A Christmas Red

Unfortunately, these flowers don't bloom at Christmas time or they would be the hit of the season. But we can enjoy them anytime of the year from our digital vantage point.

A Floral Arrangement Desert Style

This arrangement of Spring flowers suggests that even though Winter is just starting in the Northern Hemisphere, Spring and Summer can always be found, if only in our memories or if we are willing to travel far enough north or south. I notice that here in Mesa it is about time for our traditional one week of Winter. Spring is just around the corner.

Cemetery

This may not be your idea of a cemetery, but it is what I see around Arizona. There is an attraction to being buried where the horizon is unlimited and a hundred miles away. If this is your concept of the ideal place to live, then this is definitely your kind of cemetery.

A Study in Black and White

I very recently concluded a week-long stay in the hospital after a serious operation. Spending time thinking when you can do little else physically, focuses you mind on things in terms of more simple concepts. Just as looking at this image in black and white focuses more on the form and structure than the color. In this case, as with many things thought about during the hospital visit, the basics are more important than the added components of the image.

Desert Tower

Officially called the Desert View Watchtower, this is a 70-foot high stone building on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The four-story structure, completed in 1932, was designed by American architect Mary Colter, an employee of the Fred Harvey Company who also created and designed many other buildings in the Grand Canyon vicinity including Hermit's Rest and the Lookout Studio. The interior contains murals by Fred Kabotie. See Wikipedia:Desert View Watchtower.

Canyon Abstract

If you look at this image, you might see the outline of of a flying bird or other shapes and forms. Looking down into the Canyon is only half of the experience. The other half is looking up from the bottom. The size of the cliffs, the long dusty (or muddy) trails and all of the sensory experiences of the Canyon start as you step off of the Rim onto a trail to the bottom.

Shadowman

Little did you know, that my superhero alter-ego is Shadowman. Yes, Shadowman, that defender of genealogy and photography. What? You have never heard of Shadowman? Hmm. Probably because the whole point of having an alter-ego is to remain incognito. I discovered I was Shadowman  quite late in life, about the time I gained some weight and had my hair go grey. I noticed that I had become invisible to anyone younger than 40 years old. So I took on my superhero alter-ego, donned my costume of Levi's and button shirt and became Shadowman.