Bonzai!!!!!

Ducklings diving into the lake. The height they jumped looked about 10 times higher than they are. I think it would be like jumping off a ten-story building into a pool. They were so fun to watch.

Huddle

The hoard of ducks found this morning a bit chilly. All 20 ducklings are trying to get there bodies under mommy duck. Every once in awhile one of the ducklings would waddle around to find a snuggle spot. Way fun!

Favorite artist

I spent a lot of time at the Bellagio while I was in Las Vegas. My favorite artist is Dale Chihuly. His glass works take my breath away.

Human design

Human designs delight the eye and intrigue the mind. The size of the people give you a hint of the size of the wood sculpture that houses a bar and the ice sculpture in the foreground that are incased in ice. I am guessing there is some way to keep these frozen.

Guest Photographer

I am pleased to share the work of Jessica. She is a talented backyard photographer and look forward to her becoming my competition when she gets out of elementary school.

Unexpected

Shattered safety glass seemed like an interesting subject. Then the electronic billboard added its own twist to the picture. Didn't expect this to be the results of events coming together in a moment of time.

Bouncing Baby

This hours old baby zebra, bounced across the pen about 10 feet from his momma, then be bopped back again.

Yucky Ducks

I spent the morning shooting pictures of the hoard of ducks. That yucky stuff all around the edge of the town lake is the stuff the baby ducks are eating. I always think they should clean the junk out of the lake but apparently I would be stealing the baby ducks food. Yucky ducks.

The Hoard

Spring when all the duckling hatch. We have a bumper crop this year. 'Make way for ducklings.' Photography tip of the day. Bring an extra memory card even if you don't think you need it. I missed several great shots this morning due to a full memory card.

Huey, Duey, and Louy

Many years ago there were 3 white cartoon ducks that always hung out together. I have dubbed these three Huey, Duey, and Louy after those ducks. These 3 are always together.

Get the Ball!

Maui loves playing basketball. I doubt she scores many points, but such enthusiasm is to be envied.

Death of a pool

After years of maintaining an unused pool we decided to kill it. Pumped all the water out onto a thirsty lawn that drank it all. The pool is now barren emptiness. I am not sorry to see it go. Once filled in I have visions of a place to grow a garden. Death of the pool will lead to the birth of a garden.

Up close

Up close and personal with butterflies at the Desert Botanical Gardens butterfly pavilion. I spent an hour taking pictures of butterflies. The yellow powder on the legs is pollen. Way cool.

Blurp.....

Water inlet to the town lake adds a bit of water some days when the lake is low. Everyone once in awhile it looks like a blurp. All I had to do was wait for the right moment. Photographers use patience as a technique for getting pictures.

Just is...

I tried to capture the variety of plants on the side of the Phoenix mountains. I like the combination of plants and rocks.

Expected and Unexpected

The top duck does not show as well as it does in photoshop the spectacular detail of the texture of the feather. The second one I thought was a missed shot but realized I caught the moment of splash when the duck hit the water. I expected the first and the second was an unexpected pleasant surprise.

RAW

This brawl started in the roadway and continued on the grass when a truck nearly ran them over. The 2 pictures are from the same RAW file. The bottom one I lightened the blacks so you could see them a little better. Unfortunately they had a better contrast before I uploaded the files. I need to learn to compensate for web colors. Third time looks more like I was hoping but lousy in Photoshop.

Lives his Dream

How many people have you met talk about living their dream? He plays the carillon at the Renaissance Fair every year. He has combined the rarest instrument with an orchestra of music in extraordinary performance. http://www.castinbronze.com/

Back in time

Traveled back in time and found a photo from last year. This is a tree that I played in when I was a child. It reminds me every time I see it that what happens to you changes you, but you define what you are. This awesome climbing tree turned out the way it did because me and a bunch of other kids sat it when it was young and split the trunk. Now kids love climbing in this kid friendly tree.

Determination

These cacti are very determined to survive. They are perched on the rock running their roots in the cracks. Making a space for themselves to live. Thriving in impossible conditions seems to be a daily occupation for some desert plants.

Palms of My Hand

Happy Easter
Isaiah 49:15-16 (about 700 years BC)
15...yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;...

His Hands

http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/kenneth_cope/his_hands-lyrics-1240274.html

his hands
tools of creation
stronger than nations
power without end
and yet through them we find our truest friend
his hands
sermons of kindness
healing men's blindness
halting years of pain
children waiting to be held again

his hands would serve his whole life though
showing man what hands might do
giving, ever giving, endlessly
each day was filled with selflessness
and i'll not rest until i make up my hands what they could be
'til these hands become like those from galilee

his hands
lifting a leper
warming a beggar
calling back the dead
breaking bread, five thousand fed
his hands
hushing contention
pointing to heaven
ever free of sin
then bidding man to follow him

his hands would serve his whole life though
showing man what hands might do
giving, ever giving, endlessly
each day was filled with selflessness
and i'll not rest until i make up my hands what they could be
'til these hands become like those from galilee

his hands
clasped in agony
as he he lay pleading, bleeding in the garden
while just moments away
other hands betray him
out of greed, shameful greed
and then his hands
are trembling
straining to carry the beam that they've been led to
as he stumbles through the streets
heading towards the hill on which he died
he would die
they take his hands, his mighty hands, those gentle hands
and then they pierce them, they pierce them
he lets them, because of love
from birth to death was selflessness
and clearly now i see him with his hands
calling to me
and though i'm not yet as i would be
he has shown me how i could be
i will make my hands like those from galilee

Comparison

One of the techniques in photography is to place something we know the size next to the subject of the picture. I placed my hand next to the flower so you can see how tiny this desert bloom really is.

Creepy Crawlies

Yesterdays hike had me encountering several creepy crawlies. The big fellow munching the flower totally ignored me while I shot several pictures. The spiders were on the move in the early morning hours which made taking their picture very difficult. In the low lighting, their legs get blurred. The most impressive of the bunch is the little inch worm valiantly crawling up the Squaw Peak summit path. Total dedication to go 1.2 miles, one inch at a time.