Fish Hook Flower

The detail of cactus flowers is amazing. I have always found that as you get closer to your natural surroundings you begin to see the amazing detail in everything. Looking at the world through a camera can open up the beauty of the details of life.

Moon After the Eclipse

This photo was taken the day after a total eclipse of the moon from Phoenix, Arizona. Hmm. The moon looks about the same and no worse for wear from the eclipse. You would think after all those years of eclipses that the moon would start showing some signs of wear? We couldn't get any good photos of the eclipse because of clouds.

Aloe Flower

Aloe vera is a relatively well-known plant because of its health and medicinal uses but there are 580 species of Aloes and hybrids in the world. Many of them have impressive flower stalks. We grew Aloe vera in our yard in Mesa. By the way, it spreads like a weed.

Waiting and Watching

I had never seen one of these stately herons in Arizona until I was in my 30s. This was not due to lack of contact with the outdoors, I spent many of my early years camping and mostly in Arizona. Today, these birds are fairly common in lakes and ponds across the entire state. By the way, egrets are just another kind of heron.

Two Pelicans

I am certain that this is the first time I photographed a pelican, much less two, in Arizona especially in the Salt River Valley about 400 miles from the nearest ocean not counting the Gulf of Mexico (Sea of Cortez). The story is that they get blown into the state by a hurricane.

Johnny Cash in Phoenix

Phoenix, Arizona is the home of the world-class Musical Instrument Museum. This is one of the best displayed and comprehensive museums I have ever visited. This is an exhibit of memorabilia from Johnny Cash. While I was in high school, they played the same two Johnny Cash songs during lunch almost every day for two years; Ring of Fire and I Walk the Line. If you ever visit Phoenix and love music, you have to visit the MIM.

A Saguaro Conference

Sometimes, when the weather is good, the saguaros gather together for a conference. The topics range from the annual migration to the prospect of rain in the summer. You have to be careful approaching such a conference because the older "bull" saguaros can be quite aggressive and you wouldn't want to have to tangle with all those spines. This particular conference was just ending and the topic was the next gathering and who would be responsible for paying for lunch.