September 18, 2015

Zooming – September 2015

September 18, 2015/ Gwen Morrison

The zoomed images included in these collages reflect my travels in late August and early September…and I’ve uploaded them in a way that you can see an enlarged version by clicking on the image.

Can you find zoomed images of

Sunflowers (hint: they are not open all the way)
Queen Anne’s lace (hint: from underneath)
Maple leaves (hint: already changing color)
Jewel weed (hint: it’s yellow rather than orange)
Thistle pod
Morning glory
Zinnias (hint: one red, one pink…the hummingbirds checked them out frequently as they prepared for their migration from Maryland)
Chipmunk
Crow (really it was a boat tail grackle but the tail does not show in the picture!)
Onion flowers

Enjoy!

The zoomed images included in these collages reflect my travels in late August and early September…and I’ve uploaded them in a way that you can see an enlarged version by clicking on the image.

Can you find zoomed images of

· Sunflowers (hint: they are not open all the way)

· Queen Anne’s lace (hint: from underneath)

· Maple leaves (hint: already changing color)

· Jewel weed (hint: it’s yellow rather than orange)

· Thistle pod

· Morning glory

· Zinnias (hint: one red, one pink…the hummingbirds checked them out frequently as they prepared for their migration from Maryland)

· Chipmunk

· Crow (really it was a boat tail grackle but the tail does not show in the picture!)

· Onion flowers

Enjoy!

January 28, 2015

Grand Canyon National Park

January 28, 2015/ Gwen Morrison

I’ve been to Grand Canyon National Park three times:

When I was in high school - in early spring 1971 when I walked a little ways down Bright Angel Trail then turned back when it started snowing.
In May 1983 when my husband and I walked down the Bright Angel Trail to the plateau level. I remember blisters from the too-new hiking books and my legs feeling like jelly for most of the walk back up.
In January 2015 when it was cold and breezy. We drove to the park through early morning light and saw a bald eagle landing in the top of a pine tree beside the highway. I wasn’t fast enough to get a picture but it started out the day right. The pictures below are from the visit a few weeks ago.

It is hard to fathom the sheer size of the place. The rim trail on the South Rim - accessible from many points - is an easy walk to try to get perspective. We were early enough that the haze had not burned off completely and sometimes the vegetation seemed to glow from light within.

There has been a lot of building in the main park facilities since 1983. I liked the way the paving incorporated different colors of concrete to make designs - spirals and gentle curves. But we didn’t stay in the developed area long. We decided on our plan for the day - settled on where we would eat lunch (Maswik Lodge Food Court) and began working our way toward Hermits Rest stopping at just about every overlook. After lunch we headed in the opposite direction (toward Desert View) where we would leave the park and head to our hotel about sunset. Along the way we saw rapids and twists of the river below, a mini-snowman, beefy crows, and the zigzag of a trail into the canyon. Sometimes I took pictures of lichen and small plants just to not be overwhelmed by the Grand Canyon vista!

I am already thinking about when I can go again!

January 16, 2015

Zooming - January 2015

January 16, 2015/ Gwen Morrison

The zoomed images this month are more varied than usual. There were some images from very cold days (mostly in Maryland) and some mild days in Arizona. I’ll be posting about our travel to Arizona in the weeks to come but I could not resist including a little prelude here! Can you find….