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Catching up and preparing to shoot the moon

phases lunar eclipse arc Kofa National Wildlife Refuge AZ 1-31-18January 31, 2018 partial lunar eclipse

I’ve been planning for weeks to shoot the moon, preparing as best I can, and hoping for clear skies for January 20th’s total lunar eclipse.

Weaver Mountains fog Yarnell ArizonaAlmost funny how I sat around for months at home doing a whole lot of nothing except shooting my local Weaver Mountains and labeling photos taken many months ago.  Then, I decided to volunteer at the local Community Center thrift store and present at Club Yarnell.  Now it seems I’m busy all the time.  Well not quite every day.  In fact after working five hours helping with receiving, checking in donations, clean items, price and place, surprising how tired I was.  It’s fun to see what is donated, from junk people should have thrown away to brand new.  In fact I scored a set of new in-package flannel sheets for $6.  I do love getting a deal.

Gaelyn presenting Club Yarnell Arizona by JoannTaken with phone by a friend

The presentation about Grand Canyon geology went great.  About 20 people showed up and all gave positive feedback.  I’ve been invited back to speak about the California Condor recovery program in Arizona.  I totally loved this and almost felt like I was a Park Ranger again, but without the hat.  Most of it was videoed but I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet.

valley mountains clouds Yarnell Hill SR89 ArizonaStorm over the valley from Yarnell Hill SR89

trees snow on Antelope Peak sunrise clouds Yarnell ArizonaSunrise reveals snow on Antelope Peak

I’ve been driving a couple of locals to doctor appointments and shopping to help out and earn a few bucks.  A trip to Wickenburg Saturday had a storm chasing us home followed by heavy rain overnight and snow on the mountains in the morning.  It is winter after all, even in Arizona when living at almost 5,000 feet.

Bradshaw Mountains clouds Iron Springs Road ArizonaBradshaw Mountains from Iron Springs Road to Prescott

Although I’m not much of a shopper I took a local friend to Prescott Monday and we ended up at way too many stores but didn’t have time for Costco.  I’m now stocked up for a short journey.

Yet I won’t go camping without propane tanks.  Sadly, the old tanks—could be original from 1998—can no longer be refitted and re-certified.  I feared the time would come when nobody would fill them.  Only other choice is replacement, and the damn things are not cheap being horizontal 5-gallon containers at about $150 each.  They’re on order but not here yet.

rainy window view Yarnell Arizona

Sunday January 20, 2019 predicted weather Kofa National Wildlife Refuge ArizonaI’m hoping to leave Friday.  But honestly, sitting home today in front of a heater, watching pouring rain and enlarging puddles with a forecast predicting cloudy skies for Sunday, makes it difficult to get excited about this idea to go anywhere but home to shoot the moon.

full moon rise SR89 Yarnell Hill ArizonaJune 27, 2018 full moon rise

But it’s a Super Blood Moon, and the last total lunar eclipse to grace Earth’s sky until May 26, 2021.  And one of my 2019 challenges is to get out and shoot the night sky.  Time will tell, it’s only Tuesday.

 

life, RV life , , 25 Comments

The Best of 2018

01 DSC_4037hdrlelerw boulders trees last light clouds sunburst Yarnell AZ fb mss azp g-HDR-1-3-1It was a rougher year than many yet I still found some good and want to share the best of 2018.

02 DSC_6473hdrep2lerwfb pre-sunset boulders Yarnell AZ g azp g_HDR-1-3I feel blessed to have such a beautiful place to live in Yarnell, Arizona with great boulders of granite shaped over time.  Some just down the road, a few next door, and at the base of the mighty Weaver Mountains for my western view.  Since 2005 I’ve called Yarnell home and at least used it as a winter base while summering at Grand Canyon.  When you get to know a place it becomes easier to find the light at certain times of day.  And now over a full year I know this place even better.

03 hdrep2lecrwfb phases lunar eclipse arc Kofa NWR AZ taken 1-31-18 2 collage g fb gfb azp fb-1-2I did travel south a ways in January/February meeting up with friends in Quartzsite.  And then a little further south to watch the partial lunar eclipse from the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.  I plan to do that again next month.

03 DSC_0974hdrep2lerwfb Gillespie Dam AZ azp fb_HDR-1-2I took off a few days in March to visit friends in Casa Grande with a back-road stop at Gillespie Dam along the way.

04 DSC_2208hdrep2lerw trees boulders sunset Yarnell AZ fb mss azp g_HDR-1-1April I kept close to home to care for my dear friend Berta.

buds blooms saguaro Vulture Mine Road Wickenburg ArizonaI found out in May I wouldn’t be returning to work at Grand Canyon for the summer.  And that was not the best, yet was the most viewed post of 2018.  I had the first opportunity to see saguaros bloom in the lower desert spring.  I said goodbye and sent Berta to her daughter’s in Oregon.

06 DSC_4499hdrlerw boulders sunset clouds Yarnell AZ gfb g-HDR-1-1I hunkered in during June trying to save money and avoid the heat.

07 DSC_7620lecrw canyon sunset lightning Wedding site NR GRCA NP AZ fb mss azp npm nanpa g faa g-1-7-1My mid-July I hankered to be on the road and return to visit my beloved Grand Canyon especially during monsoon.  While there, Berta passed away.  The worst thing to happen in 2018.

Plus I visited Bryce Canyon National Park because I was so near and hadn’t been since the documentary filming in 2016, which I can now share with you at this link vimeo.com/282186298, password is geogypsy.

09 DSC_9651hdrlerw kayaks boulders sunset clouds Watson Lake Prescott AZ g-HDR-1-1I also enjoyed amazing skies during monsoon back home during August and made a day trip to Watson Lake in Prescott.

10 DSC_0963lerw Queen butterflies on white flowers Desert Bloom plant Yarnell AZ fb faa g-1-1September brought a surprise to Yarnell when the local Desert Broom bushes were covered with Queen butterflies.

snow fall aspen Snowbowl Flagstaff ArizonaBy October I was jonesing for the golden fall colors of an Aspen grove so took a day drive to Flagstaff’s surrounding forest and was treated with a contrast of snow.

12 DSC_4211hdrlerw US66 Standin on the corner Winslow AZ g fb azp-HDR-1-1In November I took a friend to his childhood town of Winslow, Arizona and stood on the famous corner.

13 DSC_6672hdrlerwfb tree boulders full moon set Yarnell AZ fb g-HDR-1-2December I’ve stayed home.  Gray skies covered the cold full moon rise of Solstice but I caught it the next morning going down.  Hand-held as I didn’t carry the tripod.  Maybe next time, a new photography challenge to meet.

So that wraps up the best of 2018.  I really hope to travel more in 2019.  But right now, I have few plans at all, just lots of dreams.

life, life and death, photography , 28 Comments

Thank you December and thank you all too

trees reverse sunset clouds Yarnell ArizonaI last wrote about happily saying goodbye to a lousy 2018, then I decided to change my attitude, and can now honestly say thank you December, and thank you all too.

brush Weaver Mountains fog Yarnell ArizonaI found an interesting and mixed bag of suggestions and ideas from my last post, and appreciate every one.  Thank you.  It took me a long time to write and put that out in the cyber-world.  I’ve always strived to encourage people to follow their passions, and I lost it.  I need to follow my own advice.  Now if I can just pin down what the current passion is.

Change starts with the story we tell ourselves.

hail on car Yarnell ArizonaHeavy hail storm

sales area in shed Yarnell Arizona

jewelry collageSaturday the 8th I had a jewelry sale, some collected and created over the years.  I’d put up a flyer at the post office community board and signs made from boxes at the appropriate turns and corners.  Nice I can sit in the warm house and see people/vehicles come into the driveway.  Throw on a coat and hat, greet them, and lead them into the shed where I set up the jewelry.  Plus put out the calendar and sold more of them than jewelry.  But that’s OK.  I set a $100 goal and broke it by a bit.  Not terribly busy yet 85% made purchases.  I am happy.  The next Saturday was a little slower yet still made almost $100.  This was as much about networking as anything.  Mostly local people.

trees sunset clouds Yarnell ArizonaI am still applying for paid summer Ranger jobs and I’m considering a few other jobs through Workamper.

Sierra cat in box Yarnell ArizonaFound a centipede under my desk Sunday morning.  If it’s not one thing it’s something else.  I’m told this 3” centipede is tiny.  Holy shit, they can be feet long. YIKES!

Truck & 2004 M34-TLB 36’ Keystone Challenger 5th-wheelOver the weekend, I listed the big RV for sale on Craigslist.  Maybe you know somebody interested.

Inside 5th-wheel RV2004 M34-TLB 36’ Keystone Challenger 5th-wheel with 3 slide-outs. Electric front jacks, central air, furnace, walk around Queen bed, washer and dryer hook ups, day and night shades, household refrigerator, nice size bathroom and shower, laundry chute to basement, tons of storage. $14,000.

neighbors ornaments on tree Yarnell Arizona

xmas decorations on fence Yarnell ArizonaSeveral neighbors decorate outside for Christmas, some more than others.  Since the 2013 Yarnell Fire I don’t have any decorations, nor really space to store them.  Now I’m living in a small and full space with a cat so certainly don’t need a tree inside.  But all things Christmas were 75% off at the local thrift store so I got in the spirit.  I think that’s enough.

trees boulders Weaver Mountains sunset clouds Yarnell ArizonaSold out of calendars.  However, I still have calendars from the first batch with a tiny printer glitch on about every other photo.  I will mail those out for $5 each paid for through PayPal.  I’m framing good photos from some of those to hang on my walls.

phases lunar eclipse arc Kofa National Wildlife Refuge ArizonaI’m making a plan for the January 20th lunar eclipse which we’ll be able to see all of from beginning to end in North America.  Come join me for a campout along Palm Canyon Road in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.  It’s where I shot for the last January lunar eclipse.  I’ll post more, but be thinking about it.

Sierra cat on fort sunrise Yarnell ArizonaDon’t wait for things to get better.  Life will always be complicated.  Learn to be happy right now, otherwise you’ll run out of time.

life , 29 Comments

Lijit

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