Arizona Poppy

Arizona Poppy (Kallstroemia grandiflora) along Tucson Wash Road.

Esoterizona Stones 20

Fluorescent Minerals

Short and longwave UV. 8"x4"x4" (Pima County)

Blue and yellow fluorescent formations. 7"x6"x3" (Pima County)

Banded aragonite. 5"x4"x2" (Pima County)

More banding of blue and orange. 5"x3"x2" (Pima County)

Mediterranean Gecko

Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) hanging out under the porch eaves.

They also like to hang out inside the house. I like that too.

Mine Headframe

Intact standing wooden headframe in the Lordsburg Mining District, New Mexico. These were constructed over mine shafts and supported the machinery used to bring ore to the surface. Wooden ore bins and remains of stone buildings are also present in the area. Another prominent feature is the old grade for the Anita Mine Tramway, which connected the mines to the Southern Pacific railroad at the nearby town of Shakespeare.¹ Shakespeare is now a ghost town and off-limits except by permission of the owners.

The headframe pictured above is also visible just right of center in this old photo.

Of all the buildings pictured, only a few scattered walls and foundations remain.

¹ Lasky, Samuel G. Geology and Ore Deposits of the Lordsburg Mining District.  http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0885/report.pdf. Plate 14.

Esoterizona Stones 19

Fluorescent Minerals

Yellow fluorescent caliche with fluorite (blue) and a green fluorescent, possibly aragonite. Shortwave UV. 5"x4"x3" (Hidalgo County, New Mexico)

Cerussite (yellow) and fluorite (blue). Longwave UV. 5"x5"x2" (Socorro County, NM)

Calcite. Shortwave UV. 5"x4"x3" (Hidalgo County, NM)

Esoterizona Stones 18

Fluorite. (Socorro County, New Mexico)

Purchased from Blanchard Rock Shop in Bingham, NM.

Crystalline hematite sprays. (Hidalgo County, NM)

Cubic galena. (Socorro County, NM)

Where Flat Tire Happens

The locals call it BFE.