Ever Seen A Dog Smile?

Even a little Chihuahua mutt knows when life is good. When she's afforded the opportunity to bask in the warmth of a fresh spring day amidst the desert poppies.

Sometimes I wish I were a dog. She had to be thinking at the time, "It just don't get any better than this."

Woof.

I Miss My Sassy

My now departed Sassy was always there for me. She was always there WITH me. She never judged me. When I was sad and lonely, Sassy lay with me at my side, leaving only to eat and visit the litter box.

Her playful jumps always entertained me as she entertained herself soaring nearly 3 feet into the air trying to catch that elusive feather toy.

I miss my Sassy. I think she LOVED me.


(You can see an elongated bead of snot as a result of a respiratory infection that ultimately shortened her life. I'll never forget having to put her down and watch those baby blue eyes as they closed for the final time.)

Mystery

Self portrait, taken last December, tweaked into black and white with a slight glow added.

I may use it as my next profile photo. I liked the somewhat mysterious gaze.

Tower

My Tired Eye

No mascara, no eyeliner, just my tired eye. Shot with a Canon-Ef 50 mm macro lens.

Even the Rocks Cry Out

A recent day trip to the dazzling red-colored rock town of Sedona yielded a few snapshots that are keepers.

Yes, even the rocks will cry out.

Times of Refreshing

From 98 degrees to 81 -- all within a 45 minute period and following a severe summer thunderstorm in the Arizona desert. You've got to be here and stand in the refreshing air to really understand the temporary state of bliss.

We all need a time of refreshing in our lives, just as the desert longs for the coolness of the rains.

Just Another Reason Why I Love Arizona

Monsoon Floods

Arizona summers are usually hot, but they are most certainly not dry. The months of July, August, and September are the southern part of the state's wettest months, with warm moist tropical moisture being funneled from both gulfs of Mexico and California to the southeast and southwest.

As a result, this moisture surge is known as the summer monsoon, where on a typical day, mornings start out with clear cool skies only to give way to ominous storm clouds in the afternoon. Many storms are capable of producing several inches of rain in one hour, and due to the immense geographical altitude variation between the 10,000 foot mountain tops to the arid desert valley floors, dangerous flooding happens nearly everywhere.

Near where I live, this road is almost always closed during the storms. Even "Stupid Motorist Laws" have been enacted penalizing people for attempting to cross the washes and need to be rescued by emergency crews.

While it's a beautiful scene to watch empty creeks turn into raging rivers for a brief period, it's still best to remember when you drive up to one to "Turn around, Don't drown."

Beep Beep!

The first day I used my 70-300 mm telephoto IS Canon lens, I spotted a road runner in my backyard with a lizard snack in its mouth. It paused for a few moments as if giving me an opportunity to spot-meter, focus, and release the shutter.

These two images are from that collection.

Beep beep!

One From the Playground

I snapped this photo while attending a concert by the band Jayden's Playground. My niece, lead vocalist and on keys, can truly draw a crowd into the music and leave them with an incredibly lasting impression of the band's quality and her ethereal voice.

You can check out the band at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=367029330

or search for Jayden's Playground on the MySpace home page!

Before Friday Night Lights

San Xavier Mission : Prayer of Faith

Anyone visiting Tucson should not miss the opportunity to visit one of the most decorated missions in the U.S.

Nicknamed the "White Dove of the Desert" because of its bright white external facade, the San Xavier del Bac south of Tucson, Arizona is well known for the incredible detail of sculptures on its walls.

It's nothing less than a photographer's dream with all the brilliant colors scattered throughout. Just don't forget to bring your tripod, the sanctuary is generally lit with diffused sunlight and candles only. Oh, and if you have an ultra wide or fisheye lens, bring that too. You're gonna need it to capture more of the details in such a small space.

Law From the Shadows

Hope for the Flowers

Even in the desert, even in the driest and most challenging times, brilliant colored flowers spring forth, telling the dirt and rock which try to suffocate, that there is hope for the flowers.

A Graceful Ride on a Young Colt

I Miss My Mitzy

We lost her when the refrigerator repair man came into the house and she was frightened and ran out the door. How I miss my Mitzy!

Bonnie's Gift

Pillars of Freedom: Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument

Photo taken outside the Jefferson Memorial looking towards the Washington Monument at dusk during a visit to the D.C. area in 2007.

World War II Memorial revisted

Another of my photos from my visit to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Shutter priority, F/4. ISO 800.

Self Portrait February 2009

Having fun watching the sun going down up on the moun'tn, a friend turned and snapped these of me.

Inspection at the Tomb

From the other side looking back toward the onlookers at the "Changing of the Guard" at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetary just outside D.C. The faces of the crowd is what caught my second glance.

The Pondering

Again, while visiting Washington D.C. (duh) in 2007, I saw my kids and some friends sitting down in front of the fountain of the World War II Memorial. In the background obviously is the Washington Monument, one of D.C.'s most visible landmarks.

I trust that they will never forget the day they were here. I won't.

A Little Bit of Faith

"I Never Got to Know You"

"Uncle Jim, I know I never got to know you but I am proud of you."

This note was left against the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. This one image made me cry as I saw so many others touching names on the walls like a loved one gently touches the casket of their departed.

You can see the reflection and the bottom of the wall at the top.

Lightning Over Colonial Williamsburg

My visit to Colonial Williamsburg in 2007 began with an evening walking tour about the hauntings that remain in the settlement. As the tour guide was telling a ghost story at the village square, i captured a lightning bolt from an approaching storm with my camera in my hand and without a tripod.

The Beauty In Reaching

I chose this just because...
Sometimes you just have to believe you are beautiful, you just need to reach up and let the light shine in.

Transcendant Hope of a Sleeping Sun

On my flight back to Arizona from a two week tour of Boston, Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, and historic Jamestown, I noticed a stream of light shining through the window of the young child sitting in front of me. Looking around, most people were either already asleep or dozing off. I think my gasp of "Woooowwwww" woke up several people, and if that didn't do it, the sound of my Canon Xti's shutter going off repeatedly did.

What I captured is currently used as a part of the banner of a website called Transcendgender. The full image continues to captivate my heart and compels the vivid memory on that plane at 32,000 feet. If ever an image could inspire a sense of hope within me, this was it.

I'll never forget the dazzling colors that are now embedded in my memory. So many that even this image could not contain the full spectrum of the Creator's canvas.

The photo was taken at a time when I faced some of the most painful moments of my life. Live a lie, or face the truth of who I really am? Expose your weakness to those who love you or bury the misery deeper into the gray fog that nearly blinded you?

Embrace the light of love, or fall into endless despair?

And even then, I chose to step forward into the road less traveled. I chose authenticity.

The Capitol Ceiling

I visited Capitol Hill in the summer of 2007. These were taken as I stood directly underneath the dome.

Carry Me My Hero

I captured this moment of my son carrying my daughter into Disneyland because her feet were tired. My heart always sings, "Awwwwww" when I view this photo. (Don't worry, her energy came right back when we got inside the gates!)

Capture the moment. Isn't that one of photography's best rules?