The Winter Floods in the Verde Valley, Arizona

People think of Arizona as the desert and it is usually sunny, but when it rains, it can really rain and in the Verde Valley that means flooding.  We have had quite a few days of rain so the creeks and rivers have risen.  This morning I took a picture of ducks in a tree above Oak Creek who are probably confused as to why the placid creek has become a torrent of muddy water and fast moving logs and other debris!

In our community we have two creeks, Oak and Spring Creeks which went way beyond their banks in the past few days.  Our hiking trails are flooded and even walking bridges have been relocated by the powerful rushing rivers!  It is a good reminder of how powerful water can be.

The following series were created from photos taken this morning.  Happy Holidays to All!  There is a surprising amount of color in nature for such a dreary rainy day.  Red or pinkish soils, brown water, green grasses, and many other colors shine through the kaleidoscopes!

ducks on a tree

The turtle made of debris

Above the flood waters

the poor bridge

floodwaters and winter's lack of foliage

Emerging from the Ground, Spring has Sprung in Northern Arizona

It has been an incredibly hot "spring" here.  Actually Spring doesn't officially come for another month, but the bulbs are blooming and the willows, lilacs and fruit trees are flowering and leafing out!

Here are a few beauties from my garden photographed on February 22nd, 2016! They do say that March, April, and May 2016 will be wetter because of the El Nino which usually also means cooler weather.  I expect there will be a snowstorm in Colorado when we pass though in early May.  We have been sleeping with the windows open for weeks now, how weird!

Red Rock Country

Some things in AZ are too amazing to believe.  For example, in an arid land, look at how large the trees can grow!  Michael and I had an opportunity to spend 2 hours at Red Rock State Park this morning.  We saw amazing trees, beautiful red rock country, and beautiful water scenes.  I took 87 photos and had to be selective to ONLY take 87 pictures.  Michael has 5 more Paint Sedona workshops and 1 workshop through the Sedona Arts Center and then we are on to Kanab and Springdale, Utah where we are coordinating a retreat of advanced painters.  Then we will begin the month long trip East where we have many stops to make for professional and business reasons before we finally get back home to Campobello Island.

This became the kaleidoscope I call the Massive Cottonwood

House of Apache Fire

My Reflection Times Eight

Mr Sedona Red Pants

Two Beautiful Sycamores!

Lilacs, Lupines and Horse Chestnut Candles

The apple blossoms are quickly fading with the large rain yesterday leading to their rapid demise!  However, up next is the lilacs which are very late this year and just coming out nearly in mid June!  The lupines are also making an appearance at their regularly scheduled time I believe.  I need to keep a better blooming diary to be sure of that fact.

 We also have quite a few old horse chestnut trees over 100 years old which have beautiful candles in early June.  They also seem a bit late this year as they have really just come out.  I caught a bee this morning feasting on the nectar or pollen in a candle.  He was quite stunned by the 46 degree morning temp and yesterday's 3 " rain so I had no problem taking his photograph.

All photos taken on morning of June 9th which documents the lateness of the lilacs!

Spring has Definitely "Sprung"

Bees are active, the birds are chirping and pecking at the roof, the Canadian Geese are flying overhead in formations, the grass is greening and the weeds are being chocked off with pesticides which is the worst part of Spring in the Southwest.

Michael had a workshop this week and I tagged along the last day to see what signs of Spring I could find down by Oak Creek at Crescent Moon Ranch.  The tops of the cottonwood trees had a faint blush of green, but the sycamore trees has little evidence of the next season.  The grass was greening and the tourists from the North were out in their shorts and tee shirts.  I have adapted to the climate and am afraid of skin cancer so I generally wear at least 2 layers over all skin surfaces where practical.

Flowering Shrub amongst the Red Rocks

Subtle Greens at Crescent Moon Ranch

Perennial bunch grasses greening pp from the bottom up

The Flooding of Oak Creek

Last week I blogged about the color of ice and this week we had flooding!  Fickle and wildly changing extreme weather is our plight during this period of global warming.  Both Spring and Oak Creeks jumped their banks with trees bravely hanging on as water streamed around them.  They were flowing very fast this morning and we took many videos and photographs.  The last time the water was this high in the winter was at least 3 years ago.

The photos became the inspiration for this weeks kaleidoscopes.

Mighty Warriors
8x8 $50 framed

Flooding in Winter
8x8 $50 framed

Here are some more of our flood pictures!

Mandalas and Kaleidoscopes--What is the Difference?

Others have written much more eloquently than I about the difference between the two:  http://www.intlnat.com/2010/11/is-it-a-kaleidoscope-or-a-mandala-its-both.html


First, take a look at this video about how to draw a mandala:
How to Draw a Mandala from Premaspace. To me, it is the spiritual intent that is the difference between the two.

I consider my work to be both since I often go into a zen like space in my head when I am creating and choosing kaleidoscopes for this blog.  It even extends to the time when I am taking photographs with the intention of creating images for the kaleidoscopes.

I am continually drawn to water and the amazing sycamores which grow here in the riparian zone.  Luckily, in the Verde Valley we have a large number of rivers and creeks, including Oak Creek, Spring Creek, Beaver Creek, and the Verde River.  The kaleidoscopes below were created from photos of the trees from a recent trip to Page Springs Fish Hatchery with the beautiful grays and brown of early winter vegetation.