Two discarded shoes

Among the flotsam (or is it jetsam?) I found along the Gulf shore on my epic journey to America's South was this single walking shoe, although that looks like it might be a small child's sneaker immediately above and to the left. Needless to say, I neither noticed nor investigated the little shoe. I can certainly understand the urge to kick off one's shoes to walk barefoot on a nice sandy beach -- river sandals are for waters that hide unpleasant surprises where you least expect them. Which still doesn't explain why only one of each.

Now this cast-off saguaro shoe (or boot) is a different matter entirely. I found it in my patch of ice plant several days ago, courtesy of a neighbor, a professional who periodically combs the desert (and the uplands) for archaeological sites. Explanation per the Colossal Cave web page: Gila Woodpeckers and Gilded Flickers hollow out holes in [saguaro] stems. These they use for a year and leave for lizards, insects, and other birds. To counteract what could be devastating moisture loss, the saguaro secretes a substance that hardens to form a callus lining the damaged area, creating a water barrier and a nice nest hole. Eventually, when the saguaro dies and the flesh decays away, what remains are the ribs and the saguaro "shoes" or "boots." My understanding is that the holes are especially popular nesting sites among cactus wrens. Needless to say, I'm pleased to have this cactus relic.

A return to Dead Things

Oh, I have even more pictures from my visit to Dead Things, the wondrous curio shop down in Yarnell. But this post is dedicated to various animal manifestations, primarily bones. After all, what Hollywood cliche says "the dangers of the American West" better than the shot of bleached bones.

However, if you're collecting at higher elevations, you are quite as likely to happen across an antler or, if lucky, a matched pair. Elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and, in the case above, pronghorn.

More antlers. Note that not all dead things at Dead Things are strictly for decor: birdhouses in the foreground.

And how about dead things which died long, long, long ago? Fossils also fit into the market niche.

However, the contents of this box return us to our desert west focus...

...as does this round-up of assorted skulls...

and this cliche of all Arizona cliches!

Ending on a reminder that there are less romantic animals in the West. BTW, here's a previous visit to Dead Things.

Dead Things 1: Cactus Bones

Out front of the store in Yarnell was this sign: turn it right side up and it declares Brand New Dead Things. It's by far one of the more interesting (and bizarre) curio shops I've visited in Arizona. I have a folder fat with 61 pictures of dead things animal, vegetable and mineral to prove my point!

What to do? Well, perhaps focus in on one type of dead thing at a time. So here we are with a good lot of cactus bones. The tall guys are what's left of that Arizona symbol, the saguaro, once they give up, lose their spines and flesh.

Two close-ups of a saguaro trunk. Note that the structural members are 1) on the outside and 2) are separated into a sort of lattice-work so that the tree can expand or contract, accordion-wise, depending upon how much water it is holding in the pulpy center.

One of the ever-present saguaro arms. Examining the picture, I noticed that there is a meshwork between the ribs. There's one other part of a dead saguaro that I didn't see at Brand New Dead Things: a saguaro shoe, made of scar tissue by the tree when a woodpecker or cactus wren pecks out a home. It resembles a classic Dutch wooden shoe.

The bones of the prickly pear form a mesh, not nearly as interesting as other cactus remains -- nor as collectible.

These pictures show what's left when a cholla cactus dies. Again, an expandable structure to accommodate varying levels of moisture.

Pieces of cholla stems above; below, made into napkin rings. Just FYI, you may have heard of the dread jumping cactus -- it's a form of cholla.

Out back, there was a further supply of saguaro bones. Many thanks to sheoflittlebrain who took me to this wonderland as part of a birthday outing!

Link of the Day

Here's a link to those places that may haunt your dreams or, perhaps, entice you as you drive through an old Rust Belt city. Abandoned factories. Worn-out, empty 3-flats. Tunnels that appear to go nowhere. Sewers and drains. I'm referring to not-so-licit amateur urban "archeology", which appears to have more than a bit of a following in this country and elsewhere. Wikipedia has a good article on the subject.

(In the case of Chicago, there's that narrow gage railroad that runs throughout the Loop connecting with the 3rd basement level down in most major buildings; Sarah Paretsky featured it several years ago in one of her V.I. Warshawski detective novels. It's right up there with Floor 3-1/2 in the City-County Building where the Board of Election Commissioners used to store their records.)