Travel Photography: Visiting the Phoenix Zoo
October 28th, 2011There's something about visiting the zoo. You can't help but wonder who's being more closely scrutinized, the animals or the humans.
Let's begin our tour at the pelican beauty parlor. Nothing like preening with a whole crowd watching. Not that this pelican cares...
If you're a giant iguana, you can pretty well forget about having privacy with your lunch...
A human audience sure doesn't stop this pair from, ahem, doing what they're doing...
The positioning of this feeding basket is of great concern to any creature that isn't a giraffe. But, hey, the short one is in a perfect position to get whatever falls to the ground...
Of all the animals I saw, the primates seemed to be most interested in watching the zoo's human visitors...
On the other side of the "interest in human visitors" spectrum, we have the carp in the pool near the zoo entrance. They couldn't care less about the human photographers catching their swimming moves...
Okay, I'll admit it: The Phoenix Zoo offers some of the best people-watching opportunities in the state of Arizona. Take, for example, the humans crowding into the orangutan pavilion. The creatures are in hiding, but we flock to see them anyway...
And a shout out to my Phoenix Zoo guides: The wonderful brother-sister team of Judy Vorfeld and David Crook (below)...
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Nature Photography: Sudden Storm
September 30th, 2011This past Tuesday, the 2011 monsoon season busted loose with its last hurrah. Which prompted a photographic frenzy around here.
First stop on the frenetic home front picture tour: The garden. Is it raining out there? Yes!!!
I'm looking forward to the day when the seedlings (which are still too small to see in the above photo) start peeking through the straw.
The photographic frenzy continues in the front yard, where the pot in which I've planted all sorts of seeds is getting a good drink...
Looks like I may be successful at front yard container gardening after all. It's been kind of a bust so far.
Time for a check of the front yard drainage. I had a problem with water pooling near the porch.
When I was creating my garden basins, I put some of the excess dirt in the front yard low spots. From the looks of things during this storm, those low spots are a thing of the past...
Here's another experiment that appears to be working. My home-made compost bins are staying upright during the storm...
Hey, look! Now it's really coming down! Look at that rain gauge filling up! Wonder how much rain we're getting...
My official side yard rain gauge reading: .30" of the wet stuff.
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Nature Photography: Garden Planting
September 23rd, 2011I'll start this post with yet another lament about Tucson's 2011 monsoon season. It's been a real hit-and-miss sort of thing.
Take, for example, this approaching storm. Looks like it's going to dump buckets of rain at my place, right?
It didn't. But Tucson's South Side got almost three inches of rain.
So much for hoping that the rain will soften the dirt and make my garden digging easier. But with fall's cooler temperatures moving into town, no more excuses. It's time to get that garden planted. Here it is:
You may be wondering why the chopped up agave is in the garden basins. Well, it's there for two reasons:
- It keeps the straw mulch from blowing all over the place.
- It's a feral cat deterrent, just like those dried ocotillo branches on the fence rails. The idea is to encourage those kitties to find some other place to use as their litter box.
The seedlings are already starting to poke through the straw. Here's the radish...
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Nature Photography: Rain, Rain, and More Rain
September 14th, 2011For the past week, Tucson's weather has done a pretty convincing imitation of the Pacific Northwest. We've had nearly 2.5" of rain. As I write this, thunderstorms are moving into the area.
Many of our recent storms have started slowly. Subtly. You don't think that much will come from them. Take, for example, this dampening of my front porch...
Then the weather really gets motivated. And I'd say that it's about time to finish my garden by planting some seeds in it...
All of this moisture has made for joy and feasting in the plant world. My front yard barrel cactii are getting downright plump...
Then there was the Infamous 2nd Saturdays Downtown Storm. This one stomped into Tucson just as things were starting to hop at my favorite monthly gathering. I had plans to visit a couple of art shows and an open house, listen to Latino music, and enjoy some good eats, courtesy of all those local food vendors.
Well, the storm forced me and bike under a cigar store awning. Which leaked. Badly. I was very glad that I'd left the camera at home.
When the rain slowed down, I headed for home. Thanks to continued storminess, heavy street flooding, and numerous detours to high ground, getting here took an hour. Once I arrived, I went onto autopilot: Park the two-wheeler outside so it can dry off, hit the shower, then launder all the soggy clothes and bike gear.
The Morning After? Bright and sunny, but not cloudless the way it was a decade ago. For the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I had to put the flag out...
A quick check of the back yard rain gauge showed that it was half full. What an optimist!
The official tally: 1.8" of rain fell at my place on September 10, 2011. Most of this rain came down while I was trying to make it home from 2nd Saturdays Downtown.
Time to stop procrastinating. I need to clean and lubricate that dirty bike. That is, until the next storm...
Storm update: KXCI Community Radio's emergency alert system is going nuts. And did I mention that I was down at KXCI last night? It's the fall fund-raising drive, and I was answering the pledge phone.
Guess what I rode through on the way home? If you guessed "thunderstorm," you're right! So, the bike got another cleaning and lube job this morning.
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
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Bike-tography: The Book
September 1st, 2011When I was in my early twenties, I set the goal of bicycling through all 50 of the United States. I accomplished this over a twelve-year period, traveling more than 15,000 miles in the United States, plus a bit of Mexico and Canada.
Traveling without the protective bubble of a vehicle provides a wonderful opportunity to see, hear, feel, and smell the world around you.
Add to this the minimalist nature of bicycle travel. Having limited carrying space forces you to rely on as little photographic equipment as possible. On my bike, I only had room for one camera body and one lens. So, that's what I worked with.
Bike-tography: Combining Bicycling with Photography presents a collection of photos from my bicycle travels and from 'round-town rides in my hometown, Tucson, Arizona.
Tucson cycling aficionados will enjoy images from these major events:
- 4th Avenue Bicycle Swap Meet
- Cyclovia Tucson
- El Tour de Tucson
- Old Pueblo Criterium
- UA Criterium
The book also offers photos from 10 of the 50 states that I pedaled through:
- California
- Hawaii
- Kansas
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- Ohio
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Washington
Preview Bike-tography: Combining Bicycling with Photography:
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
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Event Photography: Happy Birthday Tucson
August 15th, 2011On August 20, 1775, a bouncing baby city was born. Its name? Tucson.
It's been 236 years, and the Old Pueblo still has quite a bit of bounce. It was certainly in evidence at one of the biggest events in the month-long celebration of Tucson's Birthday.
The big event? 2nd Saturdays Downtown, which brings tens of thousands of people into the heart of our city.
Since this is Tucson throwing a big party, you need to have plenty of local music. Here's the band Widow's Hill performing at the entrance to the Ronstadt Transit Center...
Of course, no party would be complete without people showing up in unusual costumes...
And there has to be dancing. In this case, break dancing by the members of Les Avenge, who set up shop outside the Rialto Theatre...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
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Photo Essay: Building Garden Basins
August 12th, 2011Well, the monsoons have been with us for more than a month, and count me as unimpressed. I was hoping for giant storms with lots of rain, loud thunder, and bright lightning.
And I'm still hoping.
So far, our rainfall has been scanty, and the sound and light shows have been lackluster.
In the meantime, fall is creeping ever closer, and that means garden time. I mentioned in an earlier post that my two garden basins were allowing water to pool around the edges, rather than in the center. In the sunken garden game, that's a no-no.
The first part of my garden repair project involved finding materials for lining the edges of the basins.
Fortunately, there's a nearby vacant lot in the path of an upcoming road widening project. This lot has all sorts of busted-up concrete, and it's free for the taking. The official name for this stuff is "urbanite." Here it is, awaiting installation in the basins...
I was planning to dig out both basins in one day, but reality intruded. The big basin turned out to be more than enough work.
Said work was made all the more difficult by my neglecting to soak the basin with water. That would have made the digging a lot easier. Oh, well. I eventually got the job done...
In addition to getting my gardening space ready for fall, I'm also drying mesquite beans so that they can be ground into flour. They should be ready for the Desert Harvesters Mesquite Milling Fiesta in November...
What's this stuff? It looks like big drops of water falling from the sky...
The good news is that the water's pooling where it's supposed to be. The even better news is that Mother Nature is soaking the basin where I had yet to dig.
No sense in procrastinating any further. I dug out the second basin...
In a few weeks, it will be garden seeding time. Looking forward to it!
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Photo Essay: Greenway Envy
July 15th, 2011In my previous post, I offered a tour of Tucson's new Fifth Avenue Greenway. This post is about a nearby neighborhood that's suffering from a severe case of greenway envy.
Let's set the stage by talking about the weather – again.
As noted in recent posts, Tucson is experiencing its summer monsoon season. Which means torrential rains like this one that's flooding East Seneca Street between Fourth and Second Avenues...
Like most summer storms, this one didn't last very long. But it left quite a bit of runoff on Seneca...
As if the Seneca Street flood waters aren't enough, Third Avenue also carries quite a bit of runoff. South of Seneca, Third Avenue becomes an alley for a couple of blocks. And it's not a very inviting place...
The storm water runoff that flows into the alley isn't fit to drink or swim in. But it does serve a valuable purpose – it irrigates plants. Here it's irrigating Bermada Grass, an invasive species...
Unkempt areas in the common space tend to attract negative behaviors. They attract litter and become dumping grounds for stolen property like this City of Tucson warning sign...
They also become magnets for criminal activity...
The Fifth Avenue Greenway starts in an alley south of Mansfield Park. There was a time when respectable people avoided this alley because it was such a hotbed of drug dealing, gang activity, and other nefarious goings-on.
Other than one instance of gang graffiti that's already been reported to the city, I didn't notice anything negative during my recent walk through the Fifth Avenue Greenway.
That's why other neighborhoods what their own greenways. Attractive common space encourages positive behavior. And when positive behavior increases, crime decreases.
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Photo Essay: Greenway Park Ramble
July 13th, 2011Looks like our monsoons have taken a vacation. Other than brief sprinkles, we haven't had rain in almost a week.
So, with thunderstorms not threatening Tucson's Tuesday evening, I decided to ramble around the neighborhood. First point of interest was the new Fifth Avenue Greenway, which has transformed the look of this alley between Waverly and Linden Streets...
Well, that Fifth Avenue Greenway stroll sure was nice. Once I exited onto Linden Street, my way south was stopped cold by the Bronx Wash. If ever there was a landmark that is worthy of a Bronx cheer, this is it...
This channelized wash was built to move heavy volumes of water very quickly. Which just compounds the flooding problem downstream. Furthermore, this water is lost to the surrounding ecosystem, where it could nourish flowers, shrubs, and trees.
More green shade could mitigate Tucson's urban heat island effect, which is caused by all of those paved surfaces. If you suspect that they make our hot summers even hotter, you're right.
At the Sixth Avenue end of the Bronx Wash, a group of neighbors got together to create a different approach to water management. It's the Linden Street Pocket Park, and it uses passive water harvesting to irrigate shade trees and shrubs along this rock-lined path...
After stopping at this little park, it was on to Mansfield Park and the Northwest Neighborhood Center. The center hosted a town hall with Arizona State Senator Linda Lopez, Democrat from District 29...
Senator Lopez shared her thoughts on how Arizona's budget cuts to health care programs will affect our state. In short, the news is not good.
She noted that Arizona has America's highest percentage of uninsured children, and it ranks 12th overall in the percentage of uninsured residents. And, Lopez added, "Denying coverage does not eliminate the need for medical care."
Where do people without health insurance wind up when they need care? In our already overcrowded emergency rooms. Which makes it even harder for those experiencing life-threatening emergencies to be treated in a timely manner.
Lopez said that the state budget cuts are falling disproportionately on our state's most vulnerable people -- the elderly, the poor, people with chronic physical and mental conditions, and children.
Meanwhile, our Republican-controlled legislature just approved more tax breaks for corporations. No word on whether those corporations will actually create good-paying jobs in this state.
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
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Nature Photography: More Monsoon Madness
July 7th, 2011As if a rollicking good Independence Day storm wasn't enough. The weather provided additional fireworks on the 5th of July.
Just like Independence Day, yesterday's tempest was a late afternoon special. It started with a ferocious wind and clouds that turned everything dark and ominous...
The rain came down, and yes, I've said this already, but I really need to fix the garden basin that's nearest to the fence. That compost bucket sitting in water is really embarrassing. It's supposed to be in the highest part of the basin, not the lowest...
I'll conclude this post with a brief lesson in how not to trim a desert tree. The photo below shows a mesquite tree that was blown over during the July 4th storm...
Before its untimely demise, this tree had been trimmed like, well, a tree. It looked like the mesquite equivalent of a lollipop.
Although the tree trimmers were well intentioned, they weakened the tree. Removing the lowest branches from desert trees like the mesquite makes the tree unstable and vulnerable to toppling in high winds. That's what happened on July 4th.
So, if you're sharing your space with a desert tree, let it grow into its natural shape. Yes, it will look like a bush on steroids, but it will be a much stronger tree.
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
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