Cactus Ranch

My throw-back Thursday image is one that I really love. It makes me a little homesick for the desert and the Catalina Mountains I saw every day. I think I took them for granted. Sorry!

When I first got my Nikon camera, I played a lot with settings and this image is one that came out pretty good, I think. The sun was starting to set on the mountains and peering through the storm clouds that were gathering for a summer rain that evening.

We called this place the cactus ranch because it was eight acres of cactus; all shapes, sizes and varieties. But even cactus has it’s own beauty.

Be good to yourself and each other. Namaste’

Without Words (Almost)

It’s hard for me publish a post with just a few words, but this morning’s sunrise over the Catalina Mountains kind of left me speechless.  As you probably know, I’m a huge fan of desert sunsets but a sunrise is completely different.

It marks the beginning of a brand new day.  A chance to start over … fresh with no baggage from the day before unless we bring it with us.  This morning I chose not to.  I watched the sun start to illuminate the mountains and realized that I am right where I need to be – in the moment of NOW.

Fortunately I had my cell phone outside but before I checked anything in the digital world, I snapped this photo.  Namaste’

Just for Fun

This image is one I took of a sculpture while hubby and I were in Tubac recently.  I did some post-processing just for fun.  When I took the shot, there was no way to eliminate a busy background, so I had to do it manually in an editing program.

The tortoise seems to be saying “Hey Dude!  Am I cool or what?”   Namaste’

My Scenery

Most people think of southern Arizona as a dry desert with hardly any green at all.  But that’s if you haven’t been here.  There are a lot of things that make it green in places.  Like the monsoon rains that we have in the summer.  They’re now over, but the plants and trees are still loving the effects of our rain, as you can see in the foreground of this image.

I took this shot from the passenger side of the car as hubby was speeding down the interstate.  I like it because it has the Santa Rita mountains in the background, the cloudy sky and the foreground of green.  Added a slight watercolor effect to give it a dreamy look.

No, I can’t just sit idly by in the car, especially when I have my camera, so here’s an image that I took as we came upon this semi-truck hauling coffee to those Pilot travel centers.  I love coffee, so of course I had to share this image with all of you.  But I have to say, this is the first time ever in my life that I’ve seen a coffee truck rolling down the freeway.  Namaste’

Weekly Photo Challenge: From Lines to Patterns

This week’s photo challenge is just what the title says … from lines to patterns.  Almost everything we see around us has some kind of pattern or lines.  That is, if you look closely enough.  Here’s a few that I have taken in the past that I think fit the bill.

Hubby and I are off to a classic car show tomorrow.  I’ll have pictures, of course, when I get back.  Have a wonderful weekend.  Namaste’

San Augustin Presidio

I mentioned in a previous post that I would publish some of the images I got from the San Augustin Presidio so here they are.  I really like the contrast in the first image of then and now.  A new parking structure sits in the background of the old presidio.  The image below that is a collage of several that I took that day.  As usual, click to enlarge.  Namaste’

Balancing Act

This image was taken at the same place where I took Eyes of the Future. Whoever balanced these stones must have had some help. ‘Ya think?  Each stone is at least one foot high, some higher.  Wish I had been there when this was done. Namaste’

The Eyes of the Future

I’ve been trying to get a shot of this stone statue for quite a while but each time I want to stop, there’s usually a lot of cars behind me.  (Busy road).  No place to pull off.

So yesterday, I set out from home with the intention of getting a shot.  I specifically put it out to the universe that there would be no cars behind me and I would be able to pull over.  Lo and behold!  No cars, and I even spied a driveway that I never noticed before.  Pulling in was a breeze and no worries about getting hit from behind.

I added a slight illustration effect so that the writing under the wings would be visible.  Click on the image to enlarge but if you can’t for some reason, it says: “The eyes of the future are looking back at us. To protect what is wild is to protect what is gentle.”

The palm tree shot was taken right across the street in stark contrast to the desert scene.  Namaste’

Summer Storms

For those of my readers not familiar with southern Arizona, it’s typical this time of year to have what we call the “monsoons.”  Big thunderheads build up in the afternoons and can produce some wicked storms.

Sometimes they never materialize.  Like this shot of the clouds to our north.  Big clouds, no rain.  Oh, well.  (I took this with the Instagram app on my phone.)

We see them coming and always hope that they will be big “producers.”  I keep hoping, day after day.  Every little drop of rain is a gift in my book.  Namaste’

Can You See Me If I Can’t See You?

It’s that time of year in the Old Pueblo when the lizards come a-callin’ and this one tried to hide from me but I got the shot anyway.  Daisy usually patrols the perimeter and somehow missed this one (she was probably napping), or she would have chased it down.  He’s hanging on the wall with both of his left legs.  A bit of an acrobat if you ask me 🙂  I wish I could have got his head in the image but I had the feeling if I moved closer, he’d be out of there.

Hope your Monday is a good one.  Namaste’