Thursday doors…Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a place that many people recommended when we first moved here and we finally visited with my brother and sister-in-law earlier this year, getting there very early to avoid the heat or at least the worst of it. It turned out to be half price day, making it even better. Although it was recommended as a place to find birds, we didn’t see many but had a great time anyway. Thankfully the wildfire that threatened it later in the year stopped just at the top of the ridge. It would have been a terrible loss.

It seemed an unlikely place to look for doors, but I found some anyway. 🙂

All I can find out about the house is that it was built in 1915 and was home to a family of 5 who sold produce to local miners. But if you’d like to take a walk to the house while seeing what a tiny slice of the arboretum is like, click here.

Friday flowers…white & FOTD plus Squares: Why trees?

Today’s a big overlap because it’s the last weekend of “white” as the Life in Colour challenge and the first day of the new Squares challenge where July’s theme is “trees.” In addition, any day is a FOTD day (Flower of the Day). While I can’t get one photo to meet all these themes, as usual I try not to do multiple posts except on some weekends, so I’m including two photos, the second for Squares.

While hiking through McDowell Preserve during my trip back to Illinois, I came across a bush of what I believe is common ninebark. It might have “common” in the name but a bush covered with these is anything but common to my mind and just right for the last flowers in the “white” challenge.

for Life in Colour: white and Cee’s FOTD

Becky, in her infinite wisdom, has decided the July’s squares will be “trees.” To me, trees usually require a vertical rectangle, but I shall rise above my inclinations to meet her challenge. I’ll start with my original question: (Wh)y trees? 🙂 This is the photographic rendition of that question as seen at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, which I was thankful to learn had been spared, just barely, by one of the recent wildfires, the Telegraph Fire! What a loss that would have been!

for Squares: trees

Lens-Artists Challenge #152 – Shades and Shadows

Shade and shadows, both things I enjoy capturing in my photos. So many choices, but I’ll start with the shadow of a shade (or blind if you prefer), just so I can use both terms in one shot, even if the “shade” part is different from what Ann-Christine is talking about.

Shadow owes its birth to light. ~John Gay

In the desert, there’s a serious side to shade. Here the shadow of a rock formation in Boyce Thompson Arboretum provides much needed and appreciated shade. The temperature difference, even in the early morning, can be quite a contrast and in some situations could even be a life-saving one. Walking along the shaded path was infinitely cooler than when that path wound its way into the full sun. Trust me. When temperatures start soaring over 100F, you’ll learn to love the shade!

To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment. ~Jane Austen

I’ll finish with perhaps my favorite shot of shade and shadow ,from the Visitor’s Center in Saguaro National Park. I shared it once before, but it’s so perfect for this challenge that I hope you’ll enjoy it again in this different context.

What is the purpose of the giant sequoia tree? The purpose of the giant sequoia tree is to provide shade for the tiny titmouse. ~Edward Abbey