Sunday morning, Mom and I always take our 'power hike.' That means at least five miles, more likely 10 miles through the Sonoran Desert. We left the house this morning at 0930 with the intention of walking to the Redemptorist Center. We agree that the 'worst part' of our journey -- what a poor choice of words -- is always the first half mile from the house to the gate into the Saguaro National Park. As we walked up the street this morning, we chanced upon a couple who actually live within a stone's throw of the house. They were photographing a very large rattlesnake in front of someone's home up the street. After the snake made his way into the stone wall, we all proceeded up the hill. He asked us if we had ever seen 'the windmill.' We told him, 'no.' He tried to give us directions. Tym -- yes 'Tym' with a 'y' -- and his wife Ursula turned back after we got to the top of the hill and before we entered the free desert.
Marie and I followed our normal course toward the Redemptorist Center, but when we got to the large wash, we decided to turn left, instead of our normal right toward the Center. About a mile later and several excursions off the beaton track into the open desert -- yes, I carry a compass, and Marie and I are becoming very familiar with our area of the desert -- we found the windmill. Extraordinary to think that someone, some time -- I'm guessing 50 to 60 years ago -- constructed this windmill to water his livestock. I'm sure it was horses, not crops. I'll follow up later when I complete my research. The current Aermotor logo says the company is from Texas, but it started in Chicago.
Bottom line: here we are, in the middle of the desert along an unfrequented wash, and we come upon this windmill that someone constructed sometime for some reason.
In the simplest of terms, he captured God's breath in the Sonoran Desert.
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