A late afternoon shot taken on the southwest side of the backyard looking towards the northeast. That’s an Apple Cactus in the front: it doesn’t have any spines, and every December it grows a fruit that has the color and shape of a – you guessed it – apple. On Saturday we saw a bird that looked similar to a mockingbird sitting on the cactus and feasting on the inside of the “apple” on the left-hand side. Now that the one on the right has split open I have no doubt that bird will be back to enjoy its fruit as well.

The bougainvillea look like they’re going to make it through this winter without a die-off. I love the color of the gold bougainvillea I planted on this side of the wall several years ago, but their growth has been stunted because of the intense heat the corner gets during the summer. Right now the low angle of the sun keeps part of the area in shadow, but during the summer season the sun beats down this area something fierce.

I love the way the red from the opposite side of the wall contrasts with the gold. Very Christmas like!