Almost Travel Time!

My wife and I are taking our kids down to Palm Springs, CA and Yuma, AZ for vacation this month. Easter falls at the end of spring break this year so we are spending it with my wife's parent's winter home down in Yuma. I'm looking forward to the trip from a photography angle as well as a much needed rest. Here in Edmonton it is late winter starting to look like spring is coming. Basically that means that the wonderful white landscape is about to turn muddy and brown. Until the plant life starts to bloom that is.

Now anyone that has been to Yuma will tell you that it's brown there all year long being in the desert and all. :) This is true but it's a different brown. It's the browns and greens of the desert. Not the brown of road gravel thrown down by the road crews to help with the icy roads. I'm looking forward to the change of climate.

I have my eyes set on three wild life and nature preserves around Yuma. Two of them on the Colorado River where the border between Arizona and California runs and one a bit further east right in the middle of the desert.

The first I plan to visit is the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge. Here, along the Colorado River, I'm hoping to see Big Horn Sheep, Mule Deer, Muskrats and many species of birds. Perhaps I'll see some wild burros and some snakes along the way.

Second on my list of places to visit is the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge. Much the same as the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge it's just a short driver further north along the Colorado River. I expect to see much the same animals and plants here.

The third I want to visit is the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. This one is more or less due east of the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge. This one is desert all the way and I expect to see lots of cacti and desert critters. What I'm hoping to see here are Desert Tortoise and Desert Kit Fox.

Of course with all these locations, it would be amazing to photograph a coyote chasing a road runner!

Timing will be very important for these locations. I don't want to be in the desert in the middle of the day. Not only will it be too hot but the animals will not be nearly as active either. I'll have to get there before sunrise or a couple hours before sunset. Having 2 young children, I'm pretty sure it will be the afternoon time slot.

Chris.

Spring Day

 

Gotta love this hat. If she out grows it, I can cut it up for socks. LOL.

Chris.

Project 52 - Week 5 - Oh No!

 

Yes, that's my iPhone in a baggie with as many desiccant packs as I could find! It fell off the coffee maker and straight into the dish water as I was washing dishes. It took 2 days to dry out and is still acting funny but it is usable. Soon iPhone 5....soon but not yet. :)

Chris.

Project 52 - Week 4 - Sunday Breakfast

 

It's Sunday on week 4 and Sunday morning means pancakes for the kids. Not bacon and eggs but still tastey.

Chris.

Four

Getting out with my iPhone today looking for photos.

Chris.

Project 52 - Week 3 - Coffee Junkie

 

I can admit it. I"m a coffee junkie. It's my one and only vice that I cannot live without. It's ok, I could be addicted to much worse things in this world.

Chris.

Project 52 - Week 2

 

 Colors mix in the crystals from a child's science experiment. 

Chris.

A New Project For 2013

I've begun a 52 week project for this year. I took the year off last year from the photo a day project and really missed being part of a huge project that so many were involved in. That said though, I just don't have time to put into a photo a day project anymore but I think I can manage a photo a week project. I'm going to give it a good try anyway.

Here is my first photo of my new project.

 

This is the first of my project 52 photos for 2013.

Kinder is putting some much better toys in their eggs these days.

Chris.

Sugar Snowman

 

Hello Mr. Sugar Snowman. You will be the first eaten when I dive into that Gingerbread House after Christmas.

Chris. 

Concentration Stone

 

This is a stone that I have on my desk at work. I picked it up from the gravel one day when it caught my eye. I find myself picking it up and rubbing at it when I'm stressed out or need to concentrate. I wonder how long it will take before I wear it smooth.

Chris.