Footprints in the sand
View of the Santa Ritas and my neighbors across the arroyo, rom my backyard showing the upper portion of the arroyo Ten years ago I lived on the foothills of the Santa Ritas, a small mountain range in southern Arizona. Backyards were separated by deep rocky crevices called arroyos, ancient pathways for rain water that runs off the mountains during the summer monsoon season. The arroyos are vital to the environment, providing greenery for food and shelter, supporting the lives of rabbits, lizards, quail, squirrels, birds, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, and javelina. Monsoon over the Santa Ritas, view from my backyard circa 2008 On my daily walks, I could see footprints in the sandy beds of the arroyos. Some of the footprints were animal, particularly bobcat. But most of them were human footprints, new sets every night. Footprints of people traveling in darkness, running from a life of desperation toward hope, facing uncertain challenges, including the rea