Wind At Work

Wind At Work
Las Cienegas National Wildlife Refuge
Sonoita, Arizona

This is one of my favorite photos. Diane and I were driving back from her father's house in Green Valley, AZ (outside of Tucson) and took the back roads back to Bisbee.Diane had always told me about the Cienegas (Spanish for Marsh), but I had never taken the time to drive through. It is about a 10 mile loop from Elgin to Sonoita - and well worth the drive.The picture was made in September, so the grass had already changed from the lush green that suprises most first time visiors to Arizona, to the golden brown that lasts for most of the year.We parked by a windmill to get some shots of the cows grazing near the tank. I tried a few angles on the cows, but none seemed right. Just as I was about to give up, the wind came up out of the south and the windmill began to turn. The loud creaking as the blades came to life caught my attention. The pump arm began to slide up and down with another creaking that took just a slightly separate tone, so the two noises were able to play off of each other to form an impromptu symphony of groans, creaks and squeaks. The water then added the remaining depth as it was choked to the surface.This little breeze caused all of this work to be done, all of the sounds, the smells...everything. The wind does truly work in mysterious ways.