Photography is my hobby, one I enjoy very much. After I have the photos though, then what do I do with them? Sharing adds to my enjoyment, and the internet makes that easier than ever with various photo programs. This link, A Month in Tucson, is an attempt to illustrate some of my recent time in Tucson.To keep A Month in Tucson to a reasonable size, I created two other Flickr sets-- Desert in Bloom and Desert Wildlife. Together, they give a snippet of what it is like to spend a month at Casa Espiritu (what I call the desert house).
The photos can only show some of what I experienced on this trip-- hiking, photography, watching the wildlife, some of the art, wildflowers, a couple of movies (although most in that photo I didn't get around to seeing yet), petroglyphs, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, painting, writing, with plenty of time to just be.
While in Tucson I did something I haven't done for a year and a half-- made an appointment at a salon for a permanent and haircut which not only left my hair curlier, but also removed the last of the dyed ends. The photos in the bright sunlight kept amazing me with how silver my hair looked -- in the front anyway. Like who is that? Oh, it's me. I like it though. It feels right for who I am today.
My personal month was overall good with some hard stretches. It was a time of some solitude and loneliness, which sometimes, is important to experience. It was also a time to feel some depression (a few anxiety attacks) but that also is part of fully living life for me. What is-- is. I had alone time for creativity, to evaluate myself, where I am, making some plans for where I want to be, but mostly it was a time to enjoy the desert and all it offers. For that, I didn't even have to leave the house and little acre of ground.
So when you have time, click on the above link for a small piece of the Arizona-Sonora Desert and a few of its many diverse elements.
7 comments:
I'll go look at them and also try to find you on flickr. Photography is fun and I sure like digital better than in the old film days. But I also need to find more and better ways of putting my photos to use. Most of what I have on my flickr site is there to host to my blog. I have a lot of others on the computer.
Both sets are beautiful, rain. You capture the essence of the desert. It is grand to see the colors there. Are you home now?
Wow, wow ,wow !!! Tucson area has some of the greatest plants and the bob cat is amazing. I like your new perm too.
Dick,
I think a lot about what to do with pictures. I like the Flicker slide show to share them. But sharing isn't everything. The very act of selecting and photographing is a pleasure and more importantly is an enriching personal growth experience.
I've enjoyed reading about your recent sojourn in Tucson, rain. Great photos on Flickr, too! I live on the east side and don't know the northwest side well. So you've shown me parts of Tucson I've never seen. Where were you hiking with the running wash and the petroglyphs? Casa Espiritu is lovely, with beautiful garden and fantastic views.
I am glad you all enjoyed the photos. It's always nice to be able to share something you love with others.
Pam, the water is at Catalina State Park (which you get to by driving out toward Oracle). The streams come down from above through several waterways and sometimes they are all dry and other times, knee deep, sometimes not safe to cross (kind of like Sabino can be). The most usual walk and where most of these photos were taken was The Canyon Loop which is about 2.3 miles and a very easy trail, mostly sandy with up to 5 crossings depending on the rains and snow-melt. We often go above it at the bottom of some stairs where you have to wade the creek and be watchful for rattlesnakes. You will see a few people up there, and it's where the deeper pool is. There is a state park admission fee but we buy a very reasonably priced yearly permit as we visit it so often when we are there given our house is only about 5 miles from it.
I had labels on the photos at Flickr but they cover up part of the picture. To use them you click on something there which my husband found but I didn't look where he found it.
There are petroglyphs many places in the NW side. The spiral that begins the series is out in Saguaro National Monument West and off a gravel road with many petroglyphs on the rocks below it.
The reddish ones are at the Picture Rocks Retreat Center which is the Tucson side of the pass that is the alternate (to Gate's Pass) route to the other side of the Tucson Mountains. Go out Ina and you will see the retreat buildings on the left. The place to park is a wide gravel place just beyond. There is a trail to the petroglyphs but no signs. There is also a Stations of the Cross across from the petroglyphs. The place feels like sacred ground to me. I have written about it also but in the blog called Aged Beauty (archived from my first blog).
Hope that helps, if not, email me for more ino. I have my email here in profile
that should have been info... and yes, we got home last Saturday (22nd), Robin and I am wondering why I wanted to so much given what our weather has been like *s* I think I need to take all three cats to feel better about being down there and boy will that not be fun!
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