 

not meant to be taken literally.

This bird blog features the Gila Woodpecker...

who looks like this when properly posed in a tree,

with great lighting.

However when this one arrived it started my 

research and my photography session.

 

And as you can see he's got the system

down.  Hang on to the rim of the feeder with your

feet and brace the feeder from underneath with

your tail.

The Gila is a barred black & white white woodpecker

with a tan head and belly  Males have a red crown

on the head which this one is proudly showing us.

My research tells me that they don't have a

very good reputation.  "A Gila Woodpecker will

drill into your skull and eat your brains out if

you are a baby Dove". However Audubon

indicates they do it for the water.  

And this pair has found a source for yummy

sweetened water,

but sometimes the hummers protest.

I just keep taking pictures thru the 

living room window.

Going for a Ride... Part 2

This is the first thing we saw when we got up

the next day at about 6:15... Yippee

This is why we came to the high country.

And we took a different route home and did

some geocaching along the way.  

 These trees are similar to Jeffery Pines, but are a variety

of Ponderosa Pine here in AZ.  They grow in the high elevation and

if you happen to see one (which you will recognize by

the color of the bark) and if you put your nose close 

to the bark it smells like Vanilla... go figure!!!

So sit back and enjoy the ride...

 

Your guess is as good as mine.

I prefer it when they tell us where we are going 

and what we're going to see.

This is what the road looked like as we headed

down into the Salt River Canyon one more time!

 

Fortunately I was on the bank side and not 

the cliff side.

Once you cross the bridge there is a great rest

stop that gives you a good

look back at the new bridge from the old bridge

which allows the pedestrians a great view of

the new bridge

and an opportunity to look

up river and marvel at the road along the 

edge of the distant mountain that you just came down.

Ahhh  now we know where we're headed as we 

climb out of the canyon.

 

Some old buildings caught my eye so Don had

to make a quick u-turn so we could check out Seneca AZ

In  the early 1970s the San Carlos Apache tribe, 

opened a large restaurant, trading post and 

campground on this site, with electrical hookups.  

 In the future, there were plans for

 an 80-unit motel, golf course, riding stables

 and other amenities.

It all cost about $534,000 and unfortunately didn’t 

last long.  Later in the ‘70s, the tribe defaulted 

on the loan and the dream died. Lenders quickly took

 back the restaurant etc.

Vandals and nature took over and went right to 

work. Today there is nothing left to see except for a 

few ruined, vandalized buildings.

Google Seneca Lake AZ for more info.

As we continued west it was time to geocache.  A series 

of 5 or 6 on the right hand side of the road.  There was also

another part of the series on the other side of the

road (if you were heading north).  

Don will get those next time.

The geocaching app on the cell phone tells us

we're pretty close, about 24 feet. 

I spotted it under a bush... see that blue thing?

It's Don job to do the dirty work... getting

down on his knees and retrieving the cache

and signing the log.  Looked for 5 found 4.

Remember yesterday I was looking for Elk,

well this is the best wildlife shot I got.

That 1" frog lived in here but Don didn't find the cache. 

THE END