My umpteenth trip to Arizona. The arboreal desert and arid mountains of the state are where the superstitious search for gold and other treasures lost long ago. I am a prospector too, ever in search of revelation, that bolt out of the blue that enlightens a lucky few.

What I find on this trip instead is a lovely lavender sunset which highlights the yonder crags and cacti, and softens my lonely vigil on this arroyo rim. From a sinkhole nearby emerges the melancholy argument of frogs to announce the sundown. Faraway mountains in silhouette take on the look of a colossal hulk beneath the quarter moon and a bumper crop of stars. I see a ship, a crumbling castle, and even an alter to the gods. What you see depends, of course, on your viewpoint and your vision.