happy 4th!
Posted by Administrator in arizona on July 3rd, 2009
I had planned a 4th of July photo yesterday but left my little flag in the RV. So on the way home from the Flagstaff Arboretum, I stopped and took a photo of the flag and then a photo of some really cool grass growing along the roadside and put them together in Photoshop. Turned out to be more fun than what I had planned 
Here are the originals:
The grass looks like sparklers, don't you think?
walnut canyon
Posted by Administrator in arizona on July 3rd, 2009
Walnut Canyon outside of Flagstaff was on the agenda yesterday.
playing in oak creek canyon
Posted by Administrator in arizona on July 2nd, 2009
Rancho Sedona sits beside Oak Creek so we have the sound of water all the time including at night. Ahhhhh
road trip!
Posted by Administrator in arizona on July 1st, 2009
Sedona for a couple of days; then Flagstaff for a few and finally a few days at the Grand Canyon.
Cleo has been looking forward to this for awhile. Surprisingly, he and Cloe love road trips as much as we do!
Cruise America came out with a small motorhome. Click to see.
skeleton weed
Posted by Administrator in arizona on June 30th, 2009
Skeleton Weed (Eriogonum deflexum) is a wild buckwheat that I’m sure most people consider an unattractive nuisance weed. There are no leaves on the stems (hence nickname) but when they finally bloom, I think they’re gorgeous. Of course, I think everything that comes up on its own in my yard is beautiful
Close-up
Full plant view.
moon walking bird
Posted by Administrator in arizona on June 29th, 2009
No photo today. Instead, here’s an introduction to the very cool Manakin Bird.
I read about it yesterday when I saw a clip showing the courtship behavior of of one. Very funny 
click photo to go to video
Thanks to Myrmecos Blog for bringing attention to it.
If you enjoy macro photography and seeing insects VERY close-up, be sure to check out his blog.
patterns from nature
Posted by Administrator in arizona on June 28th, 2009
What do you get when you fool with Mother Nature? A pattern that would look great as a silk scarf!
I started with a shot of blooming Sage.
The sky was heavily overcast so of course I couldn’t resist swinging my camera around
I began rotating it in Photoshop to find the best view which gave me the idea of blending two versions.
So I created a copy layer; flipped it horizontally, lowered the opacity and used the blend mode “darken”.
As a last step, I tweaked color and contrast using Levels and Curves.
hare of the lost dog
Posted by Administrator in arizona on June 27th, 2009
The Hare of the Lost Dog (Wash Trail, that is) is a BIG guy! I’ve seen him before but he was always crossing the trail at an incredible speed. This time a hiker noticed him sitting so it was a treat to get a better look. He was quite a distance away but not too far for my trusty Canon SX10
A Hare is different from its rabbit cousins. Their ears are much longer and their heads more elongated. One of the main differences is that the Hare nests above ground in a shallow depression while all rabbits nest under ground. For more differences and photos, click here.
cropped section shows a hare looks different than a rabbit
Finally, here are a couple shots from our McDowell Sonoran Conservancy hike this morning. Specifically, we hiked the Ringtail loop off the Lost Dog Wash Trail. It was the last guided hike of the summer so I shot the first image into the sun with the iintention of showing how hot it’s getting here!
Check the hiking schedule for the fall and come check out all the new trails!
happy hearts
Posted by Administrator in arizona on June 26th, 2009
This poor cactus has suffered many nips and bites from Javelina. Being non-native, the Javs loved it but it’s now protected in the fenced area and one of those nips caused a heart to form. It and I are now happy
You might remember this cactus from a post last month about glochids.
Here’s that photo again. Note the chomped off pad in the upper left of the photo.
more progress
Posted by Administrator in arizona on June 25th, 2009
When I finished laying all the blocks in front of this berm a couple of years ago, I didn’t like it. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the reason, though, until after the design portion of Landscaping School. Then it became clear that although the wall served its purpose for erosion control, it wasn’t very interesting.
I can’t believe I’m moving these blocks again but I know it’ll be worth all the temporary aches!
(By the way, the fence was added a few months ago to discourage Javelina).
As with the first section of this retaining wall (see June 12th post), I decided to extend it out and terrace it. I added a few drip irrigation emitters in the lower portion. I don’t know what I’ll plant yet but I’ll be referring to my “Javelina resistant” plant list
As with “Javelina Cafe”, this area has been a favorite of the local Javelina but as the plants are getting established, it’s harder for them to push them over to get to the roots so I’m hoping I don’t need the fence anymore.
