Tag: Foto Friday Fun

This week’s Foto Friday Fun includes 7 images chosen by readers picking a number out of my photo archives.  The pattern this week includes Arizona images.  Well, except for my choice because I’m dreaming and scheming about my return to South Africa.

Arija chose #365 because she’s “hoping I can enjoy another year of full on, wonderful life.”  I see this long view along Wagner Road being a good sign for long life.  There are so many vistas to observe in life.

Sherry chose #278, “for reasons too convoluted to explain.”  I have a hard time explaining how awesome it feels to watch sunset from Toroweap. This iconic view of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River is like no other.  And the long and rocky drive is also like no other.

Diane has been choosing Porsche model numbers but this week she turned the number around to fit so gets #449.  I sure hope she isn’t seeing any of this white stuff from a winter in Yarnell where this jay was looking for food and lazy me hadn’t filled the feeders.

Barb chose #536, “my Denver address.”  For me and my Ranger shadow our current address is at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.  You all have an open invitation to visit.

Elaine chose #301, “for the time of today’s sunrise.”  I’d never be awake for that.  But I do see a lot of sunsets, especially from my Imax RV windows during winters in Yarnell.

Bibi is soon to be off on another travel adventure to France before returning to her Belgrade home for the fireworks and chose #714, “for July 14th, Bastille Day.”  Fireworks in the US usually happen on July 4th but at Grand Canyon we have a water parade instead so we don’t want to start any fires.  Instead we enjoy fiery sunsets like this one seen from Cape Royal.

Firefly chose #405 which takes us to a view of House Rock Valley and the Vermilion Cliffs beyond from an overlook on State Route 89A as it drops off the Kaibab Plateau.  I stop here every time I head east off the plateau to see different light and shadows play.

My choice this week takes me back to Kruger National Park in South Africa.  I don’t know why hyenas get such a bad rap as I thing they are gorgeous.  Can hardly wait to return and listen to their crazy calls from my tent at night.  Will try to load an audio so you can enjoy their sounds as well.

Hyaena, Spotted (I think this will play on Media Player)

Thank you for playing along with Foto Friday Fun. It’s so much fun to dig through my archives and pull the stories from my memories. If you’d like to join the fun leave a number between 563 and 902 in a comment and maybe you can see your chosen image next week.

Which one is your favorite from this week?

Remember to check out the Geogypsy Facebook page for more photos.

Capturing the present for future memories of the past

Happy first day of Summer!

This week’s Foto Friday Fun includes 9 images chosen by readers picking a number out of my photo archives.  Lots of pics from my time at Oregon Caves National Monument.

Guess because so many of you know I take 100s of 1000s of photos there was an assumed typo on my part last week. But really I was just feeling nostalgic at the time when I limited the number choices from 1-100.  Makes no difference as I always enjoy the nudge into my memory banks when an archive photo appears.  Anyway, I take artistic license in shortening some of your numbers.

Firefly wrote in last week’s comment, “I’m sure you left out a zero unless you just want us to pick a photo from your first 100 pics.  My choice for next week is a random number of 8000 on the dot. (If its only in the first 100 then round it off to 80). LOL!”  So #80 is what you get.  Twelve years ago I lived in Southwest Oregon and the far north California coast became a favorite place to explore.  Tami and I visited Pelican State Park with our dogs and while sitting on top of a huge hollow stump we couldn’t see her dog Murphy.  But after climbing off the stump to look for him he sure could see us and gave a little bark to let us know it.

Jo chose #100 “just because.”  And I’m thinking it’s “just because” she had her mind on the current holiday motor biking in Namibia.  Her choice shows why I lived in Oregon as a Park Guide leading cave tours at Oregon Caves National Monument where I shared this stunning petrified garden with visitors.

Sherry’s choice of #77 takes us further into Oregon Caves, beyond the regular walking tour and shows less breakage of the speleothems (stalactites and soda straws in this case).  The fragile soda straws are hollow and as each drop of water falls a ring of calcite deposit makes the straw ever longer.  A very slow process.

Diane chose #968 from her on going theme of Porsches which I shortened to 68 only because she admitted to not remembering if she’d chosen that model before.  (She hasn’t.)  I’ll definitely cut her some slack on that as she’s recently returned and not fully recovered from a cruise.  Remember the stump from above, this is it with Tami sitting on it.  I love how the driftwood furniture gets constantly rearranged on the beach after each big storm.

Sallie’s choice of the unshortened 619, “the address of the first house we ever owned ((and the first house where we ever remodeled a kitchen, not that that’s been on my mind lately or anything ;>?)!)”   For as long as I’ve followed her she’s been remodeling one kitchen or another.  No remodeling needed here, my favorite aqua color, and that’s not photoshopped (as I don’t get that).  That unbelievable color is the true blue of Havasu Creek, or as the Havasupai are known “the people of the blue-green waters.”  Native farmers living in this amazing side canyon to the Colorado River.

Barb chose #1944, “my birth year.”  While certainly not back in the days of cavemen and women, in 1944 the Grants Pass Cavemen helped promote Oregon Caves National Monument with all kinds of crazy activities like this supposed wedding taking place in Miller’s Chapel.  This is not my photo as I was born ten years later.  This is a National Park Service archive photo.

Arija asked for #99 because, “Nine is such a full and pleasing number.”  Also pleasing were the tiger lilies that grew at Cave Creek campground were I hosted two summers while working at Oregon Caves.  I know Arija likes flowers so hope these will brighten her day.

Elaine chose #621 because “We’re coming up on the solstice and  our maximum sunlight.”  I know she likes light and solstice reminds us it won’t be long before the monsoon thunderstorms return to the Southwest.  And oh how we need the rain.

Freya’s choice of #22 goes way back to my early digital.  Many very old and scanned photos don’t have numbers.  My parents retired from the Chicago suburbs, where I grew up, to Mountain Home Arkansas then later to San Benito Texas where I used to visit them every winter.  We usually made it to Padre Island at least once.  I think my Dad just liked to drive his Big Lincoln on the beach.

Freya’s choice evoked another memory for my choice this week.  About a year and half after Dad passed away I went to Texas for my last visit and moved Mom to Arizona.  This time I drove the Big Lincoln to the beach, but not on it.  This is one of my most favorite photos of my Mom from that day.  And today marks the second year of her passing.  We rarely saw eye to eye on anything yet our day at the beach was delightful and timeless.

Thank you for playing along with Foto Friday Fun. It’s so much fun to dig through my archives and pull the stories from my memories. If you’d like to join the fun leave a number between 201 and 506 in a comment and maybe you can see your chosen image next week.

Which one is your favorite from this week?

Remember to check out the Geogypsy Facebook page for more photos.

This week’s Foto Friday Fun includes 6 images chosen by readers picking a number out of my photo archives.  Seems to be a lot of significant dates chosen.

Jo choose #3105, “just being today’s date!”  And by now is probably on holiday in South Africa where this photo was taken.  The sedimentary rocks look similar to what I see at Grand Canyon.  But this beaconing pool at the base of the Great Waterfall is located along Meiringspoort Pass, one of the many mountain passes I drove in South Africa.

Firefly choose a significant date, #2000, the year he got married.  Having met his sweet wife the Damselfly I believe she would like to receive flowers like this for a camping/anniversary visit to Golden Gate Highlands National Park, South Africa.  Maybe Firefly can identify this blue beauty of his home country that I saw along the Echo Ravine trail.

Sherry chose #645 to stay with me on the raft trip I took on the Colorado River.  Seems this experience is now seriously on her bucket list.  Wonder if the size of Hermit Rapid will change her mind.  This adventure remains high on my list of life highlights.

Barb chose #6869, “my hubby’s and my ages. (Unfortunately, he never lets me forget I’m 6 months older).”  Once you visit the Owl House in Nieu-Bethesda you’ll never forget the other-worldly home of concrete and ground glass sculptures conjured up by Helen Martins obsession with light and glass.

Bibi chose #2347, “my first love’s birthday.”  I could see the love of a child when Bongi and her mother played on the beach at Tsitsikamma National Park in Nature’s Valley, South Africa.

Arija chose #25949, “the day we embarked from Naples as refugees bound for the unknown continent of Australia, without any inkling of what we could expect except that suddenly we had to learn English. It happened to be my 13th birthday.”  I’m sure I have well over that many photos but not in a numbered sequence so I’m sharing a most recent photo of Angels Window seen on the North Rim at Grand Canyon.  I choose it also because I think that Arija is an angel who has survived to teach others about the love of life.

My pick from last week’s camping trip to Point Sublime showing the last rays of sunlight glowing on a small temple deep in Grand Canyon.

Thank you for playing along with Foto Friday Fun. It’s so much fun to dig through my archives and pull the stories from my memories.  If you’d like to join the fun leave a number between 1 and 100 in a comment and maybe you can see your chosen image next week.

Which one is your favorite from this week?

Remember to check out the Geogypsytraveler Facebook page for more photos.