Arizona

Jerome, Arizona in September

September 22, 2011 By Administrator

091911-10 It’s been a good but “different” month with computer breakdowns and seeing tragedy in the lives of people I care about. It was time for a break.

Monday my brother and I took a break and drove to the mining town of Jerome, Arizona. We wandered all around, and I felt this was the time to photograph old machinery, vehicles, buildings, etc. We got some great shots and had some good experiences, then headed to Prescott Valley, and then home.

Jerome’s beauty is obvious…and I hope you enjoy the picture I took (and redigitized) near Ghost Town, which up in the mountains but close to Jerome.

More later!

Cactus Blossoms Almost Finished

May 12, 2011 By Administrator

cmcrop I’ve been blessed to have some of the most amazing catcus blossoms in my front yard in Peoria, Arizona.

Most are in the prickly pear family, with one transplant: a Giant Argentine. See below.

050311-7 It’s been a joy to watch the hundreds of bees over the months as they dive into the blossoms and do their pollen thing.

p1080089 Wonderful lessons from nature as I shoot picture after picture. Practice is good.

Arizona Petroglyphs

February 19, 2011 By Administrator

This past week my brother and I drove a little west to the White Tank Mountain Regional Park to hike the Waterfall Canyon Trail. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I didn’t make it all the way.

However, I was in for a pleasant surprise: Petroglyph Plaza. There are ever so many rocks of varying sizes that have petroglyphs. Two Petroglyph styles have been recorded at the park.: Archiac Style and Hohokam Style (also called Gila Style). The Hohokam apparently abandoned the White Tank Mountains about 1100 A.D.

These delightful images depict such things as game hunting, history, marking the landscape, sky watching, and spiritual life. If you live in the Valley, or plan to visit, you might want to consider taking this hike.

Below are two graphics. The first is an original shot of a rock covered with petroglyphs. The second is the same photo, except redigitized by me. I always “see” more than the camera! I look forward to another visit soon and especially to the Black Rock Trail.

P.S. There is a nearby horseback riding stable and a brand new county library and nature center. The White Tanks are close to many other places: Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium, Luke AFB, Sun City, Peoria, and Litchfield Park.

Sun Dog lights up the sky over Superior

May 25, 2010 By Administrator

asundog Yesterday my brother, David, and our friend, Chaplain Carl Richards, and I visited Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, Arizona. With cameras in hand and hopes high.

We weren’t disappointed. The day was cool and breezy, and the plants and flowers were in glorious bloom. We were about halfway through our visit when one of us looked up and saw the most beautiful color effect in the sky over the nearby mountains.

We didn’t know the name of the effect until today, when David put one of the photos on Facebook, and one of his friends mentioned that it was called a Sun Dog. She was kind enough to give a URL. The site, in part, says, “A sundog is a rainbow-like spot in a cirrus cloud. Light shining through ice crystals in the cloud makes a sundog, much like light shining through raindrops makes a rainbow.”

This is one of the reasons I value the Internet. Sharing information. There is so much to learn, isn’t there?

By the way, David is in the above photo, along with a couple of hikers.