Photos and comments from Arizona and around the world
When I was a lot younger, we had semi-wild peacocks in our neighborhood. I can distinctly remember hearing their very loud cries early in the morning on hot summer days. Beauty always comes at a price.
A weed is a plant that you don't like, growing where you don't want it to grow. Dandylions have superb flowers and ghostly seeds, but they are considered interlopers and weeds but all but their most devote fans. I love dandylions, especially when the...
We associate scenes of desolation with the vast deserts of the Middle East, but Arizona and Utah do have their deserts despite the efforts of the tourist bureaus to convince you otherwise. If you look at the ground carefully, you will see the salt deposits...
Historic District, Hannibal, Missouri USA in USA Hannibal, Missouri, first established in 1819, is best known as the birthplace of Samuel Clemens or as he was known by, Mark Twain. This panorama shows a portion of the old downtown section or historic...
Things that naturally appear orange or close to orange are fairly rare. These delightful flowers are tiger lilies. They used to be seen in the Salt River Valley but now are quite rare. It is interesting how tastes in plants change just like tastes in...
The Peter Wentz Farm in rural Pennsylvania shows classic farm home architecture and construction methods. Everything about the farm is very "foreign" to the desert Southwest where I live. But upon reflection, I don't think I would trade. I often wonder...
I dug back into my photo archive to find a picture of the Chiricahua Mountains with a light coating of snow. Sometimes it is hard to imagine snow in the desert until you wake up camping and find your tent and camp carpeted in snow. These are memorable...
The Very Large Array Telescope in New Mexico is the "star" of many science and science fiction oriented movies. The most famous is probably the film Contact staring Jodi Foster. You will have to click on the top picture to see the some of the telescopes....
At one time I was collection books about Abraham Lincoln. That was long before every inch of shelf space in our house was filled to capacity and more. There isn't anything about today that is associated with Lincoln but I just thought I would throw in...
We are quickly coming to the 150th Anniversary of this terrible and great battle of the U.S. Civil War called the Battle of Gettysburg. Here is an appropriate quote about the battle: "In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays....
I realize that these are technically called Pronghorns and that they are not really antelope, but that is still the common name for them throughout the country. They are one of the large animals of the Southwest that I see most frequently, along with...
Why are these flowers called Black Eyed Susans? If you think about it, the Black Eye part probably comes from the prominent carpel or pistel. But the Susan part? Well, the plant is Rudbeckia hirta, twith other common names of: Brown-eyed Susan, Brown...
Around this time of year it seems like we start thinking about our country. I love my country and honor those who gave their lives to give us the freedom that sometimes we do not deserve. This is a little reminder of the values of liberty and justice...
This is not a country road in Arizona. I happens to be in Pennsylvania but the view is iconic. I am always impressed by the contrast in farms across the U.S. Out here in Arizona, the farm is likely to resemble a junk yard, with old discarded cars and...
One evening, we were walking and found dozens of cottontail rabbits. They were very tame as rabbits go, but if you got within a certain distance, they would dive into the underbrush. This one was right at the point of diving, but hadn't made up its mind...
Early morning and just as the sun goes down are both really good times to be out taking pictures. The morning light always adds a huge dimension to photos. The evening is more problematic because you have to decide when it is too dark to take any more...
Sometimes when you are walking you need to have a conversation. It may not always be with someone else. Sometimes you need a conversation with yourself. I used to hash out some of my then challenges while walking, but now I mostly look for photo opportunities...
Sometimes you run across something really strange that you cannot explain without knowing a lot more than you do already. This is short movie of one of those things. This little light show was going on in the cattails and there was no way we could see...
The Murdock Site, Mormon Trai, South of Alda, Nebraska in USA The Murdock Site of the Mormon Trail, south of Alda, Nebraska, is one of the very few sites preserving the original trail. From 1847 until 1868 when the railroad was completed into Utah, tens...
Illinois State Capitol, Springfield, Illinois USA in USA The Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois was built on the highest point of ground in the city. Construction began in 1869. The land where the capitol was built was originally suggested...
Kolob Canyons Section, Zion National Park, Utah USA in Zion National Park Kolob Canyons is part of Zion National Park in southern Utah. It cannot be approached from the main Park area, except for a long drive, one hours, 42 mile drive outside of the...
Not all seriously spiny cactus are devoid of other interest. This is one of the most beautiful pastel colored flowers I have ever seen. But, of course, the cactus itself is a prime candidate for the serious spine series. How do you pet a cactus? Only...
Why do some cactus have serious spines and others hardly any at all? The argument is that spines evolve to protect the plant, but then the animals that eat the plant either evolve to eat the spines also or somehow avoid the spines. Another theory is that...
I live in a really big city. But in some ways, I am hardly a big city person. For example, have you seen any pictures of big cities in my blog? Maybe a few. The advantage of living in the Salt River Valley is that there are places, just a few minutes...
