Water at resort~SOOC Sunday~073111

I had some time to kill yesterday afternoon, while waiting for hubby, so I wandered around the resort.  Thunderheads were developing in the sky and it was getting darker and darker.  I walked over to this water course and snapped a couple of photos, including this one, which is SOOC.  SOOC Sunday for July 31, 2011.  To visit SOOC Sunday, please go to:  http://www.murrieta365.com/

Palm trees reflection~Weekend Reflections~073011

I had to pick up hubby yesterday afternoon from his work.  I parked and walked around, wanting to get some photos of the gathering thunderheads in the late afternoon.  I saw this reflection and decided to stop and take a photo of it.  This is over at Desert Springs Marriott in Palm Desert.  We didn't get any rain here yesterday, but it's much more cloudy today and thunderstorms are forecast.  Weekend Reflections for July 30, 2011.  To visit Weekend Reflections, please go to:  http://weekendreflection.blogspot.com/

Playing with sepia

I don't have any fancy photo editing programs and I don't have PHOTOSHOP.  But, I do have Picasa and within Picasa is Picnik.  Picnik has a sepia effects, so I tried it out on a few recent photos. I posted both the original and the sepia ones...what do you think?  All photos were taken over in Arizona last weekend.

Thunderheads arrive finally in our desert

You know, Arizona and New Mexico have had monsoonal moisture now for several weeks.  We've been without them.  We usually have monsoons in July and August, but this year, July has been dry...VERY dry.  It hasn't been that hot.  In fact, most days have been either average or below average (that is, until next week, when it will be 111 degrees here...sigh...).  Nobody has complained about our weather this summer.  Nobody, that is, except for me.  I miss the clouds.  I loved our Sunday night storm over in Arizona, with its rain, thunder, and lightning.  We haven't had that here yet...But, this morning, clouds were all around our valley and this afternoon, thunderheads are developing over our mountains.  We may actually get rain in the next couple of days!  FINALLY~~~

Early morning walk, Arizona~SkyWatch Friday~072911

I set out for my early morning walk on this gorgeous day while we were over in Scottsdale, Arizona.  We're going back in two weeks.  I packed so quickly, I forgot my walking shoes and only had a pair of flip-flops, so we headed over to WalMart and I bought a cheap pair of walking shoes.  I have two pairs of good walking shoes, which I left at home, and I'm going to pack them NOW in my suitcase!  SkyWatch Friday for July 29, 2011.  To visit SkyWatch Friday, please go to:  http://skyley.blogspot.com/

After the rain storm in Arizona

 It rained and rained and rained in Scottsdale Sunday night.  Hubby and I sat on our porch and watched the lightning storm and then felt raindrops.

 Monday morning I headed out, camera in hand, to see the resort after the storm.  Quail were running around in family groups, calling to each other and rabbits of all sizes were out enjoying their breakfast.  It was a wonderful morning, in spite of the humidity in the air.  I'm glad that we had the opportunity to witness a desert storm.  We haven't had any here in our desert yet (I do believe there was one in June, when we were in the Sierra...)

Cactus spines~OUCH~Macro Monday~072411

During my morning walk today, I found these cactus spines...OUCH! Macro Monday for July 24, 2011. To view Macro Monday, please go to: http://lisaschaos.com/

Mexican bird of paradise, yellow variety~Mellow Yellow Monday~072411

For those of you who visited my blog yesterday, that was the typical Mexican bird of paradise bush. But, there is also a yellow variety, which I have in my yard. I found a few of them here at the hotel, but they don't seem to be blooming as profusely as the multi-colored ones. I did snap a few photos of them yesterday morning, however, so here they are for Mellow Yellow Monday. Personally, I like the multi-colored ones better, because they have such vibrant colors, but the yellow ones are interesting, too! To visit Mellow Yellow Monday, please go to: http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

Mexican bird of paradise~SOOC Sunday~072411

There are several Mexican bird of paradise bushes down by one of the pools over here at Desert Ridge, in Scottsdale, AZ. So, yesterday morning (not early...), I went out to take some photos of them. HA~it wasn't long before I headed back to our room! Today, however, I'm heading out earlier! Arizona is having its monsoon season and the humidity is much greater here than in our Southern California desert, although I heard on the news that we're supposed to start getting monsoon humidity this week... :-( Aren't these blossoms beautiful? I have some in my yard and they've propagated themselves, but mine are just yellow. I love the multicolored ones! SOOC Sunday for July 24, 2011. To visit SOOC Sunday, please go to: http://www.murrieta365.com/

Sunset Palm Desert~SkyWatch Friday~072111

Just a reminder that sometimes the best photos can be found right at home! These photos were taken in August of 2009 right outside my house. SkyWatch Friday for July 21, 2011. To see other skies, please visit: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Which way is up?

Which way is up? HA~if you look in the lower right hand corner, there's hubby with his camera! :-) I sure would like to be there now, instead of here in the desert, where it was 109 degrees today. My little cat, Daisy, came to the front door, panting, and I let her inside. She slept all afternoon. It's so hot that the birds disappear midday!

Desert Willow sprinklers~That's My World~071911

I took these photos one morning in June, before I had to leave for school. I got to the golf course early one morning, before my usual walking time, and saw quite a show! There were rainbows everywhere. That's My World for Tuesday, July 19, 2011. To see other worlds, please visit: http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/ *** A couple of you have written comments about whether or not this is recycled water. Here in the desert, nearly every golf resort DOES use recycled water. We also have a very conservation-oriented water district. Right now, they are offering residential properties an incentive to install drip sprinklers. Good question and I'm glad you guys asked! Our water comes from the Colorado River, but we also have a large aquafer underground from all of the snow and runoff from our local mountains. We have the 10,000 foot Mt. San Jacinto and the 11,000 foot Mt. Gorgornio which provide water for the aquafer.

In a blogging funk right now...

I just don't have much to blog about right now. Our two trips to the Sierra have left me exhausted and I have 4 horses in training. They have a lesson every Tuesday and by the time I work them on other days during the week, I come home exhausted! I haven't been out for my morning walk at all this summer, even during our "cool" mornings (it's been in the 70's here in the mornings...)...I just haven't had the energy! I'm going to start making green smoothies in the morning (I'm heading over to COSTCO today to buy a VITAMIX...) and I hope that will help increase my energy level. And, hubby cleaned off my desktop and put ALL my photos on an external hard drive, so to find one, I have to remember which file it's in and then find that file...ACK! (...pulling out hair...) Maybe I'll find a photo to put with this post...if not...there's always tomorrow!

"People"~Sunday stills Challenge 071711

...sigh...people? In my photos? No way! This is a VERY difficult challenge for me this week. I avoid taking photos of people whenever possible. I don't WANT people in my photos! I take landscape photos! That means no telephone poles, no power lines, and no people. PERIOD. So, I had to go back through my archives, back to 2010 to find these! The bottom photo is one of the Black Bear Diners. Next up is Costeaux Bakery in Healdsburg, CA. Then, that's a photo of our grandson and son-in-law and Ben's mom, all at the piano. Finally, that's our son in Yosemite National Park. There. I've done it...people! :-) Out of the 200 photos in that folder, there were only these 4 photos of people. Sunday stills Challenge for July 17, 2011.

Tuolumne Meadows logs~Nature Notes~071411

I'm always looking for interesting logs in my photos and when hubby and I stopped at Tuolumne Meadows over the July 4 weekend, we found a spot with several of them. I walked over to it and marveled at the views of the meadow. There were deer grazing nearby and a lot of water was standing in the meadow and running in the river. We arrived early in the morning (about 7 a.m.) before the crowds and it was still quiet and peaceful. I'm glad we got up at 4 a.m. that morning and drove to Yosemite to see all her beauty. Nature Notes for July 14, 2011. To visit Nature Notes, please go to: http://ramblingwoods.com/