A Cactus Nursery

This is a photo of some Teddy Bear Cholla cactus or Cylindropuntia bigelovii. These cactus have a solid mass of very sharp spines that gives them the appearance of being soft and fluffy. From time to time, the cactus drops portions of its spiny arms to the ground and over time these dropped spiny balls root and grow into new baby cactus. This is the first time I recall seeing this occur in such a dramatic way. If you look closely at the photo you can see many small rooted cactus surrounding the two larger ones. Eventually, these cholla cactus form an entire dense "forest" of cactus.

A note on the word "cactus." The singular of cactus is cactus. One traditional plural form of the word cactus is cacti. Modern usage also recognizes the word cactuses. However, when used as a collective noun, the word cactus can mean a large number of cacti or cactuses.

A Fishhook Circle

This barrel cactus is commonly called a fishhook cactus because of the curvature of its spines. It's the scientific name is Ferrocactus wislizeni. Many of my recent photos have been taken directly from my iPhone 8 plus.  the fact that the camera is only 12 megapixels limits the ability to show cropped detail. I am sure that the future will hold much higher resolution cameras as well as those with more editing capabilities.

A Foamy Design

Some of the simple things we see around us possess intricate design and beauty. I was fascinated by the swirling foam on this artificially created creek. You may have to click on the photo to see the detail. The water looks like syrup. I love capturing these images and I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Floating In the Clouds

The real snow is late in coming this year. We have had several snow storms and the mountains have been covered with snow, but warm spells have melted all but a few patches on the north slopes. In this shot, you can see that there is no visible snow. We don't mind the warmer weather and clear skies, but then again, I am no longer an avid skier. There will not be too many more photos of the mountains for a while unless I dig into my archives.

Sotol: Growing in the Sunlight

One thing you cannot ignore in the desert is the sunlight. This lovely sotol plant (Dasylirion wheeleri) is used as a landscape plant in Arizona. Native to northern Mexico, the sotol loves the sunlight. This has been a year of record sun and heat in Arizona and many other places. Perhaps all this sunlight can remind us of He who is the light of this world. #LightTheWorld

Light and Shadow

Do you take the light for granted? Sight is a marvelous gift. Here the light creates its own world. A world where the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary. You just have to open your eyes and look. If you cannot see then perhaps you can feel the sunlight. What I see with my eyes includes feeling. This photo conveys the limitless beauty of both light and shade. As we come into this Christmas season, remember the example of Jesus Christ and "#Lighttheworld."

Prairie Dog

It must be my day for animals. As I have mentioned, I do not fancy myself as a "wildlife" photographer. But I do take a shot when I get the chance. This fat little guy was just sitting there and didn't do more than blink for several minutes. He is an Arizona Black-Tailed Prairie Dog or Cynomys ludovicianus. There are five species of prairie dogs in the United States and they have mostly been considered to be pests, some to the point of almost extinction. Wikipedia reports that a black-tailed prairie dog town in Texas was reported to cover 25,000 square miles and had 400 million individuals. You can probably guess that the animals that I am likely to photograph are fairly common.

A Barn Owl

The barn owl or Tyto alba, has extraordinary eyesight and hearing. I happened to be carrying only my iPhone when I captured this photo.  I used the 10x zoom on the iPhone with some loss of resolution. One old rule of photography is that the best camera is the one you have at the time. I could have captured more detail with either of my other cameras, but you make do with what you have.

Play Structure

Many areas of Mesa, Arizona are being transformed by new developments. This play structure is in Riverview Park where a former golf course has been transformed into a baseball stadium and an outdoor park and play area that is first class. The number of people who can enjoy this area has been greatly expanded.

Hedgehog Cactus

This lovely clump of hedgehog cactus plants was just along the trail out in the desert east of Apache Junction in the Superstition Mountains Wilderness Area. We had a lovely hike in very warm temperatures. The cactus along the way were mostly stressed because of a prolonged drought, but these backlit plants were a beautiful exception.

Deeper Red

We occasionally get a beautiful sunset living high on the side of a mountain in Utah, but they are nothing compared to those of the Arizona Sonora Desert. This sunset was redder than usual because of a large wildfire off to the south and west of where this photo was taken. We were traveling along the Pinal Pioneer Parkway in central Arizona when we stopped a number of times to take photos as the light changed.

Really Walking Arizona

A very warm November day in the Arizona Sonora Desert with a beautiful view of the Superstition Mountains. This is the Flat Iron, the famous southwest end of this enigmatic mountain range. We took a warm hike up to Hieroglyphic Canyon and had this spectacular view on the way back down the trail. We have been on this hike many times, but this was an exceptionally warm November day with temperatures near 90 degrees.

Splash Pad

Only in the desert Southwest would our grandchildren be having a fun time running in a splash pad the day before Thanksgiving. With record high temperatures, it was a warm and very sunny day and perfect for a splash. I loved the shapes and textures in this almost monochromatic photo.

Cerrusite

Cerrusite is a mineral. Here is a good description from the Wikipedia article, "Cerrusite."

Cerussite (also known as lead carbonate or white lead ore) is a mineral consisting of lead carbonate (PbCO3), and an important ore of lead. The name is from the Latin cerussa, white lead. Cerussa nativa was mentioned by Conrad Gessner in 1565, and in 1832 F. S. Beudant applied the name cruise to the mineral, whilst the present form, cerussite, is due to W. Haidinger (1845). Miners' names in early use were lead-spar and white-lead-ore. 

Cerussite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and is isomorphous with aragonite. Like aragonite it is very frequently twinned, the compound crystals being pseudo-hexagonal in form. Three crystals are usually twinned together on two faces of the prism, producing six-rayed stellate groups with the individual crystals intercrossing at angles of nearly 60°. Crystals are of frequent occurrence and they usually have very bright and smooth faces. The mineral also occurs in compact granular masses, and sometimes in fibrous forms. The mineral is usually colorless or white, sometimes grey or greenish in tint and varies from transparent to translucent with an adamantine lustre. It is very brittle, and has a conchoidal fracture. It has a Mohs hardness of 3 to 3.75 and a specific gravity of 6.5. A variety containing 7% of zinc carbonate, replacing lead carbonate, is known as iglesiasite, from Iglesias in Sardinia, where it is found.

This particular specimen came from Arizona and was originally part of the state mineral museum which still remains closed. It was displayed at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. 

A Random Red Flower

This is actually a photo of a red hibiscus flower sitting on the grass. I did not pick the flower. I just found it sitting on the grass. There were no flowers around and I could not guess where it came from.

Rare Crested Saguaro

Carnegia gigantea forma cristata is a relatively rare form of the more common version of the iconic saguaro cactus. Cresting is not unique to the saguaro. Many other species of cactus demonstrate this apparent deformity. The actual cause of the cresting is not known but theories range from lightning strikes to genetic diseases. Only about one in 250,000 saguaros are crested. All saguaro cactus are protected by law in the State of Arizona. This particular specimen was found at the entrance to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson, Arizona.

Tucson Arizona LDS Temple

The recently dedicated Tucson, Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the sixth such temple in the State of Arizona and 157th temple to be dedicated in the latter days. We visited the grounds of the temple on a beautiful day in November 2017 just a few days after its dedication. It is located on a busy street in the northern part of Tucson, near the mountains.

Arizona Sunset in Red

We were traveling in central Arizona on the Pinal Pioneer Parkway when this fabulous sunset began to unfold. We stopped a couple of times to take photos. It is one of the reddest sunsets I have ever seen. It was almost beyond belief beautiful. This is an unedited photo from my iPhone.

Architectural Abstract

Walking around in enclosed structures can create a sense of the abstract. There is almost no place I can go, where I am not confronted with beauty and often that beauty is in the form rather than the substance of my surroundings.

The MOA

Life is full of abstractions. This photo was taken at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art or MOA. Every building on the campus is designated by an acronym and so negotiating the campus often requires a map or, at least, a list of the acronyms. Next to the MOA is the HFAC and next to that is HBLL, and the list goes on. The color in the photo above is created with a huge number of tightly strung colored strings.

North Rim of the Grand Canyon

I have been asked why this blog is called WalkingArizona. I am WalkingArizona. I will always be WalkingArizona, no matter where I live or what I do. Some have asked if I should not now be WalkingUtah? I guess there is something to be said about that possibility, but now I am moving to Maryland. I could never be WalkingMaryland. I will always be WalkingArizona. Deep down inside, I am always WalkingArizona. Whenever I really think about it.

Missionary Training Center, Provo, Utah

My wife and I have been called on a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We will be serving as Record Preservation Missionaries in the Washington, D.C. North Mission and specifically be assisting in digitizing genealogically important records in the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, Maryland. Our mission will start with two weeks of training at the Provo, Utah Missionary Training Center, which is about three blocks away from our home in Provo. This is a photo of the entrance to the MTC, as it is called. You can read more about our mission on my blog, Rejoice, and be exceeding glad...

Jacob Lake

You can hardly see the water in this pond called Jacob Lake. Named after early Mormon explorer Jacob Hamblin, this tiny spot on the Kaibab Plateau is world famous. There is a local ongoing joke about fishermen driving into the Jacob Lake resort and asking directions to the lake to go fishing. The Lake is located just off Highway 67, the only paved route to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is also located only a short distance from the small hamlet of Jacob Lake. A wider angle view of this small pond would show cabins and development only a short distance away.

Old Tree in Old Town San Diego

As we travel around, we see a few towns and cities that take advantage of their "old" downtown sections and others that neglect the area which then becomes an eyesore. San Diego has long supported and beautified their oldest part of town. Many of the old buildings have been restored and as a result, the area is a beehive of activity. When we lived in Mesa, Arizona, we would frequently visit San Diego, now a trip to Southern Califonia is a rare event.

Marking the Tides

The huge Bay of Fundy on the East Coast of Canada has phenomenally high tides. The dark portions of these rocks are shells that live in the intertidal area. In doing so, the shells mark the average high level of the tides. There are a few places where the shells can live higher but only rarely does this occur.

A Mossy Waterfall

My view out the window shows that most of the leaves are gone from the trees and winter is fast approaching. I thought I might get a few photographs in before the snow flies showing idyllic scenes of summer. This lovely waterfall is located in eastern Canada. These past two years have been full of contrasting experiences ranging from Central America to Canada and from both the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States. Presently, as we move across the United States again, the contrasting experiences are going to continue.

A Fancy Rocker

This is an ornate, antique, Victorian, wicker rocking chair. We were touring the Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park in Canandaigua, New York when I spotted this gem. I have found reproductions online of the same rocking chair for about $600, but I am sure that an original would be much more. Especially one in perfect condition like this one.

Carnivorous Plants

Carnivorous plants are those that obtain some or most of their nutrients from trapping animals such as insects and arthropods. In the above image, we see the process in action. These plants are relatively rare. Here is a quote from Wikipedia: Carnivorous plant.

True carnivory is thought to have evolved independently nine times in five different orders of flowering plants, and is represented by more than a dozen genera. This classification includes at least 583 species that attract, trap and kill prey, absorbing the resulting available nutrients. Additionally, over 300 protocarnivorous plant species in several genera show some but not all of these characteristics.

The above plant is called a pitcher plant is one of the types of plants that use pitfall traps where the insect is caught in a passive tubular trap. Here is another quote from the Wikipedia article.

Characterized by an internal chamber, pitfall traps are thought to have evolved independently at least six times. This particular adaptation is found within the families Sarraceniaceae (Darlingtonia, Heliamphora, Sarracenia), Nepenthaceae (Nepenthes), Cephalotaceae (Cephalotus), and Eriocaulaceae (Paepalanthus). Within the family Bromeliaceae, pitcher morphology and carnivory evolved twice (Brocchinia and Catopsis). Because these families do not share a common ancestor who also had pitfall trap morphology, carnivorous pitchers are an example of convergent evolution.

This particular pitcher plant was growing in the Buffalo Botanical Gardens in New York state. 

Trapping Flies for a Living

The Venus Flytrap or Dionaea muscipula is a carnivorous plant native to subtropical wetlands on the East Coast of the United States in North Carolina and South Carolina. Here is a description of how the plant catches insects.

It catches its prey—chiefly insects and arachnids—with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves, which is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap prepares to close, snapping shut only if another contact occurs within approximately twenty seconds of the first strike. The requirement of redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against wasting energy by trapping objects with no nutritional value, and the plant will only begin digestion after five more stimuli to ensure it has caught a live bug worthy of consumption. See Wikipedia: Venus flytrap

Here is a further description from the same article.

The leaf blade is divided into two regions: a flat, heart-shaped photosynthesis-capable petiole, and a pair of terminal lobes hinged at the midrib, forming the trap which is the true leaf. The upper surface of these lobes contains red anthocyanin pigments and its edges secrete mucilage. The lobes exhibit rapid plant movements, snapping shut when stimulated by prey. The trapping mechanism is tripped when prey contacts one of the three hair-like trichomes that are found on the upper surface of each of the lobes. The mechanism is so highly specialized that it can distinguish between living prey and non-prey stimuli, such as falling raindrops; two trigger hairs must be touched in succession within 20 seconds of each other or one hair touched twice in rapid succession, whereupon the lobes of the trap will snap shut, typically in about one-tenth of a second. The edges of the lobes are fringed by stiff hair-like protrusions or cilia, which mesh together and prevent large prey from escaping. These protrusions, and the trigger hairs (also known as sensitive hairs) are likely homologous with the tentacles found in this plant’s close relatives, the sundews. Scientists have concluded that the snap trap evolved from a fly-paper trap similar to that of Drosera.

Into the Mist at Niagara Falls

Taking photos from a rocking boat with spray and mist blowing over the deck is rather a challenge. I had to try and keep my camera dry and keep the lens from fogging over with spray while at the same time brace myself against the railing. I got several rather impressive shots, but this was one of the best. All of these types of photos are best viewed by clicking on the image and then magnifying the image on your computer or other devices by zooming in.

Early Evening at BYU

Over the past three years, one of the most pleasant experiences is walking back and forth across the  Brigham Young University campus, in Provo, Utah, to the BYU Family History Library. Sometimes, in the evenings the view is spectacular. This photo was taken on the east side of the Harold B. Lee Library on the BYU campus. Most of the day had been completely cloudy and we had a brief snowstorm that failed to leave in a snow on the ground. The temperature was beginning to drop in the sky was clear. It was a lovely day on campus.

A World of Clay and Stone

My world is made up of extreme contrasts. Some people can call a place home, but where I feel most at home is in the deserts and mountains of Utah and Arizona. I am usually in a quandary when someone asks me where I am from since I belong in so many places. As I contemplate a move across the United States to the East Coast, I think a lot about what surrounds me now, here on a mountainside in Utah. I am sure that the photos will keep flowing but I will miss the mountains and the deserts.

A Burl

A burl or bur or burr (in the UK) is a deformed growth on a tree trunk or branch. Here is a description of the growth from the Wikipedia article entitled, "Burl."

A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be caused by an injury, virus or fungus. Most burls grow beneath the ground, attached to the roots as a type of malignancy that is generally not discovered until the tree dies or falls over. Such burls sometimes appear as groups of bulbous protrusions connected by a system of rope-like roots. Almost all burl wood is covered by bark, even if it is underground. Insect infestation and certain types of mold infestation are the most common causes of this condition. 

In some tree species, burls can grow to great size. The largest, at 26 ft (7.9 m), occur in coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) and can encircle the entire trunk; when moisture is present, these burls can grow new redwood trees. The world's second-largest burls can be found in Port McNeill, British Columbia. One of the largest burls known was found around 1984 in the small town of Tamworth, New South Wales. It stands 6.4 ft (2.0 m) tall, with an odd shape resembling a trombone. In January 2009, this burl was controversially removed from its original location and relocated to a public school in the central New South Wales city of Dubbo.

This particular burl was in a grove of trees on Vancouver Island, Canada.  The wood from burls is prized for its remarkable grain and hardness. Unfortunately, illegal cutting of burls is a major problem in some areas of the world.

California Coast

Beaches make lovely vacation destinations, but I enjoy the rocks and waves of the ocean more than the beaches. This was a windy day on Point Loma, near San Diego, California. We got a good view that was shared by a number of En Plein Air painters that were having a convention at the time. We had a short trip to California to see places we hadn't been for quite a few years. This year, 2017, has seen trips to both the West and East Coasts.

Esko Järvinen Skis Found in Costa Rica

I found this pair of Esko Järvinen skis on the wall of a restaurant called the "German Bakery" in Nuevo Arenal, Costa Rica. Here is an article about the origin of this pair of skis from Wikipedia.

Kauko Esko Järvinen (15 December 1907 – 7 March 1976) was a Finnish competitor in the Nordic combined and military patrol (precursor to biathlon). He won an individual bronze medal in the Nordic combined at the 1929 World Championships. At the 1928 Winter Olympics he finished fifth in the Nordic combined and 22nd in the ski jumping event. He also placed second in the team military patrol, which was a demonstration sport at those Olympics, and served as the flag bearer for Finland at the opening ceremony. 

After retiring from competitions Järvinen opened a ski manufacturing factory in Lahti, which ran until 1974 and went bankrupt in 1991, yet his son continued small-scale production of wooden skis. His brother Erkki was an Olympic triple jumper.

Sometimes it takes a little detective work to identify the things I find to photograph. The bindings on this pair of skis were manufactured in Sweden by the Rottefella Ski Binding Company. Here is an article about the bindings.

Rottefella is a Norwegian ski binding manufacturer. The name refers to the three-pin binding invented by Bror With in 1927, more formally known as the 75mm Nordic Norm. The binding was the standard for cross-country skiing for decades. Rottefella also produces one of the two systems that have largely replaced the 75mm, the New Nordic Norm.

Here is a wider view of the skis.

Costa Rican Volcano

Going back through my archives of photos, I can always find some impressive photos I have seemed to have overlooked in the past. Today, I found this photo taken of the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. This year, 2017, has been a year of travel and will continue to be a year of travel right up until the end of December. I will never run out of photos to upload and share. The weather here in Provo, Utah is moving into the late Fall and there is snow coming. This will bring a number of photo opportunities.

A Single Flower

We have a tendency to think that if one flower is beautiful, then a whole bunch of flowers are more beautiful. There is beauty in a bouquet but there is also beauty in a single flower. What could you add to this flower to make it more beautiful? Would two add to the beauty of this single flower?