Box Turtles on a Rock

Box turtles are the turtles most commonly thought of as pets. If you had a pet turtle, it was likely this kind. There are several different species in the U.S. and Mexico, all of the genus Terrapene. Even though they are commonly thought of as pets, although this is not recommended as they are easily stressed and require a higher degree of care than is usually recognized. They can live to be over 100 years old and so will likely out live their owners if they are well cared for.

A Two Harness Hand Loom

Before I got immersed in computers, I was very actively pursuing weaving. I was (and still am) fascinated by the complexity of the process of creating patterns in cloth. This is probably a countermarch loom. The reference to two harnesses containing heddles refers to the number of sets of looped wires or cords in a loom available to raise or lower the warp so the shuttle or shuttles carrying the weft threads can pass through the warp to make the cloth. From the look of this loom it is quite old, but newer looms of the same type will have essentially the same design.

The Allure of the Clay Hills

I have always been fascinated by these stark land formations. In some places, they are called "badlands" primarily because of the lack of vegetation. I think of them as the bare skin and bones of the world, where you can actually see the direct effects of water and wind-borne sand. I also enjoy the colors. In one of my many recent trips between Mesa, Arizona and Provo, Utah, I was reflecting on the concept of "home." A sense of home can be experienced on many levels. Home is usually associated with family and friends. Memories create a sense of home. As I drove by these clay hills, as I have hundreds of times in the past, I realized that, apart from family and friend associations, I identify most completely with the desert hills of the Colorado Plateau. This is likely due to the fact that some of my earliest memories are associated with views like this one. I also reflected on the the fact that when I am asked, where are you from? I invariably answer with a place on the Plateau and not with the place where I was living at the time. I also reflected on how this was strange since I was not born in Arizona. I was born in Utah and I was not born on the Colorado Plateau. I was born next to and lived for many years next to the Wasatch Mountains. I guess the real question is and will always be where is my home?

Sunset Over Utah Lake

Our home in Provo, Utah looks out over Utah Valley towards Utah Lake and Lake Mountain to the West. The sky can get exactly this color and is pretty spectacular. I sometimes think that Arizona has good public relations and advertising about its sunsets, but Utah has some of the most spectacular ones I have seen in a lot of years living in Arizona.

Setting Sun on Timpanogos

In Utah Valley, the setting sun can create some of the most spectacular visual effects imaginable. This is not a false color image created by Photoshop. This is approximately what the light looked like on this special evening when the sun was streaming across the valley and lighting up the wall of mountains on the east side, including Mount Timpanogos, the subject of this photograph. The view to the west was equally spectacular but the light on the mountain was extraordinary.

The First Snow of Winter

A short time ago, we had our first "winter" snow storm in Utah Valley. Down on the Valley floor, the snow only lasted a few hours and then it melted away. But up on the mountain tops, the evidence of this first real storm of the season is still visible. Most of the State of Utah is still abnormally dry and much of the state is in a moderate drought situation. Warm weather and sunny skies have replaced the normal cold weather and snow. I have been watching the hills and it looks like all the visible snow might melt before another storm dumps is feathery load on the mountains.

A Captured Leaf

Fall is definitely coming to a close here in the Frozen North and snow cannot be far behind. This last leaf got caught in the dried plant and serves as a symbol of the changing season. Gone are almost all of the colorful displays and now the trees are bare and ready for their annual burden of snow and cold weather. The unusual part of this process for me is that it happens at all since I usually saw trees turning in late November and can always remember seeing the leave fall on Christmas day. This is not just a shift in location, moving to Utah, but a shift in perception also.

An Aspen Grove

Aspens are one of my favorite trees. During the past few years it has been interesting to read about the scientific discoveries about aspen groves. It turns out that the trees are all one huge organism connected in a vast root system. Each tree is essentially part of one huge plant structure. Some of these aspen groves may be among the largest living and oldest living organisms on the planet. One large grove of aspens in Utah is described as follows on Wikipedia:

Pando (Latin for "I spread"), also known as The Trembling Giant,[1][2] is a clonal colony of a single male quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) determined to be a single living organism by identical genetic markers[3] and assumed to have one massive underground root system. The plant is estimated to weigh collectively 6,000,000 kg (6,600 short tons),[4] making it the heaviest known organism.[5] The root system of Pando, at an estimated 80,000 years old, is among the oldest known living organisms.[6][7]

I left in all the footnote links to help give context to this rare natural phenomena.

Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah contains the largest collection of genealogically related materials in the world. It is the destination for hundreds of thousands of researchers every year. This is a view of one corridor of the book stacks on the top floor of the Library. The library is somewhat unique in that the stacks are open to the public and can be used by any patron of the Library for free.

A Burst of Steam

It is not too common to find scalding hot water boiling out of the ground. This unusual phenomena is the main attraction in Yellowstone National Park. Of course, the geysers are more spectacular when they spurt a hundred or so feet into the air, but there is also a fascination with more constant and less spectacular thermal activity. I didn't really have to get too close to this bubbling pool. With a long telephoto lens, I can capture the action without the danger of getting burned.

A Touch of Frost

As I am walking around, I am attracted to the evidence of the changing seasons. Since I have spent most of my life in the low deserts of Arizona where the seasonal changes are almost imperceptible, it is amazing to see things like frost and snow. I keep running outside to take photos and finding out that if it is cold enough to produce frost, it is also cold enough to wear a coat. This clump of grass was graceful under its burden of frost.

Detail from Avoca Spring

Yellowstone National Park is one of the best known and largest geothermal areas in the world. It is know for its geysers and thermal pools or hot springs. This is a detail from a previous photo. The edges of the pools show mineral deposits made by the superheated water. The coloration of the spring depends on its depth and the amount of minerals and the organisms in the water called extremozymes.

Avoca Spring

Avoca Spring is one of the thousands of thermal pools in Yellowstone National Park. The turquoise color of the water is the intrinsic color of water which adsorbs red light wavelengths. The steam occurs as a result of the heat of the pool and the much cooler temperature of the air. Most of the thermal pools have a pungent, sulphur oder.

First Frost

The temperatures are dropping here in the frozen north. I noticed these feathers of frost on this fir tree in the bright sunlight. Only a slight rise in the temperature would melt them instantly, but they give a festive air to the evergreen. We returned to our new home in Provo, Utah in the middle of a snow storm and I guess we are here for the weather. We left Mesa in 80+ degree weather.

Rain Forest

Vancouver Island has some of the highest rainfall averages in North America. In the southern part of the U.S., this would be called Spanish Moss, but here it is covering the entire branches of the trees.

A Thermal Basin

Yellowstone National Park is a wonderland of thermal activity. We arrived at the Park early when the temperature hovered at around freezing. Normally, all of these geyser and hot pool vents would have been visible only by walking on the paths to see them. On a cold day, the steam from the vents makes them all visible from a distance. You can only wonder what the early explorers thought of this unusual landscape.

A Dangerous Crust

The thermal pools in Yellowstone National Park are known for the beauty. But they have a dangerous side also. Surrounding the pools is a thin crust of bacteria known collectively as thermophiles. These organisms can survive temperatures that approach the boiling point. For visitors to the Park, the fragile surface created by the colorful bacteria can be deadly. There is no real support for these formations and stepping off the wooden walkways can plunge the unwary into the boiling water.

A Bend in the River

The Snake River winds its way through southern Idaho and passes through the city of Idaho Falls. This photo shows the sweep of the river as it makes a lazy turn near the middle of town. The river is smooth and calm, just before it descends over the low falls or more of a rapid and then continues on downstream.

Color Everywhere

If you look around, you will see color everywhere. I understand that there are people who have dichromatic color blindness and cannot see color. But it is much more common for people to simply ignore the color around them. I love the contrast of the very green plant with the variety of colors of the moss and other growth in this photo.

Evolution of Thermal Springs

The dead tree in the foreground of this thermal pools in Yellowstone National Park testifies of the transient nature of the thermal features. Surprisingly, they grow and move and disappear over time. The surrounding vegetation is always at risk that the pools will expand the be killed. There are whole sections of the area where the thermal activity has increased and killed whole groves of trees. It is always interesting to see the changes on subsequent visits to the Park.

Early morning mist

We were driving along the Madison River in the western part of Yellowstone National Park. It was about 26 degrees Fahrenheit and the warm water of the river was making a mist. We were driving towards a thick bank of fog that caused a glare in the sky. Soon after this photo was taken, the entire landscape was enveloped in fog.

Flying Geese Against the Sky

One of the sure indications of Fall is the honking of migrating geese. We watched as hundreds paraded across the sky in the early evening, just as the sun was setting. The sky was braided like the waves of the sea or its duplicate pattern in the sand.

Geese in a Line

These geese are perched on the edge of a waterfall in downtown Idaho Falls, Idaho. We stopped for a picnic dinner at a park on the edge of the river and I could see them landing on the river and then perching on the edge of the falls. The make a nice contrast to the water and the cement dam.

Choir Practice

Almost every Thursday evening, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir opens the doors of the Tabernacle to the general public for their weekly 2.5 hour+ practice session. It is an amazing experience, especially if you have spent any time singing in a choir yourself. There is no time lost. Every second is spent on task and rehearsing. In this case, the conductor is the world-famous Mack Wilberg. It is almost as if all of the people in the choir and orchestra can read his mind. They follow almost undetectable instructions instantly. You can find the rehearsal schedule on the Choir's website.

Salt Lake City, Utah LDS Temple at Night

The Salt Lake City, Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most famous and recognizable buildings in the world. Temple Square, the 40 acres where the Temple and other structures such as the Mormon Tabernacle are located, is visited by millions of people annually. My wife and I visited Temple Square to hear a practice session of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on a Thursday evening. The weather was cold and clear and I couldn't resist this night view of the Temple.

Halloween in Provo

I seldom take photos with a flash. I almost always feel that the flash adds an element of unreality. Posed photos of individuals and groups get the "commercial" treatment with lots of lights and fill-in flashes to erase reality. This tree was an exception. It was a particularly dark Halloween night and I could only see the tree because of the headlights of a car that was parked waiting for some children. I decided to try the flash and liked the results. Not reality, but interesting.

Halloween Sunset

I went out to Trick or Treat with some of my grandchildren and saw this beautiful Halloween colored sunset. It was surprisingly warm, about 70+ degrees with a warm wind blowing. The sunset portended the arrival of a winter storm with snow on the mountains and rain in the valley. I couldn't resist the photo even though all I had was my iPhone 5S for a camera. Now, with my iPhone, I always have a camera handy and can take the opportune photo.

Contrail

When I moved from Arizona to Utah, I traded living on flat ground for living on the side of a mountain. In Mesa, Arizona, I could see part of the sunsets, but most days I missed them because of the trees. Here, I have many uncluttered views to the West and can see the sun set for quite a long time. I couldn't resist this contrail and especially the way it breaks into eddies. You will have to click on the image and look close to see what I am talking about.

Fall turns to Winter

We took a trip from our home in Provo, Utah to Mesa, Arizona for about a week and then spent a week in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. In our two week's absence, the leaves went from Fall to Winter. The trees outside my window lost most of its golden yellow leaves and a maple next to them turned golden yellow. Today it is cloudy and looks like rain. I suppose it could snow in the mountains.