Its about a half mile walk from the house to the little cafe at the recreation center where I can sit among fountains in cushioned chairs, sip on a mocha and write. Here are three from the walk.
My Walk to Coffee
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Red Bird of Paradise 
Yellow Blossom on a Prickly Pear Cactus 
Great Blue Heron -
Dust Spots
Sunrise on Peralta Trail I arrived at my parents home yesterday afternoon about 12:15. I have had some wonderful weather for this trip. But, let me tell you the heat difference driving into Phoenix was a major shift for my body. It was a 100 degrees when I arrived.
I awoke early and could see lightening north of the Superstition Mountains so I jumped in the car and drove out to Peralta Trail. I had to spend extra time on this image due to dust spots on the sensor. Frustrating.
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An Unknown Cacti
An Unknown Cacti Wikipedia says there are about 1,500 to 1,800 species of cacti. They may be right. I am amazed at the variety of them I find while walking in my parents neighborhood. And, the shapes and colors are astounding. Even though this is not a big blooming time for them there are some with blossoms on them. My dad and I searched for identification of this cacti but we were not able to identify it. So, it’s just a cactus with a pretty flower.
I have been enjoying my time with my parents. Seems my pants are tighter around the waist. Shrinkage is either due to the dry climate down here or my mothers baking. Yesterday she baked cookies. I ate more than my share as I do not want to hurt her feelings. I head home on Saturday to face the cold again but also want to be home.
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Jumping Cholla Cactus It seems that in a world of complaining it is nice for us to sit down and reflect on that we can be thankful for. Traveling, the health to travel, visiting family, good food, are some things I’m grateful for. The real task is to carry this gratitude into the full year. I hope everyone had a wonderful day of Thanksgiving.
Palm Tree Leaves -
Saguaro
Saguaro A saguaro in contrast to a blue sky. It is also in contrast to our weather here in Colorado. We are in our 4th or 5th day of rains, gentle rains. Ponds and rivers are full and muddy. The ground is soaked and feels like you’re walking on a sponge. It is cold with temperatures dropping down to freezing tonight which means we have the potential for snow. Weather man says 1-3 inches of snow by tomorrow. Stay warm!
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Heading North
Cholla and Starburst “We must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves.”
Thomas MertonI’m heading north for Colorado and home. Will drive through Arches National Park on the way and scout things out. Maybe we can have a meet-up there.
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I’m Still Here
Sunrise on Peralta Trail “What day is it?”
It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
My favorite day,” said Pooh.”
― A.A. MilneI decided to stay one more day and head back tomorrow. So this morning I headed out to meet the rising sun and was greeted by a choir of birds and one lone howling coyote.
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Morning Sun
Backlit Cactus At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands before our camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are. We never accomplish this perfectly, though in return we are given something perfect–a sense of inclusion. Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known.
Robert AdamsEarly one morning my dad and I waited to see if the covey of quail would make an appearance and scamper across his back yard. Well, they did not show up but I did get a photo of the cactus back lit by the morning sun. This is one of my favorite times of the day.
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Breaking the Horizon
Just Breaking the Horizon It was still pretty dark when I arrived along Peralta Trail and stars sparkling in the clear skies. After turning off the engine I was surrounded by an eerie quiet. All my senses were perked. Shortly before sunrise I was greeted with the yelping of coyotes and the songs of the cactus wren. The desert was awakening. I looked compositions that would show the rugged terrain along with the plant life of this desert region. Seems like my eyes were constantly roaming. I was not sure exactly where the sun would rise but had a good guess. I felt lucky to be where I was with the ocotillo and the saguaro as the sun began breaking the horizon. This was the reason I woke up early.
When I arrived at my parents house I noticed my tripod head had come apart and some of it was missing. So when this image was taken I was clamping my camera to the head with a c-clamp and watching it like a hawk. We found the missing part the next day as it had fallen off when I get out the car in my dads garage. All is better now. 🙂
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Bell Tower
Bell Tower “There are no rules and regulations for perfect composition. If there were we would be able to put all the information into a computer and would come out with a masterpiece. We know that’s impossible. You have to compose by the seat of your pants.”
Arnold NewmanThat’s exactly what happened here. I saw this woman sitting on a bench under this bell tower and thought it would make a good image. Just as I raised the camera she stood up and started walking towards me. Without really thinking, which I do a lot, I took one image. I’m actually pleased with this image even if it was taken by the seat of my pants.
