Skip to main content

Joshua Trees


This week, I saw my first Joshua tree. I’ve seen pictures, but never before seen them in person. Their scientific name is Yucca brevifolia, so they’re more closely related to yucca than to trees, but they seem to grow like trees, even to the point where they appear to have bark.

The legend is that they were named by Mormon pilgrims, because the upraised arms reminded them of Joshua, the man who led the Jews into the promised land, and they were on the way to their own promised land. There seems to be some debate about whether the name is really that old, but whether it was pilgrims or latter inhabitants, they were named after Joshua because they seem to raise their arms to God.

One of the stories in Joshua (10:13) says that Joshua asked God to hold the sun still, and it stopped in the middle of the sky for a whole day. I wonder if this was the verse they had in mind when they named the Joshua tree. Traveling through the desert in the summer, it must sometimes seem as if the sun isn’t moving, that it’s hanging in the middle of the sky, pouring down heat on the poor travelers below.

Regardless of exactly who named them, or exactly why they got their name, Joshua tree is a wonderfully evocative name for a very unusual and strangely beautiful plant, and I feel lucky to have seen them. 

Comments

  1. Too bad you don't have a picture of a person alongside, so people could get an idea of how big they can get. In the Joshua Tree National Forest, many are upwards of 30 feet tall.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good point. These were about twenty to twenty-five feet I'd say.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

February Subscriber Giveaway

 This month, I've giving away a copy of AN ALASKAN FAMILY FOUND and a deck of Alaska-themed playing cards in a matching tin to one newsletter subscriber. (US only. If winner has no US mailing address, the prize will be two ebooks.)  You must be a newsletter subscriber to win. If you're not already subscribed, you can sign up HERE . Must be 18 or older. Void where prohibited.  a Rafflecopter giveaway AN ALASKAN FAMILY FOUND A temporary summer arrangement… Or their new forever? Alaskan peony farmer Caleb DeBoer can barely keep up with the weeds—let alone his willful teen daughter and being short-staffed at the start of wedding season. Luckily, sunny counselor Gen Rockford could really use a summer job and a place for her girls to live. Now what began as the perfect solution for Gen and Caleb is transforming into one unforgettable summer. But will one little secret ruin it all?

Snow Sculptures at Fur Rondy

Photo by Bill Roth /   Anchorage Daily News Fur Rondy (short for rendezvous) is the annual winter festival in Anchorage, where residents fight cabin fever with activities like the snowshow softball, the running of the reindeer, and outhouse races. There are other activities too, like hockey, sled dog races, and a poker tournament. My favorite event in Fur Rondy as always been the snow sculptures . The frozen equivalent of sand castles, snow sculptures are, by their very nature, temporary. Beautiful, whimsical, or just funny, they’re created solely for the enjoyment of the artists and passersby. To bring a smile. Like the bloom of a daylily or a rainbow, their short life is part of their charm. It's easy to put off going to the Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty. They'll always be there, after all. But come spring, that snow sculpture will be gone forever, so we'd better enjoy while we can. They encourage us to live for today. What temporary pleasures have

December Giveaway

For the holidays, I'm giving away two books, A GIFT FOR SANTA and KIDNAPPED IN ALASKA, plus a pair of goofy reindeer socks. (Prize for US only. If winner has no US mailing address, the prize will be two ebooks.) You must be a newsletter subscriber to win. If you're not already subscribed, you can sign up  HERE . Must be 18 or older. Void where prohibited.  a Rafflecopter giveaway