Broken Down

Old cars and ancient wagons seem to be left where they break down. It seems to a cultural thing because when I was younger we always had an old car or two on our lot rusting away. One I still miss was an old Cadilac limousine. It would have been worth keeping and worth restoring but I think it was finally junked or sold. I was too young to be involved in the decision. These wagons have likely been sitting here rotting away since their last use. 

Papago Butte

I spent many days on the top and side of this particular rock formation, one of the Papago Buttes, teaching rappelling to my children and many others. The rappel point is at the top of the nearest rock and the rappel goes down the right-hand side of the rock. We had a number of interesting adventures while rappelling but no real injuries. I have probably taught over 1000 people how to rappell down a mountain over a forty year period of time. The most serious injury we ever had was a sprained ankle, although there were a number of scrapes that ended with visible scars.

Spines and Flowers

Barrel cactus bloom in the late Fall and give us a last bit of beauty before Winter. However, winter in the low desert is only a brief stretch of cool weather and even before the last leaves have fallen in February, other cactus flowers start to show. I love the mountains but I miss the desert.

Fall Leaves Grounded

The leaves on the trees are beautiful. The leaves on the ground are beautiful and sublime. We loved walking through the leaves on a cool and sunny Autumn day. Nothing like Fall colors to cheer you up.

A Fall Progression

It is interesting that the leaves on some of the trees fall off in one or two days once they start. You can see the photo below that was taken a short time ago of the same trees. Although in the photo above, I took out the parking lot.

Head of Rock Canyon

You can click on this image and see all the detail. This is at the head of Rock Canyon above Provo in the Wasatch Mountains. The dark canyon area to the right of the photo is Rock Canyon. This image can give you an idea of how rugged and inaccessible the whole area is.

White Peacock Butterfly

The White Peacock Butterfly or Anartia jatrophae is found in the Southeastern United States and in Central America. I found this one in the Butterfly Exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, Arizona.

Perfectly Protected

Cholla cactus are the epitome of self-protection. I cannot imagine a plant with more spines than these. But it is also important to understand that the spines are not just for show. If you happen to brush up against this cactus plant, the spines are so sharp that they will immediately stick into your skin. Then, in response to the moisture in your body, the spines immediately curl and become almost impossible to remove. As a result, they are extremely painful. Most of us learn about this process through experience.

Carrion Flower

This is a starfish flower cactus or Stapelia grandiflora also known as a carrion flower. The smell of these flowers is like dead flesh. The attract flies for pollination. Despite its common name, this is not a cactus but it is a succulent. These plants are native to South Africa. Yes, they really do have a rather unpleasant smell, however, since I have almost no sense of smell at all, I am not the source for the editorializing about the smell.

Paper Thin

I am always amazed at the variety of shapes and sizes in the cactus family. This Opuntia or prickly pear has paper thin pads. It is a little bit late in the year but it also has some ripe, red fruit. These are amazing plants and are common all over North America.

Backlight

I am particularly attracted to backlit subjects, especially cactus. In this case, the backlight emphasizes the structure of the plants and their spines. This is another of iPhone 8 plus photos. I am beginning to appreciate the fact that the iPhone excels in some kinds of photos. I am sure that it will not replace my other cameras, but it is certainly a versatile adjunct to my other cameras. 

iPhone 8 Special Effects on a Cactus

Back to the special effects available with the iPhone 8 plus. I am not too sure about the halo effect given to the spines, but it is interesting and would be a long process to do the same thing in Photoshop.

Blending In

There is a natural tendency, even among humans, to blend into our surroundings. All you have to do is walk down any street and look at the people to see that, for the most part, they all dress and look alike. In this case, the grasshopper is trying hard not be noticed at all and superficially, it does blend in quite well. How many of us are like this grasshopper?

Flower Arrangement

Commercial flowers are a common part of many of our lives. but we seldom think about the individual flowers. The tradition of sending or delivering flowers for any special occasion is ingrained in our society, but for a photographer, the flowers themselves are always an attraction. I would guess that there are billions of flower photos online. But despite this proliferation, there is always room for one more.

Glen Canyon Dam Abstract

In our periodic trips between Mesa, Arizona and Provo, Utah, we often cross over the Glen Canyon Bridge next to the dam. This image, taken from the visitors center, has a surreal and abstract quality to it mainly caused by the shadows of the power structures and the bridge. Sometimes photos just happen and I don't see the impact of the images until they appear on my computer screen.

A Portrait of a Cactus

I have been trying out the new iPhone 8 plus camera in a variety of photos. One of the special effects now part of the software is a "portrait" mode that has a studio selection that blacks out the background. I haven't decided if I like the effect that much but when there is a distracting or cluttered background, it highlights the main subject of the photo.

A Prickly Home

Birds build their nests in large and small cactus plants to discourage predators. They certainly discourage us from disturbing their nests even though we would not be classified as predators. This nest has been abandoned since the beginning of summer and will be available for occupancy next year.

Provo, Utah LDS Tample

We live only a short distance from the Provo, Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We usually drive by the temple nearly every day. It is in a majestic setting, just below Rock Canyon and next to the dramatic Wasatch Mountains. If you would like to learn about temples, see the following link: https://www.lds.org/temples?lang=eng

High Over Utah Valley

We watched two paragliders fly over the Utah Valley one windy, but beautiful day in the Fall. We had an interesting time speculating about whether paragliding was something we would have tried if we had done so a few years ago, rather than as senior citizens. It does look like a rather expensive sport, compared to hiking up the canyon, however. 

Early Morning Sun on Mount Timpanogos

I have been reflecting on my view of the mountains as I contemplate moving to the East Coast for about a year. It is nice to get up and look out on this view every day, but I will probably find equally interesting and beautiful views in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Beauty is everywhere when you look for it.

A Carpet of Leaves

Over the past week or so, the leaves on the trees have been changing colors. Then suddenly, within about two days all of the leaves on some of the trees dropped. Two days ago, there were very few leaves on the grass and today the grass is completely covered with leaves. Unfortunately for those who have to rake leaves, this is only the beginning. As you can see from the background in this photo, there are a lot more trees left to drop their leaves some of which have yet to turn colors.

Right in the Eye

 I don't think I would ever characterize myself as a "wildlife" photographer. Those folks have to spend altogether too much time sitting out in the heat and cold to capture their remarkable photos of animals and insects. I can find an occasional bird, but sometimes I do see some unusual animals, at least not ones I am familiar with. This is a fairly common redbelly turtle but its shell is so encrusted with algae that it is indistinguishable. This specimen must be quite old. These turtles are also called cooters.

Some things never change

This is an L. C. Smith typewriter from about 1919. You can see the QWERTY keys. These are almost exactly the same key arrangement that I am using on my quite up-to-date computer keyboard. Some things never change or at least, change so slowly as to be imperceptible. We still have shift keys and this typewriter even has function keys at the top of the key arrangement. I write this as I watch the seasons change outside my window and the leaves begin to fall. It would be nice if time were only measured by the passage of the seasons.

Just Around the Corner

This is a flashback to last winter here in Provo, Utah where we had a lot of snow. This morning, the weather was cold and crisp. With the storm moving down from the Northwest, it is entirely possible we would see freezing temperatures and maybe a little bit of snow. Winter is just around the corner.

Gold and Green

This is an unretouched photo directly from my iPhone 8 plus. It is late in the afternoon and I took the photo without any special effects. Here is a copy with a little bit of enhancement.

Nothing Alive

Of course, I am alive and I am the one taking the photograph. But this is the only view of its kind in the United States I know about where you can see this much without seeing one living thing. Not even a blade of grass, a cactus or a creosote bush. It is well named as Death Valley. I know places where there are sand dunes where all you can see is sand, but if you turn your head slightly, you can see a mountain with trees. Here, there is no living thing. Hmm. That sounds almost beyond reality. Actually, it is beyond reality. You have to select the photos pretty carefully to avoid people, cars, roads, and etc. If you look closely at the tops of the ridges, you will see trails where people have climbed and walked. Oh well, it was close to being a wilderness, it was just a highly visited National Park. If I turned around from this photo, I would see a parking lot.

Looking into the Light

I have a hard time deciding on my favorite season of the year. I guess I like all of them equally. As I have noted recently, I am experimenting with my somewhat new iPhone 8 plus camera. So far, I am impressed with the quality of the photos. This photo was taken in my front yard so perhaps you can see why I like the seasons so much. As I write, I can look at the forest outside my window and see the leaves change from day to day.

An Experiment with Light

Apple has developed a new "portrait" mode released with iOS 11 on the iPhones and iPads. It is supposed to be for taking photos of people. But, of course, I work with landscapes and nature. Here is one photo of some Fall leaves on a bright sunny day. I think I will continue to experiment with this new function. It will likely prove interesting.

A Wood Stove

When I was very young, we moved to a small town to live in my grandfather's old house. One thing I remember is that for a while, we had a wood stove. That didn't last too long but it was a vivid memory. I simply can't imagine all the extra work it took to keep a stove like the one in this image going to cook meals all day. Imagine the wood and the ashes, not to mention the smoke.

Ornamental Pumpkins

Recently, fancy varieties of pumpkins have been showing up for sale in supermarkets and vegetable stalls around Provo. The varieties shown here are Red Warty, Cinderella, White pumpkins, and Knucklehead. We bought a pumpkin to eat.

Fruits and Vegetables

Finding this kind of market would be next to impossible in the United States. But this image comes from a trip to Costa Rica. One thing missing in the U.S. is the variety of bananas and plantains. We usually get the "standard" varieties of bananas, but there are a variety of kinds that are not available generally in the U.S. First of all, the distinction between "bananas" and "plantains" is artificial and was created by advertising to sell one variety of bananas. The currently accepted scientific names for most groups of cultivated bananas are Musa acuminata Colla and Musa balbisiana Colla for the ancestral species, and Musa× paradisiaca L. for the hybrid M. acuminata × M. balbisiana. See Wikipedia: Banana. Here is a link to a post on "Six Types of Bananas to Know." But I am familiar with several more. I especially like caudrados.

Ocean View near San Diego, California

As I watch the leaves turn to red and golden yellow here in Utah Valley, I decided to remember some of my earlier travels around the United States. We spent some lovely time in San Diego, California this past year. This image reminds me that beautiful landscapes are all around us, even when we are only a very short distance from a major city such as San Diego.

Wind Damage

In a recent drive through the Wasatch Mountains, we saw considerable damage to trees apparently done by the wind. It is fortunate that the wind doesn't blow quite as hard here in the valley as it does in the mountains.

A Wasatch Mountain Panorama

This is a photo high in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. You may have to click on the photo to see any detail since it is a panorama. The canyon on the right side of the photo, shaded by the sun, is Rock Canyon.

A close encounter

It might take you a few minutes to try and figure out how this photograph was taken. But the explanation is quite simple. This lovely praying mantis landed on the window of our car. We had a fun time trying to get photos until we finally drove on and the praying mantis flew away. You never know when you're going to have an interesting photo opportunity.

Pumpkin Varieties

These fancy pumpkin varieties are cultivars of a squash plant. They are varieties of Cucurbita pepo. Larger varieties are derived from Cucurbita maxima. There are dozens of varieties of pumpkins and their near relatives, winter squash. This is another of a series of photos I will be taking with my iPhone

Pumpkin Time

Contrary to the usual use for pumpkins this time of year, we like to eat them. We love squash and pumpkins are just another variety of squash. Up until the end of October they are a little pricey, but after the end of October, they all go on sale and we can eat all we want for practically nothing.

A Frosting of Snow

We are contemplating our move to the East Coast and I am wondering how much I will miss the grand vistas of the mountains? We had a beautiful day taking a short trip up the Squaw Peak Road just east of where we now live. We don't know yet where we will be living, but it will be in the area of Washington, D.C. and the last time I was there, they didn't have any mountains like these. But I obviously still have my cameras and I can still find beautiful things to photograph.