Sunday, November 21, 2010

A FULL MOON, A STAR FILLED NIGHT SKY, AND A CAMPFIRE:))

SUNDAY TELEPHOTO

NIKON D50… 700mm TELESCOPE LENS AT 1/4000 SEC SHUTTER SPEED… COLLAGE DONE IN PICASA 3

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WAITING FOR TONIGHT’S FULL MOON

We finally have a smattering of white puffy clouds in the big blue Arizona sky & that adds character to the day & makes for scenic photos.  You also need clouds for beautiful sunrises & sunsets.

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OUR BACK YARD:))

Loaded ourselves into the Jeep this morning & headed on down the long bumpy road to the little town of Elfrida for a good old Sunday morning breakfast.  You have to understand that eating places in small dusty wind blown western towns are not exactly like eating at your high end city fancy schmancy restaurants.  Sometimes these little places are lucky if they have two chairs that match.  Your probably not going to get a tablecloth & you sure won’t get some ear ringed waiter guy in tights flitting around your table either.  I like these little hole in the wall places & feel quite at home with the mismatched silverware & tattered window shades.  And, if ya have to lean over & blow a little dust of the table, well, that’s alright too:))

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THE ‘GROTTO’ ALONG THE ECHO CANYON TRAIL

We have a bit of a busy morning coming up Monday so decided to just grab some R&R again today.  Have to take the little Motormouse into Douglas to see the Vet at 11, grab some groceries at Wally World & then I’m hoping to pop into the Elfrida Photo Group in the afternoon.  Same group I attended all the time we were down in this area last winter.  And, one day this coming week we plan to head back to the Chiricahua National Monument to do another scenic trail.  There is also a Jeep tour in the wind with friends & fellow Jeep owners early in December.  And, a big move is coming up…….. but we won’t be the ones moving.

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We are soooooo much enjoying the freedom of this Cradlepoint router & I really like the fact that neither of our laptops are tethered to anything.  We can carry the lappers outside if we want too.  A really nice side benefit we hadn’t counted on is the increased reception power.  When we first set up last Sunday we had 2 green Verizon bars which was adequate but the blog took a long time to publish.  We hooked up our Wilson antennae & that solved the slower connection speed problem pushing Verizon up to 3 & 4 green bars.  But, now with the Cradlepoint Router acting as an antennae as well, we no longer need the Wilson antennae up on the roof so took it down this morning.  Methinks if the router & Wilson antennae worked together we might be able to even bring in the Space Shuttle or Moon Base Alfa.  D’ya think:))  Also nice to not have the Verizon modem not plugged into the lap top & sticking out the side or back where it could get bumped to bits.  That modem is now plugged safely into the out of the way router itself. Nice:))

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A LAST REST STOP BEFORE PUSHING ON TO THE END OF THE TRAIL

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THE FINAL LEG OF THE HIKE AND AT LAST…. THE JEEP:))

Now, to answer a few more questions.  Our new header picture in the Chiricahuas was a team effort with me, Mr. Self Timer & Mr. Small Portable Tri-Pod guy all working together to create the photo.  Do I use a polarizing filter?  Yes, sometimes but wasn’t using it in the Chiricahua pics.  I do have UV filters on both camera lenses though & yes, both cameras are Nikon DSLR’s  Yes, our Jeep is a 6 cylinder, 6 speed stick shift standard transmission vehicle. (and we love it)  No, we don’t know how long we will be staying in these southeast Arizona parts.  And, why don’t we like RV Parks?  Well, I’m not going to touch that one with a 10 foot pole, but if you follow our blog for any length of time….you will understand:))

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THIS MORNING’S WALK

ED FREY first came across my desktop sometime this past summer.  He had somehow stumbled across our blog about our times at the ranch this past couple of years  The mention of the Sulphur Springs Valley perked his interest.  Ed attended school in Douglas & still has relatives in the area.  He was in Douglas a short while ago to attend a school reunion & passed up this way through McNeal just a few weeks before we left Ontario.  He dropped a book off at the ranch for me to read at that time & this morning I started into that book entitled, ‘Chasing Rainbows And Similar Acts Of Foolishness’ written by W.D. “Arizona” Kennedy.  I’m half way through it already because I love these kinds of books written by down to earth people about their life & times as they remember it.  Reminds me of another book I read last year by another Sulphur Springs feller, Walter Swan, who wrote, ‘'me 'n Henry.  I like these books because they are written by ordinary everyday people in a truthful fashion.  No fiction stuff!!  Their memories take place years ago in the very area we are right now.  A great look into the past in a way that I like to read about the past.  Hope we can meet Ed on his trip back down through the valley on his way home to Nevada in a few months.  He’s up around Silver City New Mexico somewhere at the moment.  Gotta get his book back to him…. I think he’s got family in there:))

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ANOTHER GREAT DAY FOR LISTENING TO, 'THE SON’S OF THE PIONEERS’

Checked the internet for the full moon time in the area, set up my camera’s & tri-pods & waited for the moon to come up over the Swisshelm Mountains.  Kelly got a campfire going as well as the BBQ.  Real darn nice way to wind down the day….10-4:))

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TONIGHT’S SUNSET

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

Knock Knock.
Who’s there?
Dwayne.
Dwayne who?
Dwayne the pool, I’m dwowning!


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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

13 comments:

  1. Al, you sure look lazy and comfortable sitting (laying) in that lawn chair. It would be nice to be able to do that here but right now we have about 1 to 2 inches of snow since Friday night and the temperatures are between 0 and 25 degrees F. Have fun but please try to ship some of that warm temperature up here to us so we can thaw out!!!!!
    Wilf N Elizabeth Blakey
    Kirkland Lake,Ontario

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  2. Great shots of the moon. My attempts were poor. I need a larger telephoto lens and a little more skill would not hurt either.

    Looks like you are having fun.

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  3. I totally forgot about the full moon, but she didn't forget about me, and I got lots of "Moon energy" today.

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  4. I can't get over what a little desert, mountains, blue sky, BBQ, campfires and full moons can do for a guys attitude! It's amazing and great to see! I can't wait to get down that way myself in a few weeks.

    Those routers are a good deal - an absolute necessity when travelling with more than 1 laptop!

    Great moonshots pics!! Nice collage!

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  5. Some great shots and comments. I like the mismatched silverware, dust on the table etc.

    And lovely pictures of your area of the Arizona desert. It looks like you guys are loving it!

    And listening to the Sons of the Pioneers? Nice.

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  6. Looks like you had a great Moon session and then campfire, you guys just know how to live right. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna...

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  7. Al, did you know that, at least according to the 1937 "official" definition, that was also a blue moon? It's the third full moon in a calendar quarter that has four full moons. Accoring to the newer "official" definition in 1956, it wasn't the blue moon, because that definition says it's the second full moon in a calendar month that has two full moons. Trivia.

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  8. we could sit outside in our chairs too..but we would be dressed as 'nanook of the north'..just a tad chilly up in the great white north!..great moon collage!!!!

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  9. Al,

    Thanks so much for the 'shout out'.
    I'm glad that you like Chasing Rainbows and hope it gives you some ideas for more Jeep Tours.

    Yes, W. D. 'Arizona' Kennedy is family and probably is now at the Homestead for the winter. He is a bit of a snowbird also.

    If you are in Bisbee or Tombstone on the weekend look for him to be pickin-n-grinin as a street musician. He will try to sell you his book and tell you more stories that are not in it.

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  10. Ohhhhhhh, Mannnnnnnn...You're killin' me here Al,with all of your great photos of the desert...I am living vicariously through you and Kelly....We are with you totally on the little "mom and pop" eating joints...Always the best surprises found in those places!!!!

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  11. Trying to catch up on your wanderings now that I'm back on terra firma. Great moon shots. :)

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  12. Wonderful post and beautiful pictures. How is the little fellow? I know a great vet in Sierra Vista.

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