Monsooooooon Lightning

A quick post to commemorate the beginning of the Monsoon season in Southern Arizona.
Prior to this year, the Monsoon season began on the third consecutive day that the dew point (a different way to measure humidity, or how much moisture the air is holding) was 54 degrees or higher. The average start has been July 4. But this year, the National Weather Service decided that was too complicated and decided that the Monsoon season would officially start on June 15, no matter what the weather actually was.
I dunno. I kind of liked the season starting when mother nature says so. HOWEVER, a look at these two photos makes it abundantly clear that the Monsoon is here and now.
These shots were taken Saturday night from our back patio. I stayed out until the lightning appeared to be getting a little too close. They say that if you can either hear or see it, head for cover.
It also amazes me that people still insist on driving into road dips and even running washes. It only takes 6" of running water to lift a car off of the road and into a wash. Saturday night's Monsoon storms resulted in two water rescue attempts. Unfortunately, one person still hasn't been found and the search has been suspended. Probably the first Monsoon fatality of the season.
It's an amazing part of America, so very different from the North East. We've still got so much to learn, thank goodness!

An Ordinary Snake Plant, but not to me.

This is the story of an ordinary looking snake plant. But this is no ordinary plant. Not to me.
The story starts back in the mid 1950s. My parents owned a retail store called the Carriage Corner in Brooklyn. Now the Carriage Corner was many things to many people, but it wasn't a store that occupied a corner. It surrounded the corner. The actual corner store was something else. In the mid 50s, my Dad had the opportunity to grab that middle corner portion and he did, thus making the store true to its name. As a good luck gift, someone gave my Dad the plant pictured above, which now sits in our living room in Tucson.
The snake plant lived happily (I hope) with our family in Rye Brook for many years. When we moved to Tucson, we didn't trust the movers to take it, so along with Monica's Dads Christmas Cactus (as near as Monica can ascertain, this one is from the 1930s,) my snake plant and of course Bisbee, I drove cross country. I bonded with all the other three living entities in the car. I had much to say over the 2400 odd miles or so. But I really had to keep the conversation going alot of the time. I'm not complaining. My passengers were excellent company.
So, aside from age, aside from lineage, aside from bonding, what's so special about the
snake plant?
A couple of things.
Now, this is the first and only snake plant I've ever owned. So I'm no Sansevieria expert, but some years ago we noticed an incredibly sweet floral aroma emanating from our Rye Brook kitchen. I wondered what outdoor plant we were aurally admiring when suddenly we realized that it was the ordinary looking snake plant, parked safely under a kitchen window. Now, I don't know about your snake plant, but this one faithfully throws up a sticky, sweet smelling stalk nearly every year now. I mean the aroma can stop you in your tracks! It's wonderful. Maybe they all do this. I don't know.
But, there's something else that I haven't mentioned yet. It's the second thing that makes this snake plant very special to me.
My father and mother were born and raised in England. Now, there are many Brits that came to our shores. I know of two of that share the same birthday (I'm sure there are many others,) and that particular birthday, to me, is full of wonderful irony.
Bob Hope is one or them.
My Dad is the other.
That birth date is July 4.
Today.
This picture to the right was taken July 4.
Today.
This ordinary snake plant has sprouted its sweet smelling stalk nearly every July 4 since it started sprouting flowers so long ago. Year after year after year......


Happy birthday Dad.

Queen of the Night

Yes, it's that time of the year. The air is heavier with moisture as the Monsoon envelopes the Sonoran Desert. The temperature soars into the upper 90s or low 100s. Why do we endure this? Many reasons, and here's one of them.


The beautiful and VERY fleeting Cereus flower. I'm sure we all remember the more popular name, Peniocereus greggii (he's got to be kidding!) But anyway, the fact of the matter is, this plant only blooms one night each year and the one in our front yard chose RIGHT NOW! Oddly enough, Tohono Chul Park's huge collection (the largest in the world maybe) chose tonight as well. Maybe these guys communicate telepathically, but for what ever reason, I'm sure glad we can enjoy this wondrous and unique sight from the Sonoran Desert.

After Paradise, leaving Portal Az.

So, we left Paradise and started our trip to Silver City. The first place we hit was Portal Az. So you ask, why is it named Portal? As near as we could tell, because the town was at the head of the canyon you see here. Or, another words, Portal was the portal to the canyon in the Chiracahua Mountains. And in this case, the canyon was about to be whacked by an early monsoon storm. BTW, forgot to mention that we had to drive through a very impressive storm on the way to Paradise. Remember Alfred Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade?" It goes, " Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them" Well just substitute the word lightning for cannon and you'd have a real good idea of how we felt for a while.
The area around Portal is very beautiful and very rugged. I know I used the word "rugged" in my prior post to describe this area. I'm lobbying for a new 4x4 something (Jeep Wrangler) type thing so we can explore areas like this, so get used to words like rugged. Rugged is not a BMW 330xi. Rugged is something with ground clearance that doesn't have super low profile tires. You know what I mean? Well, unfortunately, you don't count. And you know who does count? You've got it. Mountain Monica!!!!
I'd say she's looking pretty good!
We stayed in Portal this time just long enough to take a few photos. Next time, we explore in more depth. On to Silver City where we are now. Probably won't post any photos from there. Not that there aren't pic possibilities, it's just that walking a leashed Bisbee down a Main street with one hand and holding a camera in your other hand isn't conducive to taking loads of pictures. At least not for me. We'll come back here as well. Looks like there's plenty to see here and in the vicinity.
See you all soon.

HOLY CHIRACAHUA. GREETINGS FROM PARADISE

WELCOME TO PARADISE!!

PARADISE ARIZONA, THAT IS.
JUST BISBEE, MONICA AND ME, ALONG WITH THE COUPLE OF DOZEN FULL TIME RESIDENTS OF THIS FORMER MINING CAMP (ANOTHER BOOM TO BUST STORY, ANOTHER TIME) AND A ZILLION BIRDS.
BUT NOT JUST ANY BIRDS. NOOOO. SOME (MOST?) OF THESE BIRDS I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
IF YOUR A BIRDER (AND THEY'RE A BREED APART!) OR JUST LOVE BIRDS, THEN THIS REALLY IS PARADISE.


AWWWW SHUCKS.

WE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO FAR TO TAKE ANY OF THESE BIRD PHOTOS. RIGHT FROM THE PORCH OF OUR RUSTIC CABIN, ITSELF PERCHED 5400' IN THE CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS IN EXTREME SOUTH EAST ARIZONA.

THE BIRDS WERE SO OBLIGING, I COULD HAVE SAT THERE ALL DAY AND EXHAUSTED MY COMPACT FLASH CARD IN NO TIME.

WHAT, YOU LOOKING AT ME?

THESE BIRDS ARE A RIOT OF COLORS. IT'S REALLY SO RELAXING AND ENTERTAINING TO JUST SIT AND WATCH. BY THE WAY, I THOUGHT OF PROVIDING THE NAMES OF THESE BIRDS FOR YOU, BUT WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY NEED THAT FOR?
OK, I'VE NO IDEA WHAT MOST ARE CALLED.

THE VIEW FROM INSIDE THE PORCH. I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED A VIEW FROM OUTSIDE THE PORCH, BUT I BECAME FIXATED ON THE BIRD SHOTS. SO TRUST ME, IT'S VERY NICE!

EVER THE INTREPID EXPLORER, MONICA MANS (WOMANS?) THE CAMERA AS WE MAKE OUR WAY TO THIS WILDERNESS, TRAVERSING OVER 12 MILES OF DIRT ROAD. WE HAD OUR DOUBTS AS TO WHETHER OUR CAR COULD HANDLE THIS, BUT SO FAR SO GOOD.

JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT THE SURROUNDING AREA LOOKS LIKE. IT'S EXTREMELY RUGGED AND WILD. ABOUT THE ONLY TOURISTS YOU SEE ARE DIE HARD BIRDERS. IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS SHOT, THERE'S A ROCK FORMATION WITH AN ARCH THROUGH IT. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S NO WAY TO MANEUVER AROUND TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE SUN OR MOON SETTING OR RISING THROUGH IT. NUTS. WHAT A SHOT THAT WOULD BE. APPARENTLY THE MYANS HAVEN'T BEEN THROUGH HERE.

THIS WASN'T AN UNCOMMON SITE. NO ONE ELSE HERE, AND THAT'S FINE FOR KEEPING THIS AREA SUCH AN EXCELLENT BIRDING AND HIKING AREA. THERE ARE HOWEVER, WILD FIRES. THE CENTER OF THIS SHOT SHOWS SMOKE FROM ONE OF THEM, ALTHOUGH WITHOUT BLOWING UP THE PIC, I DOUBT THAT YOU CAN SEE IT.

OK, MORE TO COME. WE'RE OFF TO SILVER CIY NEW MEXICO. WE'LL SEE WHAT WE SEE AND IF WE SEE ANYTHING WE THINK YOU'D LIKE TO SEE, WE'LL LET YOU SEE.
WHAT?

LOVE,
MONICA, LEIGH AND BISBEE TOO.

NYC JUNE TRIP, CONTINUED

FINALLY GOT TO SEE BRETT'S NEW APARTMENT IN MANHATTAN. ABSOLUTELY GREAT. IT'S IN A PARK LIKE SETTING AND IS WELL LOCATED NEAR THE PLACES BRETT LIKES TO SPEND TIME IN. WE'RE VERY PLEASED THAT HE'S PLEASED.

AND BECAUSE OLD DAD PROCRASTINATED ONCE AGAIN IN GETTING A BATTERY FOR HIS WATCH, BRETT SUPPLIED THE TIMELESS(?) FELLOW WITH A NICE WATCH FOR OUR STAY. TO MY ASTONISHMENT, THIS VERY WATCH IS BEING SOLD AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART. NICE WATCH BRETT, EVEN IF YOU DID TAKE IT BACK BEFORE WE LEFT FOR HOME.

ISN'T IT AMAZING THAT AS SOON AS YOU HIT THE STREETS OF NY, EVERYONE BECOMES A BLUR OF ENERGY? ESPECIALLY IN THIS FAMILY, WHEN THE FOOD ALARM SOUNDS. AND I MEAN THAT IN A GOOD WAY. I WOULD HAVE BEEN LEADING THE LINE HAD I NOT BEEN TAKING THE PICTURE.

AHHHHH. DINNER AT TONY NAPOLE'S. I LOVE TO EAT ON THE STREETS OF NYC. LOTS OF ENERGY AROUND YOU. AND IN THIS CASE, WE DINED UNDER A CONSTRUCTION SCAFFOLD. AND WE HAD GOOD FOOD AND HAD A GOOD TIME. WE DID CHECK TO MAKE SURE WE WEREN'T UNDER A CONSTRUCTION CRANE (NOT REALLY.)

UH OH. I'M GETTNG THAT LOOK. YOU KNOW. THE ONE THAT SAY, "ONE MORE SHOT AND YOU'LL BE WEARING THAT CAMERA!" OK, NO MORE...........TODAY.

I LOVE THE ENERGY IN THIS SHOT TAKEN AS DARKNESS DESCENDED WHILE WE ATE DINNER. AND THE RAIN DESCENDED AS WELL. BRETT TOOK THIS ONE. I REALLY LOVE IT.

A VICTORY CIGAR (TO CELEBRATE WHAT, I'M NOT SURE) AFTER BREAKFAST FOR STEVE.
EVERY DAY ON VACATION IS GREAT AND EVEN BETTER WHEN YOU CAN SPEND IT WITH FAMILY.

MORE POSTS TO COME.

NYC JUNE TRIP

SO, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A BLOG POSTING ABOUT A TRIP START IN THE BATHROOM?
ME NEITHER.
BUT THIS WAS JUST TOO GOOD TO PASS UP. TUCSON INTERNATIONAL HAS RECENTLY UNDERGONE SOME SERIOUS CONSTRUCTION AND NOW THEY'RE GETTING DOWN TO THE NITTY GRITTY. WE TRAVEL OUT OF HERE OFTEN AND THIS IS NEW. AND VERY GOOD. IT'S A TILE MOSAIC THAT NOT ONLY DEPICTS THE USUAL MEN'S ROOM DATA VIA TILE GLYPHS (MEN ONLY, WHEEL CHAIR CAPABLE, LUGGAGE WELCOME, KID FRIENDLY, DIAPER STATION AVAILABLE, ETC.,) BUT ALSO DEPICTS THE POTENTIAL HIGH LIGHTS OF YOUR VISIT TO TUCSON (FOX THEATER, CONGRESS HOTEL, "A" MOUNTAIN, RIALTO THEATER, THE TUCSON MOUNTAINS, THE INCREDIBLY HOT AT THE MOMENT SUN, BARREL CACTI, ETC..)
I GUESS WE WERE SO FASINATED BY THIS BECAUSE IT REMINDED US OF THE NYC SUBWAY STATION TILE WORK. FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T NOTICED, MOST SUBWAY STOPS HAVE ORIGINAL TILE WORK DEPICTING SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT THAT STOP. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE LADIES ROOM HAS A DIFFERENT BUT EQUALLY INTERESTING PICTO-TILE-MOSAIC. NICE JOB.

AND WHO SAYS FLYING IS BORING?
I LOVE THE WINDOW SEAT (AS LONG AS IT'S IN A TWO SEATER ROW, MONICA IS SITTING NEXT TO ME AND IT'S NOT A TRANS OCEANIC FLIGHT. SMALL DETAILS.) AND THIS TIME I WAS REWARDED WITH A MOST BEAUTIFUL CLOUD FORMATION SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING DALLAS.

EVERY VISIT TO NYC REMINDS ME OF WHY THIS PLACE CAN BOAST THAT IT'S THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. CASE IN POINT. AIM YOUR CAMERA IN ALMOST ANY DIRECTION AND YOUR LIABLE TO SEE A CHURCH (SEE CROSS ABOVE.) IF YOU CAN'T SEE THE CROSS, USE YOUR LEFT CURSOR BUTTON TO MAKE THE PICTURE LARGER. IF YOU STILL CAN'T SEE THE CROSS, GET REAL AND GET GLASSES. SO FAR NOTHING YOU WOULDN'T SEE IN ANY OTHER AMERICAN CITY ( I KNOW, THAT'S THE CHRYSLER BUILDING IN THE SHOT. YOU WOULDN'T SEE THAT IN TOO MANY OTHER PLACES. BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT.)

NOW THE FUN STARTS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT RELIGION OR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN THESE FOLKS ARE FROM. BUT I PROMISE YOU I DIDN'T GO OUT OF MY WAY TO BUMP INTO THEM. THESE THINGS ARE ALL OVER NYC. AND I LOVE THE REACTION OF THE TWO WOMEN IN THE PICTURE. ABSOLUTELY NO REACTION. TYPICAL NEW YORKERS.

FINALLY, WE BUMP INTO THE ISRAEL DAY PARADE. SIDE STREETS EAST AND WEST OF FIFTH AVENUE ARE SIMPLY JAMMED WITH PARADE PARTICIPANTS, WAITING THEIR TURN TO MARCH DOWN FIFTH. AGAIN, NO INTENTION, JUST ON OUR WAY TO SOMETHING ELSE (MUSEUM OF MODERN ART TO BE EXACT.)
THE CONFLUENCE OF SO MANY CULTURES, RELIGIONS AND NATIONALITIES IN THIS ONE SMALL PLACE IS AMAZING. THE FACT THAT FOR THE MOST PART EVERYONE GETS ALONG ON A DAILY BASIS IS AMAZING AND A BLESSING. AND MAYBE A SMALL PIECE OF EVIDENCE THAT THIS REALLY IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE.

NEXT POST COMING VERY SOON. STAY TUNED.

DAWN IN NYC. MORE TO COME. LOTS

NOW WHICH ONE?

Which rendering of this photo looks best to your eye?
I edited (tweaked) one photo in three different programs.
iPhoto, Aperture and Nikon NX (that's not the order that they're in.)
I also included the original untouched photo.
Each program can do certain things. I was just curious what different eyes would see. Use your left cursor button to blow each picture up before you decide. Try not to peak below the photos to see which photo belongs to which program. So, which picture looks like "THE ONE" to you?

This is the order of the photos and the editing program, as they appear above.

#1 = Aperture
#2 = Nikon NX
#3 = Original untouched photo
#4 = iPhoto

What did this prove?

Just that most photos could use a little tweaking and that no one editing program does everything.

I found that Aperture does the best job of globally adjusting the highlights and shadows. As Monica pointed out, it did a great job on the clouds in the sky. But, it also adjusted the highlights in the entire picture.

Nikon NX does the best on particular trouble spots, like the flag pole with the eagle on top. It's also almost addictive to use, especially its "u point"(?) technology. Just lay a dot on a particular thing or color with your mouse, adjust the size of the circle and make changes that only affect that color or shade within your circle. Pretty cool.

iPhoto is the most convenient edit program to use, especially if that's how you've imported your photos into the computer. It's results are very good. But when you use the other programs, you realize you could have gone further.

Well, that was fun! Now to figure a way to take the photo directly from iPhoto into either of the other edit programs. So far, I've had to export the photo onto my desktop and then open the photo from there with the other edit program. Aperture gives you an option to choose another program as an external editor, making the process easier.

Later.

Leigh.

PRICKLY FULL MOON

100 DEGREES PLUS, TODAY.
HOT NIGHT.
PRICKLY FULL MOON

HOW DO THE ANIMALS NEGOTIATE SUCH A PRICKLY ENVIRONMENT AT NIGHT?

WENT TO A DIAMONDBACK'S GAME AND A JOHN McCAIN SIGHTING BROKE OUT!

YEP, RIGHT THERE FOR ME TO PHOTOGRAPH, JOHN McCAIN, IN THE FLESH. IT'S AMAZING, ALL THE PEOPLE THAT TURN OUT FOR ME AND MONICA. HIS WIFE IS TWO SEATS TO HIS LEFT (USE YOUR LEFT CURSOR BUTTON IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME.)

SO ANYWAY, MONICA AND I WENT TO PHOENIX TO DROP STEVE OFF AT THE AIRPORT (HE WAS NICE ENOUGH TO MAKE HIS HOMEWARD BOUND FLIGHT RESERVATIONS FROM PHOENIX) AND THEN WE WENT TO CHASE FIELD TO WATCH THE METS PLAY THE DIAMONBACKS. LUCKY US. WE GOT TO SEE SANTANA PITCH. AND HE DIDN'T DISAPPOINT!

NEITHER DID DAVID WRIGHT! HE'S JUST AN ALL AROUND EXCELLENT BALL PLAYER.

HERE'S DAVID SWINGING AND AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, HE HIT A HOME RUN ON THIS PITCH. HOW LUCKY CAN I GET WITH MY PHOTO KARMA?

AND HERE ARE THE FANS FIGHTING FOR THE BALL IN THE LEFT FIELD STANDS. THE GUY WITH THE WHITE SHIRT SEEMS TO HAVE A BEAD ON IT. BUT HE'S NOT THE PERSON WHO ENDED UP WITH THE BALL. IT'S THE PERSON OVER HIS LEFT SHOULDER IN A RED SHIRT WHO CAUGHT THE BALL ON THE RICOCHET. TRY YOUR LEFT CURSOR AGAIN FOR A BETTER LOOK.

EVEN WHEN THE DIAMONDBACKS BENT THE RULES A LITTLE AND TRIED FIELDING 13 PLAYERS, THEY COULDN'T BEAT THE METS.
WHAT'S THAT YOUR SAYING? THOSE EXTRA RED SHIRTS AREN'T BALL PLAYERS? THEY'RE GROUNDS CREW?.....OH......COULD'A SWORN ONE OF THEM GUYS CAME TO BAT.

DEARLY DEPARTED, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN BY THE FAITHFUL.

JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA WHERE WE WERE SEATED.
VERY, VERY HIGH UP. THIRD DECK. IT'S NOT A REALLY GOOD PLACE TO TAKE PICTURES FROM. TRUTH IS THOUGH, WE ENJOYED THE LOCATION VERY MUCH. I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S A REALLY BAD SEAT IN THIS STADIUM. WELL, MAYBE IN THE MANAGER'S DOG HOUSE.

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, IT'S BIKER MADNESS IN TUCSON!!! MAKE WAY FOR "TUCSON THUNDER."

ONCE A YEAR IN TUCSON COMES AN EVENT CALLED "TUCSON THUNDER." THAT'S WHEN BIKER BOB AND BARB (IF THOSE FOLKS FOUND OUT I CALLED THEM THAT, THEY'D FIND MY HOUSE AND FIRE BOMB IT) TAKE OVER DOWNTOWN WITH THEIR HARLEY DAVIDSONS AND HAVE A BLAST. AND SO DID WE.

JUST TO PROVE THEY WERE REALLY HERE IN TUCSON, I INCLUDED THIS SHOT SHOWING THE RIALTO THEATER IN THE BACKGROUND.

AND TALK ABOUT NUTS (NO, NOT THE HUMAN KIND) THE AROMA FROM THE ROASTING PEANUTS WAS OVERWHELMING. ESPECIALLY THE CINAMOM FLAVORING. WOW, THAT SMELLED GOOD.

HEY, LOOK WHO CAME ALONG.
STEPHEN!
STEVE CAME IN FOR A VISIT AND TOOK IN TUCSON THUNDER, AS WELL AS A TWENTY SOMETHING MILE BIKE RIDE. STEVE HAD HIS BEAUTIFUL TITANIUM FRAMED BIANCHI CYCLE SHIPPED IN FOR THE OCCASION. IT LOOKS LIKE HE HAD A GREAT TIME. I KNOW THAT MONICA CERTAINLY LOVED HAVING HIM HERE. ME TOO.

WHOA! LOOK AT THIS. MONICA AND ME, IN MY FANCY NEW FEDORA. I GOTTA PUT SOMETHING OVER MY CHAPEAU, CAUSE OTHER WISE IT'S GONNA TURN BRIGHT RED! MONICA IS LOOKING GOOD. AND SHE'S STARTING TO REGAIN HER STRENGTH AFTER THE OPERATION. EASY DOES IT.

AFTER A NICE LUNCH AT CAFE ROMA AND A STROLL AROUND ROLLING THUNDER, WE STOPPED OFF AT BEAUTIFUL ST. AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH. THIS IS THE FRONT VIEW OF THE JUST REPAINTED CHURCH.

AND THIS IS ANOTHER VIEW OF THE FRONT OF THE CHURCH. JUST A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. HONEST.

I THOUGHT THIS WAS A FITTING WAY TO END THE TUCSON THUNDER POST, GIVEN THE SUBJECT MATTER. YOU MAY NEED TO LEFT CLICK THE PHOTO TO SEE WHY. AND BELIEVE ME, THAT'S NOT ALL THAT WAS THERE BEFORE I WAS (STRONGLY) ADVISED TO EXERCISE A LITTLE CENSORSHIP.
HAVE FUN YOU BIKER BOB AND BARBS! THE CONGRESS HOTEL AND BAR AWAIT YOU ONLY A FEW DOORS AWAY.