An Arizona Autumn

After Mexico, we hopped into our car and drove to Pinetop in the beautiful White Mountains of Arizona. Autumn has arrived. 

It's great to get outside and really BE outside. 

American Dipper gets a little breakfast

We hiked around the Greer area and saw lots of beautiful things. 

There is something very wonderful about fall. Maybe it's the fresh air.  Maybe it's about standing in one spot and enjoying the observations a little longer than usual.  Or maybe it's the hot sweet potato soup that is served at a local restaurant. 

Red Crossbill-this is the female AND she is yellow:)

Whatever it is, autumn is pretty awesome.

Red-naped Sapsucker

During the weekend, we hit all my favorite hotspots and counted birds.

Mountain Chickadee

We checked up on Payson's local resident, the Bald Eagle.  I've been wondering if this bird will ever pair up.  Ever since the severe drought of 2012, this bird has hung around the local watering holes.  I interviewed several residents who told me that the bird still continues "the single life".

Bald Eagle

After an intensely hot summer, I am so happy that the cooler temps have arrived again. 

There is so much to look forward to. Until next time......

Periodicity

Time ticks away.

Upon this time we have come.  Some things lost.  Some things gained.

Kaibab Squirrel

Some that have stayed the same. The pendulum that swings left to right.

The perfect balance in constant flux.

A clock that ticks faster the older we get. And yet has been holding that same steady constant rhythm since I became aware. Tick, tick, tick......

I look past. And think about tomorrow.

Stuck.  Stranded.  Mired in human routine.  Pay the bills. Go to work.  Make a difference.

Those days of past were golden. But a new age has begun.  The pendulum continues to swing.

Mule Deer

The mind soars above and beyond the cosmos to far away places.  On feathers I fly beyond human confine.

Science, by some, may leach the art of my devotions.  Yet art is science. Both fiercely engaged in the pursuit of something bigger than ourselves.

Lost I was in my early studies of biology.  Now I find myself back at her doorsteps decades later.

Migration. Hibernation.  Leaves drop. Older I become. One cycle laps into another.

Wild Turkeys

In the background, the clock on the wall ticks.  Ticks. ticks away........

Western Bluebird

Written after a few glasses of Pinot Noir:)  More to come....

Excited for Fall???

My favorite out of the bunch...some pics just happen...and this one turned out awesome. That's why you should always carry your camera with you wherever you go:)

Okay okay...this may be too soon, but September is just around the corner and I thought I'd jump start the feelings and emotions that happen to me and others when fall comes. I took these pics with 3 different cameras in Wisconsin last year.  My family loves my pictures but doesn't give me enough time to sit and ponder angles etc...nor do the nephews and nieces so I go out on my own. 

While it doesn't get this crazy colorful in Tucson, the plants seem to be happier here with the hot nasty summer gone and begin to flourish and become a healthier color again up until mid-December.  In my humble opinion, speaking of fall, the best places here in the desert to see leaves change would be in the northern part of the state around Flagstaff and Sedona areas, the White Mountains, or here on our very own Mt. Lemmon.

My niece at Point Beach

Ahhh Wisconsin...Mishicot! Nephew and nieces

But I'm sticking to Wisconsin for the moment.....best time to see colors change in my home state are in October....and around mid October.  However, if you are heading north, closer to the upper pennisula and in the Porcupine mountains, you'll want to go earlier as it will get cooler there faster.  Enjoy!!

We have a front today in Arizona and the temps are amazingly cool so I am taking advantage of them to clean up the property after the microburst several days ago.  Happy gardening folks....September is just around the corner:)

Point Beach

Sedum up close

I love how trees in my hometown connect!!

Hostas in their decline before winter