Wide Open Spaces

It feels good to have the Dubai thing over and done with- really, I want to get back to telling you all about my life HERE.

Each spring, our family takes an annual expedition to the wide open steppe to rest and see what nature brings forth. The desert around here doesn't produce quite as brilliant of a show as the Southern California desert, but there is life none-the-less. There aren't nearly as many species of wildflowers, nor as many animals, but what we do get to see brings us joy as we see just how creative our Maker is.

So, with marshmallows (bought at a store 1,000 miles away from here), homemade calzones, some stale cookies, water, and the camera, we took off to the vast open prairie of Central Asia. It is as flat as flat can be, with nary a hill to be seen on any horizon. After arriving at our usual camping spot, we parked and made an initial survey. No, no one has been here yet this year; it is likely no one will ever come here- why would they?

Upon first arrival, the small, red "desert tulips" caught our immediate attention. How could they not, as they strike up against the bland taupes and browns of the earth around them? In addition to the brilliant, dainty tulips, there were small purple iris type flowers and a whole field of mustard in bloom. Our special place is in a little bowl, surrounded by an ancient dune, so it gets a bit more rain runoff than the surrounding area; hence the field of yellow. The only other "find" in the flower department we made this year was the gigantic "skunk cabbage". One can only guess how this beast of a plant can grow in such a harsh in unforgiving environment.

The weather was just slightly too hot to comfortably sit outside, so most of us hung out in the car between forays out for wildlife spotting. Each of us had a book to enjoy, and a card game kept up company in between pages. By mid-afternoon, the sun began to relent, and we noticed some desert creatures beginning to stir. Our first visitor was a large lizard, which Pixie decided she MUST catch to inspect further. She is a patient girl, and although it took her many attempts, she ended up successfully bagging her prey. Next, a smaller unfortunate lizard succomed to Pixie's efforts of creature-catching. Luckily for them both, she only wanted a closer look, and she let them go quickly. NariLoo has a soft spot for all things living, and thought catching the lizards was torturing them, so we had to deal with "Pouty Girl" for a few hours afterward.

Then we spotted the biggest treat for us all- THE TORTOISES! We saw no less than 6 on this trip- 3 on the way (crossing the road!! We mercifully stopped and ferried them over before a truck could turn them into turtle pancakes) and 3 at our spot. We watched them for a very long time foraging and crawling around on the sand. Little NariLoo dearly fell in love with them, and begged to bring one home. But we tried that several years ago. It stuck around for about a week, then we never saw him again. It was difficult to explain to her, that they belong in the wild, and they are safest there. Dogs and turtles don't mix. It is funny how catching lizards produces such anxiety in her, but hauling a poor turtle around for an hour doesn't equate somehow. Ahhh, the small mind of a child.

The sun was setting, so it was time to build a little fire and roast up the last stale marshmallows. The kids finished up a little game of impromptu baseball (sticks and a small ball we had brought), and came over to the fire to indulge in our week old cookies with several month old marshmallows. They tasted good; I daresay much better than roasted lizard, which is what we might have eaten had we been aboriginies in Australia rather than expatriates living in Central Asia.

One doesn't stay out on the Central Asian steppe long after dark without a stout stick or a car to retreat to these days. Not too long before this trip, The Water Guy ventured out with NariLoo and Macaroni to camp and in broad daylight spotted a gray wolf! No, it wasn't a coyote, it was a very large, very furry and grizzled looking wolf. We Googled wolves and discovered that our area has the highest population of Asian wolves anywhere! Yikes!! I guess we will camp with more care in the future!

So, we come to the end of a rightly pleasant day. We relaxed in the sunshine, saw some of the most elusive creatures on earth, enjoyed one another's company, and will be back again next year.

Until Next Time,

Your SteppeSister