I made this photograph on the last day of the year, just as the Sonoran Desert slipped into twilight—one last time before the new year began. The mountains ignited with a fleeting alpenglow, while saguaros stood silent and steady—witnesses to color and calm as the year faded out. For those brief moments, the whole landscape felt alive and unhurried. Every time I return to this scene, I’m reminded of the fierce beauty that endures in these open spaces, season after season.