of viento, chile colorado, Sangre de Cristo, and Brazos cliffs
February 02, 2025
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8 Comments
I committed the original sin of photographers and writers this week. Actually, I have been for some time. In the digital age, any photographer or writer's mantra should be "Save, backup, save, backup." A task that, for some reason, has escaped my attention in the last couple of years. It caught up with me last week. Not in the photography side of m...
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further adventures from the Albuquerque Botanic Garden
January 26, 2025
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2 Comments
Bright and colorful bulbs, flowering fruit trees, and deciduous trees and shrubs in full leaf are not prominent during winter at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden. That is the season when the evergreen trees shine, and architecture and sculptures are much more visible. The vision and planning of the people who have worked on the garden over the last n...
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a long time coming
January 19, 2025
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5 Comments
In 1998, I wrote an article for Rocky Mountain Gardener magazine titled "Garden Jewel of the Rio Grande - Rio Grande Botanic Garden". The Botanic Garden and Aquarium opened in 1996. When I saw it two years later, the most prominent element of the Garden was the Conservatory designed by architect Edward Mazria and his associates. The 9,000 square fo...
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the mighty acorn
January 12, 2025
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4 Comments
Given the massive, very nearly unstoppable fires burning in California, my guess is that some of you have been directly affected by the fires, or have friends or family who have been. It is a tragedy of epic proportions considering the loss of human life, property, and infrastructure. The destruction caused will change the area's landscape for deca...
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renewal
January 06, 2025
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6 Comments
Today is the first Monday of a new year - 2025 - a time of emergence, renewal and reflection, hope, and sometimes apprehension - about what lies ahead. In the early morning hours, I look out the bedroom window and see Jupiter, seemingly dancing around as I drift in and out of sleep. The planets and stars are with us regardless of what happens on ea...
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new year, new hope
December 30, 2024
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5 Comments
Wednesday is the beginning of a new year, 2025 to be exact. Cultures around the globe celebrate the new year in many ways and on different dates but the idea is the same. It is a time humans set aside for rebirth and renewal, and to evaluate our lives. White lilies, such as the ones below, are said to represent rebirth. The idea of many petals maki...
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Happy Christmas!
December 22, 2024
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The holidays are upon us. We are having much joy celebrating with friends and family - in person, via email, text, and phone. I also channeled my inner Julia Child, not her brilliance and culinary skills necessarily, but her vigor and anarchy in the kitchen.
Solstice was Saturday, and tomorrow will be four seconds longer than today. It doesn't see...
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a blog full of fiber
December 15, 2024
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During this Winter Solstice week, the amount of daylight here in the southern Rocky Mountains is decreasing by roughly 18 seconds a day. For us, sunset today will be at 4:53 p.m. All of nature feels the change, and, as humans, we feel the lack of daylight too. But the trend reverses itself on Saturday, the 21st of December - Solstice - when those o...
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all in a life
December 09, 2024
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1 Comment
The greater holiday season in the United States - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's celebrations - is upon us, and is a bit like a driver who is late for work. Yes, the driver should have left earlier, but suddenly, the need to accelerate comes into play, lending a sense of urgency to life's normal pace. The atmosphere becomes more manic as w...
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word of the day
December 01, 2024
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2 Comments
Having enjoyed the Thanksgiving meal at friends far too much, I am not quite ready to relinquish food photography just yet. Particularly since the most interesting word emerged from the dinner. Spatchcock is our word for the day. Many of you have probably already prepared a turkey (or other fowl) in this manner, but I had not heard the word before...
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for thanks and foodies
November 24, 2024
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This Thursday's Thanksgiving celebration in America represents something far from the original purpose. These days, it is more about Thanksgiving Day parades, sports, mattress sales, and crowded airports. But still, it remains a time to give thanks, and join with family and friends to partake in a groaning board of food. It is a holiday for foodies...
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Solvitur ambulando
November 17, 2024
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A beautiful and appropriate saying landed in my lap this week, courtesy of a friend who regularly forwards "5 Bullet Friday" to us. Published by author, podcaster, and lifestyle guru Tim Ferris, there is always something that catches my attention in his publication. This week, it was the Latin saying "solvitur ambulando" which means "it is solved b...
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fuchsia faces for any season
November 10, 2024
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7 Comments
Frequently, when a photographer ventures forth into the world, whether near or far, surprises await. They could be part of what one plans to photograph or they could emerge during the process. A catchment or small pond filled with water lilies was in an unexpected place - a horse stable where one of our nieces rides. I had not intended to shoot wat...
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still life near the ocean
November 04, 2024
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4 Comments
Early morning hours are magical, regardless of the location. But living in the high desert of the southern Rocky Mountains, I tend to forget that the sound of the ocean is always there, never ceasing, and the birds that live in any given area near the ocean, communicate seemingly non-stop as well. An endless cycle of life. As the sun rises, many bi...
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the creative mind
October 27, 2024
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Creativity and the creative process has been a regular theme of my blogs. It differs from person to person, but creativity is a physical, mental, and emotional need that expresses itself consistently in artists and craftspeople of all stripes. And that need must be filled, as it lurks under the surface in our brains. Of the many discoveries on our...
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© Daryl A. Black