When we visited Boyce Thompson Arboretum last November, I spotted lots of patches of fall color – and not just in the trees!
Here are some shades of an Arizona autumn for you!
Desert Autumn Colors
September 2018: Cloud Coverage
It was just cool enough to sit on the porch awhile the morning I took September’s photo, and Quijote seemed to want a little extra sun.
The sky was mottled with little white clouds, like the edges of the approaching cloud bank had crumbled off ahead of it.
They reminded me of the bits of cream cheese you get when it’s too cold to spread properly. Or the pattern of paint after a timid first pass on a textured wall.
Later, the wind and air pressure and afternoon heat would work together to spread the storm clouds across the sky and cover it completely.
July 2018: San Diego Shadows
I think the fantastical plants I kept seeing around San Diego are called “dragon trees”.
On the way back from Coronado Beach, I noticed the playful-looking shadows they cast on the sidewalk. So, once again, I stopped in my tracks to take a photo of the ground.
Other photo favorites from July include a sunset in La Jolla (San Diego) and Quijote looking at the ocean.
Have you seen anything interesting on the sidewalk lately?
December’s Last Sunset and 2017 Photos
The sunset the last evening of 2017 was gorgeous – nature’s fireworks to celebrate the New Year.
A couple of the year’s other beautiful sunsets showed up on my Instagram Best Nine, fitting neatly into its unintentional bright pink/purple/royal blue color scheme. All of my most-liked photos were taken in Arizona, so, of course, they include some desert scenery.
Only a few coincided with my monthly photo picks.
1. #LOVE sign at airport protest 2. Star Wars Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) 3. Sunset behind palms 4. Tovrea Castle, Phoenix 5. Buildings in Old Town Peoria 6. Hotel Congress sign, Tucson – July 7. High Desert Trail, Black Canyon City – August 8. “Let’s Be Better Humans” campaign bus – March 9. View from Picacho Peak – en route from Tucson
I thought the photos I’d picked for 2017 were more varied than the automatically-generated Best Nine list. But, looking back, almost all are plant- or architecture-related. I guess it was a good year for both those categories.
I wonder what 2018 will bring.
A Hike in Le Marche
At about the halfway point in our Italy trip, we took a break from museums and city streets and headed to the country.
We went to Le Marche, a region east of Tuscany that stretches to the Adriatic Sea.
One morning, we hiked up a hillside to some ruins of a city that had been abandoned there hundreds of years ago.
Coming over one ridge, we spotted a pair of horses grazing. One had a bell around its neck (like a cowbell – apparently it keeps porcupines away).
They seemed as curious about us as we were about them, both parties making our way cautiously toward each other bit by bit.
We stared at each other awhile until, finally, Phillip and I turned to scramble up the next hill to see the crumbling stone houses there. The horses continued to mosey down their path.
