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Be sure that you click that Where's Myx? link over there --> when you're done reading my posting. Dave has posted pics of Myx in various locations in and around Tucson! And he is characteristically funny in these postings.
I found the charger for my Nikon D70 camera! And so I used it to shoot a couple of pics of my new steel agaves outside the front of my cottage. What do you think? The deck that you see here is not my new one, and it'll be painted taupe to match the new part.
The agaves are steel and are made by an artist in Tubac. The one on the left side is not as rusty as the one on the right, but it'll get there. I "planted" them in white marble rock from Home Depot. My friend Kathy spotted the pots, which seem to change color, depending upon the time of day.
I'm really happy that y'all like my Sedona photos! In answer to "Anonymous," ;) I use a Sony Cybershot for most of my photos, including any hiking photos. That's because the camera is small. While its photos are far inferior to those of the D70, the D70's weight is measured in pounds -- not something that I'm likely to carry hiking. I suppose it would get me into better shape to carry more weight, but... The Cybershot's photos are just fine for my blogging purposes, anyway.
My advice for you, buying a camera, is to buy something that you'll carry and use. The worst photo is the one that doesn't get taken, because you left your camera behind. I started out with a small low-pixel Nikon Coolpix, back in 1999. I got bigger and bigger, finally ending up with the D70. And I wasn't carrying it. So that's when I got the Cybershot. I use the D70 only when I'm going out with the goal of shooting photos. I don't always take it when I travel, and I never carry it hiking.
We reached a high of at least 83 today, and I spent part of the day at the pool. Our pool is always 87° so you just climb right in, with no "getting used to it" time necessary. The hot tub is 105° which is hot, but I can do it, as long as I limit myself to about 10 minutes. I'm actually getting a little bit of a tan! How unlike me!
I went today and replaced my walking shoes, too. I wear Asics, and these are a new model of Asics. I like them because they are very comfy... and lime green.
Sedona was fantastic! I drove up, with passengers Lois and Ted. I drove last year with Lois (and Michael and Jack), but last year, Lois had not yet met Ted! We had lots of laughs and the 4.5 hour drive was very pleasant. We caravaned behind Jack and Kathy's RV. Lunch was at Byerly's Amish Cafe, the same place where we ate last year on the way to Grand Canyon.
The trip was with the hiking club, so of course there was hiking involved! Our first day, Tuesday, we hiked around Bell Rock, with a nice detour up Bell Rock. There was a vortex on Bell Rock. Sedona vortexes (yes, that is the correct plural in Sedona) are locations where spiritual energy is said to swirl, making prayer, meditation, and healing more effective.
There were parties around the pool, board games, shopping expeditions, fine dining, and the drinking of many margaritas.
Oh, and the hiking! On Wednesday, the Hardy Hikers did a 9-mile hike on the Munds Wagon Trail and connecting to the Schnebly Hill Trail.
The first part of the trail was a gently undulating and beautiful walk, which crossed and paralleled some stream flows, and was troublingly close to a jeep road. After we got onto the Schnebly Hill Trail, the gentle part was over. The trail took a sharp upward turn, finishing our altitude gain of 1500 feet. We didn't make it all the way to the top before we turned back.
There were rock baskets along the way, marking the trail. They are serious about their cairns in Sedona! In the rest of the world (that I've seen), the cairns are just a short stack of rocks.
And, since you've been so well-behaved, here's a panorama I shot of some of Sedona's red rocks. This was done in Photoshop CS3 using 4 photos:
I love your photo feedback! Thank you! Robert, the sunsets here are frequently uncommonly beautiful. And when you put in a saguaro, how can you lose? Glad you like that one.
I have been busy for the past few days since Dave left. We did have a wonderful time, and I have a few photos to share with you from our time together. I still have photos from the first part of his visit. These are from the last couple of days.
We went on Monday to Tubac and Tumacacori, in southern Arizona. This is a tile display from one of the stores:
We then visited the Titan Missile Museum. This was a real working missile silo at one time, and we got to see all the security systems in place. The tour was interesting and fun, and .. guess who our guide chose to "turn the key?" :) If you know me well, you know how anti-war and anti-missile I really am, so this was kinda funny:
This antenna is sometimes available for amateur radio users:
A photo of Dave and me reflected in the glass over the missile silo:
Shot through the glass:
On Tuesday, we took the hike up Blackett's Ridge. Everytime I do a particular hike, it's different. The sun is always different, the clouds, the plants, and this time... flowers!
I love hiking, and this day was wonderful! I somehow didn't get any photos of Dave, but he got a few of me!
And here's one of Ione and me talking in my living room. Notice how intently I'm listening, Ione! ;)
I'm about to enter a sort of blogging black hole. I'm going to be going to Sedona for a 4-day hiking club trip! We leave tomorrow at 9am and I'm not taking the computer. I'll be back on the blog on Thursday (or maybe Friday!)
The agaves are steel and are made by an artist in Tubac. The one on the left side is not as rusty as the one on the right, but it'll get there. I "planted" them in white marble rock from Home Depot. My friend Kathy spotted the pots, which seem to change color, depending upon the time of day.
