Kaleidoscope

This piece was so much fun to create- it came together quickly out of two photos layered in Photoshop and a fair bit of brushwork. My photo club’s theme this month is Prescott/Prescott Valley, and after re-editing a photo shot a few years ago, I discovered that the lake where it was shot was just outside Prescott, so it didn’t adhere to the rules. On the last day to submit a photo, I woke up with the idea and inclination to throw caution to the wind and create an abstract- so here is Whiskey Row Kaleidoscope, a whimsical view of our iconic street of bars, restaurants, shops, and art. My friend Debbie came up with the title- thank you, Debbie!

And. . . to my surprise, it won third place at the photo club!!!

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In Remembrance

Remembering all those who gave their lives for our country.

We went down to the Courthouse Square today for the western art show and watched at noon as the Scottish military group laid the wreath and flag at Prescott’s memorial for all who were lost in war. With bagpipes, an honor guard, and local dignitaries, it was a very small but moving tribute.

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Winter White 2

Our snow has melted after hanging around for a week. Today’s photo was taken in January on our trip up to Snow Bowl in Flagstaff. It was snowing lightly, and fog obscured some of the trees in the distance- creating another winter white image.

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Guardian

The Thumb Butte sits overlooking Prescott like a guardian. I always think of it as a mother figure protecting the town, but from this angle it looks more like a maned lion to me. I’ve always wanted to capture this side view, and, as we drove on Iron Springs Road, the final leg of our journey home from California, I was able to hold my iPhone steady enough to capture this shot through the window as we zoomed by. And then we were home!

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Awwwww…..

“What is this?” you may wonder, if you don’t live in Arizona.

If you do live here, you know all too well that this is a baby javelina (not a pig, but a collared peccary). The photo below will give you an idea of the size of the baby.

There is a steep hill covered with rocks above the retaining wall behind our patio, and it is usually down this slope that javelinas enter our yard. One side of the backyard has a gate (usually open) leading to the front yard, and the other side is ungated. We tend to leave the gate open, knowing that wildlife (mostly deer, coyotes, and javelinas) may be passing through. Normally the occasional group of javelinas come down the hill and walk around the house to the front, where they then head up neighbors’ driveways to the open areas behind the houses.

This morning, I looked out back and saw a mother javelina standing on the patio, calmly nursing her two offspring. The larger of the juveniles looked like a smaller version of its mother, but the smaller javelina was tiny and still had its umbilical cord attached! I took some iPhone videos and then grabbed my big camera to take a few quick photos through the glass door and screen. After nursing was over, the two larger javelinas then jumped up on the retaining wall, leaving the new baby behind. Realizing its plight, mama javelina jumped back down, and this behavior continued for about a half hour. Then suddenly a dog appeared at the top of the hill, barking at the javelinas, who then started squealing. I finally realized the gate must have blown shut and dashed outside to timidly open it, after first peeking through to make sure the javelinas weren’t right by it. In no time, the javelinas went through the gate and headed up a neighbor’s driveway. Drama over.

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Poppies!

Little darlin’, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been clear

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright

George Harrison

After a long dismal winter, we were beside ourselves to find this field of gorgeous poppies yesterday. It still seems like winter in Prescott- still having occasional snow and lots of flooding rains- BUT. . . down in Wickenburg, it is SPRING! We stayed longer than expected, just enjoying the scenery and eventually having a late lunch/dinner downtown. What a great day!

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Duck Hunting

We saw them! I’ve been reading about the two Mandarin Ducks spotted at Lynx Lake here in Prescott and went out just before Christmas (on icy trails!) to see them. No such luck. We had seen some in Alaska a few years ago, but this would be a first for us in Arizona. Today, thanks to some Phoenix photographers I met up with on the trail, we were able to find them and take photos. They are such pristinely beautiful birds!

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Valley of Lights

We had heard mentions of the Valley of Lights display in our neighboring Prescott Valley and somehow had the (wrong) idea that it was a neighborhood of decorated houses. We went last week and discovered a long line of cars snaking along a road through magical archways of lights with over a hundred I’m sure displays of lights sponsored by various area businesses. It was a wonderful treat and so well done. There was everything from an animated fishing Santa to wild west scenes to fairytales to Noah’s Ark to patriotic tributes. Very impressive!

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Autumn Beginnings

We took a walk in Watson Woods about a week ago, looking for signs of fall. We did find some autumn color in isolated groups of yellowing leaves on some of the trees, yellowing grasses, and brown leaves scattered on the ground.  What we also found were signs of drought. This stream that usually flows from Watson Lake through the adjacent woods was drying up, which you can see as the water curves to the left in the photo.

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Everything will be okay . . .

Late one afternoon, we finally got over to Willow Lake to visit the white pelicans that flew in a few weeks ago. They are earlier than usual- and staying longer- perhaps because of the hot weather. As I drew closer to photograph them, it seemed the pelican on the right was becoming nervous, and it looked as if the bigger one was reassuring him. This went on for awhile, and eventually he did take off over the water to find a place to swim.

FYI- It has been about 11 months since my knee replacement, and during this walk, I noticed that I really don’t even think about my knee at all before taking a step. Before surgery, each step on uneven ground was wobbly as my knee was very unstable. I can’t say that it feels like a normal knee, but it WORKS!

 

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