El Presidio Blooms!

 Spring is here!  And with it comes all the blooms and new additions......

 Gerber daisies, roses, Tangerine Beauty Crossvine to name a few.....

 Plus a new bird house......

And let's not forget the fruits of our labor......newly formed peaches after the blooms wilt away! 

There's so much happening at El Presidio right now and it's exciting watching it all come together!

Ground Squirrels And Your Garden

The Round Tailed Ground Squirrel found commonly in the Tucson area

An interesting write came to my head during one of my hikes around Southern Arizona.  I've never talked about my experience with Ground Squirrels here in the Tucson area.  Well to be honest, when I first moved here, I thought they were Prairie Dogs because let's face it....squirrels, the ones most of us know, do not look like this!  But they do and they live here among us in Tucson. So why would these cute little guys be a concern for a gardener?  Afterall, aren't Javelina, Rattlesnakes, Packrats, and Rabbits enough to worry about?  Here are some of my thoughts about this particular animal, the issue, and how to prevent it.

As you can see in the above pic, these little creatures like to burrow and create tunnels in the ground...hence the name Ground Squirrel.  If you are a homeowner, this can be troublesome and can cause you some issues....especially if you have Ground Squirrels making tunnels under your garden.  And they LOVE eating the roots....especially new ones.  The other issue?  From their tunneling, they create a sandy type soil.  One time I watched a woman fall onto a collapsed tunnel in her backyard.  I was making dinner for my special needs residents at the time and just started laughing.  She wasn't hurt, but she was angry:)  So this brings us to the next topic.  Flood holes?  Kill them?  Shoot them? What?  I hope none of it.  These little guys have been "losing ground" here in Tucson.  As suburbia quietly takes over our landscape, Ground Squirrel colonies are slowly disappearing.  But no one cares about that, right?  Well I kinda do.  It breaks my heart to see once thriving colonies of these creatures disappear from new housing areas.  Here are some humane recommendations for home owners bothered by the tunneling and burrowing going on in their backyards.

Number one.  If they aren't doing any damage, then leave them be.  BUT if you've fallen into a hole or are irritated by their appetite for your garden plants, think of a live trap or relocating them elsewhere with the help of Pima County Co-op, or U of A Agricultural Department.  Remember that while removing these animals from your property may seem like a good idea, it will have an affect on the local wildlife that feeds on them.....like our Hawks, Owls, etc.  Some people recommend cats, but one thing I would be VERY cautious of....Rat Poison.  Don't use this stuff at all!!!  Remember a dead and poisoned Ground Squirrel can be eaten by your pet or other scavengers in the area.  Many people have lost their dogs and cats to second hand rat poison...including myself.  Don't forget your Hawks and Owls and.......well you get the picture. 

"Legal Status in Arizona
All of Arizona's ground squirrel and chipmunk species are classified as non-game animals by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and are protected under ARS Title 17-309. However, may be controlled by any legal means if they are causing damage as per ARS Title 17-239.

If live trapped ground squirrels or chipmunks are to be relocated, the Arizona Game and Fish Department must be contacted for an appropriate release site before the animal is transported. A number of species of squirrels and chipmunks occasionally become pests in and around buildings. When ground squirrels or chipmunks are present in large numbers they can cause structural damage by burrowing under patios, stairs, retention walls, or foundations. They may also invade garages, walls and attics. They will also consume flower bulbs, seeds, or seedlings as well as bird seed, grass seed, and pet food that is not stored in rodent-proof storage containers."

Author: Lawrence M. Sullivan
Extension Wildlife Damage Management Specialist
School of Renewable Natural Resources
The University of Arizona

There you have it.  I have dealt with both Ground Squirrels and Packrats in the garden.  The Ground Squirrels I worked around because they helped me loosen up the soil...plus they only eat certain things. The Packrats on the other hand......I HATE those little buggers.  Clever as well!  Make sure Packrat nests are far away from your house or else......

Tucson gardeners typically have issues with Javelina, Rabbits, Deer, Ground Squirrels, Packrats, Racoons(in some areas of town) and Bee Hives(African Bees.....please be careful!  1 or 2 people always die in the spring from accidentally walking into one of these things.) These are the top offenders.  Most are easily handled, but leave the Bee removal to the professionals. And never try to shoo a Javelina away or be charged:P  More tomorrow....

Where Have They Gone?

Broad Billed Hummingbird

On a recent trip to Patagonia, I saw several hummers that I usually don't see around Tucson.  And that got me thinking.....where have my hummers gone?  Someone is drinking the nectar, but who?  I don't see them buzzing around like normal.

And then a thought came to my tiny little brain.  Spring.  Wildflowers.  Blossoms.  During spring, it is not uncommon for your hummingbird feeders to be less visited as there is a lot out there for hummingbirds to feed upon.  Several people asked me why their feathered little friends weren't visiting their feeders and it made me think.  After research and some thought, it made me sit down and write down the answer:) Plus post these shots:)

Don't fret.  They'll be back again when the action subsides a little.  But right now, nature has an all you can eat buffet.....and really, if you were a hummer, wouldn't you do the same?:)

My Padawans On Vegetable Gardening

One has to begin somewhere.  For me, it was with my Grandparents in their massive summer gardens.  Sadly, most of our youth today don't know how to garden.  But there are some that want to try, and I'm here to get them started on their vegetable journey.  It's nothing huge. 

Just a start.  On a Saturday morning in January, we all met up at our local Lowe's gardening center where we would begin with several cool season vegetables like cilantro, lettuce and broccoli.  They purchased several of their favorite veggies to pot and now we have a mini garden in a protected area.  Students will water and monitor plant success throughout this time period. 

It has been a lot of fun getting involved with this type of project.  We hope that other students will see this and want to join in on the fun.  Hopefully it will catch on and if it doesn't well.....at least these students are enjoying the experience of growing their own veggies:)

These photos were taken in January and because we are in March, most Tucsonans are finishing up with their cool season veggies and preparing for our second season of the warmer veggies like chile plants, basil, etc.  Things are warming up in the garden....and so am I!  More tomorrow.....

A Game Of Thrones

Right now the Arizona Renaissance Festival is happening near Florence(until April 1st).  It was a great day to celebrate a little sunshine and fun. And for me, it was a chance to work on my photography and horseback riding.

If you've ever read the Game of Thrones series, you'll be fascinated by the jousting competition that is reenacted here at the arena.

                                     
4 knights from 4 different kingdoms fight to the death for the King and Queen's favor.

In George RR Martin's first book, we read about the jousting competitions that go on.  I couldn't understand the excitement from the audience until I participated as an observer myself.  While it wasn't real, I could understand the thrill audience members felt as the knights prepared to fight.

As a photographer, I really admired the beauty of the horses. 

As the knights suited up, the Courteson heckled the other knights.  One Courteson stood for each section of the arena and got the audience screaming and shouting at the other players.  BOOOOOOOO, HIIIIISSSSSSSSSS!:)

And the jousting competition began......

The Blue Knight followed the rules and was considered whiny by most people.....

So he had to work extra hard to win the audience's favor.....

At several points of the match, the other knights tested his resolve....

But he endured the scrutiny....

All 4 jousted.  The yellow was bloodthirsty.  Another was sneaky.  The red was cocky and charming.  And the blue.....

Got into a fight with the cocky and favored knight of the kingdom......

The neutral and rule abiding one stepped in between the fighting knights.  A call to death was demanded by both the audience and knights.....JUSTICE!

The match was approved by the King and Queen and they agreed.....a fight to the death!!!

And so it happened....

All 4 knights fought.....

Sometimes demonstrating honor.....

Weapons ablaze.....

And a fight to be displayed......

For cheering audience members, but the question remains......

Who won?

A fun day with family and friends until April 1st. More tomorrow....

My First Job As "Photographer"

Doesn't it happen eventually to all amateur photographers? Recently, I was asked to be the "photographer" at a local Tucson event.  There were many things I learned on this first outing.

1. Find interesting shots.  It's difficult to do if you don't like whatever it is you have to photograph.  Luckily, I enjoyed this program which related to literacy among kids.  But imagine being forced to take pics of something you DISLIKE!  Could be painful.
2. Deadlines.  Pictures take time to edit....and with my camera, it's mostly cropping!
3. Being forced to cope with lighting conditions during the time of the event!!  My battle happened with intense sunlight.

Matters of the Human Kind

1.  Bring pens and permission slips. Otherwise people's faces are off limits!
2. Find out what events are going on so that you can be there for each of them.
3. Get a list of things people may want taken.
4. Investigate the event before the shoot and think of ways you'd like to capture the images.
5. Bring your professional cards....you never know who you'll meet.  During that day, I gave away 3 of my cards.
6. Talk to the crowd.  Let them know who you are so that they aren't scared of the mysterious man.

Physicality

1. Watch where you're standing or you may get trampled.  In my case...runners!
2. Bring a notepad to jot things down.
3. Stuff as many lenses as you can physically carry into your pocket to switch around during the event.
4. Take a break every once and awhile:)
5. Credit your work!

There's probably more that I'm forgetting but please note that these are the only shots that I am able to show on today's post. Note the clever ways to avoid showing the person's face.  In a 4 hour time period, I snapped off around 1500 photos!!!  This was a fantastic event and I'm really glad I was given the opportunity to perform my first gig.  I love wildlife and flowers more, but I did enjoy the challenges that people present.   Here are some comments on the photos you see today.  Literacy for children is an important one so finding a shot with a kid reading was essential.  There are actually better shots out there but their faces were showing.  The little boy with the helmet was absolutely adorable.  He, like many of us, enjoy sitting and reading or writing while eating a donut or salad or whatever.  I think he captures the inner child in each of us.  The last photos make me laugh very very much.  A runner and his pooch.  They did the Laps for Literacy run and it was really fun watching this particular event.  However, after the race was done, the pooch needed to stretch.  I've NEVER seen anything like this so I shot pics.  I move up the hill a ways and there is a gaggle of women...older women.  And they say, "Did you get that shot of the dog?"  But while they were saying it, they were giggling like little girls which makes me think the dog wasn't the focus of their attention:)  That made me laugh even harder.  I enjoy photography but more for the art and discovery and it's not something I'd want to do on a regular basis for a job.  The idea of filming a car race would kill me.  But, I'll leave you with this thought and a question.  I love that photography takes you places or gives you permission to go places that we normally wouldn't explore on our own.  And that is the beauty of being a photographer....you never know what each day will bring.  If you could, would you do photography full time? 

The Big 3 Lenses

Today's post is more of a technical one.  Over 2 years ago, I began this blog with a VERY basic camera and you can see the quality of shots in those first posts.  BUT the camera had a video option.  I would then upgrade to a Point and Shoot Canon IS20 which would capture many of my images around El Presidio and my travels.  However, something happened.  My Point and Shoot, which is a good camera, controlled the way I saw things.  Many of you have asked me what is the equipment I use to get my shots.  I didn't think it important to discuss, but the question happened often.  So today I am going to answer with a brief description on my Top 3 lenses.  In October, my better half and I exchanged gifts.  I had graduated from my Point and Shoot camera and it was time.  It was frustrating because I wanted to focus on things that my camera thought were important.....and I didn't.  And my eye became more critical of the shots.  Today I use the Canon t3i Rebel.  I have 3 lenses.

The short lense.

All the lenses can be automatic or manual focus.  The smallest one(18-55 mm) takes excellent macros and great landscape shots.   The middle one(75-300 mm) is my favorite as it will take close ups of birds in trees and animals just far enough not to be spooked:)  It has also allowed me to look at things differently....the way I want!  I focus.  While the middle lense is my favorite, I have had to learn how to be quick with the manual focus.  That was the tricky part. The other part to this is switching the lenses quickly and bringing all of them with me on my shoots.  I now have a backpack type camera case. My tripod is always in the trunk.

The medium lense.

In Christmas, unaware of what my parents were up to, they gave me the gift of the telephoto lense.  It's longer and sits on top of my tripod for balance.  This is by far the trickiest of lenses to use as it HAS to be STABLE for a shot to happen.  But it has been excellent for far away shots.  With this lense I am able to see wildlife without them seeing me. The lense is 500 to 1000 mm! But I have to stay in one spot and that can be difficult for someone like me who has a bit of the ADD sometimes. 

The super powerful telephoto lense

So there you have it.  As this blog has developed, so have I and so has my equipment.  There is one other lense that I am looking at which has a crisper image and shoots faster than the ones I currently have. But that is next year:) For now, I am extremely satisfied with my work because I am in control of the picture and art. More tomorrow.....

Makeovers(The Garden Edition:)

Several of the things I have been doing at El Presidio is getting our place prepped up for spring which includes pruning, plant placement, and fertilizing.  Today's post shows my annual "haircut" on the two palms. The artist, known as Angelo, will be doing the makeovers today. One is the California palm.  And the second is the Canary palm.  They both look fantastic after their makeover.  Well, you can decide for yourself:) Please hold your clapping until the end. And without further ado, Oprah Winfrey style, "Who wants aaaaAAAAA MAKEOVER?!!!"

Before

 THE CALIFORNIA PALM

After

 THE CANARY PALM

Before

After

And cue commercial AAAANNNDDD CUT!  That's a wrap people!