The Wall

Our home as viewed from our south-side yard.
  Walls and view fencing surround the house which sits on 3/4 of an acre.

Living in the Sonoran Desert poses challenges as well as pleasures.  One challenge is to keep animals from invading and destroying property.  Javelinas and coyotes are common denizens that often create problems for homeowners.  Javelinas will eat almost anything including cactus, making garden ornamentals javelina candy.  These animals look like pigs but are not; they are members of the peccary family and have hoofs instead of cloven feet.  They are fiercely protective of their young, and it is not uncommon to hear of javelinas attacking humans when they feel threatened.  It doesn't take much to irritate them.  A friend here in Arizona described javelina as "terminally angry" animals. 

Coyotes also like to eat just about anything.  They are omnivorous and will prey on animals as well as plants.  A favorite food in late summer is prickly pear fruit in addition to rabbits, birds, squirrels, and rodents.  It is not uncommon for coyotes, which hunt in packs, to hunt family pets.  I've seen a number of "missing cat" and "missing dog" notices posted by people who have only recently moved to the area.  They have made the mistake of leaving their cat or dog outdoors unprotected, and soon the poor pets become coyote dinners.

Javelina left these three- to four-inch wide
bites on this prickly pear in our front yard cactus.

To keep property and pets safe, and as a measure of privacy, most southwestern homes have courtyards surrounded by six to seven foot walls.  I found this curious after we first moved here, but I quickly learned that it makes practical sense.  We had a considerable amount of  "view fence" installed when we built our home.  The view fence enables us to see the beautiful desert and mountain scenery around us, while keeping javelina and coyote out of the courtyards.  Homeowner Association restrictions limit the amount of view fencing around a property.  The remaining is in the form of concrete block.  Looking out a window at concrete block is neither interesting nor asthetically pleasing. 

View fencing gives us a lovely
 view of the Santa Catalina Mountains from our
back courtyard.

I decided that rather than live with a boring, blank wall of concrete block, I'd paint a mural of Sonoran Desert life.  I've been working on the mural for about two years now, and am still adding to it.  Soon, it will be complete.  Now, though, I can look at a 22-foot long painting rather than plain brown walls.  And I've had alot of fun with the project.

"The Wall"-- my mural of life in the Sonoran Desert.

Close ups of the mural