Cholla is the devil....

Those little nub pieces can also come off really easily.
I found out one time when I threw a rock into a cholla- The cactus caught the rock in the center, rocked back...And then forward and tossed a half dozen stickery nubs at me.

I got out of the way in time, but it was scary as hell.

Always assume cholla intends to do you harm, and stay out of reach.

-Badger-

I just learned it's not a good idea to chuck rocks a cholla cactus. One of the fist plants I have ever read about that has a wicked way of seeking revenge.

Ah, teddy bear cactus. Very much not cuddly.

Yes. Don't even try to pet them.

Ideally no.

That's the desert for you. If the plants don't have sharp fronds, stickers, spines or thorns, they have toxic or highly alkaline sap.

I always said you could photograph Joshua Tree National Forest with a purple filter, and sell the pics as from 'Planet X'.

That's not a bad idea. The little Vivatar I have currently is a drugstore "Cheapie" but it's great for capturing memories. The little camera has developed a tendency to shift toward the red now. Most likely a problem in the lens that can be resolved in Photoshop... If I had photoshop.

Try GIMP when you can, it's good.

And, to go with my comment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us9JJXHvBYk

At Carumba! I LOVE Techno! I hadn't picked up a new group since the music tracks from the original Grand Theft Auto video game. Well... "Quake" at about the same time too.

You'll love the TimeSplitters OSTs, a mixture of a lot of genres. I have a very wide and varying musical taste.