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As someone who lives and walks this city daily…my blog is all about delving a little deeper, seeing what it has to offer, and capturing the true essence of New York City. Whether you live in Gotham, or just visiting…feel free to look around my blog. Bet you might find something new to do!
P.S. As of the end of April 2013 my more personal postings will now be at The Next Few Years.
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Tag Archives: desert
wide open spaces
arizona sunset
As soon as I read Bella’s 52 Photos Project theme for the week, my mind immediately went to the song – Wide Open Spaces. Interesting, now that I’m reading the lyrics, how apropos for when I move to the desert some 25 years ago.
Who doesn’t know what I’m talking about
Who’s never left home, who’s never struck out
To find a dream and a life of their own
A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone
Many precede and many will follow
A young girl’s dream no longer hollow
It takes the shape of a place out west
But what it holds for her, she hasn’t yet guessed
She needs wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes
Now this girl is so livin’ the dream in the wide open spaces of the desert, along with her tiny spot in the concrete jungle of NYC. So fortunate. No matter how many times I view this scene from the backyard…it always takes my breath away.
until next time…
Ok, I’ve tried photographing this frickin feather all day. I think it’s a lot like trying to photograph food…leave it to the experts. But here’s my best shot. Not happy that I can’t bring out more of the detail…but photographing is all about the good and the not so good, right?
But anywho, this feather is important. Why? It showed up at my front door. I think Mr. Silent Wisdom and his sidekick Silent Flight dropped it off to say goodbye as I head back to my NYC! It’s been a wonderful visit in the desert. The early morning meditation/photography walks in the desert will be sorely missed. Recently I read an article about how healthy it is to spend time in nature every day as it can reduce blood pressure, anxiety, stress levels and boost immunity. I couldn’t agree more…there’s no better way to begin the day. The stillness of the morning, the various shades of yellow gold drizzled across the desert floor just before sunrise, listening to the ooAAH-cooo-coo-coo of the mourning dove and the whistles and clucks of the gambel quail. Just heavenly…peaceful…magical.
Goodbye desert…until we meet again in January!
P.S. And it really is a dry heat! I’ll take them any day over the hot humid ones!
gems in the sonoran desert
Imagine in the wilds of the Sonoran desert, a small oasis filled with cottonwood, sycamore, willow and walnut trees surrounded by forests of saguaro cacti. This incredible parcel of 27 acres, The Jewel of the Creek Preserve, holds one of the last remaining perennial streams in the area. A delightful overcast morning, guided by ranger Kevin Smith of the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation area, we hiked down a rocky path to the lower section of what’s called the Dragonfly trail. (Yep, in this part of the desert there are twenty different species of dragonflies!)
native sunflower
We rock-hopped across streams filled with cattails and walked along paths bursting with native sunflowers and sprinkled with bees and butterflies. We even flushed out a deer resting in the underbrush and watched a couple mud turtles play in the water. And you thought the desert was just a bunch of rocks and rattlesnakes! (Well…truth is…there are plenty of those too!)
pincushion cactus
Another little hidden gem is the pincushion cactus. No more than six inches in height, this tiny cactus has pink flowers and blooms only after the first rain of the summer…and today these little treasures were beaming everywhere!
Even after living in the desert for some 25 years there’s always something to learn…who knew you could eat the nuts from the jojoba bush?
Posted in Arizona
Also tagged Dragonfly Trail, Jewel of the Creek Preserve, Kevin Smith, Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area
6 Comments
desert earthenware
Yep, it’s dry here in the Sonoran Desert!
tears of the desert
My mornings here in the Sonoran desert have started early…a few minutes after the start of civil twilight when there’s just enough light to ensure I don’t step on a rattlesnake while traipsing through the desert…ahhh…that magic time for photographing… just when the sage brush appears on fire and the tree bark turns golden as the sun begins to rise…
Ever since I was a little girl, certain trees have always fascinated me. It started with the weeping willow. We had several on the farm and I can remember playing under them and trying to swing from the branches like something out of Tarzan. There was a beauty when they’d sway in the breeze, with almost a gothic look about them… Then on family vacations to Florida, we visited Cypress Gardens and the ominous banyan tree mesmerized me, as well as the Spanish moss cascading from the tree tops. Now fast forward and the desert ironwood has since cast its spell…
I don’t know what it is…but it’s the dead ones that touch my heart…that butterfly in the stomach feeling when I see the perfect one during twilight, morning or evening. I’m clueless as to what all of this means, but I’m sure my mom is thinking about now….well you did love Dark Shadows and your bedroom was painted black. Hmm…what does all of this say about me?
(Cross-posted over at Vision and Verb where a collaborative group of like-minded women
from all over the world share their passion for photography and the written word.)
desert plum
Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth.
Rumi
This week Bella’s 52 photos project is focused on growth…what’s growing in our world? So here’s a little peek into the Sonoran desert as the spring flowers from the cacti supply a wonderful fruit salad for the bird population during the summer! What’s growing in your world?
Posted in 52 Photo Projects, Arizona
Also tagged 52 Photos Project, Bella, sonoran desert
14 Comments
desert perfume
We’ve had a touch of rain here in the Sonoran desert
which means there’s a spicy fragrance floating in the air
from the creosote bushes…
This week Bella’s 52 Photos Project had us looking for circles…couldn’t resist these adorable little wooly seeds from the creosote bush!
Posted in 52 Photo Projects, Arizona
Also tagged 52 Photos Project, creosote bush, sonoran desert
14 Comments
silent wisdom
So enjoy the early mornings here in the desert…the silence…sun just beginning to peek…the silence…a quiet walk in the desert wash with sand crunching under my feet…silence…and there he was…as still as still could be…watching me…silence…and within seconds…gone…silence. There is a special kind of wisdom that lives only in silence.
impressionist photography
wintry light in central park
A year or so ago, Eva Polak’s impressionist photography captured my heart. In our quest for tack sharp photos, often a lack of focus better captures a feeling or experience rather than the reality. At least to a few of us. I realize not everyone likes this type of photography and that’s OK. That’s what makes our art world go round, right?
One afternoon in the quest to learn more, the ICP (International Center of Photography) library here in NYC became my research headquarters to find other photographers who also enjoyed this type of photographic creativity. It was there I “met” Bill Jacobson and Dubi Roman. Between Polak, Roman and Jacobson’s work, their approach mesmerized me, their ability to forget rules and concepts of traditional photography when the right setting would bring about the right opportunity. As Polak mentions…In time and with practice, the technical and creative abilities you develop can ultimately be used intuitively… Oh, how I agree. After playing around (no filters, no computer manipulation) with impressionist photography for over a year now, there’s an intuitive sense when I run across subject matter ripe for this type of capture. I can’t explain it, but once you get it, you got it and you know it when you see it.
I’m curious how you feel about impressionist photography or how some describe as “soft focus” photography?
A few of my favorites captured over the past year….
overlooking the hudson river
walking in the desert
reflecting in the woods
Posted in Central Park, Hudson River, Photography
Also tagged Bill Jacobson, central park, Dubi Roman, Eva Polak, Hudson River, ICP, impressionist photography, International Center of Photography, photography
9 Comments
