Early Desert Spring

I usually think of the desert as a harsh, intense environment of extremes, especially in summer and winter.  In the daytime the temperature can be so hot as to be life threatening, and at night, freezing cold.  The landscape is defined by barren, rugged rock formations and mountains, intermixed with vast vistas dotted with unfriendly cacti and cacti like plants with sharp, prickly spines and needles.  And did I mention the rattlesnakes and scorpions?

This bloom is about 1/2 inch wide in real life.

(Shot with a 100mm macro lens)

But then comes spring.  When spring is in full force, in about a month or so, there will be an explosion of big, beautiful, show stopping blooms of almost every color, that for me, will justify the reason for the very existence of cacti!   

But I'm talking about now, very early spring, when the desert wakes up after winter and shows a delicate, even dainty, softer side, seemingly out of place in this usually harsh landscape. The blooms are often found on unremarkable, even boring plants other than cacti, and are very tiny, so most people just pass them by, unnoticed and unappreciated.

But like most all landscape and nature lovers, (and photographers), I notice and appreciate them and delight in preserving their fleeting beauty with my camera.  I took all of these photos yesterday, which by the way, was an absolutely perfect 73 degree day in the southern Utah desert.

         This is a flowering groundcover.  The blossom is about 1/8 inch wide.

(Shot with a 100mm macro lens)

 These blossoms are about 1/4 inch wide. 

(Shot with a 100mm macro lens) 

 The body of this itty bitty spider was about 1/4 inch long.

(Shot with a 100mm macro lens) 

 This bloom was about 1/2 inch wide.

(Shot with a 100mm macro lens)

  This is a cactus bud getting ready to pop open.  It was about an inch wide.

(Shot with a 100mm macro lens)

 (Shot with a 100mm macro lens)

We have busy lives, and important stuff to accomplish each day.  But it doesn't take much time to be aware of our surroundings, to notice the beauty around us, and gives thanks to a Father in Heaven who also loves nature, because He has created beauty not only in grand vistas, but also in the smallest of details.

 

Modena, Utah

Modena, Utah

POPULATION:  16

For those of you who have followed my last few posts showing the paradise that is Moorea, (which is part of French Polynesia), this set of photos will be a stark contrast!!

About a week ago, I drug, (dragged?), Jeff on a day ride out in the southern Utah country near the Nevada border.  We happened on what we thought was a small western 'ghost' town, out in the middle of nowhere.   We soon discovered there were a few residents (16 we found out), still living there.

After we came home,  I looked up the history of Modena.  It was a railroad town and sprung up as a stopping point for the cowboys and miners in the late 1800s.  Below are a few of the buildings that have seen better days. 

 The above photos are of the largest building still standing.  The lettering is still visible and the proprietor of this general store and hotel is B. J. Lund.  I learned that he was the main founder of the town and had buildings and roads named after him.  This was interesting to me as my maiden name is Lund, and my father's family were among the early pioneers in Utah.  I am not aware of any relative named Brigham J. Lund, but who knows.

 I think we missed our 'last chance'!

Above are homes of a few former residents.

From a photographic point of view, I prefer to take photos of old west scenes in the winter with drab neutral colors which emphasize the look of abandonment and loneliness.   I was in luck and had a beautiful, puffy cloud day which was a great contrast to the neutral colors of the buildings and landscape.

Abandoned vehicles add texture and interest for photography, and are reminders that children went to school, and people lived and worked in this tiny barren and windswept prairie town. 

Moorea - Photos 25 & 26

 Two of my favorite photos, both taken at sunset. 

This one is facing away from the sunset and looking at where we stayed.

This one is facing into the sunset and was taken from Tahiti, looking to Moorea in the background.  And with this I will say goodbye to my 'walk down memory lane'.  Moorea is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  

Moorea - Photos 23 & 24

Two more water views.

Moorea - Photos 21 & 22

Two more mountain scenes.

Moorea - Photos 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 &20

 Every sunset was magical and unique.

 After the sunset it was time to get reading for the evening dinner and show.

 Here we are with almost a front row seat.

 Of course there were the beautiful Tahitian dancers.

 Then the war dancers who came right up to our table.

 Next the guy who rips coconuts open with his teeth.

And finally the guy who breaths out fire like a dragon.

(And much more that I won't post here.)

Moorea - Photos 11, 12 & 13

Places of Worship

Places of worship on Moorea were very modest and very photogenic.

Moorea - Photos 9 & 10

We saw dolphins and turtles without even having to go out on a boat!

Moorea - Photos 7 & 8

 During the day we relaxed here.

In the evenings waiting for the sunset, we relaxed here.  That is Jeff looking pretty relaxed!

You might think we were in this beautiful place on a vacation.  Well, that's only partly correct.  We spent 18 months traveling throughout the South Pacific on missionary assignments for our church.  Many senior couples of our faith choose to do this after retirement, (around 5,000 couples at any given time), as a way to serve others, as devotion to our faith and as a way to do our part to make the world a better place.  We willing go where ever we are called, (we don't choose where we go although we can suggest), we do whatever we are asked to do, and we pay all our own expenses and consider it a privilege to do so.  If we are sent out of the US we usually serve for 18 months or 23 months.  We have friends who have served, or are serving, all over the world, providing humanitarian aid, teaching English and religion classes, providing medical and legal assistance or in many other capacities. 

We were stationed in Auckland, New Zealand, and in 18 months we were on airplanes over 55 times traveling to various assignments on many of the South Pacific Islands.  Sometimes we traveled on commercial jets going to large cities such as Sydney, Australia, and sometimes on tiny, rickety small planes, held together with duct tape, (really), flying into tiny little islands such as Taveuni, Fiji where the beginning of a tiny runway began and ended in the ocean!

We worked very hard, and had many challenging assignments, and we loved every minute of it.  But where ever we traveled, we also had some time to enjoy the local culture and relax from our labors.  In this case, after our assignments in Tahiti were completed,  we were able to spend a couple of magical days in Moorea.

Jeff and I count these 18 months as a highlight in our lives and one of the most meaningful things we have ever done, along with our lifelong devotion to children and grandchildren and family.  We have wonderful memories of people, and places half way around the world that we have grown to love and respect, and of faith promoting experiences that have drawn us closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

       

Moorea - Photo 5, 6

 A grand view from a distant lookout point.  We took a narrow winding road through lush green tropical forests and steep jagged peaks to arrive at this beautiful scene.  (Wide angle lens.)

A closer view.  (Telephoto lens.)

Moorea - Photo 3 & 4

 Frangipani 

Being a photographer, I cherish what a picture does to help me recall memories of days gone by.  But I admit, that is not the only way I am reminded of past places and times in my life.  In Moorea, I can also remember the delicate but sometimes overpowering sweet fragrance of so many tropical flowers floating on the warm breezes.  But wait a minute..........it is the pictures of the flowers that remind me of such heavenly aromas!  See, it still comes down to photography! (chuckle)

P.S.  Below is a bonus photo for today.  One of the many hibiscus blooms for me to enjoy while we were waiting for the ferry to take us back to Tahiti.

Hibiscus

Moorea - Photo 3

If you don't want to stay in a 'grass shack' perched on the edge of crystal clear turquoise water, (see second previous post), how about one shaded by lush, vibrant, tropical foliage.

Moorea - Photo 2

 Typical Island Scene

Do you remember the song, 'Going to Carolina in my Mind' by James Taylor??  Well, I'm going to Moorea in my mind this week, and I invite you to come on my journey.  I'm not sure if this will be torture for those of you surrounded by ice, snow and freezing temps, or if this will be a welcome daydream for a few moments of your day.

Here is the back story.  We were in this beautiful paradise over two years ago.  I came home, downloaded all of my RAW images, where they have been gathering 'digital dust' ever since.  Back to a busy life meant that I just haven't taken the time to go through all the photos I took during our 18 months in the South Pacific, to delete most of them, and then edit, organize and upload the keepers.  So, finally, this week, I am working on my photos of Moorea, and am reliving the wonderful time we spent on this beautiful little island.  I hope during the next few days I can show you a glimpse of what I saw through the lens of my camera.  

Moorea, South Pacific

Moorea

(A ferry boat ride away from Tahiti)

This post is for all my friends buried in snow and freezing temperatures.  Hard to believe it now, but Spring will eventually arrive, the snow will eventually melt, and yellow daffodils and purple crocus will eventually poke out of the ground!  In the meantime, daydream with me about relaxing in that red lounge chair,  (second hut from the right), sipping on your beverage of choice, and tanning your toes!  Ahhh, to be back in Moorea, probably the most beautiful and pristine tropical place I have visited.

Hi-Land Dairy Truck

Hi-Land Dairy Milk Delivery Truck

No More Deliveries!

This old truck sits by the road right outside Zion National Park.  I've passed it many times, but finally decided to stop and take a photo.  It was late afternoon and the intense golden sun emphasized the orange color of the cliffs and the red rust color of the truck, which I tweaked with an HDR look in Perfect Effects software.  It is often hard to find rusty, old 'barnyard' classics that are not surrounded by distracting junk or cluttered backgrounds, but with the right angle, this one was situated where I could get a great shot. 

Spring is Right Around the Corner!

First Blossoms

(taken February 14, 2015)

 

 Unlike many parts of the country, we have had lovely warm weather in southern Utah, even though several weeks ago there was ice on the ground.  However, it still looks like winter, with bare trees and yellow/brown lawns.  I can't tell you how excited I was to see this lone tree already full of spring blossoms.  It must have decided it was already tired of winter, like I am! 

 

Valentine Roses

Beautiful Roses from my Valentine!

This Kiss, This Kiss!

In honor of Valentine's Day several years ago, I posted a few of my favorite 'kissing' photos.  Time to do this again.  Time to  remember long, long ago when we were madly in love and found that special person we wanted to share our lives with.  Do you remember being amazed that the person you loved, loved you back?  Do you remember the excitement of those first few kisses?

"It's the way you love me
It's a feeling like this
It's centrifugal motion
It's perpetual bliss
It's that pivotal moment
It's, ah, subliminal
This kiss, this kiss (it's criminal)
This kiss, this kiss"

Do you remember this song and the name of the artist??

"He kissed me in a way
That I've never been kissed before
He kissed me in a way
That I wanna be kissed forever more"

Do you remember this song and the name of the artist? 

"Oh baby I can feel this feeling
That everything that you do gives me
It's been too long since somebody whispered
Shut up and kiss me"

Do you remember this song and the name of the artist? 

"Oh, Oh, hug him and squeeze him tight
Find out what you want to know
If its love, if it really is, its there in his kiss....

 

If you want to know
If he loves you so
Its in his kiss
(That's where it is)
Oh, its in his kiss, that's where it is"

Do you remember the name of this song and the artist?

"Sparks fly
It's like electricity
I might die
When I forget how to breathe
You get closer and there's
No where in this world I'd rather be
Time stops
Like everything around me
Is frozen
And nothing matters but these
Few moments when you open my mind to things
I've never seen"

Do you remember this song and the name of the artist?

"Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor, lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me"
Do you remember this song and the name of the artist?

  I hope you have wonderful memories of your young love, and that on this Valentine's Day, you can kiss the one you love now.... and if you are lucky, it might be the same person!

P.S.  These are all photos of members of my family and remind me of wonderful celebrations of love!