Spring is fading fast giving way to summer, but as the brief green of spring turns brown, the cactus continue their springtime show with a wonderful display of colors as they make their annual bloom.
Shock
“Your mother has been in a rollover accident and has been airlifted to the hospital.” This was the message I received at 11:00 this morning. Unbelievably, my mom was relatively unscathed, as was her dog Guido. No broken bones, no concussion, just some scraped-up hands from the broken glass. Looking at the car above, the puncture in the roof from the tree she rolled on, or the scene of the accident and how close she was to hitting a metal pole or going into a drainage ditch, my mom, sisters, great aunt, grandfather, and everyone else who loves my mom is lucky to have her around today.
Autostitch
Today, I read about a piece of software called Autostitch and promptly downloaded it. Autostitch automatically and without user intervention pulls together panorama photos.
The above photo is comprised of five individual images taken in portrait mode. On our way to a camping trip on the Colorado River north of Peach Springs in January of 2002, we stopped for a bite to eat at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In Burger Shop on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona. This photo is the inside of the shop. Sadly, tonight, we learned that the founder, Mr. Juan Delgadillo, passed away this past year. His sons are carrying on the business so be sure to get off the I-40 when you are in northern Arizona and head on down old Route 66 to Seligman and check out this great slice of roadside Americana.
The Autostitch software doesn’t always work perfectly, but for the price and ease of use, everyone should give it a try!
Click Here – to view a panorama of Lake Powell, Arizona, made with Autostitch.
Temperature is going up
Summer is approaching. Daytime temperatures indoors are now consistently over 80. So begins our five months of blistering hot days.
Bell Road & 19th Avenue
This photo was the safest to take in a neighborhood, giving way to squalor, without me intruding on someone’s temporary roadside home. I had walked down the block while getting a flat tire replaced, to a branch of my bank to make a deposit, to the only branch I have been to that has bulletproof glass between the tellers and customers. The teller helping me laughed at my apprehension of the people sleeping next door around an abandoned building and told me I should see the Friday night drive-through hookers if I wanted to see a sight – nice.
Lani
This is Lani Randall, a dear friend for more than ten years. This evening, we joined Lani for dinner at a favorite place of hers, The Tonto Bar & Grill in Cave Creek, Arizona. Lani is the lady who supplied Caroline and me with our beautiful Navajo-designed intertwining feather wedding bands. Her company is called Rocking Horse Ranch, and her website can be found at www.indianjewelry.com. Caroline has recently been working on her website, making some improvements and ensuring that Lani’s site stays up to date.
Thanks for everything, Lani – Caroline and I are so very happy to know you.