Russian Sage

This macro shot of a Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia Benth.) plant was taken in my front yard. Russian Sage is a favorite for Flagstaff landscapers, although I've heard that in other areas of the country they consider it a weed. Either way I find the brilliant purple of the blooms contrasted against the light sage green of the stems and leaves a beautiful sight to see. :-)

Strange

Yesterday morning, there was the strangest cloud formation hovering over the top of the San Francisco Peaks. I'm sure there is some perfectly good meteorological-type explanation for this phenomenon, but for a second I was convinced that aliens were landing on top of the mountain. :-) Here's another view of the cloud formation.

Addendum: I have to give my wife, Becky, credit for this photo. I had already left for work when I saw this photo op, so I called her and asked her to take a photo of the mountain and she was gracious enough to go out (in her bathrobe, mind you) and take a photo for me to post on FDP.

Caught in the Storm

While hiking on Humphreys Trail a couple days ago, my wife and I were caught in a mini hail storm. It only lasted a few minutes but it was long enough to cover the ground with a thin layer of tiny iceballs. The flash fired on this shot and, on the left, caught a hailstone in mid-fall.

From SnowBowl

My wife and I went for a hike on Humphreys Trail today and I got this panoramic shot at the top of Snowbowl Road northwest of Flagstaff. The weather wasn't all that great, however; we got hailed on and then rained on most of the hike. Oh well.

Most of the peaks you see in the distance are extinct mini-volcanoes called cinder cones. This view is even more spectacular at sunset when the sun is low in the sky and to the right. I plan to head up there again soon to capture the view at that time of day.

Cotton Candy in the Sky

A late summer sunset in Flagstaff, Arizona. I took this photo from the front of my house.

Vino

Who doesn't like a good bottle of wine from time to time?

Sheeps

Ceramic sheep on the window sill in our new kitchen.

At Work

A bee busy at work collecting pollen on one of the many, many, MANY wild sunflowers that have sprouted up in our backyard during the summer monsoons.

Kitchen Life

My wife's much loved and much used mixer. Fall is baking season and I am very much looking forward to it.

Snow in August???

Yep, that's snow on the top of the San Francisco Peaks........or possibly a heavy blanket of hail. We had (probably) one of our last big rainfalls of the 2008 Monsoon Season yesterday and when the sky cleared, we could see a covering of white "stuff" on the top of the mountain from our driveway. I haven't been out today to see if it's still there, but since the thermometer says its already 73 degrees, I'm thinking its probably gone by now. :-)

Blue

I took this photo in my new backyard this morning. This little blue flower has multiplied and half the yard is a blanket of blue. It's amazing how the petals are almost iridescent.

View from Front

Hi Everyone. I have to apologize for the lack of photo postings lately. My wife and I just moved into our first home and we've been working hard painting, ripping up carpet, moving our stuff, etc., so I haven't had a lot of time to post photos. Not to mention a lack of the internet at home. But now that things are settling down and we have internet service in our new place, I hope to get back into the swing of things.

Today's photo was taken out a bedroom window from the front of our house. The sun was just starting to set and was painting Mount Elden (on the right) in rich light.

Delicious

A nice summer salad. It hit the spot!

Chuparosa

I got this shot of a red wildflower near Mormon Lake, southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona. After some research online, I think I have correctly identified it as a chuparosa (Beloperone californica) flower. If I am incorrect please let me know. After having daily monsoon rains for the last couple weeks, the hillsides are covered with wildflowers. This species is a very common one seen around Flagstaff.

Juniper Tree and Peaks

A view of the San Francisco Peaks from the southeast with a Juniper tree in the foreground. If you look on the right side of the horizon you can see Sunset Crater in the distance.

Over the Lake

My wife as she looks out over Mormon Lake on the morning of her 30th Birthday.

Wild Thistle

A macro shot of a wild thistle flower growing near Upper Lake Mary, southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona.


FYI: My wife and I are closing on our first home today. It's a pretty exciting time for us. Wish us luck at the closing. :-)

Lake and Peaks

I took this shot just south of Mormon Lake looking northeast toward the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. The Monsoon clouds were just starting to roll in.

Boots

I took this photo of my wife's cowboy boots as she enjoyed the view over Mormon Lake. To celebrate her birthday we went to Mormon Lake Village south of Flagstaff for horse trail ride. The trail ride was provided by High Mountain Stables, one of only a few companies providing horse trail rides to public. I would highly recommend them if you are in the area, we had a great time!

Watchers

Some fellow Flagstaffians watch the 4th of July Parade in downtown Flagstaff from the balcony of the Weatherford Hotel.

Sun Through Pine

The late afternoon sun peeks through ponderosa pine casting Brookbank Trail in intricate shadows.

Collins

This is Collins Irish Pub and Eatery located on the corner of Route 66 and Leroux St. in downtown Flagstaff. A fun bar with great food. I especially recommend the mini-burgers.

Tracks

The railroad tracks that pass through downtown Flagstaff with the monsoon clouds in the background.

Tribute

Hello and Happy 4th of July to everyone! As some of you may have heard (since it made national news for several days), two medical transport helicopters collided near the hospital in Flagstaff last Sunday. One helicopter was part of the Guardian Medical Transport Services that is part of Flagstaff Medical Center (where I work) and the other was from Classic Lifeguard Aeromedical Services from Page, Arizona. Tragically, 6 people died in the collision and another person is still in critical condition. Guardian Air provides medical transport for injured people throughout northern Arizona including Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon and the Navajo and Hopi Reservations. As they passed through the parade today, in downtown Flagstaff, the crowd gave out a hardy cheer for this group who so recently lost several of their own.

Petals

A flower at my mother-in-law's house.

A Walk

My wife walking through a meadow at sunset with the San Francisco Peaks in the background.

Sprouting

The tips of a young fern in a meadow off of Brookbank Trail just northwest of Flagstaff.

Sunset View

My wife and I took a hike on Brookbank Trail the other day and I got this shot of her watching the sunset near the San Francisco Peaks.

Gambel Oak

Rocky Ridge Trail 3075a, originally uploaded by dustinjblodgett.

As the sun hit this gambel oak tree, the contrasting light and shadows made for a perfect black and white photo.

Stowaway

I took several photos of this flower before I got one that I liked, and it wasn't until I got home, uploaded the photos to my computer and had my wife go through them, that she noticed the spider in the upper left-hand corner of the photo. Shows you how observant I am sometimes. :-)