Weekly Photo Challenge: Off-Season…dessert in the desert

Posted: June 12, 2015 in Weekly Photo Challenge
Tags: , , , , , ,

One of our best off-season adventures was many years ago when our girls were young.  Since we home schooled them, we could go on vacation when others were in school and that’s just what we did when we met my parents at Busch Gardens, Florida.  There were hardly any people there, so we we went from ride to ride with nary a wait in line, except a small one at the water ride.  The best story, though, was when our older daughter wanted to go on a ride that she was technically to small to board.  The attendant let us on and said, “If you need me to stop it, just put up your hand.”  When her eyes started looking like those of a cartoon character, almost rolling around, I asked the woman in the next car to put up her hand (as I was holding our daughter), and the ride was stopped.

Not long ago, our younger daughter and I went to Arizona, not the thing usually done in summer.  Many people, at least retirees, were gone for the summer–snowbirds, as they’re often called.  The weather started at a “mild” 90 or so, but each day got hotter and hotter.  Yes, the dry heat is easier to endure, but, yes, it’s still hot.  On a day when the mercury climbed over 100, we visited the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix where I came across someone indulging in sweets.  No snowbird this and obviously not bothered by the heat!

DSC_0503

Comments
  1. bythebriny says:

    Great capture and delicious colour combination!

    • Thanks very much! I’m glad I had my telephoto. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to get close enough. But what a beauty! I love hummingbirds.

      janet

  2. Nato says:

    Amazing picture!!!

  3. Khana says:

    What a stunning shot. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  4. You’ve captured the movement in his wings beautifully!

  5. Sandra says:

    That is a fantastic photo Janet. Absolute terrific! Well done.

  6. Ingrid says:

    Fantastic capture…. those little guys are not easy to photograph 🙂

  7. K.Z. says:

    that’s a really lovely image janet! just wonderful. ❤

  8. Gorgeous shot – like the blur of the wings, so many beats per second!

  9. A lot of work has gone into the Desert Botanical Garden over the years and they have created something really special; it was always a personal joy to visit…One of my fond memories of Phoenix where the hummingbirds so I really enjoyed your photo.

    • Charlie, it’s a marvelous place and never more so then when the Chihuly exhibit was there. I really enjoyed going back and focusing on the plants, animals, and birds, even though it was hot. Glad the photo brought back good memories!

      janet

  10. Am jealous of that one!

  11. Olga says:

    “Someone indulging in sweets” is amazing. We have a couple in my neighbourhood, but they don’t stay long to visit. Just a lovely blur!

    • Olga, I was thrilled to see that some of my photos turned out so well! I have many more that are blurred or focused on a plant, rather than on the bird. 🙂

      janet

  12. nowathome says:

    Brilliant photo!!

  13. Indira says:

    Very beautiful. So colorful.

  14. This is such a gorgeous photo! Vibrant colors and a very active little bird.

    • Their colors are jewel-like, that’s for sure, and how their wings can go so fast is a mystery to me. 🙂 You have a great weekend, too, Marion.
      janet

  15. What a beautiful well made shot Janet!

  16. This is an incredible photo. Great stories too.

    • That trip to Busch Gardens was so much fun, Raewyn, so I enjoyed telling just a bit of it. We also got to see some of the Budweiser Clydesdales, which was lovely as well.

      janet

  17. Leya says:

    Perfect – congratulations! And to us viewers too!

  18. Paula says:

    Brilliant capture, Janet! Congratulations 🙂

    • Thanks so much, Paula. I was excited when I saw how the photo came out, as my prior hummingbird shots have been abysmal failures. To be fair to myself, I usually have my phone, so despite the wonderful camera on it, I’m unlikely to get a great hummingbird shot with it.

      janet

  19. A perfect shot! My hummingbird photos are blurry messes… I’ll just look at yours from now on. 🙂

  20. leannenz says:

    Beautiful photo, Being able to travel on the off season is a a blessing! I timed my world trip to just be on the cusp of the season around Europe. It was great, lovely spring weather but none of the summer crowds.

    • There’s always the chance of bad weather in the off-season, one reason why it IS the off season, but often it works to advantage and when it does, it’s wonderful!

      janet

  21. Imelda says:

    This shot is so lovely. 🙂

    • Nice to see you, Imelda. I’m pleased you like the photo. I think it’s one of my favorites. Thanks for taking the time to comment as well as visit and enjoy your week.

      janet

  22. Penstemons willcertainly attract hummingbirds.

  23. Beautiful photo, Janet. Such a thrill to see hummingbirds and get shots like this one. ❤ I suspect all living things will seek cover the next few days with temps expected 111-116 degree range. That's brutal.

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  25. Obviously a wonderful shot.
    This wasn’t taken with your phone, was it?
    And how long did you have to wait to get the focus right and hold your breath that the bird would stay put.

    Has the Nature Conservancy or some other conservation group contacted you yet to take pictures for them?
    Randy

    • I took this photo with my Nikon and a telephoto lens, Randy. Once I spotted the bird, I kept trying to follow it with my lens and take shots quickly. One nice thing about digital is being able to get rid of photos that didn’t turn out without having to pay to have them developed first. I managed to get a few other good shots as well, so it was a good day.

      Sadly, no contract for photos yet. I’ll let you know when I hear from them. 🙂

      Have a great day, my friend.

      janet

  26. Wow that is s fantastic photo