… continuing the review of older photos in the portfolio today and a look at some recent ones … the photo above is an azalea plant at Filoli Gardens in Woodside, California that I shot last month when I was up there for a presentation to the Padre Trails Camera Club. I love shooting flowers and the very short lived beauty that they bring to those who take the time to look around. The bloom is gone, but the beauty shared will be here for a while. Below is a shot of a golden retriever puppy that was calling it quits on being in…
Author: Tommy
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Arizona News – Crews are continuing work on the Wilbur fire, a lightning-caused wildfire located on the Mogollon Rim Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest. Wilbur Fire at a glance: Acreage: 9,048 Containment: 41 percent Start date: May 21, 2023 Total personnel: 130 Location: 8.5 miles west of Clints Well, Arizona Fuels: Ponderosa pine and pinyon-juniper Highlights: Monday night fire crews conducted hand ignitions on Twentynine Mile Butte, achieving desired low to moderate-severity fire effects on the landscape. On Tuesday, ignitions were conducted along Forest Road (FR) 144 and progressed west to the existing fire perimeter along State Route (SR) 260 south…
… a few days ago I got an email with photos from a friend on the east coast recounting the days that he and friends spent slope soaring RC gliders at Cape Cod … well, I never did Cape Cod, but I did fly RC gliders on the bluffs overlooking the Santa Ana River and the beautiful Huntington Beach, beaches and the Pacific Ocean. I wanted to send Dick a few photos of those days so I have been combing old and forgotten folders with scans from those days … time got away from me so the length of the…
… a little fun and change of pace as we head out to the bed of Spuria Innovator Iris’s in my back yard … both images show one of the iris’s as the bloom is beginning to unfurl, but the one above has a ladybug at the top of the bud in exquisite detail, whilst the one below is relying on its natural beauty to attract my attention. The blooms are now in the past, but the memories live on and next year they will again bloom … seasons pass and life goes on for all of us … what…
Sedona News – The Unauthorized Happiness Improv team is back and honored to bring a night of laughter to the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Tuesday, June 27 at 7 p.m. This month, the UH Team is bringing out some NEW GAMES for the June show that are sure to make everyone absolutely burst with laughter! Calling all Random Objects! We’re inviting audience members to bring small, random objects from their house, a funny doll, a nick-nack from the office or just something weird from your AirBnB! Make sure it’s clean; inappropriate objects will not be authorized. Unauthorized Happiness will…
Arizona News – Crews are continuing work on the Wilbur fire; a lightning-caused wildfire located on the Mogollon Rim Ranger District (MRRD) of the Coconino National Forest. Acreage: 7,938 Containment: 41 percent Start date: May 21, 2023 Total personnel: 150 Location: 8.5 miles west of Clints Well (Mogollon Rim Ranger District, Coconino National Forest) Fuels: Ponderosa pine and pinyon-juniper Highlights: Over the weekend fire crews patrolled and secured the fire’s edge along Forest Road (FR) 142 and Highway 260 near FR 144. Crews conducted tactical firing operations along FR 616 to FR 149 utilizing interior forest roads and continuing west to…
Cottonwood AZ – The City of Cottonwood adopted a new short-term/vacation rental registration and notification process under Ordinance # 731 which was approved by the Cottonwood City Council on March 7, 2023. This ordinance can be found on the City’s website and explains the details of the registration and any fines and fees associated with the ordinance. This letter is to provide the new application to residential property owners and to serve as notification that any residential property used as a short team rental property (and located within Cottonwood City Limits) shall be registered. A short-term rental is defined as…
Sedona News – The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) of Sedona presents filmmaker and educator Jennifer W. Stein in the new series dedicated to the scientific research of the UFO phenomena. Her lecture is “Gobekli Tepe – An Enigma of Human History” Sunday, July 9, at 3:00 pm, at The Center for Christ Consciousness, 100 Northview Road, Sedona, AZ 86336. Gobekli Tepe, which means “potbelly hill” in Turkish, is thought to be at least 12,000 years old. It was excavated in 1994 after being buried for thousands of years. The site contains the oldest known megaliths in the world: two pillars made…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory Whirlpools, spirals, fingerprint patterns, snakes coiled ready to strike … vortexes of movement expanding contracting pulling in, pushing out … forces of aliveness in form, heartbeats of life. So easy to overlook, to miss completely, to rush past in embrace of the next new thing. Force fields, unwinding or coiling tighter, appearances of amplification and condensation, of compression and relaxation, up or down, in or out. Every action a vortex, tightening its grip on what is known or opening into the unknown, every breath paying homage to love or to fear, sometimes both at the same…
By Mark TenBroek Sedona, AZ — As of March, 2023 the Sedona Trailhead Shuttle has been running for over a year and has been successful in gaining ridership primarily from visitors to our community. First it is important to understand what the objective of the Trailhead Shuttle is: Make it easier for residents and visitors to get to popular trailheads in a safe and sustainable way Protect the fragile environment around trailheads by reducing the number of vehicles Reduce parking in neighborhoods near trailheads Reduce danger to pedestrians and traffic safety around key trailheads – Cathedral Rock, Soldiers Pass Trail,…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to host a special encore flashback of “Sordid Lives” in observation of Pride Month on Thursday, June 29 at 4:00 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Get ready for laughs the size of Texas when Olivia Newton-John, Beau Bridges, Bonnie Bedelia, Delta Burke and Leslie Jordan lead an all-star cast in this twisted, white-trash tale that puts the “fun” in ‘dysfunctional. It’s “an outrageous “train wreck you can’t help but watch!” (Chicago Tribune) In this cult classic comedy from writer-director Del Shores, a gay West Hollywood actor returns home…
By GARY BEVERLY, PH.D Verde Valley News – Water management is one of the most important issues for governments throughout Arizona. This is especially true for the upcoming primary and general elections for Prescott City Council because our area faces long-term water shortages. The Citizens Water Advocacy Group (CWAG) will gather the candidates together to discuss how water policies affect both citizens and the Verde River on June 24 at 10 am via Zoom. Register under “Next Event” at cwagaz.org. This will be our 19th annual Water Issues Candidate Forum and all seven candidates will participate. The purpose of the Candidate…
Verde Valley News – Crews are continuing work on the Wilbur fire; a lightning-caused wildfire located on the Mogollon Rim Ranger District (MRRD) of the Coconino National Forest. Acreage: 5,228 Containment: 26 percent Start date: May 21, 2023 Total personnel: 150 Location: 8.5 miles west of Clints Well (Mogollon Rim Ranger District, Coconino National Forest) Fuels: Ponderosa pine and pinyon-juniper Highlights: Firefighters were able to successfully complete 12 miles of tactical firing operations along Forest Road (FR) 142 and tie into State Route (SR) 260. The Arizona Department of Transportation coordinated delays as ignitions approached SR 260 for firefighter and public…
By Kristina Sabetta, LMSW NAMI Yavapai Verde Valley News – Please join us for our next Mental Health Monday program via Zoom which will take place on June 26th, 2023, 10:00 to 11:30 AM, and will focus on perinatal mental health. Did you know that perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are among the most common complications that occur in pregnancy or in the first 12 months after delivery? Did you know 18% of dads will develop a clinically significant anxiety disorder at some point during the pregnancy or first year postpartum? Come join us as we hear from Dr. Leigh Lewis as we learn more…
… life is filled with opportunities and choices … sometimes you get it right and sometimes not so much. Spent most of the day catching with friends I have not talked to in a while and near the end of day I headed up to the Rainbow Trout Farm in the canyon … a very quiet place at end of day and important to a few herons and hawks that grab a meal there. Above is a great blue heron who scored a fine meal and below one that didn’t … kinda like us when we go fishing, but for…