Archive for the ‘friends’ Category
sharing paradise 14 comments
Yesterday, Sabrina, Sage and I arrived back in Canada after spending our fourth winter in Bisbee. We took a meandering route homeward this year, on the road and camping here and there for most of the past three weeks, in the company of my good friend and fellow blogger, Larry Ayers, of Riverside Rambles. Before leaving Arizona, we visited the Grand Canyon, and Boyce-Thompson Arboretum. Larry is a botany enthusiast, so the arboretum was a favourite place of Don’s and mine that I wished to share with him.
In Utah, we toured one of the places that I most enjoy camping and hiking – the back country around Kanab – before moving on to see Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches National Park, and hike to the ruins on the trails around Hovenweep National Monument. See photos above and below of some of these places (click on all images for larger views).
We camped in all sorts of places from forest service camps atop snowy mountains, to sites along Waterpocket Fold in Capitol Reef, and on BLM lands in the high desert beyond Kodachrome Basin.
We did quite a bit of exploration on foot across mesas and in an awesome slot canyon.
We followed many a winding road through mind-blowing landscapes.
We shot photos of impossible rock formations and ancient ruins.
After leaving Utah, we made our way through Colorado and Kansas, then wound up our wanderings with a visit to see bison on range land within Prairie State Park in southwest Missouri.
Over the past four winters, I’ve visited many of the above places alone with just my two dogs for company. I might not ever have retraced my journey, but it was fun to be able to share a few slices of paradise with a good friend. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve had that opportunity.
my yesterday 12 comments
Back to some chronological leaping around. A couple of days ago, I added to the account of our November travels through Utah. Today, I’m jumping forward to yesterday. I would like to share some photos taken over the past forty-eight hours, illustrating what the dogs and I did in lieu of celebrating christmas. The night before last, I presented good friends with a 12 x 16 inch canvas of the “Nevermore Cat”. As most of you know, it is based on Paul Gauguin’s 1897 painting Nevermore. In 2008, I had created a smaller version on some canvas board, but decided to make a larger version on a stretched canvas, this time working from a better photograph of their cat. My friends were surprised and pleased when I handed over the finished painting. (Note: Click on all photos for larger views).
Yesterday, I spent the morning working around the place and then playing guitar for awhile. Around noon, a friend called to ask if I might like to go for a walk around town. I’m always game for that as Bisbee is a place unlike any other. For those who harbor an appreciation of art, architecture, building materials, texture, and history, there is much to see. I never fail to see something new each time I go for a stroll with my camera. Yesterday proved to be especially nice as there were so few people out and about. That’s a rare thing as there are usually dozens of tourists wandering around the streets on any given day.
My friend and I are both art and architecture junkies, so our attention was drawn to stone, tile and ironwork, old doors and windows, cast-iron manhole covers, metal rain gutters, crumbling concrete walls, graffiti, hand-painted signs and lettering on brickwork, and a bunch of other stuff that I can’t even begin to go into here.
As mentioned, each time I wander around town, I see something that I’ve never noticed before. Yesterday’s coup was the above panel of an agave and kangaroo rats, and its twin, a panel of a yucca and a horned lizard.
For some time, I’ve been meaning to stop and photograph the wonderful gate and figures created by metal sculptor, Benjamin Dale. If you have spent any amount of time walking around Bisbee, you will have encountered his work. More examples can be found on his website.
Our afternoon walk-and-photo session was cut short when we ran into friends who were heading over to Whitewater Draw to visit the Sandhill Cranes. My friend and I decided to join them, tossed our binoculars and cameras into the van, and made the short drive to the playa where the cranes gather between foraging forays. On this occasion, they were on the east side of the playa, affording a very good view. We remained for an hour or so before heading back to town. I arrived home in time for my evening walk-about with the dogs before making our dinner – leftover stir-fry from the previous night. Not your traditional holiday fare, but then, who keeps track of this kind of thing anymore? Not I.
