Visitors from Austin, TX!

Our friends Shayna and Jenny are visiting us from Austin this week. We've been out exploring a bit...here's a photo taken at the Grand Canyon yesterday evening. Photo is (L to R) Debbie, Shayna, Jenny. I'm the smart one...hiding behind the camera!

Gentle Greyhounds?!?

We think of Greyhounds as gentle dogs...until they demonstrate what they are capable of doing! We made the tactical error of leaving the pizza screen in the sink to cool off after a reheat of leftover pizza. A little cheese was stuck to the screen...Miss Bella decided she needed more cheese in her diet and grabbed the screen while we were out.

When we returned home we found the remains of the screen...torn like it was paper! And Miss Bella has the most ghetto fabulous silver-coated front teeth!

The New "Classic" Look

I wanted to work on replicating the style of vintage postcards so that I could recreate the look and feel using some modern digital photographs that I have taken. Above is my first attempt of the "old" look. I photographed the Clarkdale Classic gas station this past weekend. The station has been around since the early part of the 1900s. The overall look hasn't changed much, but the trained eye will see that the gas pumps are too new, and other items are of the wrong time period. Still, an interesting effect I think. Post your feedback!

Tarantula!

By request, here's one of our friendly tarantulas that sometimes come to the house. This one was at the back patio door and wandered around for awhile and then left. They are really not as scary as they look, they aren't aggressive and you can let them walk onto your hand and pick them up. It takes a bit of provoking to get one to try to bite. And as large as they are, you aren't going to find one in your shoe...like a scorpion. (Shoe shaking is a standard procedure here, just in case!)

Hey, I Like it Here!

Well, Kingman has been here for over a month now. He has done a great job of adapting to the home environment. He loves to play with his stuffed toys and is quite the companion. We can see why he washed out of the race circuit early...he has no prey drive! He doesn't want to chase rabbits when we're on a walk (unlike Miss Bella!), and is content to just walk alongside at whatever pace we keep. Though for his safety he is always on a leash when we are on walks, he shows no inclination to wander off and prefers to be right next to his people.

We have to get a good photo of Kingman and Bella together because we won a silent auction recently to have an oil painting done of two animals by a local artist. Bella and Kingman will be the subjects, as Boris and Tasha are already in family portraits.

Watch for more soon!

Welcome Kingman!

One greyhound is not enough! After adopting Bella and seeing what wonderful dogs greyhounds are, we decided we could take on another. So we asked Jim and Leah if they could find us a young male who was docile and fun loving. Shortly afterwards we got the word that some new dogs had come up from Phoenix and we had a possible match.

We went to the ranch and met Kingman (aka XI Express Mail). He is an 18 month old male who washed out racing because he had no drive. Perfect, he doesn't want to chase things! He is a red brindle who is very handsome. He was pulled from the track 9/19, neutered on 9/21, and went home with us on 9/23. In his first week he has done very well adapting to household living, and had no problems with glass doors, mirrors, or steps. He continues to blossom and we will report more later.

More of Bella

Here are a few additional photos and some info about Bella. Her racing name was "Boccabella" and she raced a lot. In 2002 she raced 67 races, and 57 more in 2003, and 21 more in 2004 before she broke her ankle and was retired. Overall she has placed 1st 11 times; 2nd 15 times, 3rd 26 times. Her fastest time was 31.04 seconds for 503 meters.


Nick and Bella


Tough day at work


Trying to look scary! (Just yawning though)

New Family Member - Bella!

We decided to add to the family and adopt another dog in need. Bella is a five year old retired racing greyhound. She broke her ankle and ended up with a metal plate in her leg as a result. Because of the plate, she will always walk with a limp, but it doesn't affect her ability to get around.

She has a very gentle personality and has already made friends with Boris, Sam and Tasha, our other 3 dogs. She's been in the house for about 2 hours now and has settled in for a nap right next to my desk.

Here's a photo of her foster parents when they dropped her off at noon. Watch for more photos soon!

July 4th in Clarkdale

Here are a few images from the annual 4th of July parade

The Clarkdale Command Center

For those of you that haven't been here, and for those who know I work from home, here are some photos of the "Clarkdale Command Center". This is where I spend the bulk of my day, with my assistant Boris, he's the handsome one under the desk!

It's springtime!!!

It's Spring and everything's happening out here! We spotted this cool Collared Lizard while walking around the property. He let me shove the camera right in his face (about 10" away) and didn't run away


This swallowtail emerged in the front flowers. We got the photo while it was still warming up in the morning


These hedgehog cactus are in bloom all around the acreage. This specimen is near the south side of the house


Prickly pear cactus are also in bloom. These are in the front yard.

Award-winning Photos

I entered three of my photos into the Verde Valley fair just for fun. Decided to enter them in the "professional" category. Well, the windmill image took first place, and the tulips took second. $35 in prize money...what can I say, it's a small town fair! Anyway, it was entertaining, to say the least.

Prescott Valley Windmill


Tulips and Pool

Wildlife Photo Safari

Last weekend I went on a photo safari to capture some local wildlife and nature shots. Here are a few from the days catch:

Redwing Blackbird


Globemallow flowers


Red-tailed Hawk


Rattlesnake!

Susan & Kenny's Wedding

Trying to catch up on some posting here! On April 9, 2005 our friends Susan & Kenny got married in Patterson, Louisiana. Debbie was matron-of-honor, and I was the photographer. Here's a photo of the happy couple!

From West to South

I'm writing from "beautiful" Morgan City, Louisiana. We arrived last night, and are here for a friend's wedding on Saturday, where I am the photographer. Today will be a day of errands as we help with organization and coordination of caterers, flowers, etc. Maybe some candid photos along the way. Debbie is matron of honor...

The only nice thing about the Holiday Inn we're in is that they have a wireless access point and free internet. The king size bed is a queen and I think the sheets are from a full size...they keep popping off the bed. Oh well, it's only temporary.

More updates as they occur!

Off to breakfast.

My new "old" citrus label

I decided to try to create an "old" citrus label, in the style of those from the 40s and 50s. I started with the WWII photo of a friend's Mom and went from there...

New Yard Statue

So, we decided to add something unique to the yard. We hope the neighbors don't complain that we've ruined the area's rural appeal. I think it's more patriotic than the boring flags the others have in their yards...

Bonfire night 2

This is the fire at the neighbor's house. We had about 16 people at the peak. A nice big circle around the fire ring on the driveway. It was pretty windy, but we still had a lot of fun. Hot dogs, cupcakes, beer, wine...we had it all!

Firelight

We had our first bonfire of the season! It's a lot of fun to sit around and watch the fire (and drink wine) and watch the moon and stars (and drink wine) and watch the bats (and drink wine). Tomorrow we'll go to a friends house and do it all again there...

People will sell anything!

On a recent expedition to the highlands of Flagstaff I came across this item hanging in a shop window. Can you imaging how thrilled your kids would be to get one of these? Imagine collecting the entire set...I saw Einstein, Moses, Jesus and a few others to complete the array. Sure wish these were around when I was young, could have changed my life. Not.

Spring is Here!

The flowers are blooming, so it must be Spring! We are looking forward to things "greening up" again. The Winter has been cold and wet and most plants have dropped leaves and are just collections of sticks and twigs. Weeds are doing well though, I'll be out pulling them again today, didn't think that would be necessary out here, but alas, it is. Hey I needed something to do today, right?

Recent Graduate

My neighbor recently got his B.A. in Agriculture. Here's his graduation photo...

Quiet Neighbors

For those who haven't visited yet, we're a mile or so down a gravel and dirt road in a rural area of Northern Arizona. Houses are widely spaced. Our nearest neighbor is about half a city block away. The highest concentration of people is down the road a bit, but they are very quiet and don't cause any disturbance. They don't even entertain visitors.



The cemetery "closed" in 1934, though a few spouses have been added in more recent years. This was the cemetery that was built when a major influenza outbreak occurred in Jerome (just up the hill) back in the late 1800s. Most of those buried here were poor and Hispanic, so the grave markers are often plain cement or a cross made of galvanized pipe. Most have deteriorated to the point of being unreadable or just broken pieces. I've only seen one person visit in the last six months.

You Don't Know Jack

Well, here he is...saw him while walking out back (not on the "outback")



Hard to sneak up on him though.

Cornville Puppy

There's a neighboring community called Cornville (Cornhole to some) that many kind of disparage. References to the trailer parks and white-trash abound. Recently an Airstream trailer was spotted floating down the flooded river during the storms--we called it a "Cornville Cruise Ship".

Rumor has it that some of the residents practice "animal husbandry" to use a euphemism. This puppy was found wandering around after the last thunderstorm, if you recognize him, let us know so we can get him back home. I hear there's a strong resemblance to the father.

End of the day storm clouds

Well, I'm back in Arizona again. I had my California trip last week. Got to breathe the scent of technology again, see friends, eat sushi--the few things I've missed since moving. I was ready to come back though...I've never honked at anyone here and had to do it 4 or 5 times in the short visit to SJ. You know the ones who need it, those reading the paper on the steering wheel; phoning in their stock trades while weaving through traffic, and the others who just can't stay in between the lines. Ugh.

The next planned trip is in April to Louisiana for Susan's wedding. I'm the "staff photographer" for the event. Might be able to swing getting a new 20D if I can sell off the D60 in time.

California here I come!

I leave Thursday for the Bay Area. This is my delayed birthday present--a trip to visit friends, eat sushi, and shop at the local flea markets and thrift stores in search of items to sell on eBay. I'll be back on Saturday 2/19, but will post while "on the road".

Deb will be at home working and keeping the dogs fed and happy.

Back Country Cruiser

When Deb and I go out exploring the back roads of the area, this is our preferred transportation. When the weather warms up in Spring, we'll remove the hard top and go open-air! This is a 1989 Jeep Wrangler (YJ model) with about 132,000 miles, but it still has lots of life left.

Watch for pictures of this baby in different locales later on. This shot is up on Schnebly Hill Rd. above Sedona.

Pine, AZ

Took a trip to the local mountain areas this Sunday. This is a barn in Pine that probably looks like it did 50 years ago. It's not all desert around here!

Sunday Afternoon Thought

If your name is on a building, you are wealthy. If your name is on your desk, you are well-off. If your name is on your shirt, you probably work for a living. If your name is on your underwear, you may be in prison.

Super Bowl, what Super Bowl? We went for a drive in the mountains instead.

Flagstaff

Went to Flagstaff today. Traded in some used books and magazines and wandered around downtown a bit. The weather was great--about 55F--and there are still big piles of icy snow in spots where it has been pushed into hills. Interesting fact: Flagstaff has the highest cost of living in AZ according to the newspaper. Wouldn't have guessed.

Sam's Watching

John asked to see a picture of Sam. So, here he is, sitting for his portrait. He's wearing a fleece sweater from the "K9-couture Collection". He's my constant shadow, keeping tabs on where I am around the house. Sometime's he's too smart for his own good. Case in point, during the summer months Deb and I went to the neighbor's house down the road to drop off a package to them. The drop off turned into a glass of wine, then into dinner. At about 9 pm (the dogs' feeding time) I heard a noise at the neighbor's door. I looked out and Sam was there waiting for me. He had found a window that was open about 12" in my office, and pushed the screen out and exited. He tracked me down to the neighbors to bring me home. The other dogs (and cat) were asleep on the couch when we got back.

Rule of thumb--deadbolt the doors and close the windows when leaving. (He can turn the doorknobs with his mouth and open the door too...)

Water, water, everywhere

I looked out the window and saw the geyser. First thought...what the heck? Then I remembered that the water company has a valve at the rear of our property where they occasionally flush out the water lines. This was the day.

The stream was putting out several hundred gallons a minute and ran for almost 10 minutes before they shut it down. Free irrigation to the mesquite trees on my back lot and a small stream down the dirt road behind the property.

Too bad they couldn't do this in summer or arrange for me to "store" the water for later use. Oh well.

"10"

Practice, practice, practice.

This is my version of a "10", call it the Arizona 10.
10 shots in the "10" ring at 10 yards.

This was using my Kimber Ultra Carry II, pictured at the bottom. For those unfamiliar, it's an alloy-framed, stainless steel .45 automatic, with tritium night sights, and a set of Crimson Trace laser grips. When you hold the gun in a firing grip, the laser is turned on and projects a dot where the bullets will go. It's right on at 50 feet, haven't tested farther yet. You can see the dot on the target as well.

As an Arizona CCW* holder, this is the weapon I carry day-to-day. No, I don't plan to or want to shoot anyone, but if it's a matter of my life or theirs, it's not going to be mine if I can help it. The first choice in any confrontation is escape--get away if you can, avoid the issue. If you have to make the choice, you better be sure there's "AOI"...Ability, Opportunity and Intent. Basically the person on the receiving end of your gun has to have the ability to do grave bodily harm, as well as the opportunity to do it, and the intent to carry out the action.

Let's hope I never need to test my skill in a real-life situation.

*CCW means "Carry Concealed Weapon"