Summer has arrived in the desert and it is HOT. Temperatures hover near 110 degrees during the day and drop to a chilly 90 just before dawn. On Sundays the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden opens at 6am for members, a perfect opportunity to get outside before the heat of the day and remind myself of…
Arizona Wild Flowers
It takes a special formula of rain in the fall followed by more rain in mid-winter to deliver wild flowers in the spring. Given that Arizona is a desert, rain is not that common. We can go many, many months without so much as a drop. For us to have enough rain at the right time…
Barrio of Color
Our return visit to the colorful Barrio Viejo (in Tucson, AZ) did not disappoint. (For a look at our first visit, see “A Interview with a Homeless Person“. We did look for Mary, but she was no where to be found.) The adobe style homes were just as colorful, but this time we headed straight…
Canyon X
Canyon X. Photography in slot canyons is cool. There is a lot of brown rock that, when shot correctly, produces images of amazing color. Many years ago we visited a slot canyon called, “Canyon X”. I have no idea why it is named so, as there is no “X” anywhere nor does it mark a…
Who, Who’s Home?
Who? Owls, yes. In the ground, really? Before moving to Arizona, I had never heard of an owl that burrowed into the ground to nest. And then even after hearing about them and hearing that their numbers were declining, I never expected to see any. Low and behold, there is a local agency working to…
That Darn Bird
Preamble This is a story about a man and a bird. The man is me (aka, Sylvester) and the bird is a Gila Woodpecker (aka, Tweety Bird). We have a hummingbird feeder just beyond our patio which allows us to sit back and enjoy beautiful and crazy birds. We fill it with a water and sugar…
Chocolates for my Valentine
Chocolates for my Valentine I wanted to get Kathryn a Valentine’s Day gift that won’t break our budget. This means no red roses. Have you ever look at the price of a red rose around February 14th compared to any other time of year? It’s enough to bust this man’s budget. With roses off the board…
Obstacles
Obstacles Almost every photo shoot has obstacles that we must overcome. Today’s photo shoot was no exception. We’ve been in hibernation so far this winter. After weeks of gathering dust (us and our cameras), we finally decided on a mini-vaca to one of our favorite hotels, La Posada in Winslow, AZ. In doesn’t hurt that La…
Christmas Lights on the Waterfront
Capturing the colorful Christmas Lights on the Waterfront There aren’t many lakes in Arizona, at least not many with water in them. The city planners in Tempe (just south of Scottsdale) decided a real lake was needed. So, they made a lake. Doubling as a reservoir the 225 acre lake is lined with walking and bike…
Inspirational Mission
Although our sunset shoot was a bit disappointing when we couldn’t find our saguaro forest, we were not done shooting. Looking for inspiration, we headed to the San Xavier Mission. The San Xavier Mission is a National Historic Landmark founded the late 1600s with the Church constructed in the late 1700’s. It is the oldest intact European structure…
