This is the last post in my Downtown Details series. We always take photos of Courthouse Square in Prescott. Above is a view of what is UNDER the square!
I’ve also taken many photos of Whiskey Row over the years, so I wanted to do something different. Below is a multiple exposure composite- Whiskey Row Impressions. I didn’t use this for my photo group, but used photos shot for this topic to create the image.
We have been to see Chihuly glass exhibits at the Desert Botanical Garden at least three times since we’ve lived here. We visited the gardens again in May, and I’m still going through my photographs. I had fun this time creating a multiple exposure image of an agave layered with Chihuly glass.
This photo is from last year’s Alaska trip- a view of Kachemak Bay before the sun set
I can happily report that we are having a good monsoon season this summer. We have had many days where we got some rain, and have had several big storms. Today’s storm was dramatic and beautiful. We were awakened in the night by LOUD cracks of thunder, lightning, and lots of rain. In the morning it was clear and beautiful with white puffy clouds. We drove up to a good vantage point to see the beautiful sky over Prescott, and I took the upper left photo of Prescott, with the veteran’s hospital in the foreground, and the darkening sky over the Thumb Butte in the background. As I stood there, it began to thunder, and lightning bolts shot down from the clouds (no, I couldn’t manage to snag any shots of the lightning). We went downtown for lunch on the patio of one of our favorite lunch places, and the thunderstorm continued. The rest of the photos are from home. In the last photo, you can see the sky was darkening enough in the early afternoon that our driveway light came on. Later, heavy rain began, the storm continued, and flash flood warnings kept coming on my iPhone. I love the drama of a great monsoon storm!
Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! Whether you are a mother, a grandmother, or just know some special mothers- wishing you a wonderful day!
I’m still remembering Winter today with this scene from Willow Lake.
Yes, this was winter- but not THIS winter. This was taken in 2018, which, as I remember, was a pretty average winter here. There were several significant snowfalls, which provided lots of opportunities for photographing snow against the red rocks. We are still waiting for winter this year; we’ve had several dustings but nothing to write home about- or blog about. I’m already thinking about spring!
Tonight’s full Wolf Moon in a cloudy sky
Over the river, and through the wood,
To Grandmother’s house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river, and through the wood,
to Grandmother’s house away!
We would not stop for doll or top,
for ’tis Thanksgiving Day.
We have something to be very grateful for this Thanksgiving- for the first time in at least four years we will have family with us on Thanksgiving Day! Our son’s family will be driving- not through the snow, but through the DESERT and over the MOUNTAINS to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with us! And of course we will be zooming with our Alaska family also. I hope your day is full of Thanksgiving blessings as well!
from our trip up to Aspen Corner a few weeks ago
Ragged sun, jagged peaks- a new image each minute- each second- as the sun descends toward the horizon.
We hadn’t been out for a walk for almost a week, and we were eager to see how Watson Lake looked after this week’s huge storms. We hadn’t seen many herons or egrets since we returned from Alaska, so we weren’t surprised to see just cormorants, Canada geese, and ducks today.
My favorite photo of the day- look closely to see who is sharing the log!
We spent a few days in California this last weekend, and I was able to get out on the beach with my camera for a couple hours. Watching the waves always brings me peace, and this time I decided I would only use slow shutter speeds and a bit of intentional camera movement to convey that feeling in my photos. Although I’ve used these techniques before, this was the first shoot where I ONLY used them. The results were mixed, but here is a quick edit of a gull in flight, which I hope captures the peace and calm I was feeling as I took the photo.
What a great message!
Spotted in Bisbee.
We went away last weekend to celebrate my birthday! We headed to Oro Valley to a beautiful VRBO and took trips every day to various areas within a couple hours from where we stayed. In 2020, our photo group had to cancel our planned trip to Sierra Vista, so we did a general reconnaissance trip of the area for when we eventually do a photo trip again.
The morning of the first day, we visited Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon and did a little bird watching, which was a lot of fun. A big attraction was the hummingbirds. As various birders came in, they excitedly asked if the Berylline had been spotted yet- a hummingbird that I, of course, had never heard of or seen. It evidently had been making regular appearances at a particular feeder, but it was not seen during the morning we were there. The broad-billed hummingbird below was not at all shy and was a constant visitor to the feeder near us.
Other birds we saw included acorn woodpeckers, pine siskins, black headed grosbeaks, scrub jays, and a white-breasted nuthatch. Remembering bird names is always a challenge for me- thank goodness for my iPhone apps.
We continued on to Tubac for a delicious Mexican lunch and a bit of gallery browsing. A great day!
melinda anderson photography 