Verna and Bob's Weblog

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Camera Girl

Camera GirlThe hot weather is mostly behind us for the year. We are still using shorts and summer apparel during the daytime, but, come nightfall, it’s time for the sweats again.

I took this photo of Verna the other day while we were still in warm weather mode. She had been taking pictures of our local flora, fauna and other photogenic objects in the neighborhood.

One of the best things about our home here is that you can always be sure to see some critter or something in the sky that is worth pointing and shooting the camera. There is a never ending variety of desert goodness to be recorded by her camera.

IN the background, you can see the flowering plum tree in the courtyard behind the gate and wall enclosing the area. Click on the image to enlarge.

November 23, 2016 by Arizona Climate Home & Garden Photography

Cactus Wren

Cactus Wren

I went up on the hill behind our house to hang up a birdseed block and bell yesterday. I had my Canon EOS Rebel SL1 camera with me fitted with a 75-300mm lens. This little guy perched on a rock near the feeders so I snapped this photo of him. Click on the image to enlarge.

November 3, 2016 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography

Second Spring

Cactus Flower

We do not know the name of this cactus variety. It is in a pot in the courtyard in front of the house. When the flower first started to open this morning, it looked like a rosebud. When it fully opened this afternoon, it was clearly typical of cactus flowers. Click on the image to enlarge.

October 6, 2016 by Arizona Flowers Home & Garden Photography

Happy Six Foot Red Bird Shrub

Six Foot Red Bird Shrub

Since late spring, the eastern most of the three Red Bird of Paradise (a.k.a. Pride of Barbados) has outpaced the other two shrubs in the courtyard by quite a lot. Last year, this one was also the largest after getting a slow start, but this year, it took off right at the start to be the biggest of the three.

The big shrub looks to be about six feet tall by eight feet (or more) across. We planted some small bottle brush shrubs late last year to replace the sage bushes that didn’t do very well. At this time, the one bottle brush shrub is almost completely covered by the giant Red Bird.

The Red Birds will start to fade out this fall and we will, as usual, chop them nearly to the ground to await their return next summer. Click on the image to enlarge.

August 31, 2016 by Arizona Home & Garden Photography

Before the Monsoon Panorama

Before the Monsoon Panorama

You can already see the mid-afternoon cumulus clouds building up over the house in this panorama. Two hours later, it was pouring rain on this sunny location as the clouds continued to build into what turned out to be a nice, but badly-needed rain shower.

So far this summer monsoon season, we have only had the bare necessity rain without the flash flooding in our area. We think that if the heavy monsoons hit that we will be OK with our retaining walls and the new little creek that Verna and I fashioned out of rocks on the west side of the lot.

July 30, 2016 by Arizona Climate Home & Garden Panoramas

White Wing Dove on the Saguaro

Dove on Saguaro

I was looking for rainbows in the area since the rain was falling all around us. When I went out of the courtyard, I saw this dove light atop our big saguaro cactus. We have several species of dove that come around; mourning doves, the most common, white wing doves, not as many and collared doves, few and far between. Click on the image to enlarge.

July 25, 2016 by Arizona Critters Home & Garden Photography

Avalon 1998

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