Tag / arizona

by kritterspaw

Best view in Flagstaff

chairlift pano_Ssi

When my husband told me he was taking me someplace special for lunch in Flagstaff, and we had never been there, I was baffled.

It seemed a contradiction in terms.  There are a lot of good places in Flagstaff for a good meal.  Probably the best of which are only open for dinner.  We’ve visited most of the best lunch places in Flagstaff, or at least I thought.  One we hadn’t been to??  I was intrigued.

Well he hit a home run when we surprised me with Snowbowl.  Not being a skier, we had never been.  Snowbowl is a ski resort, open during the summer strictly for the views.  You can purchase a ticket for the chair lift to the top… enjoy the view and / or a hike… and head back down.  The ride takes around 30 minutes each way… and must be the best view in Flagstaff.  It takes you from 9500 ft to 11,500 ft.  It was a chilly 53F at the top.

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It forced us to sit down and relax for a change… and literally take in the scenery.

The restaurant at the bottom of the hill was less than spectacular… but the view made up for it.  Next time (and there will be a next time), we’ll bring friends… and our own lunch.  This kind of experience should be shared!

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by kritterspaw

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

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We took the Verde Vally Train with some friends the other day.

It reminded me that it’s fun to do activities you have done before with someone who hasn’t.  It’s like Christmas, seeing it through a child’s new eyes… it brings joy seeing others expressions and delight in the new experience.

jk train_Ssi

We’ve done the Verde Valley train, and honestly for someone who lives in the outdoors and is constantly exploring, picnicking, and day camping throughout AZ, the train was less than spectacular.  But for our friends, who don’t have that same opportunity, it was a delight.

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We were thrilled they had a great time, and from their perspective got to see AZ from the inside out… through the mountains, hills and trees, as we whooshed through the outdoor wild of a gone by era.  We got to see the old train stop in Perkinsville; and heard stories of farmers delivering produce all the way to Jerome.  The train in it’s heyday moved tons of copper ore from the Jerome mines.

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by kritterspaw

Milky Way over Mogollon Rim

moss ledge2PSi

The Mogollon Rim in Northern Arizona is very near to our home, for which I feel very fortunate.  The views are stunning, and varied.  Every overlook uncovers another view, with great ledges, moss, rocks and trees… truly a photographers haven.

rockburstPSi

June is one of the best months of the year to see the Milky Way.  It is low on the horizon and bright in the sky.  With a new moon, it’s the perfect time to get great Milky Way photographs.  So with such a great opportunity we took full advantage of it, and got out to see if we could photograph the Milky Way over the Mogollon Rim.

milkyway treertPSi

The challenge is to get decent foreground, but far enough away to be able to see it against the starry sky background.  The rocks in the front just don’t show up.

milkyway treePSi

So I selected 2 trees… one on each side of the Milky Way and did a 7 photo panorama to show the whole galaxy.

rim milky way panoi

Cool!

Then, I did a star trails photo.  This shot is 75 individual shots, each taken for 30 sec, over an hour… then stitched together to show the movement of the stars over time.

tree staxPSi

by kritterspaw

More Gourds

hunteri

I had some lingering gourds sitting on the bench that needed to be worked so that the bench could be cleared for the next project — shelving units for my office.

So I sharpened the pencil, heated up the wood burner and got to work.

aspenfalli

I wanted to do designs that were colorful and different.  I wanted them to be fun and professional looking.  I also wanted to take better photos of the finished projects.  What I have learned in taking photos of them, is I have a lot to learn about studio lighting.

AZi

My photographer friend, Maureen, turned me on to LimoStudio Lighting, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009F37LW8/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1 .  For under $40 I got a tripod and soft box lighting.  Using it is another talent altogether… one that I still need to work out the kinks with, (though I am improving).

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I do like the way they came out.  The colors and designs are original, fun, and professional… just as I had hoped.  Time to put the gourds away and move on.

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by kritterspaw

Neighborhood Eagles

hawkclose_PSPSi We’ve had a number of sightings of big birds in the area.  At first we thought they were hawks.  But after getting a couple pix of them, we discovered they are golden eagles… and bald eagles.

It seems they migrate in the winter, so it would seem that they may have found a winter home in the area.  How cool is that?  Be on the look out if you’re in Happy Jack, AZ.

eaglehortPSi