Sedona

I had some requests for a color version of yesterday's monochrome, so here it is!


I like this shot because you can see a building close to the base of one of Sedona's famous red rocks. I also love the cloudless blue sky.

Monochrome Monday--Red Rocks in Mono

I did another Arizona photo today. I just love the texture and shadows of the rocks. This particular shot is from Sedona. I also have it in color if anyone would like to see it for a comparison.


For more monomania, visit Aileni's Monochrome Maniacs

Original Grand Canyon Photo

BJ voiced that she would like to see the original color shot for my Monochrome Monday this week, so I'll post it on here for all to see.

Monochrome Monday--"Anselized" Grand Canyon

This is the first altered photo I've posted for MM. Usually, I take monos of whatever strikes my fancy, but this time, I thought I'd dig a color photo out of the archives and use computer software to turn it into monochrome. I took this particular shot (in color) during my Arizona trip last October.

While looking through a book of Ansel Adams' work in a coffeehouse a few weeks back, I realized that I had a color photo similar to a mono he'd taken of the Grand Canyon, so I thought it would be fun to use a Grand Canyon picture this week. Since I'm also interested in parks of the western US, maybe next time I visit one I'll think to take some monos along with the color photos.

For more monomania, check out Monochrome Maniacs

True Colours Thursday--Orange!

My apologies for getting this one out quite late, by UK standards (I think it's actually Friday morning for Blue), but I've been feeling quite sick lately. It comes and goes. After I got home from work, I didn't feel like taking pics for a long time. However, I was able to do some looking, and came up with a couple of Arizona oranges...

This is a coaster I bought at the Verde Canyon Railroad depot.

I purchased this woven bowl from a gift shop at the entrance to the Petrified Forest scenic drive.

I'm afraid to actually use the coaster for fear that I'll stain it. The bowl holds my mp3 player, TV remote, and Xbox remote.

True Colours Thursday is the brainchild of my friend Blue

True Colours Thursday--Turquoise!

I didn't have much trouble locating some turquoise for this week's True Colours Thursday. However, I don't have many turquoise things, so I thought I'd better ration it and just do the two pieces of jewelry I bought in Arizona last October.


This is a ring I bought at the Painted Desert. The photo quality isn't the greatest, as I took a macro and didn't use the tripod.


I bought this necklace at the Grand Canyon. I did use the tripod for this shot, and I think there's a noticeable difference in the picture quality.

True Colours Thursday is the brainchild of friend Blue

Sunday Scribblings, Pay It Forward and Sixth Photo Meme

I'm a little "late," as it were, returning these tags I've agreed to participate in. How appropriate that the Sunday Scribblings prompt for this week is late. I'll take it!

Part I: Pay It Forward



Below are photos of my Pay It Forward gift from BJ. I actually received it on Monday, but hadn't gotten around to taking photos of it until today. Sorry for the delay! Somehow I got wrapped up in Monochrome Monday and True Colours Thursday and didn't get this posted earlier. Plus, Mom needs me to help her with her own blog stuff. Well, enough excuses from me ;)


This is the box that my lovely gift came in.


This is the card that accompanied my gift.


This is the gift itself!


And finally, this is the gift and card together. I hope that I'm displaying it correctly. The stand was separate, and as I found no assembly directions, I just tried my best to make it look nice!

Anyway, copied from BJ's blog, these are the rules of Pay It Forward if anyone would like to participate:

"The exchange focuses on doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and 'pay it forward' in their own way. This is how it works...

I am going to agree to send something fun, inspiring or uplifting to the first 3 blog owners who post a comment on this entry [please leave your email address if I don't all ready have it].

In turn you will then post about this on your blog, link to me, then send something to the first three people who sign up to play along through your blog.
There are no cost restraints, BUT don't go crazy! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found.

No biggie, just a gift that will make the person smile.
Maybe something unique from where you live?
And, remember kindness doesn't have to involve money; there are untold ways to help others every single day, everywhere you go - just look around."

Part II: Sixth Photo Meme

I am also late on the Sixth Photo Meme. I really have no excuse for this one, save that I generally categorize my photos so much that it wouldn't be fair for me to choose the 6th photo from say, my Monochrome Monday file or my True Colours Thursday file. However, the thought occurred to me last night that I could just take the 6th photo from my camera's memory stick. So once again, I'm late for this one too!


Once again, this is the sixth photo in my digital camera's memory stick. I know it's an odd picture, but then, I suppose that's the point of this meme. This picture was taken near Holbrook, AZ in October of this year. My mom and I traveled to Arizona for a writing conference, but decided to get out there early and make a miniature vacation of it. We had previously ridden the Verde Canyon Railroad; visited the Out of Africa Wildlife Park; seen the Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, and Petrified Forest; and were on our way to Scottsdale, where the conference would be held the next day. This was the gas station we stopped at before heading through a long patch with few gas stations through the Mazatzal Mountains. I was intrigued by the old-fashioned looking painted sign (this is one thing that really attracts me to the Southwest--some areas near old Route 66 don't look as modernized as other parts of the country). However, in this shot, I was actually trying to get a picture of the hills/desert stuff in the background. Unfortunately, there was some traffic on the highway, and Interstate 40 passed overhead as well (though not in focus, you can see the interchange sign showing the Albuquerque ramp to the right and the ramp for Flagstaff ahead). This made for some difficulty while I was trying to get a picture, and this is what I ended up with.

Part III: Another tale of being late...

Regarding the rest of my Sunday Scribblings post, if anyone has had the courage to actually read all of this (I apologize for the long post, but as I'm basically doing three posts in one, it's bound to be a little long), I was also late to my grandma's for lunch today. The power went out at our house last night, so the microwave clock (which I generally rely on for the time) said 0. My watch keeps itself wound a little with use, but since I hadn't worn it for a couple of days, it had lost some time. Long story short, I thought I would be getting to my grandma's house at 12:15, but it was closer to 12:30 when I arrived! Both my grandma and my mom had tried calling me just as I was pulling into Grandma's drive. Then I was humiliated seeing my cousin's car and remembering that she and her brother had also come to lunch. And, being better grandchildren than I, had arrived on time.

Are those enough tales of lateness to satisfy this week's requirement?

P.S. For more Scribblings of late, visit Sunday Scribblings

True Colours Thursday

I love green. It's my favorite color, and even a nickname of mine. I am a bit of an environmentalist, as I love nature and outdoors, and participate in recycling and using environmentally-friendly products.

But that's not what this post is about.

My friend, Blue, has come up with a very cool new meme called, "True Colours Thursday," and I am happy to be able to participate in it. This week's Colour is green, and I am going to post a few pictures of green souvenirs I picked up from my trip to Arizona last month.

This is the back logo of the t-shirt I bought at the Verde Canyon railroad. I considered buying an orange shirt to diversify my predominantly green and brown wardrobe, but I ultimately chose green because, after all, verde is the Spanish word for "green." I bought this cap at the Out of Africa Wildlife Park near Camp Verde, Arizona. There's a bit of a theme going on here. And lastly, this is a Saguaro cactus plush toy that I got from our hotel in Williams, Arizona (near the Grand Canyon). I love the saguaro cactus. I would have posted some pictures of saguaro that I took on the Beeline Highway northeast of Phoenix, but I took them as a passenger in a moving vehicle, so the quality isn't the greatest. That's why this little guy will have to be my saguaro representative.

Readers, if you have any green pictures, post them! This was fun.