Desert in Bloom

My AAUW photo group took a field trip yesterday to the Chihuly Exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. WOW! So many of the cacti were in bloom- and blooming cacti is something I had never seen.  It was photography heaven!

I concentrated on the plants- with the glass exhibit taking a backseat, as I had photographed most of it before. I haven’t had time yet to go through the hundreds of photos- I’m sure you will be seeing more here over the next week.

2Apr2014-5426 2Apr2014-5144That’s Chihuly bokeh in the photo above!

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Spring Snow

Snow!!!  After our teaser snowstorm in December, we waited and waited for more. Now that I am wearing capris and a sunhat, the weather surprised us yesterday afternoon with more snow.

My husband and I are still such Prescott newbies that we got in the car and drove around to see what snow was like in each part of town.  Nothing seemed to be sticking, but big flakes were coming down fast almost everywhere we went.

Downtown Whiskey Row:

2Apr2014-4347-EditWe drove past my friend, Debbie’s house, because she lives in the pines at a slightly higher elevation and usually gets more snow than we do.  Sure enough, the snow was sticking to the tree branches and the ground in some places.

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The Brothers Again

We’re still missing our sweet grandsons a lot!  We’re so grateful for the wonderful visit we had and are already planning our next trip to Yellowstone to visit them. We’ve received two phone calls from 3 year old Henry (one unknown to his mother!), which lets us know he’s still thinking of us.

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Going Up

I edited another photo of Sedona’s Bell Rock for this week’s Texture Tuesday. This one was taken from partway up (which is about as far as I got), and is edited with two layers of Kim’s canvasback (color burn blend mode) and a couple “magic” textures.  Happy April (no foolin’ )!

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Hidden

My sweet little guys have flown back home, and I’m going through photos and remembering the special moments of this visit.  One day, the boys (on their own) made forts in the living room with their blankets and the afghans and throws they found on the couches. This was especially appealing to Henry, whose favorite game is hiding under a blanket and calling, “Come find me!”

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Brothers

The boys love bathtime in our big tub, and last night they were rolling around afterward on our bed.  I thought I’d take a bunch of photos, but Caitlin and I mostly were in stitches over their antics.  Here is one brotherly shot that I love.

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Hiking (AKA Running)

We took the boys (along with their parents) on a picnic and hike at a city park which has trails overlooking the town.  Henry and Miles lead the way and were triumphant reaching the point where we would start back down to the parking lot.

Here they are leading the way; that’s Granite Mountain in the background. I added a Jessica Drossin texture to this one to add some color and depth.

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And here is my favorite photo of the day- the boys at the top of the trail.

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Quiet

Today’s Texture Tuesday theme is QUIET.

Hmmmm…… there hasn’t been much quiet around here lately due to the presence of two rambunctious little boys- UNLESS they are asleep.  I took some photos of Henry asleep in the car and used a much more heavy hand than usual when adding textures.  I used two layers of Kim’s 1612 at multiply mode (brushed off face) and then added a grunge texture from my Photoshop Artistry class.

21Mar2014-3708-EditLinking up with Texture Tuesday.

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They’re Here!

It’s been a wild few days in our usually quiet retirement home here in Prescott- the grandkids are here (along with their mom and dad)! Today, we drove over to Jerome and Sedona; the boys’ favorite part was getting out of the car finally and walking (running!) partway up Bell Rock.

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Their exuberance at being outside in a natural environment was evident!

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Leader of the Covey

Sitting at my desk, I have the perfect view of anyone or anything coming into our yard. We hung a bird feeder right outside the window, so I can keep an eye on my little friends.  It was while I was sitting here that I spotted the first roadrunner, and the other day it was quail.  I think it is a Gambel’s quail, which looks almost the same as a California quail- but I am totally bird-challenged.  But I am sure at least that it is a quail- that’s one of the three or so birds I am actually able to identify.  I have seen them down the street- and actually all over Prescott- but never before in our yard.

I noticed two of these guys in the “flower” bed out front ( we haven’t yet replanted the bed with the annuals that were here when we moved in), so I grabbed my camera.  I tiptoed out the front door, and came face- to-face with them on my porch.  They skittered up the rocks to a bush that is usually filled with finches and the two mourning doves that hang out with them.  I then saw that there was a big group (a covey or bevy) of 15 to 20 of them under the bushes. When I started clicking my camera- zoomed in from 15 feet or so away, they started heading out into the street, led by one of the quail from the front porch.  They then took flight over to the field across the street and disappeared.

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This photo is severely cropped, and there is a texture and blur added to the background.

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Fast and Loose

Playing fast and loose with the word, photography, I’ve had some fun playing with some of my older photos, turning them into painting-like images.  Here’s that same sailboat from a week ago- with a different crop and edited with filters and textures.

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And here’s a duck meet-and-greet down at the Benicia waterfront.

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Talent

My friend, Debbie, has talent.  Actually talents- many talents. I try not to be jealous.

This week she asked me to photograph some of her art work, especially some pieces she will be putting in a show (the turtle- upper left and the jewelry- far right).  She has been taking classes in jewelry making and pottery since she retired, and now has added metal sculpture (the turtle, which is big, BTW).  Look closely and notice that the earrings and necklace are made from old salt and pepper shakers in addition to the crystals!

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Debbie also crochets, knits, sews, paints, and does zentangle among other things.

Here’s a pullback (is that what it’s called?) so you can see the setup for the photography.  Nope, this isn’t my setup; she also has a tabletop studio photography kit complete with lights!  Jackson is enjoying it in this photo!

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Linking up with Friday Finds

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