… after spending the morning cleaning and renovating the evaporative cooler, I felt like creating some beauty that would look good on a wall in my home, so here are the two I finished today. Above are three American White Pelicans that I shot down at Lake Pleasant. We were able to get quite close to them (about 40 feet) so they pretty well filled the frame. They are so beautiful and when they extend their wings, awesome is the word that comes to mind … their wingspans are about nine feet when mature and they are among the finest…
Author: Tommy
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Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Joyland” showing July 14-20 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. “Joyland” was Pakistan’s official entry to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film and has garnered multiple top awards at film festivals around the world, including the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The debut feature from writer-director Saim Sadiq, “Joyland” explores the many sides of love and desire in a patriarchal society. Gentle and timid, Haider (Ali Junejo) lives with his wife Mumtaz (Rasti Farooq), his father, and his elder brother’s…
By Mark TenBroek Sedona, Arizona – The major draw to Sedona for residents and visitors alike are the Red Rocks and the many trails that provide an up close look to the wonderful formations. Unfortunately, there are times in the Spring and Fall when so many people visit the area that these trails can become overwhelmed and you can see the degradation on the trails and trailheads as well as roadways that are over capacity. Not a good experience for visitors or residents as shown in the photo. While some may not like the single lane SR-179 that extends from…
… after the festivities today it was back to the portfolio … not so much for organization, but to relish past memories and there were many in the scans of old slides and film scans … maybe I’ll work a couple of them up for tomorrow, but today was just for pleasure … no processing, just viewing. One shot I came across after dinner was this squirrel who certainly had a find … they were big ‘uns and he scampered off with them … not sure what they were, but he was a very happy guy. Below is a shot…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Sedona premiere of “Fool’s Paradise” showing July 14-20 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. “Fool’s Paradise” features an award-winning, all-star ensemble cast, including Charlie Day, Ken Jeong, Kate Beckinsale, Adrien Brody, Jason Sudeikis, Ray Liotta, Jason Bateman, Edie Falco, John Malkovich and a host of celebrity cameos. “Fool’s Paradise” is a satirical comedy following a down-on-his-luck publicist, Lenny (Jeong), who gets his lucky break when he discovers a man recently released from a mental health facility (Day) looks just like a method actor who refuses to leave…
… it is that time of year when we think of cool …perhaps not everyone, but me for sure … 105F today and about the same for tomorrow and the same outlook well into next week. I started working on several wildlife photos tonight, but when it came time to finish them I chose to delete them instead. So, a little while ago I came on some of my photos of cooler days here and chucked the wildlife photos. I like the scenes of cooler days, so here are a couple that did the trick for me … enjoy them.…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “The League” showing July 14-20 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”), executive produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Oscar-winning “Summer of Soul”) and Tariq Trotter (“Descendant”), “The League” celebrates the dynamic journey of Negro League baseball’s triumphs and challenges through the first half of the twentieth century. The story is told through previously unearthed archival footage and never-before-seen interviews with legendary players like Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil – whose early careers paved the way for the Jackie…
… a fun weekend with some time spent working on the portfolio again … my eternal goal is to be organized so I am back to that and in the progress discovered a number of photographs I had forgotten about. The shot above was taken at Lake Pleasant a few years ago … sometimes when there isn’t much action and there are gulls in the vicinity you can create great opportunities if you have some dry cat food onboard and this day we did. In this photo the gull is coming in and preparing to drop the feet in the…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to join theaters around the world to present “Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture 50th Anniversary” showing July 9 and 10 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. One of the most iconic performances in the history of modern music, David Bowie’s retirement of his Ziggy Stardust alter ego in front of 5,000 fans at London’s Hammersmith Odeon was captured on film by award-winning director D.A. Pennebaker on July 3, 1973. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of this event, the original, uncut version of the film has…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory I’ve been home sick since Friday, filling the hours with writing, reading and watching the tv. Not a lot of energy – not covid – some other unnamed virus. Today I celebrate the 5 acres Sophia and I live on, without which my 19-month-old girl would be going stir crazy. It’s so out of the ordinary to not walk for three days in a row. We get our daily 2 miles in regardless of weather – rain, sun, wind, cold, heat — we’re out there. Missing so many days hasn’t happened in years, probably since my…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the encore return of “Love Gets A Room” showing July 10-13 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. “Love Gets A Room” premiered at the recent Sedona Film Festival where it played to rave reviews and received some of the highest audience ratings in the festival lineup. Inspired by true events during the 1942 Nazi occupation of Poland, “Love Gets a Room” is the story of a Jewish stage actress who must make the gut-wrenching decision to follow her heart or to escape the Warsaw ghetto. Told in real time…
By Tommy Acosta — Sedona, AZ — Violence is the final arbiter between one wishing to take something from another and the other wanting to keep it. This is especially true between nations when negotiations and talks bear no fruit and war is the only way to go. As we celebrate Independence Day in our country this weekend it’s important to understand that if our founding fathers had not made the decision to kill or be killed to take our country away from the English, we would all most likely be speaking with British accents. Plain and simple. King George…
By Steve Segner Sedona, AZ — Let’s sit down and Talk about Brewer Rd. Park. I have yet to talk to anyone who understands Brewer rd park’s mission. Just another local park? An art-themed park, a Sedona history park,? How will the buildings be used? Locals have been asking the same questions for over ten years. Process has overtaken function at this point. A park showcasing Sedona’s history and offering unique features can be a valuable addition to the community. I’m not asking for design changes, just a “Vision” . Engaging with talented individuals and leveraging their resources can significantly…
Sedona News – On June 28 at 1 p.m., the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Big Park Representative, Mary Morris welcomed VeggiEat of Sedona to the Village of Oak Creek. The owners, Victoria and Danny Plourde and Ron and Katelyn Cook created an amazing restaurant. VeggiEAT is the first plant-based, organic, full vegan restaurant in Sedona and has been open for the last few months. More people are beginning to embrace a sustainable, healthy lifestyle and their menu caters to that. This family-owned restaurant serves Asian fusion food which includes appetizers, vegan salads, signature burgers, vegan meat bowls, soups and…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present “The Mattachine Family” showing July 7-13 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. Thomas (Nico Tortorella) and Oscar (Juan Pablo di Pace) have spent a year as foster parents to a wonderful child, a calling that’s shown them new dimensions of what “family” can mean. However, when the young boy is reunited with his birth mother, the couple’s differing views on what the experience meant comes into focus. As Oscar’s career as an actor picks up and sends him out-of-state for months, a bewildered Thomas embarks on a journey to…