When I wander around the desert southwest, I realize that it presents unlimited opportunities for immersing myself into landscapes that are absolutely fascinating, spiritual, and beautiful. And the beauty takes many forms. Basically, this is a harsh land, with little precipitation, extreme temperatures, and rugged terrain. But within this framework is endless diversity of scene and atmosphere. It's mystical here. Even in simple pictures, magic appears. These snow crystals have been created by several days of afternoon thaws and nighttime hard freezes...daytime temperatures are in the 40s, and at night the mercury drops to zero or below. When you toss a handful of crystals into the air, they sparkle in the sunlight. And at some point, a critter passed through. The air is crisp and clean. It's totally refreshing. It's no wonder that countless artists have made their home in this part of the country.

Here's the work of one of them, who grew up here. This is a mural by Fred Kabotie, a Hopi painter and silversmith. It's inside the Desert View Watchtower, a 70 foot high structure built by Mary Colter in 1932. Colter was the chief architect for the Fred Harvey Company, the national parks' main concessioner in the first half of the 20th century. She build many notable structures in the desert southwest.

Back in Sedona, I hiked the Courthouse Butte Loop today. Though the temperature was in the 50s, snow does not melt much in shady spots in the calm, dry air. There was a storm last week, with wet snow and possibly some rain. Probably, some melting did occur during and right after the storm, but as soon as the skies cleared, temperatures plunged, and the water froze that night as it ran over the red rock on the north side of the butte. A week later, status quo.

In sunnier areas, a trickle of snowmelt runs down a rocky wash. This almost looks like a satellite photo of a large river running through a desert. But, the stream here is only a few inches wide, the picture taken from eye level above it.

A little farther down the wash, altocumulus clouds are reflected in a pool. Water in the desert is always noteworthy; mix it with clouds, and you have really good photo ops.