Nature Photography: Winter Rains Bring Spring Weeds
March 5th, 2010It's been a very rainy winter here in Tucson. More than three inches of the wet stuff has fallen on my house and yard since January. We're supposed to get more rain this weekend.
In addition to bringing forth spring flowers like the ones on this front yard primrose...
...the rains have also given rise to a bumper crop of weeds...
Which leads me to coin a new slogan: Weed-pullers of the world unite!
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
Event Photography: Dillinger Days and Downtown Tucson Construction
January 26th, 2010This past weekend, I attended the annual Dillinger Days celebration in Downtown Tucson. This event commemorates the 1934 capture of "Public Enemy Number One," bank robber John Dillinger. The festivities centered around the Hotel Congress, where Dillinger and his gang of outlaws stayed when they first hit town.
The hotel boiler caught fire, forcing the evacuation of the hotel. The Dillinger gang got out safely, then they realized that they'd left a couple of suitcases full of guns, ammunition, and money inside. They asked a fireman to retrieve the suitcases, and, just to make the trip worthwhile, the gang gave the fireman a hefty tip. Then they found other places to stay.
After the firemen returned to their station, they spotted a photo of John Dillinger in True Detective magazine. Time for Tucson's Bravest to pick up the phone and alert Tucson's Finest. Who arrested Dillinger and his gang a few days later.
The 2010 edition of Dillinger Days happened right after a major rainstorm hit Tucson. Same storm left a lot of snow on the Santa Catalina mountains, which are "jailed" behind the Union Pacific railroad fence that's just north of the Hotel Congress...
If you're into antique cars, Dillinger Days was the place to be. Talk about fun for the whole family...
I was very impressed by the amount of work that went into the restoration and upkeep of these cars...
What's even more impressive is the fact that most of them are still working automobiles. And, as you can see, they are much loved by their owners...
On the other hand, some of them still need work. This 1939 Chevy Sedan Bus was used to transport University of Arizona athletes during the 1940s. That was its heyday. Its current owners acquired the bus after it had been left to rot in the desert for more than 30 years...
The highlight of Dillinger Days is the re-enactment of the gang's stay at the Hotel Congress. Abundant seating is set up outside the hotel, and here are some smart people who arrived early...
I didn't show up in time to get a seat. Hence, no re-enactment photos in this post.
One final point: Even though there's still a lot of construction Downtown, a lot of things are open for business. Take, for example, Maynards Market and Kitchen, which is across Toole Avenue from Hotel Congress...
I've done a lot of blogging about the weekly Meet Me at Maynards social run/walk around Downtown, and you can read those posts here.
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.
Nature Photography: Snow in Pennsylvania
January 7th, 2010Throughout much of the continental United States, the big story is the cold and snow. Even though I live in the Arizona desert, I can relate.
Just got back from visiting family in eastern Pennsylvania, where they were still talking about (and coping with) the two feet of snow that fell on December 19. That was Philadelphia's second largest snowfall since records began in 1884.
Say what you will about what snow does for driving conditions, it does make for a good photo op...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
Construction Photography: Tear Down the Wall
October 30th, 2009My front yard was graced (if you want to call it that) by a crumbling brick retaining wall. The wall had no seep holes, which meant that it was gradually being weakened by moisture.
Time to tear down the wall.
I wanted replace the old wall with something more attractive. Since I'm a member of the Watershed Management Group's Water Harvesting Co-op, I had a great opportunity to enlist others in working and learning project.
WMG's Matthew Bertrand and I formulated a plan: We'd replace the wall with a rock garden full of low water use plants. (The new plants would fill in the outermost zone of my xeriscape, which is the arid zone. The other two zones are oais, which is closest to the house, and transitional, between the oasis and the arid zone.)
Here's Matthew, hard at work during our pre-workshop meeting. He's removing one of three barrel cactii that will be re-planted in the rock garden...
Then it was wall demolition time. Here's Li'l John Excavating on the job. And let me tell you, the demolition was so well done that it was like watching a ballet dance with a backhoe...
Workshop day, Sunday, October 25, dawned bright and sunny. Soon, my front yard was filled with eager WMG Co-op members.
The first order of business was moving rocks and rubble out of the way so that the crew could get to work. Then they set about removing the few bricks that the backhoe couldn't get at...
On the other side of the yard, Judy cuts down a mesquite tree that's never done very well. The tree has since been reused as mulch and firewood...
Time to start building the rock terrace for the garden. WMG's workshop leader, Matthew Bertrand (kneeling, left), provides some instruction...
Having been properly instructed, the WMG Co-opers set rocks into place and begin the planting...
All done! Time for a victory photo...
Tip: You can view more construction photography in my portfolio. I am also available for construction photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.
Nature Photography: Ripening Persimmon
October 23rd, 2009This one's from a late July 2008 visit to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Great time to be there and see the persimmons ripening...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
Nature Photography: Big Sur Stream
October 23rd, 2009This photo's a true blast from the past. I took it back in 1981, while I was bicycling around the United States.
While heading down the California coast, I stopped for an overnight in a state park south of Big Sur. The park offered many things to explore, including giant redwoods that I couldn't begin to stretch my arms around. Then there was this icy cold stream...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
Tucson photographer launches stock photo site
October 7th, 2009Tucson, AZ – Martha Retallick, local photographer, web designer, community activist, and volunteer, just launched a stock photo website for ad agencies, photo editors, businesses, and organizations.
BicycleStockImages.com features photos of the bike culture, including bicycle racing, bicycle touring, utilitarian cycling, and artistic close-ups of bicycles, bike tools, and bike parts. The site also offers photos related to construction, civic pride, and the environment. A practitioner of “bike-tography,” Retallick, who doesn’t own a car, travels to Tucson-area photo shoots on her bicycle.
The site includes shots from the semi-annual Bicycle Swap Meet on 4th Avenue, a criterium race around the UA campus, and the free valet bicycle parking that the city’s Department of Transportation provides at major events.
An avid cyclist for 30 years, Retallick pedaled through all of the United States between 1980 and 1992 with her trusty Nikon. Her travels provided a first-hand look at the diversity of the American landscape and its people. In addition to nature and travel photo galleries, BicycleStockImages.com also includes abstract photography, a weekly, noncompetitive run/walk through downtown Tucson: Meet Me at Maynards, and construction photography.
Over three years, Retallick helped build a 36-house Habitat for Humanity community in central Tucson, and also worked on International Relief Team’s post-Katrina reconstruction teams during 2006-08. She enjoys finding the graphic mix between the raw physical labor and the artistry of humans and machines in motion.
Who will use Retallick’s stock photography? Ad agencies who might want images to go with a client’s campaign. Photo editors who might want event photos for a feature on Things to Do in Tucson, Arizona. Companies and organizations, such as those in the bicycle or construction industry. Or Tucson organizations looking for someone to cover upcoming special events. Or consumers.
Visitors to BicycleStockImages.com can search its online database of photos, and purchase photographic prints, royalty-free images, and personal use downloads.
Bicycle Stock Images, a project of Western Sky Communications, is an Arizona-based business owned and operated by Martha Retallick.
Retallick is affiliated with the following Tucson organizations:
- El Cortez Heights Neighborhood Association
- Eller College Associates, Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona
- International Friends, Inc.
- KXCI 91.3 FM Community Radio Development Committee
- Mansfield Park Neighbors Coalition
- Teaching and Helping Project
- Tucson City Council Ward 3 Neighbors Alliance
- U.S. Green Building Council Arizona Chapter
- Watershed Management Group Water Harvesting Co-op
Contact Information:
Western Sky Communications
Post Office Box 43161
Tucson, Arizona 85733
Phone: (520) 690-1888
Nature Photography: Prickly Pear and Mesquite
July 29th, 2009When I bought this property in November 2004, it had no landscaping. There was crushed rock in the front yard and a formidable infestation of Bermuda grass in the back yard.
I've done most of the landscaping work myself. This includes the landscape design, planting, weeding, and other maintenance tasks. To learn how to do these things properly, I've taken free or low-cost classes through the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Watershed Management Group, Brad Lancaster, and NEST, Inc.
These classes have helped me avoid major mistakes, but I will confess to over-pruning my mesquite trees back in 2006. A few weeks later, a UA Cooperative Extension instructor advised against pruning mesquites at all.
So, I'm letting them grow back the way they want to. And that's just what they're doing...
I've hired outside help for tasks like underground utility location, digging and rock-lining of the drainage swale that runs from the back yard to the front, delivering and distributing inorganic and organic mulch, digging planting basins, and uprooting the aforementioned Bermuda grass.
A tight budget has dictated my choice of plants: low water use only. It also has dictated how I acquired plants. I brought potted prickly pear and aloe from where I'd been renting before. Friends and neighbors contributed others, and the rest were purchased from plant sales, private nurseries, and Trees for Tucson.
Since I wasn't too keen on installing an irrigation system and paying a higher water bill, I decided to use greywater and rainwater to keep the landscape going. My greywater harvesting system is simple: I capture water from my bathtub and kitchen sink, then bucket it out to the plants.
My greywater harvesting equipment consists of one siphon and three plastic buckets. Since the tub drain plug leaks, I seal it off with a ring of plumber's putty. Total cost of this equipment: Less than $20.00. The only ongoing cost is the purchase of Oasis biodegradable soap that I wash dishes and bathe with.
I've adopted a xeriscaping approach out of necessity. Buckets of greywater can get heavy in a hurry. That's as good a reason as any to keep the "oasis" plants close to the house. I would like to add a rainwater harvesting cistern to the mix, but that's down the road. For now, the plants are doing just fine with my bucket system and occasional supplementation from that Great Watering Can in the Sky.
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
Nature Photography: Greening Up for Summer
July 17th, 2009Tucson's summer monsoon season is in full swing. This is rendering swamp coolers ineffective and that's bad news for some of us. (I have a swamp cooler.)
However, the plants are welcoming the rain the only way they know how. They're getting very green. And the cactii are plump again. Here's how the plant life is doing at my place...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
Nature Photography: Monsoon Storm
July 9th, 2009Tucson's summer monsoon is in full swing, and that means thunderstorms. Big ones. They form quickly, and they can really pack a wallop.
Yesterday afternoon, a real thumper rolled into town. Dumped .58" of rain at my house, and that made my plants very happy. It also made for some interesting photographic opportunities.
The festivities stated with an oh-so-innocent looking rainbow...
A neighbor suggested that the rainbow meant that we'd dodged the storm. Ummm, not quite...
I had to flee to the safety of my house and watch the storm from the living room...
This morning was warm and sunny, perfect for going out and seeing how the rain gauge kept score...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
