“May the joy of Christmas and the peace which the Birth of the Saviour brings into the world be in your hearts forever.” – Pope John Paul II
Merry Christmas everyone.
As the year is coming to an end I have taken some time to reflect and ponder what to do in the future. The year was full from beginning to end. Being retired sure keeps me busy. Health wise there were a few bumps in the road but overall I came out of it pretty well unscathed. I keep my doctors in business patching me up and then setting me loose on the world. I will be looking to improve my health next year with a better diet and a more strenuous exercise program. Famous last words – but I’m committed.
Photography is always fun and because of this hobby I get to go to some beautiful places to create my vision. Here are some photos from this past year.
Starting in January in a trip west to the New Water Mountains I got this shot in early evening light. I like the way the light plays across the scene when I turned it into Black and White.
This guy was getting some lunch at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch or Gilbert Water Ranch. Shooting small birds is very difficult. They tend to hide in the bushes and behind branches which makes it next to impossible to photograph them. Recently I was out with a new friend Joe Lester who is quite prolific at getting these kind of shots. Take a few minutes to check out his site.
This spring was very good for wild flowers in the desert. This was taken in the San Carlos area.
In March my grandson Christian came to visit us and we took his newly acquired Porsche up to South Mountain to take a photo of his car with the evening sunset. Nice ride…
Taking my Tacoma and my guide Fr. Charlie I traveled to Sedona for some photographic adventures in the back country. What I like about this shot was the Jeep from one of the tours coming up a difficult trail in the early evening light.
This was taken at Hewitt Canyon East of Phoenix. Hedgehog cactus blooming in a wall of rock.
Same place more Hedgehogs.
A Northern Flicker out in the desert.
A Century plant in the Bradshaw Mountains just south of Prescott
Lightbox work with flowers.
Red Rocks near the Vermillion Cliffs
North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Can’t go wrong here – just point and shoot and you have a beautiful scene.
Buffalo grazing just south of Jacob’s Lake in Northern AZ
A lonely bird out near the Salt River
The end of the day. Sunset behind Thumb Butte, Prescott AZ
Merry Christmas John & Louise!!
Loved your entire blog. Takes me back to the beauty of AZ and the wonders of great friends like you…. and the memories of great (trouble) adventures we’ve shared. Love you and sure do miss you both! ❤️