Photo Essays: Traffic Calming
May 13th, 2011Do you live on one of those streets where there seems to be no speed limit? So do I.
And, sorry to say, those speed tables further up the street don't seem to help at all. The speeders slow down enough to go over them without wrecking their suspensions, then it's off to the races again.
Fortunately, a solution is at hand, and it's called traffic calming. The goal is to slow or reduce motor vehicle traffic so that pedestrian and bicyclist safety is enhanced. Speaking as someone whose primary means of transportation is a bicycle, I'm very much in favor of traffic calming.
In central Tucson, neighborhoods are adding an artistic touch to the traffic-calming circles that have been installed at street intersections.
Take, for example, this circle at the corner of Edison Street and Vine Avenue in the Jefferson Park Neighborhood. Care for a xeriscape garden in the middle of the street?
An in-street garden would make me slow my car down for a closer look. (That is, if I had a car!)
This traffic circle also displays the talent of Jefferson Park's artists...
According to the neighborhood's website, the circles were designed by Maria Voris, Rosemary Byrd, Matthew Bossler, and Maile Nadlehoffer. Another Jefferson Park neighbor, "Village Blacksmith" Jerry Harris created artwork from the designs. The City of Tucson contributed soil, boulders, and plants.
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Nature Photography: Green at Last
April 8th, 2011Back in early February, a hard freeze hit Tucson and southern Arizona. Daytime highs just made it into the forties, and the nighttime lows were in the teens.
The extreme cold was quite rough on the local plant life. Frozen prickly pear cactus dropped their pads or fell over. And our hardy mesquites made like the trees up north and dropped their leaves.
So, we Tucsonans looked forward to spring with more than the usual amount of anticipation. And we weren't disappointed.
I've been delighted to see my front yard mesquite donning a new coat of finery in just a few days...
The prickly pears? Let's say that even the damaged plants are making a very nice recovery and sprouting new growth...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
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Event Photography: Cyclovia Sidelines
April 1st, 2011My previous Cyclovia Tucson post focused on notion that streets aren't just for cars. People traveling under their own power also have a place.
This post will cover one of the greatest benefits of self-powered travel: An enhanced ability to see and hear what surrounds you. With this thought in mind, let's look at the Cyclovia sidelines.
An abandoned gas station on South 4th Avenue near 22nd Street is still home to a barrel-ful of Santa Rita prickly pear cactus...
Further south, the Cyclovia riders met up with a musical extravaganza, starting with Mariachi Aztlan de Pueblo High School...
Near the southernmost point of the Cyclovia course, riders got a thumping-loud salsa serenade...
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: Land of the Frozen Cactus
February 4th, 2011Here in Tucson, we have been experiencing a weather spell that would be better suited for northern climes.
We're talking daytime highs that barely make it past the 40-degree mark. And the nighttime lows? Well below freezing.
A couple of mornings ago, the wind chill made the air feel like it was four degrees above zero. (Yes, I am writing this paragraph in Southern Arizona.)
I wasn't sure how my camera would work under bitterly cold conditions. So, I waited until yesterday morning, when the temperature had risen to near the freezing mark.
Didn't have too far to go before I found my first weather casualties: These prickly pear cactus were bestowed on me as a housewarming present back in 2005. And grow they did -- until this week...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
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Nature Photography: Dormant Plants in Winter
January 28th, 2011Like much of the rest of the eastern United States, Pennsylvania just got walloped by another big snowstorm.
According to family reports, thick hats, heavy jackets, waterproof boots, snow shovels and plows are now the height of fashion. And will be for some time.
Although my Westtown, Pennsylvania family and friends may find it hard to remember their locale without 18 inches of snow, I offer the following photos as proof that there is a multi-colored environment buried under it. All of them were taken late last month...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
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Nature Photography: Goose Farm
January 24th, 2011One of the most memorable features of a southeastern Pennsylvania winter is that it's highly variable. You can be deep in snow and shivering in sub-freezing temperatures, and then the weather warms up to the point where the hats and jackets are unnecessary.
Such was my recent trip to the Land of Winter Variability. Not a sign of snow when I arrived. But a few days later, totally different scenery...
Shortly thereafter, the weather warmed up and melted a good bit of the snow.
In honor of this occasion, I took a walk over to a nearby farm. It's quite the hot spot for non-migrating Canada geese. (Or should they be called Pennsylvania geese?)
Once these birds sense that a photographer is approaching, up they go...
Tip: If you should happen to be mingling with geese, watch your step. Why? Because geese are prolific. They leave plenty of squishy souvenirs on the ground.
So, unless your hoofs stay outside the house...
You'll need to do a thorough cleanup before going back inside...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
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Nature Photography: After the Blizzard
January 20th, 2011My recent trip to southeastern Pennsylvania featured no-problem air travel and foul weather that didn't materialize until after I was on the ground.
What the weather forecasters billed as a blizzard turned out to be underwhelming. We didn't even get half a foot of snow.
After the weather cleared, it was time to go exploring. I began this adventure by going back to school. This is a back entrance to Penn Wood School, which I attended for grades four through six....
I wasn't the most attentive of students, what with the school being in the woods, and the woods offering many interesting things to sketch. Penn Wood School proved to be a very inspiring venue for a budding visual artist.
Decades later, the Penn Wood School grounds still inspire me...
Being the curious big-kid that I am, I had to make more than one trip to Penn Wood. Couldn't let that plein air go to waste...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
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Travel Photography: Blizzard Arrives
January 7th, 2011Eastern Pennsylvania's Christmas weekend blizzard came in with a vengeance. The bitterly cold winds and driving snow got my attention in a hurry. I had to go outside and investigate.
First lesson: Avoid looking north into the wind, because it bites. Hard...
This was a lesson that our family's super-smart border collie mix took to heart in a hurry. Sandy wasn't happy heading north, and the southerly direction was only slightly less amusing...
Second lesson: During a snowstorm, you pretty much have the outdoor world to yourself. Not much traffic coming in or out of this driveway...
Then came the snowplow. On this trip, it wasn't plowing. Instead, it was coming around to brine the roads...
As blizzards go, this one was a bit of a letdown. Snow accumulation totaled less than six inches. However, Philadelphia and New York really got hammered.
Tip: You can view more travel photography in my portfolio.
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Travel Photography: Before the Blizzard
January 5th, 2011I just got back from visiting family in eastern Pennsylvania. Arrived there just ahead of a blizzard that was racing up from the South. The following photos show the calm before the storm.
The approaching blizzard wasn't about to affect the behavior of these affectionate trees...
But the decorated for Christmas sled would soon get a coating of snow...
And the still-flowing Chester Creek would freeze...
Tip: You can view more travel photography in my portfolio.
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Travel Photography: Arizona Biodiversity
October 20th, 2010While outsiders think that Arizona is nothing but dry, barren desert, we residents know better. This state has a surprising amount of biodiversity.
Take, for example, our riparian areas. Here's an impressive stand of cottonwoods growing near the banks of the Hassayampa River, which doesn't flow during dry seasons like the one we're having now....
Moving away from the river valley to higher ground, we find ourselves in a classic Arizona landscape. This shot's from the edge of Vulture Mine Road, which is west of Wickenburg...
On to the nearby Vulture Mine. This mine yielded $200 million worth of gold and silver before the U.S. government closed it in 1942. It's estimated that two to three times this amount is still waiting to be mined.
The Vulture Roost store caters to visiting tourists, and I'd have to say that the proprietor has some interesting tastes in decor...
I spotted these mining relics just outside the entrance to the Vulture Roost...
Tip: You can view more travel photography in my portfolio.
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