Mojave Light Musing

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...

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...

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

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

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......

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"

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...

Great day today. One where everything felt smooth and purposeful and connected and effortless. My jeans fit right. My hair wasn't flat. And I didn't burn the popcorn. I don't question these days. I simply enjoy them. Here is an effortless shot. Yet another bit of my world......  2012 © Diana Shay Diehl

21 years ago today, "It's an Aubrey!" My oldest of 3 children was born. There was a time motherhood never entered my thought stream of "The Great Plan". Fact is, there aren't really any plans. Ideas maybe. Seeds planted. Steps taken. But if you really want to ride the waves of Life, don't etch those plans in stone. Trust that the sudden veering off the path will be a good thing. Something you need - but you just don't know it. I loved being pregnant, all 3 times. The first time was magical. The amazing dependent life growing within me that would eventually become quite independent of me. My body didn't do the birthing thing well times 3. But when I got over that part, the rest was great. I cannot imagine my life without children. My own in particular. I have many childless friends - by choice and by circumstance. Some are fellow teachers and amazing, loving ones as well. Others are 'playmates' who just don't get what I do, as a moth...

Okay, so I can't stick to a photo-post a day. Hence, the title change to "...one post at a time...."  I guess that covers my ----..... My apologies for being AWOL of late. I needed to give myself permission to be still. Heal. Detach. I injured my ribs last week - part coughing fits from the residual effects of a flu I endured. Part boulder hopping while having one of those coughing fits. Add my inability to say no and allow others' projections of discontent to roll off my shoulders and my body was a knotted mess.  A little down time. Some quiet reflection. A lot of sleep. A better diet. And a dash of a few moments well spent with people who know me and love me anyway and I'm good to go. In fact, the only 'pain' I'm feeling is just under the right rib cage - and only when I cough. In time, this too shall heal - and it is well on its way. I feel the energy stores filling up and ready to roll..... Here is a new direction I am headed. Impressionistic p...

Doesn't look like we are going to have a prolific joshua tree bloom this year, again.  I have seen a couple of tight blooms scattered in my neighborhood - well, like maybe 3 blooms total. The lower elevations have a few that are opened a bit more fully. Another teaser of spring: © Diana Shay Diehl

An exciting find in the hills where I live....quite a lovely pop of color to compliment the more muted tones usually found in a desert setting. It's not as drab as one might think..... These warmer days, after our bout of winter last week, are apparently teasing out some delicate beauty among the thorns. Finding unexpectedly sweet surprises like this warms my soul. Nature. The ultimate healer. As close to God as one can get. I believe these might be a type of hedgehog cacti. Some common names are Mojave Mound Cactus, Kingcup Cactus, or Claret Cup Hedgehog. If I discover otherwise, I'll be sure to update the correct information. Enjoy! © Diana Shay Diehl

Not much to say today. Just shades of blue... ©Diana Shay Diehl / Cambria Farmers' Market

A few shots of my day. I explored a new-to-me area in the park - Ruby Lee Mill and Porcupine Wash (which is along an inactive fault line called Porcupine Fault). This part of the park is different than the main, more popular area at the higher elevation. This is where the Colorado Desert mingles with the Mojave. The vistas are sweeping. The rock formations from plate lifting activity and years of flood waters are pretty amazing. Lots of mining history in the area as well. We saw our first early spring blossoms today as well....thick stemmed, healthy Canterbury Bells (Desert bluebells) are just beginning to show their rich "plumage" - ready to invite the pollenators in to keep the species going. Slogging up and down deep sandy washes wreak havoc on the calves. Mine are screaming right now. Another great day in my wilderness.... The crew assembles by pictographs... Looking east towards the Eagle Mountains from the remains of the stone cabin.... Self explanatory. I th...

Today was one of those rare no-particular-plans-for-the-day kind of day. Time for sleeping in - which means getting to stay in bed past 6am. Time for doing the necessary homey-dos. Time for a leisurely, late breakfast with my son - not the usual hurried bowl of cereal before we dash out the door to our respective schools. Time for researching new art ideas and find a few new app toys to play with. One plan for the day included a hike up a desert creek in the lower desert with a friend and our dogs. But, a phone call announcing the park had just reopened after a day of closure due to the snow spun me in a new direction. Finally! Snowshoeing in my beloved np! So I thought.... A quick turn of events found me packing up my snowshoe gear and meeting up with a couple of local hiking pals with hopes of trekking up some snowy trails for the afternoon. I keep forgetting how quickly the snows come and fall, they can just as soon disappear in the desert. So, while no snowshoeing occurred, n...

Long day today - sub shortage which meant no prep time for me. Women's restroom backed up into a small pond of sewage on the floor meant crossing the legs for a longer period of time than usual. Inclement weather schedule meant no breaks and staying indoors. All this followed by a 3 hour association board meeting before I was allowed to go home... All in all, my students and I managed to have some fun. I wish I had taken pictures of my students' work from this afternoon's impromptu art/writing activity - a tear art project showing what 'snow-people' dream of doing/being.... Some were surfing; some roasting marshmallows; a few were NBA stars; one was a teacher; a couple were "rich", counting their mountain of dollar bills; one was a Sea World trainer; one was throwing snowballs at humans; another was "dancing with the stars", complete with two disco balls.... You'd have to see it in person to get the humor in it. We laughed a lot today. It p...

Silence. Is anything ever devoid of sound? However, there are moments when the absence of racket is pleasantly noticeable - so much so, the ears ring with it. When it snows, the blanket of white muffles what we are accustomed to constantly being bombarded with. So, so nice.... Tonight, as the rain mixed with snow, then turned to only snow, then mixed with rain, then just rain fell again - I sat in silence and watched it envelop the desert. Even if just for a moment. Who knows what I'll see in the morning. Perhaps not a trace. Perhaps so much I can't back out of my driveway. Either way, I had a few moments of peace. Away from duties. Away from mouthy, thankless teenage sons. Away from everyday demands. Enough to fill the gaps with silent wonder and offer a moment of rest. Thank God for that. 2012 © Diana Shay Diehl w/iPhone4 camera

Happy Valentine's Day! A day more happily anticipated than Christmas, almost, if you are 8-9 years old. I watched my tribe of 30 open and read each and every Valentine received - followed by giggles and lots of happy chatter. They take their Valentine selections very seriously. Can't send the wrong message. Need to make sure your favorite friends get the 'right' one.  They even spoiled me today.  Small boxes of chocolates, specially picked out cards, stuffed critters (the dancing sock money was my fav - he wasn't out yet when I took the pic, but he's in that green bag to the right...) and hand-drawn pictures with sincere messages. All given in friendship and sweetness. Why doesn't that sentiment stay on as we grow older? When did many of us become so cynical and closed..... Valentine's Day....from the hearts of children......   Hope yours was filled with love, warmth, and friendship.  Mine was. xoxo  2012 © Diana Shay Diehl

My favorite shades of rust and red. Made richer over time by the desert sun, occasional rain, and mineral deposits. And, no. Those handles are not new at all. They are as old as the car. And, no. No one has been around to polish them either. What was once broken down junk remnants to someone has become treasured relics for the rest of us - reflections of our past. ©Diana Shay Diehl / JTNP Desert Queen Ranch Looks cool printed on metallic paper. This shot graces the walls of a couple of collectors...

Cities have odd juxtapositions of life..... Well, I guess anywhere can have them.  Here are a few scenes to contemplate. What do you notice? ©Diana Shay Diehl / Santa Monica, CA Here is another one..... ©Diana Shay Diehl / Santa Monica Pier, CA And one more......I should have included the bikini clad young people who were just to the right of this frame, sitting on the grass, playing guitars. Quite a contrast to the gentleman waiting for the bus... But they weren't too friendly about my camera lens pointing their way. The gentleman didn't seem to mind. He even gave me a little half 'smile'....     ©Diana Shay Diehl / Santa Monica, CA