Big Bug Creek runs through Mayer with a cottonwood or two for company, and on a summer morning the air down along it is cool enough to make you linger. Big Bug Sand & Gravel starts the mowing early, while the grass still carries dew and the yards have not yet gone bright. Grass cut short and true, borders trimmed, clippings taken up off the gravel and the concrete: a routine that adds up over a season. High-desert lawns are a labor of intention in this country, and they repay attention fast. Nothing beats a fresh-cut yard with the creek bottom green behind it.