Harsh Beauty

Living in a place that is dark, wet and deary in the winter necessitates a winter escape to the sun. We’ve tried a few places in Europe, but our favorite so far has been the Canary Island of Lanzorate.

The four-hour flight straight south keeps us in the same time zone, and just 80 miles off the north coast of Africa. Ocean currents keep the climate mild year round; temperatures range from low to mid 60’s to low 80’s.  Being located north and slightly east of the island of Fuerteventura, causes the rains to fall on Fuertevenura leaving Lanzorate with very limited rainfall. This is also perfect for us desert loving people. A series of volcanic eruptions in the 1730’s covered Lanzorate in lava and ash. The resulting arid landscape is harsh and stark with very limited native vegetation.  These conditions make it perfect for cactus!

Jardín de Cactus (Cactus Garden) near Guatiza is a fascinating collection of 4,500 specimens of about 500 species from five continents. The contract between the green of cacti and the red and black lava make for a visual feast. What struck me most was the incredible symmetry that nature has created in these plants.

Dennis didn’t join us for this outing. There were several families with small children visiting the garden. I could not stop my brain from thinking that I’d have been a nervous wreck to have had Dennis there when he was little.   It would have been of question of when, not if, he impaled himself. I shared my thoughts with Dave and his response was, “I don’t think it would be any better at his current age.”