Casa Grande National Monument, and desert eats

Casa Grande was one of Andrew's desired stops on our recent trip to the desert SW.

The largest ruin, and it's protective canopy, can be seen for miles. The design of the canopy (which protects the great house from the weather) was done by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and constructed in 1932. There's an interesting story on it here.

The ruins looked a little fake to me, probably because of the steps they've taken to restore and protect them.

What I really enjoyed at the monument was information on what the ancient peoples of the area ate (The Casa Grande was abandoned around 1450 C.E.). Of course there were the usual things like Yucca root and the Agave, but the display included so much more.

I snapped these lousy shots in the visitors center not intending to use them in a blog post. But what the heck, I thought you might find the information interesting. Prickly pear...
Palo verde

Cholla cactus...it's the buds (before they flower) which were eaten. More info here.

Creosote bush

Mesquite tree

This painting by Ron Carlos and Jacob butler was created in honor of the O'odham people, I liked it a lot, especially the fact they included devils claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) seedpods in the design.

There are all sorts of medicinal uses for devils claw but I just think the seed pods are cool looking. There were several on display (I forgot to snap a photo!) but none for sale in the gift shop. I tried to find someplace selling them on our travels but never did, back home I see they're available on Etsy! If you're unfamiliar that's them in the top middle, with the curly tips. Do you suppose those are corn dogs on the left?

Weather Diary, Aug 1: Hi 85, Low 61/ Precip 0

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