More on The Chicken Coop

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On December 12, I posted a picture of the chicken coop along the West Fork Trail of Oak Creek Canyon. I'm sure you had guessed that I wasn't able to resist taking a look inside. You're right.

Endings

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This sunset image taken at Dead Horse Ranch State Park is another of my favorite shots from the Arizona trip. Since it was one of our last evenings in Arizona, I was already feeling a little sad about that wonderful time coming to an end. I am experiencing some of those same feelings about saying goodbye to this place where I have spent such a huge chunk of my life.

The Magic Road to Bodie

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When we were in the Eastern Sierras last summer, we ended up driving to Bodie two days in a row because I didn't come close to getting my fill in one day. The trip to the park is just one visual treat after another. If I were in that area for a nice chunk of time, I would love to spend one day just exploring the paved portion of the road to Bodie and skip, for one day, the torture of the three mile stretch of gravel and ruts that you have to survive to get to the main gate of the park. (By the way, one of my favorite things about the Tehachapi areas is that I will be closer to Bodie!)

Arizona Flora and Big Changes

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Although I meant to learn the name of this plant found in Arizona, I got only as far as good intentions. Jim and I had fun rigging a way to take a shot inside the RV with a cushion as a backdrop and window light for illumination.

Almost from the moment we returned from our week spent exploring Arizona, we began, in earnest, to plan big changes in our life. Once the decision was made, we plunged ahead and things fell into place at warp speed. It looks as though we will be moving to Bear Valley Springs. That's near Tehachapi, California (about 120 miles northeast of Los Angeles) and we are packing boxes like mad. My mind is reeling.

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year, Everyone!
While I haven't been posting here, it isn't as if I have been loafing. Jim and I are going to be moving and life has been quite chaotic. Packing is no fun. My nightmares include giant cardboard boxes. I am looking forward to getting back to shooting and posting soon.

Keeping Chickens in Oak Creek Canyon

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Early into the hike on the West Fork Trail, we encountered this wonderful old chicken coop. I loved the shape of it and its rough textures. I wished I could have spent more time exploring that part of the trail, but we had a great more to see. Maybe on the next trip.

Keeping My Feet Dry

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High on my list of things to do for 2008 is a return to the West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon. This year, it was so new to me that I was a bit overwhelmed. I think I remember correctly that for this shot I was balancing on a rock in the middle of Oak Creek, thinking about keeping my feet dry (not to mention the camera), the amazing color, and hoping to leave a little space in my brain for technical matters. I look forward to the next go at it.

Impressions

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One day last week, I spent some time with the original of this image from the West Fork Trail of Oak Creek Canyon in Arizona. As I processed the shot, I began exploring my feelings about the scene and wanted to see if I could produce something that would convey some of those impressions. It was a Photoshop kind of day. What you see is the result of losing myself in memory and listening to impulses disconnected from literal reality. I will know more about my response, when I get around to printing it.

A Revived Ghost Town

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I have visited Jerome, Arizona three times now, and each visit has been to a very different town. In the late seventies, what had once been the fourth largest city in the Arizona territory was not much more than a few rundown buildings threatening to collapse and a handful of inhabitants; in the mid-eighties, there was a growing art community; by 2007, it has become a bustling little town clinging to the side of Cleopatra Hill and filled with visual treats, including a dizzying array of art galleries. From 1876 to 2007, Jerome transformed from copper mining town and "the wickedest city" in the west to charming tourist mecca.

The Early Settlers of Oak Creek Canyon

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With this picture, we're back in Oak Creek Canyon in Arizona again.

I never grow tired of photographing old building or tools. But, here's a guy who truly specializes in vacant and forsaken buildings: http://www.opacity.us/.