Mojave Light Musing

A simple post today. Several of my viewers requested more photos of the area in which I live. I can imagine how fascinating the desert is to those who have never experienced it personally - yet. It is fascinating to those of us who do - still. These iPhone snapshots are of a 'mutant' joshua tree cluster on the property of a dear friend and fellow artist's home. Supposedly these are a mutant variety, maybe +/- 4% of all joshua trees are like this. There were several of these growing on his property. I found them rather  M. C. Escher-esqe ...... What do you think? This cluster seems happy in this spot. At the base, you can see new 'pups' growing (or maybe those are rhizomes....my joshua tree fact booklet is at school so forgive my temporary inaccuracy. I remember a ranger long ago using both terms for the various stages of growth.) The property owner said these are growing over the leach lines of his septic tank. Hm....perhaps that is why t...

Hello dear viewers... I apologize for my absence of late. There were a lot of events happening and I just couldn't bring myself to post at the end of each busy day. I've also been going through a bowl emptying phase. "What's that?" might you think...  I have this thing about bowls. All kinds of bowls, handmade in particular. Big. Small. Tiny. Cracked. Useful pieces of art. Bowls represent an openness to receive. A certain kind of vulnerability. The Tibetan Monks would go out each day with an empty bowl and just sit. Whatever was placed in their bowl that day should be enough. Sometimes they would get rice to eat. Sometimes money. Occasionally, someone's trash. But whatever ended up in there was what they were intended to have for that day - and they were grateful. Could we westerners be grateful for nothing or someone else's trash? In our western culture, bowls have become catch basins for the 'stuff' in our lives. Keys. Mail. Receipts. Trinkets ...

Today. Just shocks of color on an otherwise dreary spring-that-wants-to-still-be-winter day. Orange nasturtiums on grey.... Weathered shades of blue on wood..... Red? Magenta? Hot pink?  Gazing ball.... 2007 - 2012 © Diana Shay Diehl

This time of year is for dreaming of simpler, lazing summer days.... Must be all the hours we teacher folk are spending (cramming) in preparation for state testing this week and next (Which is nearly a month earlier than usual yet we are held accountable to the same criteria as if we actually had the full school year to teach our students. Yeah. You do the math.) Here are soothing visions from a memorable trip last June with my daughter. I hope they smooth your ruffled feathers, too, testing or not.... ©Diana Shay Diehl / Zion National Park

A gazillion photo ops this past week - especially this past weekend. And do I have my camera(s) with me? Uh, well, yes actually. Three of them. And did I take them out, make them ready to capture the moments, use them? No. Not until my fellow photog and friend, Rachel Rauch Johnson (wedding photographer extraordinaire among other things...check out her link. And if you live in the Seattle, Portland, LA area - think westcoast - and need a fabulous wedding photographer...well, her online portfolio speaks for itself.) told me to just take out my camera - ANY camera and shoot. Don't think about it. Don't fuss over it. Just shoot. And shoot. And shoot. So, I did. 2012 ©Diana Shay Diehl The aftermath of a great dinner. We were the last to leave. Thanks Rachel (and Eric), for your encouragement....... And another one... <-----Easter Sunday brunch with my boys. If you celebrate, I hope yours was filled with hope and surrounded by love as mine was.  I...

At the end of the day.... © Diana Shay Diehl

Oak trees. The Celtic peoples revere oaks to be the most sacred and powerful of all trees. They believe it to hold the true alignment of balance, purpose, and strength. The Celts are my people from long ago, on my father's side. Well, not too long ago. My grandfather came here directly from Ireland as a young lad. I wish he were still alive. I'd know what kinds of questions to ask now... The photo in this post is of the largest oak tree in the national park where I live. It's located at the Live Oak day use area. However, the actual "live oak" is a short scrub oak about 20 or so feet to the right of this giant one.  This tree, according to the ecologist who taught the class that particular weekend, is a bit of a 'mystery tree' as it's not genetically related to the other oaks in the park (if I remember the discussion correctly). Although, I'm inclined to think Live Oak refers to this quiet giant as far as park guides go.  I can't remember how...

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...

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

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 ...

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...

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...

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