Base of Agave Cactus

Here is a photo of the base of the Blue Agave plant that has the center stalk shooting up 20 feet into the sky.

As you may be aware, generally, these cactus leaves would all be standing straight upwards.

Once the strong center stalk grows up, the agave cactus starts to die and the long, strong agave leaves start turning down towards the ground.

The stalk takes all of the water and nutrients from the cactus and agave leaves and the stalk uses it to grow and sprout cactus blooms. as you have seen in the photo of the past few days. I tried to take this photo in a creative way.

Check out our travel photos of going up and down the largest pyramid at Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Surreal Agave Cactus Points

Here is a photo of the Blue Agave cactus points with different filters making it a fuchsia or psychedelic looking cactus.

I like the feel of this image as it has a surreal texture to it.

The very tips almost look like they are lit up.

I think this almost looks like a painting. Soon this magnificent plant will die.

Check out our travel photos of going up and down the largest pyramid at Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Center Stalk of Blue Agave

Here is a photo of the very tall center stalk of the blue agave.

You can see from the photo I posted a couple of days earlier that the top of the stalk has a lot of branches with the clusters of blooms on them.

This part of the stalk looks strong and colorful, with the points of the agave reaching up to this level and then stopping while the strong center stalk shoots towards the sky.

The agave leaves that are fuchsia in color look almost braided.

Soon the cactus will die and the 20 foot stalk will fall over. I hope this series of photos gives you some perspective of this special event.

Check out our travel photos of going up and down the largest pyramid at Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Agave Bloom with Surreal Sky

Here is a photo of the blooms on the center stalk of the Blue Agave plant.

The cluster of blooms is taken against a sky filled with fluffy clouds.

I like the surreal feel of this image.

I used my kelvin temperature on my Nikon D90 to obtain this effect where the sky is greenish instead of blue. And, I took this photo near sunset so the lighting was interesting and worked well with the kelvin temperature of about 3500.

Check out our travel photos of going up and down the largest pyramid at Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Blooms of Blue Agave

Here is a photo of the bloom on the blue agave stalk.

Yesterday you saw the very tall center of the blue agave that has grown over 20 feet in height.

The clusters at the end of each branch that you saw in yesterday's photo consists of these blooms you can see in today's photo.

This photo was taken with the last rays of sunlight, and while I was standing on a tall ladder.

Check out our travel photos of going up and down the largest pyramid at Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Blue Agave Stalk

Here is a photo of a majestic stalk that sprouted up from the center of my Blue Agave in my front yard.

The blue agave is about 5 feet high and five feet wide. Once the stalk grows from the center, the blue agave dies.

You do not quite know when the agave will sprout the stalk. It could be years from now, or sooner if the plant is stressed or the weather can cause the stalk to grow.

I have been happy to watch this stalk grow over 20 feet in height, but saddened that this magnificent large agave will die.

I have been photographing it and will share some photos with you over the next few days so other can appreciate this special plant and its short life once the stalk grows.

In this photo, you can see the flowers on the stalk with the interesting clouds and blue sky behind it.

Happy Birthday to Dave of Costa Rica Daily Photo!

Check out our travel photos of going up and down the largest pyramid at Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Blue Backlit Sky

Here is a photo I took a couple of nights ago when I was hoping for rain.

No rain came, but the sky backlit the clouds in an interesting manner. The pattern of the clouds was nice also.

Today is Sunday, which means new travel photos. We take you up and down the largest pyramid at Chichen Itza at Viva la Voyage!

Pincushion Flowers

Here is a macro photo of the pincushion flowers that are generally part of the ring of flowers, which I have previously posted.

The flowers are tiny and delicate. You can see the pollen on the flower petals.

Check out the natural wonders on the Big Island of Hawaii Viva la Voyage!

Red Sky in Sedona

To close the Sedona photo series, it seemed appropriate to end it with a photo I took there of a brilliant red sky sunset.

This image makes the sky look like it is on fire.

I am looking forward to monsoon season here in the Scottsdale area of Arizona and hope to get some interesting lightning images soon.

Check out the natural wonders on the Big Island of Hawaii Viva la Voyage!

Rushing Water at Oak Creek

Here is a photo of rushing water at Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona.

The views along all of the hiking trails in Sedona are dramatic.

As you can see from my photo series of Sedona during the past few weeks, there is a lot of different topography in this area so the hiking is always wonderful and special.

Everyone needs to see Sedona at least once in their lifetime.

Check out the natural wonders on the Big Island of Hawaii Viva la Voyage!

Gorgeous Cathedral Rock

Here is what I think is a gorgeous photo of Cathedral Rock.

The sky is perfect and the colors of the red rock glimmer near sunset.

I really like rocks and mountains and the geological lines.

I took this photo at Red Rock Crossing in Sedona. I hope you are enjoying the road trip to Sedona as it is almost over.

Check out the natural wonders on the Big Island of Hawaii Viva la Voyage!

Perfect Southwest Scene

Here is a photo of a perfect Southwest scene of red rock in a vortex area, as this was taken at Kachina Rock, along with a dramatic sky and interesting tree and you can see red rock in the distance.

I think this is a great image and evokes the feeling and views of Sedona.

Check out the natural wonders on the Big Island of Hawaii Viva la Voyage!

Clouds and Red Rock

Here is a photo of the brilliant clouds rising over red rock in Sedona.

I really liked the striking colors in the sky when the clouds started to rise as a backdrop to the majestic red rock mountains.

I was hiking off of Schnebly road, an off road, when I captured this image.

Check out the natural wonders of the Big Island of Hawaii at Viva la Voyage!

Buckthorn Fruit in Sedona

Here is a close-up photo of fresh growth of the fruit on yesterday's shrub from the buckthorn plant.

I took these macro photos when hiking at Red Rock Crossing in Sedona.

This image looks like a small green tomato. These are probably not edible though.

Today is Sunday so that means new travel photos. Check out the natural wonders of the Big Island of Hawaii at Viva la Voyage!

Buckthorn Berries in Sedona

Here is a photo of some yellow and black berries or fruits growing on a thorny shrub in Sedona near red Rock Crossing.

I believe this is a plant from the buckthorn family, but let me know if you can figure out the actual type.

Today is Sunday which means new travel photos. Check out fabulous photos of the Island of Hvar on the Dalmation Coast at Viva la Voyage!

Rainbow at Kachina Rock

Here is a fabulous Sedona photo of kachina rock with a rainbow.

I was hiking after a day at the Mii Amo Spa and the storm came up and I was able to photograph this rainbow with the backdrop of red rock.

Kachina rock is considered a vortex and you always hike to it and touch kachina rock to feel the energy.

Check out fabulous photos of the Island of Hvar on the Dalmation Coast at Viva la Voyage!

View From Boynton Canyon

As we continue our hike, here is a photo of the view from Kachina Rock in Boynton Canyon looking back towards the road to the town of Sedona, which is quite a long ways from this location.

A storm is coming again so the sky is rather ominous as it has dark clouds and blue sky in the same photo.

Check out fabulous photos of the Island of Hvar on the Dalmation Coast at Viva la Voyage!

Red Bird in Red Rock Country

Here is a photo of a little red bird that came out after the rain while I was hiking to Kachina Rock in Boynton Canyon, Sedona.

After the rain stops is a nice time to hike as many critters come out. This little bird was singing and chirping away.

Check out fabulous photos of the Island of Hvar on the Dalmation Coast at Viva la Voyage!

Snake on Red Rock

Here is a photo of a green and white snake slithering over my path while I was hiking in Boynton canyon in Sedona.

The snake came slithering right after a light drizzle of rain. It was a harmless snake and quite pretty to see against the red rocks.

Check out fabulous photos of the Island of Hvar on the Dalmation Coast at Viva la Voyage!

Sun Rays on Cathedral Rock

Here is a photo of the last sun rays reaching out to Cathedral Rock making a colorful and vibrant image.

I took this photo at Red Rock Crossing in Sedona, Arizona.

I like the historic cabin in the foreground and the blue sky is nice.

Check out fabulous photos of the Island of Hvar on the Dalmation Coast at Viva la Voyage!

Scenic Oak Creek

Here is a photo from our hike in Oak Creek Canyon.

This is such a pretty area and there are so many hike along the creek in Sedona.

There are green trees all the way down the creek and lots of rocks to hike on to cross over to the other side of the creek. Oftentimes you go back and forth over the rocks in the water to traverse your way down the creek.

Today is Sunday and that means new travel photos. Check out fabulous photos of the Island of Hvar on the Dalmation Coast at Viva la Voyage!

Lizard on Red Rock

Here is a photo of a lizard on the shiny red rock right after a drizzle of rain.

Sedona's red rock is really red. This little critter is enjoying an interesting hike over the sculptured red rock.

Check out unique photos of the Maasi and Ngorongoro Crater at Viva la Voyage!

Scenic Red Rock and Blue Sky

Here is an artsy photo of Sedona's red rock along with blue sky and an interesting tree branch that forms a frame around the red rock mountain.

We are now taking you on a drive up Schnebly Hill Road. You can stop at various locations and hike and everything is dramatic in this area.

Check out unique photos of the Maasi and Ngorongoro Crater at Viva la Voyage!

Helicopter Over Red Rock in Sedona

Here is a dramatic photo of a helicopter flying over the red rock mountains of Sedona while a storm is coming through.

I like the image of the helicopter over the red rock. Sedona has lots of options for activities from jeep tours, hot air ballooning, helicopter tours, and lots of hiking.

Check out unique photos of the Maasi and Ngorongoro Crater at Viva la Voyage!

Rain Cloud Over Red Rock

Here is a photo of a rain cloud over the red rock of Sedona.

The weather can change very quickly in Sedona.

We were out hiking on a lovely day and then all of a sudden as we were taking photos of blue sky we saw this rain cloud coming quickly over this red rock mountain. We stayed awhile to photograph the changing sky and then the rain came.

Check out unique photos of the Maasi and Ngorongoro Crater at Viva la Voyage!

Hiking Feet Covered by Red Sedona Dirt

Here is a photo of my feet covered with the red fine dirt of Sedona.

Hiking in Sedona means everything on you becomes red.

I really like the red coloring of the dirt in Sedona but you have to wash your feet before going into your lovely casita at the Enchantment Resort.

Check out unique photos of the Maasi and Ngorongoro Crater at Viva la Voyage!

Cabin and Cathedral Rock

Here is a photo of Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing in Sedona.

This area is a great place to go at sunset to get last light on red rock images. Note the historic cabin in the foreground.

The Sedona series continues as we go back to my road trip to the red rock country of Sedona. There are some beautiful images to share from this magical area.

Check out unique photos of the Maasi and Ngorongoro Crater at Viva la Voyage!

Red, White and Blue

Happy Fourth of July!

We celebrated with food, sangria, colorful paper plates, napkins, and a spork (a cross between a fork and spoon).

For those who celebrate, have a great day and enjoy the spectacular fireworks shows that will occur tonight throughout the United States.

For those camera buffs, go out and practice taking photos of fireworks as we all know how hard they can be to capture cleanly and without a lot of smoke.

Colorful Fireworks

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. Let's celebrate early with this display of fireworks.

I hope you enjoy this uniquely colorful flower in the sky.

Many in the United States will be celebrating the Fourth of July and, hopefully, will have a day off of work to spend with family and friends.

Tree on Water at Sunset

Here is a photo of an old tree with the highlights of the last rays of sunlight basking over the roots of the tree on the banks of the river.

I wanted to stay and take in the moment of this old tree leaning precariously over the slowly rushing water as the sun was setting.

Sedona has all types of hikes and the scenery changes dramatically from red rock hikes to river crossings and green trees and forest.

Check out the architecture of Spain at Viva la Voyage!

Theme Day: Reflections

Here is a reflection photo of the new condos along the canal at the Scottsdale waterfront.

I like the symmetry and colors of the buildings in the water.

I will continue with the photo tour of Sedona tomorrow.

Theme days among the city daily photo bloggers are always interesting as you get to see how everyone interprets the theme.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants