Desert in Bloom

I simply HAD to pull off the Taft Highway today on my way into Bakersfield to capture these shots of the dazzling gold fields spread out before me. With the wettest spring since we've been here (over 5 years now), the vast gardens are a feast for the eyes! Its mostly a variety of tiny (but millions of them) yellow flowering plants amidst lush green vegetation, but when used to seeing bare, hard packed ground and nothing but a few rocks and dead shrubs, it is truly a vision.

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are. ~Osho