One Word Sunday: Umbrella

Debbie’s Travel With Intent has a weekly photo challenge, One Word Sunday, and the word this week is umbrella. I tend to not have an umbrella when I need one (and do have one when it doesn’t rain after all), but I like this topic!

Not exactly an umbrella, but cool nevertheless! It’s part of the décor of our daughter’s “tiki bar”!
Outdoor dining in Budapest, Hungary
Europe was having a heat wave last summer, and some smart person on our tour of Wurzburg, Germany put her umbrella to good use!

January Square and One Word Sunday: Cacti & Petroglyphs in Saguaro National Park

We visited Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona late in the afternoon, where I got some great backlit shots of saguaro, such as this one:
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I am fascinated with saguaros, which are the trees of life in the Sonoran Desert, because of the interesting shapes that sprout as “arms” from their main trunk.
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Saguaros grow very slowly, so these photos are of cacti that are fairly old. These majestic giants live as long as 200 years!
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The saguaro harbors a variety of life forms – such as woodpeckers (who make holes in their trunks) and elf owls (who live in the abandoned holes), as well as many others who shelter beneath the cactus – snakes, rodents, and other animals. Native American tribes traditionally collected the fruit of the saguaro, which was used in their diet. They would use long poles to get the fruit down or collect it after it fell to the ground.
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During its long life, the saguaro stores water in the folds of its trunk and arms – the folds act like an accordion, expanding in years with more rainfall, and contracting in dry years.

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Late in life, a saguaro may have many limbs, which form curves and other shapes.

Even when this giant dies, creatures take advantage of its large bulk, where they burrow and lay eggs. Native peoples stripped its stems and used them as building materials.

Note the tangle of curved arms in this saguaro!
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Another interesting sight to explore at Saguaro National Park are the petroglyphs carved on rocks by ancient peoples who lived in the area.
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Swirls, curves, wheel-like circles, suns, animals, and other carvings were symbols which had religious or social meanings for their creators.
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Becky’s January Square – backlight.
One Word Sunday: Curve

One Word Sunday: Feet in Nature and Art

Debbie at Travel With Intent has a weekly photo challenge called One Word Sunday. This week the theme is feet.
Kitty feet!
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Egyptian geese feet
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Camel feet
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My feet – on a beach in Rio de Janeiro
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I’m sad to say…here’s what one of my feet looks like now! 😮
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I’ve actually done several drawings of feet – this is one of them.

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“Ballet Feet” (circa 1970) – pencil on drawing paper

 

 

 

One Word Sunday: Overlap

Travel with Intent has a photo challenge, One Word Sunday, and this week the topic is overlap.

Overlapping turtles – at this nature preserve, the main visitor center is undergoing renovation, so the small animals are now confined to a much smaller space until the work is complete.
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Overlapping bricks – Tacoma, WA Chinese Reconciliation Park

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Overlapping coral – Brookfield Zoo
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One Word Sunday: Vertical

Debbie S. at Travel With Intent has a challenge called One Word Sunday. This week the word is vertical.

You know spring is coming when you see vertical shoots emerging from the ground in your garden! Des Plaines, Illinois, USA20190318_161813.jpg
Vertical columns at the ruins of Caesarea, Israel
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Upright slab (stela) with vertical symbols at Temple of Horus, Edfu, Egypt
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Minaret and satellite tower, Edfu, Egypt
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