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Showing posts from March, 2012

26 March 2012

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Busy, busy, busy......the past two weekends I have had the privilege of following two different experts around in the desert. One, an ecologist. The other, a photographer as well as friend. So many intriguing things to explore. For now, I will just show you mainly in pictures. This past weekend, a group of 'budding' photographers from the Desert Institute wandered about 2 miles up a very wide wash exploding with wildflowers. There aren't many this year, at least not in the higher elevations, yet. We won't have the profusion of flowers we had a few years back but last Saturday was not a disappointment. I am so glad I do not suffer from allergies........ Here are a few highlights of my day this recent weekend. I wish I had bothered to bring my 100mm macro AND a wide angle lens. The wash was vast and complicated with the rocky canyon walls along the wide wash basin strewn with the remains of the huge flood last fall. The breeze made it difficult to get clear shots up c

20 March 2019

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Happy Spring Equinox! Desert Canterbury Bells....one of my favorites out here. This wash was FULL of them - great, big tufts of these lovely violet-blue blossoms on tall stalks with thick, stocky leaves at the base. I find it particularly intriguing how they tend to want sandy washes to make their spectacular debut.  Who would guess there is enough nutrients in those porous granules of rock into sand to sustain such vibrant beauty?  It felt good to lie on my belly on a warm patch of sand as I took this photo. Within the hour, the skies turned dark and it began to snow. Hope your first day of spring was warm and promising of new things to come... 2012 © Diana Shay Diehl / JTNP: Cottonwood Springs wash

19 March 2012

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Here is another shot from this past weekend in my beloved park....more for the benefit of my distant readers (and maybe those of you close by who haven't taken the opportunity to explore this beautiful area...). Considered the cornerstone of Joshua Tree National Park, this particular photo is of the Oasis of Mara which is a short and pleasant nature walk down a paved path from the national park headquarters / visitor center. When my daughter worked as an interpretative ranger there before sailing off into the Navy, she had the most interesting stories of what was witnessed just outside the large picture windows from inside the visitor center. One story that stuck in my mind, both kind of funny and sort of 'gross' if you aren't used to the ways of nature, centered around some European tourists experiencing desert life in all its glory one hot summer day. Both visitors and rangers were watching in awe and amusement the antics of a roadrunner in the garden area just off

March continues to roar in...

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Goodness, what a wild weekend I had - weather wise, of course (wink, wink).  Storms swirled all around us for two days -  wind gusts, rain, spots of sun, some sleet, then snow! All within the matter of a couple of hours. Many of us are hoping to wake up to frozen roads and snow in the morning. One can hope but I'm not holding my breath. All I can hear now is wind knocking more things around outside. At least the desert got a good drink of water.... I spent both my weekend days out in the park in an ecology class. I've always thought a desert was an amazing habitat. A master at adaptation. Resilient. Frugal. Surprises of vibrant colors and softness amongst the rigid roughness of grand rock formations. And yet, still fragile - especially at the hands of humans. I'm too tired at the moment to expound much more but I will leave you with a few photos of my weekend. I am anxious to share tidbits of what I learned which I will do throughout this week when I have more time. A

16 March 2012

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Feeling a little melancholy of late. Maybe I'm just tired - lacking B vitamins. Maybe I'm just missing time with my daughter and middle son. Or, it's not enough time in nature or with people who are kind, genuine, gentle... Too much 'stuff' to do on my plate and not enough of the stuff that makes my soul sing...  I spent all of today, sitting, listening to stuff I heard the last time I sat and listened. I don't sit well. I always feel like I'm on the outside of the fishbowl looking in at the place I spend the majority of my days - particularly when there are staff gatherings. Ah well, such is life. Sometimes we are swimming with the school....sometimes we are flip-flopping helplessly on the shore - hoping to be noticed and rescued.  Today, I think I needed to be rescued. "Mama said there'd be days like this There'd be days like this my mama said......." (First sung by the Shirelles, no? Or was it Sam Cooke?) I'm also kind of missi

Saturdays

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I'm back! The little respite from trying to figure out what to post on a daily basis has afforded me a creative burst of energy. That's what meandering Saturdays are for - days few and far between for me as I seem to always schedule my 'free' time away doing volunteer work, arranging hike outings for friends and new acquaintances, or running in circles trying to catch up with the must-dos around my home. This particular weekend, however, I gave myself permission to not be in charge of anything but me.  And, amazingly, much was accomplished - including some nothing-in-particular restful time at my favorite place - home .  All in a day... Saturday morning found me wandering the farmers' market for fresh goodies with time thrown to chat with dear friends over Aztec coffees (and a vegan date shake for breakfast for me....yum!) in the warm spring sun.  I love this little place in Joshua Tree - Ricochet Gourmet. Fabulous, homemade food and drinks. Hip vibe but not pre

Day 60

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My 60th post! And it's time to change it up a bit. I have some new ideas on the burner and am anxious to put them into fruition. With that mentioned, my original photo-a-day turned post-a-day turned a photo-post-when-I-get-to-it will now be once a week. In a rambly sort of way, I am fine-tuning what I need to get out of this project... I appreciate all the support, candid comments and suggestions, so far, from my readers. What has been really cool is that you all come from all corners of this magnificent planet of ours - countries in Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada - and a few countries I had to look up!  So, thank you, my silent supporters. I hope you have seen something intriguing and inspirational. I'd be curious to hear some thoughts now and again from you. Today's 60th post is another example of Chiaroscuro ...probably my favorite one. This particular shot evokes warm feelings and very pleasant smells for me. My daughter and I shared a wonderful week flitting throu

Day 59

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Chiaroscuro: In art, whether it is drawn, painted, photographed - even in words - extreme contrasts of light and dark ... #1. © Diana Shay Diehl

Day 58

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I am getting a little bored with my posts. I tend to write from the cuff - whatever is going on, whatever is passing through my mind and heart, very little editing (mistakes feel more human, no?). Part of the reason (a large part...) to challenge myself with regular posting was to stretch my creative abilities with images more so than wordy ramblings. I am out of wordy ramblings at the moment. Time to stay within for awhile.... Here is another image of Impressionistic 'painting' with light and lens, one of my earlier ones. I should have moved the camera more. In any event, I wish was walking down that country road again.......smell the fresh, wet earth? Mmmm....  ©Diana Shay Diehl

Day 57

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Today, snowshoeing with one of my favorite hiking friends. We've been waiting all winter for opportunities to break out our gear. I think we may have found the last of this season's snow deep enough (in shady, north facing places) to don our snowshoes and trek back into Sand Canyon (or was it Bow Canyon? I get the areas mixed up....). Pleasant temps. None of the predicted winds were blowing - thank goodness. The crunch of our snowshoes, an occasional jet, and songbirds were the only noticeable sounds of the afternoon. The air, fresh and cool. The sky, bright blue with the moon peeping over the pines. Two and a half hours of plodding up slopes and back down, trying to avoid the bare patches of mud and rocks. A welcomed change of scenery.... .......and I'm off......

Day 56

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People. Families. Love. My favorite subjects to photograph. No bells and whistles. No cutesy frames or wording. Just the natural light. My camera. A good lens. Some slight adjustments and tweaks for clarity and color....and getting to know the faces in front of my lens. A precious moment, frozen in time. No better way to spend a few hours of a well lit morning or afternoon. Here a just a few of my favorite families/friends/artists..... All images © Diana Shay Diehl "First Born" "Catching Josiah" "Philip Rosenberg: Musician/Poet/Wordsmith" "Sisters"

Day 55

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Today's post: more rocks.  Climbing is a passion as well as an art out here. I'm in awe of those who scale the heights like little spider people. Years ago, I took a mountaineering class with the Sierra Club. One component was to use only a rope (no harness, chalk, or clips) and practice basic rappelling/belaying skills in the event you must use a rope to get down off of a cliff, etc.  We all climbed up a series of boulders to prepare rappelling down a steep face. I was in the last group to come down. Going up was fun and easy - even with my short legs.  Our ages varied greatly. Back then, I was the youngster in the group... I watched as each person rappelled down thinking, "If she/he can do this, so can I....." Well, my partner didn't have me belayed properly so I had to pull myself up and over the curved rock face to refigure the roping and start again - three times. On the third try, I was so tired and so scared I just wanted DOWN. And down I went. Zip! Folks i