National Monuments - Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot
My family trip to Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot.
“It is better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.”
This year is the start of our adventuring to all of the National Parks and National Monuments that we can possibly visit! I have wanted to explore all of these places for many years but, as we all know, something always seems to come up. But this year we started out by learning more about our state and the history that is all around us!
During the kids’ spring break, we had an adventure going to visit two National Monuments. We explored Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot. Both are ancient ruins of the Southern Sinagua people living in the Verde Valley in Central Arizona.
Montezuma Castle
These locations are thought to have been built around 1000 to 1300 A.D. Montezuma Castle is a five-story apartment-style building built on the side of a limestone cliff. This structure had around 45 rooms, Montezuma Castle is nestled into a cliff recess which is around 100 feet from the valley floor, and was accessed by a series of ladders. There is a diorama there that shows what life could have looked like, including one wild child running away from his mother. I can only imagine the panic that a mother would feel with living up high and having a rambunctious child!
We learned that visitors used to be able to access actually going into the castle, which would be seriously amazing, however, that practice thankfully stopped back in 1951 after excessive damage was caused to this landmark. This is a good reminder to keep this type of monument around for future generations to see.
We then drove over to Tuzigoot which was built at the top of a long ridge, raised 120 feet above the Verde Valley, that had around 87 rooms. It was super interesting to not see many entryways, and we wondered how they would enter their houses. After questioning that, we learned that they entered rooms from the roof by ladders. It was super windy when we were there and that made us wonder if that was part of the reason behind them entering from the roof.
We learned a lot about things we had never known before and there was so much more to learn! One of the great things we have learned from going to the different monuments is that they have a junior ranger program and that helps the kids, and us, look for and learn many more specific things! These are just little booklets that encourage us all to go around looking for answers to certain questions. In the end, they earn a junior ranger badge. Just make sure you ask for one when you go, they really are super fun!
April Calendar
The April calendar has arrived!
At the beginning of March, I got an annual pass to the Phoenix Botanical Garden. Wondering around in the garden I stumbled upon the succulent section and learned about the wide variety, twenty different kinds according to google, of aloe vera there are! Many of the aloes are in bloom right now and I find it fascinating how their blooms are different in shape and color. I discovered my love for the aloe rudikoppe, which was also called a Little Red Ridinghood aloe, and am now on the lookout for one for my yard!
May these blooms bring you joy throughout April!
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Random facts about me…round two
Round two of random facts about me on my birthday!
It is birthday time again! Happy 42 years of living to me!
I did the random facts about myself back in 2020, which was hard, and here I go again challenging myself to tell you 42 random facts about me.
1. I love the smell of the rain in the desert.
2. I have lived in four states - Minnesota, California, Arizona, and Colorado.
3. When I was a teenager I jumped off of a 50-60 foot cliff, at Havasupai, without hesitation, shocking everyone (including myself!)
4. Bryce and I have seen The Midnight, an amazing synth band, three times in concert.
5. I love hanging out with my kids.
6. My cat will be 19 years old this year.
7. My favorite type of ice cream is Thrifty ice cream. My favorite is a double cone with chocolate chip and mint chip. We used to get this after school when I was a kid. The taste brings me back!
8. I dream about someday owning a house on a lake. I can imagine the long list of fun times we could have there.
9. I got to study Spanish in Costa Rica, living with a great family, for five weeks.
10. I like to treat myself to coffee as a cure-all!
11. I love flowers!
12. I have three raised gardens in my yard and we are growing strawberries this year
13. Most often I end up watching the same shows over and over.
14. This last weekend I got to see Michael Bolton and Reba McEntire sing at a charity event.
15. I love to garden - both flowers and tasty foods!
16. My kitchen is a rainbow of different colors of Fiestaware.
17. I have three above-ground gardens and am trying to grow strawberries in Arizona, we shall see if it works…the first few have been AMAZING!!
18. I love cloudy and overcast days!
19. Visiting all of the National Parks is part of my bucket list.
20. If I could go anywhere today I would go to Greece.
21. I have lived in Arizona most of my life.
22. If I could go anywhere today I would go to Greece!
23. I have lived in Arizona most of my life.
24. I love taking walks with my dog. She starts jumping around and talking as soon as she sees me getting my shoes or going near her leash.
25. I get really excited to go flower shopping.
26. One of the things I love to do for myself, and everyone in my family, treat myself to wonderful-smelling lotions.
27. I like to listen to affirmations to remind myself to be kind to myself and others.
28. I lived in constant pain, from TMJ, for around 20 years. Almost four years ago my husband helped push me to the right doctor to get it fixed, and I had jaw surgery on both sides of my jaw. I can now, eat, talk, and breathe without pain.
29. The day that Bryce and I got married there were suddenly strong winds. We keep finding that happens whenever we have guests over, or when we have lunch at one of the National Parks.
30. I am a fine art photographer.
31. I love to talk in song quotes and movie quotes. It MIGHT drive some people crazy but secretly they really enjoy it!
32. I like to dye parts of my hair with fun and bright colors!
33. When I was in graduate school one of my images was selected to be on the cover of the photography auction magazine that year. I was, and still am, super proud of that.
34. I love when my kids are on break from school and we get to hang out and spend time together.
35. As a family we love to get to play board games on the weekend.
36. When I am in the car by myself I love to listen to podcasts. One of my favorites is The Art Curious where I get to learn about things in art history.
37. I tend to watch the same TV shows over and over. I am always looking for new suggestions though!
38. I have two sisters and I am lucky that they live close by!
39. When I am was a kid I wanted to be a librarian. My love for books has ALWAYS been there!
40. I have seen The Chicks in concert at least four times and I can't wait to see them on their next tour!
41. When I was in Costa Rica I got to see volcanos, jungles (where I went zip-lining), fantastic sunsets on the beach, and life in the city.
42. My favorite adventures are always the adventures that I get to take with my family. I love taking the kids to new places that fill them with wonder.
And there you are….42 random, and hopefully interesting, facts about me! What fact did you find most interesting? I would love to know!
March Calendar
The March desktop calendar has arrived!
March is here and that means that spring is right around the corner! I can’t wait until the cactus are in bloom with all of their colors! Cylindropuntia Acanthocarpa, more commonly known as, Buckhorn Chollas are all over the desert here in Arizona as well as Southern California and Southern Nevada. They are currently bursting with magenta leaves bringing a magnificent pop of color to the Arizona desert.
I hope that you will enjoy the beauty of the Buckhorn Cholla this month!
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Crepuscular Rays
“The secret to a good morning is to watch the sunrise with an open heart.”
Crepuscular Rays/Intimate Abstrations
An abstract photograph of a ranunculus.
I am not a morning person, I love to stay in my bed all warm and snuggled up. Especially during the winter when the sun isn’t even up before I have to get up to get the kids up for school. I do enjoy that in the winter we get to watch the sunrise at breakfast. The kids and I sit at the table and watch the sky change from being dark to purple, light pink, and orange, and finally the golden glow of the sunlight making its way to greet you in the morning. Once the sun has started to rise it wakes everyone up a little more and
So, I present to you Crepuscular Rays, my interpretation of a sunrise via a ranunculus. This photograph gives me the feeling that I get when I am up watching the sun come up oh so early in the morning. I love that the feeling of sunrise can be felt throughout the day.
My Influences - Georgia O'Keeffe
One of my favorite artists Georgia O'Keeffe.
“Someone else’s vision will never be as good as your own vision of yourself. Live and die with it ‘cause in the end, it’s all you have. Lose it and you lose yourself and everything else. I should have listened to myself.
”
Abstraction White Rose, 1927/Georgia O’Keeffe
Many years ago, when I was an undergrad, I took a women's study art history class that featured many wonderful female artists. This is where I remember having an in-depth introduction to Georgia O'Keeffe's work. Little did I realize how heavily she would influence my work in graduate school!
Georgia said, “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things that I had no words for.” This was how I felt! I was a new graduate student, trying to find my subject, while living in San Francisco and I felt lost. When I started photographing flowers I found that I feel the same way about being able to express myself through shapes and color. I found that to be super inspirational! There I was photographing flowers up-close with my macro lens, discovering a distinctly unique world that you would never see when just viewing flowers from a distance.
I could quote Georgia over, and over, and obviously will, but she had so many things to say that just resonate with me toward my work. Talking about a flower she said, “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.”
Each and every time I look into her work and hear her quotes about her work I think, yes, she really knew what she was talking about!
One of the things I learned in studying Georgia O’Keeffe’s large paintings of abstract flowers was that it allowed viewers to look at her subject of flowers in a different way. Each of her paintings gives you a new and intriguing perspective on what a flower can look like when you take a deep look within.
This work has been a huge inspiration to just stop and look closer at what you are choosing to create as an artist. Working through the lens of the camera, and moving back and forth to find just what I want to capture, is not fast work, it is an enjoyable, slow-paced work that takes me into a different world!
Red Canna, 1923/Georgia O’Keeffe
February Calendar
The February desktop calendar has arrived!
Happy February!
Another month has flown by and it is time to change up your desktop wallpaper!
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All About a Canvas Gallery Wrap
Have you ever wondered about what a canvas gallery wrap looks like?
Viridian Skies/A Garden Variety
Photo Credit: Anne
Have you wondered what canvas gallery wraps look like? I am a visual person and so I thought it might help to see a more detailed set up to show you just one of options that you have when ordering images.
Canvas gallery wraps are one of my favorite ways, but obviously I love them all, to display my work. I love these because the image is lifted away from the wall, giving it depth, and having no frame it allows the image to go right to the edge.
Canvas gallery wraps are printed on premium archival white poly-cotton blend matte canvas and wrapped around a 1.5” stretcher bar, and the back is finished with thick black paper. Canvas gallery wraps are ready to hang -- images sized 16x24 and smaller will have a saw tooth hanger, shown last image, and 20x30 and larger will have a wire hanger, shown in the second to last image.
January Calendar
New desktop calendars for the new year!
Happy 2022!!
A little something new! This year I wanted to add monthly downloadable calendars for your computer! Be sure to check back every month for your new calendar. Subscribe to my mailing list, linked below, and get the new calendar reminder sent straight to your email.
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Christmas Postcard
A Christmas postcard for you to share with your friends.
Happy holidays, my friends, with Christmas coming up we have a free downloadable postcard for you to share with your loved ones!
How to Download
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Share the love by attaching the postcard to an email, text message, or other communication.