Archive for April, 2011

Blue Heron

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Blue Herons are an animal that I see plenty of but still pique my interest like all wildlife. It is amazing how even after seeing this animal all my life I still find it fascinating.

Wildlife never gets boring because it is never the same. Each movement in its fluidity is a step towards something new and I hope to be there to watch as this creature sets out on its path to who knows where.

Within this steps the most beautiful thing about watching a Heron’s movements is watching as they take flight. Watching as they lift from the ground far from where I can follow them. This is where our paths separate, and I will forever wonder where it is they go.

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Easter Eggs

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

While surfing the internet I saw a really cool idea for coloring eggs. Since it is Easter time I decided to give it a try in the name of the holiday spirit. It is really simple actually and has amazing results. You take a bunch of eggs, hardboiled them and let the fun begin. You roll the eggs on the counter causing them to crack but not fall apart. With your lightly cracked egg you add the food coloring and let it sit.

After a little while the eggs are ready to be peeled. The the fun really begins and the wonder of colors comes into play.

Ready, set, PEEL!

Underneath the plainly colored exterior of the eggs lies a network of colors branching across the starch surface of the egg like a spiderweb. It was pretty amazing. The color had seeped through the cracks we made to reveal a colorful network of dazzling Easter Egg design!

It really had amazing results and the inside of the peeled shells was even interesting.

All in all, a huge success and we had a lot of fun experimenting with this amazing idea!

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Desert Flower

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

Only life’s most beautiful artifacts can be found were no one would expect life to thrive.

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Tiger

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

A tiger is an extraordinary animal. Strong, powerful, graceful, and dangerous. Not to mention beautiful, the tiger is an embodiment of the savagery of nature that man attempts to tame.

It is sad to see these majestic animals in a zoo, but I am still glad that I was able to see them. It makes me wonder what it would be like to face these animals in the wild as I have seen wolves, coyotes and foxes. How different would this big cat be? Would I be filled with terror or awe as I stared into the mar of these magnificent creatures?

Someday I would like to say that I have done just that. looked this beast in the eye without bars between us. Only then could I or anyone really understand the breadth of the difference between the lives we lead in the city and the life of the creatures in the wild.

For now I will just have to do with looking deep into this creatures eyes as bars separate us.

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Poetry

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

I was trying to describe you to someone
But they couldn’t understand
They think you’re odd and strange at times
But I think you’re as close to perfect as god would allow
They don’t understand how I can love you
Because the melancholy print you leave behind
Is like a bruise a scar that has marred my mind
They tell me it is one sided
But they could never understand
I do not need to hear your words
Echoing off the back of my skull
I do not need to feel the touch of your fingers when I feel alone
There is a name for our love
And it is called
Poetry

The beat to the dance we have in our hearts
As each line is stamped into our minds
A beat is skipped but it never stops
This tug of war between our hearts
The feeling we get as the words rush forth
There is no spoken word to be found
That can capture this love and hold it down
We have a love that does not need to spoken
Does not need to be felt or else it will be broken
This symmetry, this geometry is the only thing
That god ever intended for me

So how can they understand this love we have
This odd relationship between a pen and a hand
You whisper to me as I sleep at night
I write to you with my heart in my pen
Though we will never meet in person
I will chase your shadow until the day I die
You are my muse, my inspiration
The light in the sky
I do not expect understanding or even recognition
I just need to feel the presence of your shadow
As long as I know this candle still burns
There will always be a note waiting in the morning
For your expected return

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Spring Break: Jerome

Saturday, April 9th, 2011

We spent the night in Sedona again because it was so extraordinary. My mom and I started out the day in Red Rocks State Park with a run. We explored the perimeter of the park that overlooked all these towering red rock pillars like the Catthedral, and many others.

After that we left Sedona behind and began our journey tp Phoenix. We made many stops along the way. Pur first stop was in Jerome.

Jerome is an old ghost town that used to have a billion dollar copper mining industry. It was an amazing place, a town built into a gigantic mountainside. My brother was going to try to climb the massive mountain on his bike but that idea was vetoed due to the steep treacherous climb to the top. Despite this the town was extremely quaint and different from most places I have been and was a nice little adventure plus lunch.

There were two strange notes of interest while we were in town. As we drove to the top of the mountain we were turned around to a fatal car accident. This sent us back into town were we then realized that the cop all over the town were there not due to the accident but because there had been a mental hospital patient who had escaped here and they were searching for him. A strange day but interesting nonetheless.

After our exciting time in Jerome we headed to Tuzigoot National Monument where there were some more indian ruins.

It was here again we spotted the mysterious Gabriel up to his mischievous self.

The strange specimen followed us around the park and was in no manner camera-shy.

The ruins were interesting and there was quite the storm brewing overhead. We were watching as the angry clouds were gathering and lightning was striking off in the distance.

Next n our list was the famed Montezuma’s Castle. A well-known cliff dwelling ruin national park. High in the rock walls there was a series of old adobe cliff dwelling homes nestled into the mountains face.

Another impressive set of indian ruins. Sadly we didn’t have time to go see Montezuma’s Well and instead moved on to Phoenix for our next adventure.

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Spring Break: Sedona Day 1

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

Yesterday we stayed in beautiful Sedona Arizona. It was just like Zion except covering more space. The red rocks are beautiful and tower over this quaint little town.

My mom and I started out the day with a long hike up on top of a mesa. It was difficult but entirely worth it. We had to climb up the face of the red rock mountain. It was beautiful with the red rocks contrasting against the blue sky painted with delicate clouds.

From the top of the mesa we could see the entire town and all of the monoliths surrounding us. We were standing amid the giants of Sedona and it was amazing.

Probably my favorite part of the hike was the overlook of a huge red rock monolith. There are mitten shaped rocks like those in Monument Valley, but this was not just a mitten rock but an awkward turtle rock. A double-sided mitten.

After the hike my mom and I set out on an adventure in search of indian ruins around Flagstaff. First on the list was Walnut Canyon National Park.

We had to climb down into a canyon via 285 feet of stairs. It was quite an interesting descent into this dry canyon. FRom there we had to walk around a little island of sorts to find the ruins which were imbedded in the walls of the canyon.

We got to climb into and explore inside of the ruins but still, hard to compare to Mesa Verde. Next up was Wupatki indian ruins.

The ruins were on top of an oddly balanced rock and we could climb around in them. It was nice to see this huge pueblo house in the middle of the painted desert.

Then we headed to another section of ruins in the park that were comprised of three parts.

It was a long and exciting day full of adventure. We are staying another night in Sedona before moving onto Phoenix for more adventure. We will see what the next few days hold for us as Spring Break winds down.

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Spring Break: Grand Canyon

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

I had visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon last summer and now I finally got to see the South Rim. It was pretty impressive and well, grand.

It is amazing to stand on the edge of a huge precipice that seems to stretch on forever knowing that I have now been on both sides. I would love to go across the canyon at some point in my life.

It is hard to imagine that there is so much beauty everywhere in the world. Without seeing things like this, I would never have believed that just around the corner is an amazing sight like this.

Out on this white pillar I spotted another rare sight hidden in the trees. It was making strange sounds and crawling around in the bushes. So of course I went to investigate.  There in the bushes was…..

The Gabriel! He was only one of many interesting sights we saw. The Colorado River could be sen far below in the canyon.

The colors were phenomenal and created such depth in the canyon that the entire canyon was just breath-taking.

At the edge of the East side of the canyon was the Watchtower. An impressive tower that you could climb into and overlook the canyon.

We also found some ruins that were interesting. However, no indian ruins seem nearly as impressive as Mesa Verde was.

We ended our day by taking a quick visit to Sunset Crater Volcanic National Monument. It was slightly disapoointing because there was no crater you could go see, just volcanic rock.

It was a long but impressive day. Tomorrow we are exploring Sedona!

 

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Spring Break: Route 66

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

Today we started out our day in Lake Havasu City, there I happened upon the strange Gabriel species again. This one was giant, he dwarfed a lighthouse that was on the edge of the beautiful lake.

Another strange and rare sighting of the Gabriel. After that we headed over to the famous London Bridge. Yes, the real London Bridge in Lake Havasu City Arizona. Strange right?

So apparently the original London Bridge was becoming old and ruined so they decided to rebuild it. This left the old bridge nowhere, so they put it up for sale. Lake Havasu City bought it, shipped it, and then rebuilt it right here on Lake Havasu.

Next on the day’s agenda was Historical Route 66. My dad and brother were going on a long bike ride up route 66 and my mom and I were going running.

I had never been on Route 66 before and it was quite the experience.

We ran along a Wildlife Refuge’s lake that was very beautiful but extremely hot. We also saw a coyote but sadly I didn’t have my camera with me.

Then was the long drive around a beautiful hilly valley that really gave us a taste of what Arizona is made of. There were towering monoliths or red craggy rocks, hills full of yellow wildflowers and cacti, and long expanses of open countryside.

All along the way were interesting sights. Mostly things people would consider eye sores or trash but they were really interesting and amazing. A lot of old rusted out cars, old houses broken down, and well, trash.

Probably the most interesting part of our day was visiting the tiny town of Oatman. It was full of local color, tiny shops, and of course, donkeys. What quaint little towns isn’t ruled by donkeys?

They were everywhere. All over the streets, walking up to cars, people, and trying to get food from everyone. They were adorable; there were babies all over the place but it was so hot they all were taking naps.

It was quite the sight, watching all these donkeys just wondering around the town in search of shade and food.

It was a good day on Route 66 and there will be more adventure for tomorrow. Tonight we are bedding down in Flagstaff, tomorrow…. the Grand Canyon!

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Spring Break: Mojave

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

For spring break I am going on an adventure in Arizona on a road trip. I am basically doing whatever comes to our whimsy along the way. Whether it be stopping at some old worn down houses on the side of the road, chasing animals for photos, or seeing some indian ruins. Today we decided to stop by Mojave National Preserve.

Mojave is a majestic landscape filled with rocky outcroppings and valleys filled with blond cacti. To me, Mojave is blue skies the stretch beyond the reach of the mountains held up by the arms of the prickly cactus that dwells below.

At the entrance I was able to discover a strange new unknown species called the Gabriel. I was able to photograph its strange behaviors. There was the normal behavioral patterns,

The lounging stretching pose that harkens to possible ancestry to extremely odd primates…..

There was also a nurturing side that showed some obvious caring,

There was also behavioral patterns of strange joyful behaviors that caused spastic and odd behavior.

Finally is the most interesting ability that the Gabriel has… levitation

During our trip we are following around my dad and my brother as they ride their bikes around where ever we happen to be.

In Mojave we explored the area around the visitor center which was an old train station. With the dilapidated of their old remains, it was a beautifully haunting place.

It was a good day and I look forward to even more adventures soon.

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