Posted on by amoralegria · 2 Comments

CFFC/CMMC: Oranges & Holes

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge this week has the topic of hole/whole. And for her newest challenge, Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge, the topic is orange.

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah is a wonder of geological formations called “hoodoos.” These orangish sandstone shapes were carved over millions of years through water and wind erosion. Besides being orange, look carefully to see the holes!


Another beautiful national park in Utah is Arches National Park, named for the many arches carved by nature into the orange rocks. The first picture below is an iconic image, which many people have seen on calendars or posters. I had to use my telephoto lens to get a good shot of this beautiful arch, because without an arduous climb we could not get very close to it! The second photo is another of the park’s arches, which form a type of hole due to erosion, out of the whole rock!

Pumpkins, when they carved, become jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. At night you can see the light of the candle glowing through the holes!

Chihuly piece at Museum of Glass in Tacoma

Orange foliage with “holes” between the leaves!

I keep this (whole) water bottle next to my bed.

It has a hole in the top where the straw goes in!

Posted on by amoralegria · 5 Comments

L-APC: The Alphabet

The Alphabet starts with “A” and that is the subject of Lens-Artists’ photo challenge this week, starting appropriately with the amazing letter A!

I have a file of letter-shaped things. I got the idea for it when I saw this cute little ladder in our neighborhood and immediately thought of the letter A!

abelia grandiflora
Austria
Austrians

My brother-in-law sings in a barbershop chorus called The Arlingtones. It is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Arlingtones holiday show 2019

In Cairo we visited the Museum of Islamic Art. Arabic writing is an art form in itself!

Arabic writing from the Ottoman Empire

In the spring, swans mate and lay their eggs. In early April, the female has laid 2 eggs and by the end of April, she has laid all her eggs!

  • April 7
  • April 23
Art (painting by Monet)
Arches National Park, Utah
ancient architecture (Karnak, Luxor, Egypt)
Posted on by amoralegria · 2 Comments

A Special CFFC: Bryce Canyon NP

I already participated in Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge with the theme orange and green. But later I remembered this beautiful national park we visited two years ago, so I wanted to share some of the beautiful vistas we saw there! Here is a gallery of orange and green at Bryce Canyon National Park! Click on the photos to enlarge. (I had intended to include more photos but the new “Block” system on WordPress deleted all but these when I tried to change the format from “Gallery” to “Tiled Gallery.” Since I had already spent quite a bit of time downloading the photos, I decided to give up at that point!)

Posted on by amoralegria

2020 Photo Challenge: Shot From Above

Travel Words’ 2020 Photo Challenge theme for September is “point of view” and for this final week, the subject is shoot from above.

Looking down on Maasai villages from prop plane flying from Serengeti National Park to Arusha, Tanzania
Plane ride Serengeti-Arusha, Tanzania
Hotel room balcony view, Old Cataract Hotel, Aswan, Egypt
Ruins of Roman settlement during the siege of Masada, from Masada plateau, Israel
Looking down from the courtyard behind the abbey atop Mont St-Michel, France
Looking down on the Rhine River from Marksburg Castle in Germany
Looking down on hoodoos from the Rim Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
A trail we chose to view from above rather than hike down! Bryce Canyon NP, Utah

Posted on by amoralegria · 1 Comment

Tuesday Photo Challenge & CFFC: Eye Candy

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge this week begins a series exploring the five senses. This week is sight. She says: As the saying goes, a picture worth a thousand words. Think of photos you can take or have already taken that remind you of a fabulous sight. I like to call it “Eye Candy”. Several of the photos I picked out are of animals, which is conveniently the topic of Dutch Goes the Photo’s Tuesday Photo Challenge.

A romantic couple: Swans make a “heart” after mating, in one of our community ponds.
20200323_140827
Cheetah mom and cub frolic in Tanzania:
SONY DSC
After watching these two gamboling for about half an hour, I decided the cheetah is now my favorite wild animal!SONY DSC
In a close second place are these adorable genets, who reside at Ndutu Safari Lodge.  They looked down at us with such curious faces, and sat up there so quietly observing the humans down below.
2-10 genets at Ndutu Safari Lodge
My youngest “grandcat” Freddie – how can I help falling in love with this guy??
Freddie 1
Here is my own beautiful cat, Hazel! This is an early photo of her, but it has always been my favorite.
This is a beautiful picture of Hazel!
This is a more recent photo of her, taken in our new house.
20191008_165053
I guess it’s clear that I just love cats in general! (Genets are not cats, but they sort of look like cats.)

More eye candy is to be found in the beauty of nature.

A sunset in Tanzania
SONY DSC
Cathedral Rock as seen from the campus of Verde Valley School, Sedona, Arizona DSCF2997
Flowers: at Chicago Botanic Gardens
20170821_122819
Dahlia at Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WADSC02442
I love to look at beautiful works of humankind as well.

In St. Matthias Church, Budapest
DSC02101DSC02105

If I had to lose either my sight or my hearing, I think I would choose being deaf than missing out on the beauties of our world.

Posted on by amoralegria · 2 Comments

Square Tops: Birds on Rocks

We took a boat ride around the islands at Aswan, Egypt, to see wildlife. There were mostly birds. These birds were mostly on top of rocks, so they fit the TOP theme of Becky’s month of squares! I see we have a similar topic today, Becky – except your bird is higher up!

SONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSC
I decided to include these last two bird pictures, even though they were not on rocks! (And I didn’t square them either!)SONY DSC

SONY DSC
The ibis in ancient Egypt was associated with the god Thoth, god of letters and knowledge. Thoth is often depicted in ancient Egyptian art with an ibis’ head.

Posted on by amoralegria · 2 Comments

Friday Fun: In the Distance

Here are some 2019 travel photos for Aroused’s Friday Fun: Distance.

Caesarea & Jerusalem, Israel:

20190111_144421
The taller building farthest out in the distance is allegedly the site where the apostle Paul was imprisoned for two years.

SONY DSC
Sailboats in the distance, on the Mediterranean

SONY DSC
Looking down from Mt. Scopus, old and new Jerusalem spreads into the distance.

Rhine castles in Germany:
20190628_14395320190628_15370420190628_155803

DSC01093
Goats in the distance on a hill among ruined walls

I kept thinking of this song while doing this post. I think the lyrics are fitting for these days of fear and crisis.

Posted on by amoralegria · 1 Comment

CB&WPC: I’ve Looked At Clouds

Cee’s black & White Photo Challenge this week has the topic clouds. This is an interesting topic, because one of the things that makes cloud pictures spectacular is color – especially sunsets. I tried and rejected several photos because they just didn’t have appeal without the color. Others, however, look even more dramatic in black & white! So here’s what I chose.

I’ll start with clouds seen from above (through an airplane window).
20180128_163830 (2)
I got some dramatic sunset photos in black & white when I looked for strong contrasts between the clouds and the sky.
20170527_200853 (2)DSCN8866 (2)

20171004_173346_001 (2)
The variety of the shapes of the clouds makes this an interesting photo in black & white.

2-6 sunset from our room at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (2)
20181029_174412 (2)
Sometimes, what attracts me to take photos of clouds is the variety of shapes. It can be especially dramatic in the wide open spaces on the prairies of North Dakota…
20170524_170930 (2)20170524_160450 (2)
…or a sunburst over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
KODAK Digital Still Camera
More subtle effects over the pond on the campus of our community.
20200108_155441 (2)
In this photo, the clouds are reflected in the rippled surface of the water.
20190817_192038 (2)
Sometimes, instead of a prairie, a dramatic landscape – such as majestic mountains – enhances the photo, offering a dramatic contrast between land and sky.
20180531_141336 (2)
The official title of the following song is Both Sides Now. But this is a pretty rendition with ethereal moving clouds. Although the song was written by Joni Mitchell, who sings it here, it was first recorded by Judy Collins, which was the first version of it I heard.