Verna and Bob's Weblog – Our Digital Diary

Mexican Hat Rock Formation

We passed this southern Utah formation on our way to western Colorado. Photo by Verna. Click to enlarge.

The Mexican Hat Rock Formation is a unique geological formation located in southeastern Utah, USA. It is a remnant of a sandstone layer of the Halgaito Formation, formed from sediments deposited on a coastal plain next to a shallow seaway during Late Pennsylvanian time. The formation is a balanced rock, with a broad, flat, orange-red sandstone cap standing on a narrow pedestal of shale and siltstone, resembling an upside-down sombrero. This unique shape is due to different rates of erosion and weathering, where the softer layers of shale and siltstone were eroded faster from underneath the more resistant cap of sandstone.

This was the view in beautiful Monument Valley, Utah, where we “Glamped” overnight for a couple of nights. I say glamped because we have many of the comforts of home while away. We have satellite TV, streaming TV, Starlink internet and our laptop computers.

Glamping: A Luxury Outdoor Experience. Glamping, short for “glamorous camping,” is a type of outdoor accommodation that offers a more luxurious and comfortable alternative to traditional camping, i.e. “roughing it.”

There are other places we visited on this trip which we will post about later. Click on the image to enlarge.

July 9, 2025 by Bob Leisure Photography Retirement Vacation 0

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day, America! On the 249th anniversary of independence from our tyrannical overlords of yore, we seem to be enjoying much in the way of prosperity, peace and the blessings from above.

From The Patriot Post:

On July 3rd, the day before the Continental Congress affirmed our Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, that the 4th of July “ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.” He continued, “It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”

He added: “You will think me transported with Enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will triumph in that Days Transaction, even although We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.”

The defense of Liberty requires eternal vigilance…

Image above; Posing for the camera with our patriotic colors showing. Click on the image to view enlarged.

Today, we celebrated with prayers and thanks for our freedoms, followed by a steak and salad dinner.

July 4, 2025 by Bob Arizona Family Holidays 0

Saguaro Propagation

If I understand the propagation of the Saguaro Cacti in the southwest correctly, the seeds in the fruit are eaten by various critters and deposited along with bird waste randomly in the desert, where a young cactus may eventually grow.

In any case, I photographed this Curve Billed Thrasher dining on some of the fruit on the big saguaro in our yard today. Click on either image to enlarge in the image viewer.

June 28, 2025 by Bob Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography 0

A Hardy Feast for Fathers Day

It is interesting that “Fathers Day” and “Hardy Feast” are anagrams of one another; that is, each phrase contains all the same letters in a different order.

In fact, the entire weekend – Friday the 13th, Flag Day and Fathers Day each featured a “Hardy Feast.” Patty Melts on Friday, a Seafood Bake on Flag Day and Beef Tenderloin Steaks (a.k.a. Filet Mignon) with a green salad on Fathers Day.

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads, Granddads and Great Grandads out there. If there are any Great-Great Granddads left, then a special shout out to y’all.

June 15, 2025 by Bob Family Holidays 0

Desert House in 3D

It has been a while since I posted any 3D photos, so here is an image pair I took this morning with the Samsung Galaxy S23 camera phone. It was a little after nine AM and the sun and shadows were nice at this camera angle.