Following the light

Another wonderful spring day in the valley, warm with a breeze so you needed to stay in the sun to be really warm but not very cold even in the breeze! How's that for a sentence?!
Sunlight on the first tulips to bloom in the backyard, then Murph and I took a sunset walk around the refuge and captured some scenes that were eye-catching. A lot of stuff in the air, as you might notice in some of the photos.

Today

Murph and I got up and went out to see the full moon setting this morning.  Later he came out and watched me leave for work.  Kind of hard to leave with those big browns looking at you! But you know you are loved!

Antelope Island

Antelope Dreaming, a photo book that I created about Antelope Island, has been made into an eBook and is now available at Blurb in their bookstore. A great way to carry the book with you and enjoy the photos in the midst of your busy day!
Enjoy!

Watching

Although Fuzzy spends quite a bit of time moving quickly and more time sleeping, he does spend a lot  of time watching. Birds, mice, dogs, whatever interests him. Here he sits on the back of the living room couch staring out the window. I'd love to know what he is thinking?!

Favorite places

About 4 years ago in a dismal January in SLC Diana and I spent a week in Key West and environs. Warm, wet, and luscious - it was the perfect place for us at that time and has become a favorite of ours. People watching is our favorite pastime along with experiencing the natural world that is so present there.

Sunrise from the tip of Key West.

Hitching a ride on Diana's shirt as she toured the butterfly arboretum.

Celebrating a retirement

In a post a while back I published photos of a friend and his car.  Next week he retires after 30 years at Zions. Since I love making books, I asked him for a writeup of his timeline at Zions and incorporated that into a photo book for him.
He does not know that the book is being prepared. Here's a link to it - his words about his work life are worth reading!

http://www.blurb.com/books/4158222-4ever18

Peace!

Utah Capital building

I had the opportunity Monday to visit the Utah Capital building with Mom. We wandered around and had a docent lead us for some of the time. We visited the House of Representatives room, got close to the Guv's office and then toured the Supreme Court room. The court now meets in the Matheson courthouse downtown, but the old courtroom smells of leather and feels very solemn! The funniest part of it is a miniature stoplight that sits on top of the speakers stand where those addressing the court would stand. The light (supposedly) told the presenters when they should stop! Cool.

Here's a shot of the refurbished building.

Feathers and bluebirds

A trip to the west desert yesterday, primarily to provide Murph and I an opportunity to take long walks. Not much to see - lots of cattle and ravens, one young red tail, lots of folks out enjoying the weather.
Then we took a side trip up to a place called White Rocks (out by Dugway) and were treated to the brilliant blue of a mountain bluebird! Their color just begs to be seen and admired so we did! He spent some time around us, watching Murphy smell his way around the mountain top! Then he was off.
A feather hung on the grasses was the other surprise beauty of the day.

Can you imagine being here?

The wind tossing spray in your face, wetting you and your clothes down; the clouds changing shape above you; the wind in your face pushing you back when you move forward - taste the salt spray in your mouth!

Then imagine you are this tree - bent but not broken by the continuous push of the wind, pushing back with the thrust of life inside of you...

Imagine...!!!!

Repetition

One thing Nature does is repeat herself - often in different sizes or colors or both. Look around as you see a unique shape to see if others are nearby.

Looking for Sage Grouse

A friend and I took an early morning trip up to a 'lek' by Henefer to see if we could get some sage grouse shots. Well, we were a bit early - we saw about 30 or so grouse but they all flew away before doing any serious strutting or photographing.
So, being photographers, we had to do something!  Here's what I wound up with:

Early morning light on the clouds.

Sunshine is heading our way.

Drainage lines on the side of East Canyon Reservoir

A bundle of turkeys

Why did the turkey cross the road?

Edible-looking

Exploring the seashore always provides some interesting small items that provoke conversation. In this case, are they edible? The answer, I don't know?
The small purplish-colored shells house some kind of small being that I am sure some animals would eat. Given that some animals would eat almost anything! I've not ever read anything about these so just enjoying their beauty.

A man and his toys!

A friend and co-worker is a speed freak and has been for many years.  From building race cars, including one that ran at the Indianapolis 500, to driving sporty cars, Austin has done a lot!
He's retiring the end of March after a long and illustrious career and has sold his Jaguar ('Rosie") and has a smaller, less expensive to maintain Pontiac sport car.  I took a few photos of him today with his car - "Josephine"!
His license plate says it all!!

Burning rubber with the 4-cyl turbo!

Experimentation

All of life is an experiment, I think, As I age, I know less and finally realize that.  So pushing the limits on a photograph is not really a big deal, just forces you out of your comfort zone.  Do it and then come back tomorrow and see if you like it.
Here's one I have done several different things with, but finally hit a blend that I like.  Not a big deal, just experimenting!

Peaceful view

Here is a view from Monhegan Island over the Atlantic just after sunset. The island, which restricts vehicles to a very limited number, is a haven for artists and lovers of nature and quiet. Diana and I spent several days at the Island Inn in 2010 and will likely be going back in the future. Lisa and Sean are going to spend a day or so this July on the island as part of their annual trek to Maine.
So I recognize that I am "desperately seeking spring" in the photos I am presenting - another dull gray day here with rain has me revisiting sunny wonderful places!

More signs of spring!

Well, hope springs eternal from the human heart - and we are hoping for spring!  50 or so today and lots of melting which was so welcome to start to get rid of the 3 months of snow piles.
This morning the Canadian Geese flew from Sugarhouse Park to the benches, a routine that they do not follow in the winter. That plus the primroses that Diana picked up we are using as signs of spring!