Magnificent Macro of Nature

I think this photo is one of my best. It is so magnificent and is an amazing macro of nature. It looks like a painting.

I worked a long time to arrange for some backlighting for this orchid that my friends Jim and Marica Lowman brought to me.

I then patiently kept taking photo after photo to get just the right composition with the colors and textures. I really like how this image turned out. Happy Monday!

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Golf and Jokake Inn at the Phoenician

Here is a photo of the Jokake Inn and the golf course at the Phoenician.

I took this while hiking and looking down from Camelback Mountain.

You see history, recreation, and greenery. A nice way to spend the afternoon.

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Big Blue Sky and Clouds

The big blue sky with the Sun shining through is always a great view.

I am getting excited this year for monsoon season. This year monsoon season will start about mid- June and end in August.

I am going to try very hard this year to get an image of lightening crackling over the big Arizona sky. We shall see if I achieve success.

Please share any tips you have to take photos of bolts of lightening.

Remember, this means hiking with a metal tripod up near a tree on a mountain and hanging out for the shot. I have to avoid getting struck by lightening during the lightening storm.

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Draping Beauty on White Petals

Here is a macro photo of a cactus flower that lived less than 24 hours.

The cactus is called trichocereus schickendantzii.

Jorgen Carlson just posted a similar photo a few days back and asked us all to identify the cactus so he caused me to go searching for the name.

I had also taken some photos of this cactus as mine was blooming at the same time as our fellow city daily photo blogger Jorgen Carlson.

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Moon and Plane at Night at Papago Park

Here is a photo of the full moon, a silver plane in the sky with the glint of moonlight making it look like a silver bullet, all occurring over Papago Park and Hunt's Tomb.

I took this photo some time later the same evening as the one from yesterday's photo. You can see from the angle that I was lower on the mountain I was hiking on when I took this photo.

I like this photo better than yesterday's because the moonlight picks up the white tomb and the silver metal of the jet much better.

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Moon, Plane and Papago Park

I went out at dusk to capture this photo of the Moon, a plane, Papago park, and you can even see Hunt's Tomb in the middle of the mountain.

Hunt's Tomb is the actual tomb where the remains of George W. P. Hunt are located. He died in 1934 and was Arizona's first governor, serving seven terms so he was very popular.

The tomb is a small white pyramid that is located behind a fence near the top of a hill within Papago Park.

Hunt built the tomb in 1931 to house his wife's remains. Their daughter and his wife's family are also buried in the tomb.

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Green Cactus People

Here is a photo of a newer cactus I planted. It has been growing quite rapidly.

They look like soldiers standing casually at attention in a group.

I do not yet know the name of this cactus, anyone else know its name?

I will be anxious to see what types of flowers this cactus produces. It is growing quite fast and seems to like the indirect sunlight.

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Twirling Cactus

This photo of a diamond cholla cactus almost looks as though the cactus is dancing and twirling.

You can see the tiny red flowers at the top of the diamond cholla and the long sharp cactus spines with their yellow tips reaching out from the cactus.

I like this type of imagery. I hope you have been enjoying the macro images. I was having fun taking macro shots so I went a little macro crazy.

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The Pinkish Fiery Sunset

Here is a photo of a fiery sunset Arizona sky awash in purple and pinks.

Arizona is very interesting right now as you hike and observe the beauty that Arizona has to offer.

I like the colors and silhouettes in this photo taken while I was hiking on Camelback Mountain just before nightfall.

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Macro of Cactus Bud

Here is a macro of a tiny cactus bud from a prickly pear cactus.

You can see the details and the green and rust colors are unbelievable. It almost looks like a dessert of some type, or a painting.

I like the texture and details from my macro lens for this image.

The bloom is just about to burst from this colorful and interesting cactus bud.

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Yellow Aloe Vera Flowers

We have so much in bloom right now in Arizona.

Here is a photo of yellow aloe vera flowers which grow upwards as a stalk of flowers.

In Arizona, you really do get sunburned if you are not careful. We really do use aloe vera to soothe and heal sunburns.

You just go up to the plant and get get some of the juice from one of the fleshy stalks of the aloe vera plant and rub it on your skin. You can feel the difference.

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Gorgeous Iridescent Flower

This photo is one of my favorite. It shows a very tiny, iridescent, feathery flower.

I do not know the name of this particular flower but it is not even the size of my tiny fingernail. Do you know the name of this flower?

It was so delicate that the slightest wind kept making it blow so i had to take many, many photos waiting for the millisecond of stillness to capture this image.

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The Heard Museum

Here is a photo of a part of the Heard Museum.

You can see the Spanish architectural style of the buildings.

The Heard Museum is a large complex. It has interactive museum exhibits, has numerous exhibits of Native American art and cultures, outdoor courtyards, the Berlin Gallery of contemporary art, and the outdoor amphitheater where many Indian competitions occur including the famous Hoop Dances.

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Archways at the Heard Museum

This photo shows the archways of the veranda on the southside of the Heard Museum.

I like this style of Spanish architecture.

We call this covering a veranda in Arizona, but actually the Spanish word is baranda. The Spanish word actually derives from the Hindi word of baranda. The Hindi word was imported from Portugal, which meant long balcony or terrace. The Spanish word baranda means railing.

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Dragon Sconce

This is a photo of a dragon sconce, which is located on the outside balcony area of the second floor of the historic building at the Heard Museum.

I like the detail of the ironwork.

The Heard Museum is a world-renowned museum of Native American arts and cultures. Anyone coming to Arizona should not miss this fabulous museum.

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Southwest Sunset

Today I wanted to treat you to a photo of an Arizona Sunset.

I hope you enjoy the colors of our Sunsets and the silhouette of the stately Saguaro cacti that adds just the right Southwestern touch to the scene.

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Swirly Cactus Tops

Here is a photo of the blooms and buds on a prickly pear cactus.

They look like swirling candy or ice cream but in the colors of green and with such interesting textures.

They don't look sharp either as the fine cacti spines are not noticeable, but they are present.

You can see how prolific the cactus flowers were this year. We had so much rain in January and February this year in Arizona, creating a good environment for cactus flowers to bloom.

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Echinocereus Huitcholensis

I call the flowers in this photo stunningly gorgeous!

The two cactus flowers are from the Echinocereus Huitcholensis cactus.

I showed a close up of the pistil of this cactus flower yesterday.

It is always amazing that a cactus that struggles in the desert heat produce such beautiful blooms that generally last a day or less.

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Explosion of Color

This photo shows the center stamen of a reddish cactus flower.

I liked the way the green stigma reaches out towards the sky.

The red delicate petals provide a great background.

This cactus is called echinocereus huitcholensis and originates from Mexico. It is a new cactus in my backyard.

I hope you are enjoying the macro photos on my site this week.

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Backlit Cactus Agave Points

Here is a photo of the Sun backlighting Blue Agave cactus points.

This is the same blue Agave that has the stalk growing out of its center that I showed on Monday of this week.

I like how this photo shows the points and sharpness of the thick, green, fleshy agave leaves. The tips look like they are lit up.

There are over 208 agave species. Some types of agave are used to make tequila.

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Cactus Bud

I hope you enjoy this photo of a gorgeous cactus flower and buds.

I tried to capture the colors and texture with my macro lens and I like how this photo turned out.

I am so lucky that this past month in Arizona we have had so many wonderful cactus blooms.

This week, I am doing a macro photo week on my site so I hope you enjoy these macros! Enlarge them for more details and color.

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Cool Agave Cactus Stalk

The Gorgeous Blue Agave cactus in my front yard is shooting up a stalk to the sky. I love the colors and texture of this macro photo of the blue agave stalk.

The stalk reminds me of Jack in the Beanstalk as it grows very fast and high and it is quite thick. The stalk is now over six feet high and continues to grow.

Soon it will stop growing in height and open its lovely flowers. It is quite magnificent when this type of Agave blooms.

Some say that you can dry out the center stalk and make a didgeridoo out of it.

The sad news is that the large blue agave dies once it grows a stalk and blooms. The blue agave is one I planted as a pup just over 3 years ago and it is very large so I will be sad to eventually see it die. At least I have many more blue agave pups in my yard and I will plant again.

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Mother's Day at the Phoenician

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a photo of me and my Mom on Mother's Day at the Phoenician. This is the last photo on the Phoenician series.

We are enjoying lunch with frozen mango margaritas at the Phoenician pool before heading to the spa.

I hope you are having a good day also.

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Tea Desserts at the Phoenician

The Royal Tea at the Phoenician consists of champagne and then a pot of tea that you select from a menu of at least nine different choices. I always get french vanilla.

You then move to finger sandwiches. I always have one of each kind (asparagus with ham, cucumber, roast beef with horseradish, salmon, and egg salad). They always offer you another round of finger sandwiches.

The next course is scones, one is buttermilk and the other is with cranberries. You get devonshire cream, lemon curd and strawberry jam to put on your scone. Yummy!

Then you move to the dessert tray where you get to choose from fabulous and unique desserts. Today's photo shows some of the desserts I chose while at tea. And, you get seconds on desserts. You really must come to tea very hungry.

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Tea at the Phoenician With Family

It is close to Mother's day and seems to be the perfect time to post a photo of my wonderful family having tea at the Phoenician.

The Phoenician has the best tea anywhere in the world. I have tried many teas and have become a tea food critic. Nothing beats The Phoenician.

I had heard that the Peninsula in Hong Kong was supposed to have a grand tea, but it did not even compare to tea at the Phoenician.

Here is a photo of me, Dave Selden who runs www.costaricadailyphoto.com, my Mom and my grandma. Lucky me to have such a fabulous family who all enjoy tea at the Phoenician.

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Tennis Courts at the Phoenician

Here is a photo of the tennis courts and golf course at the Phoenician Resort and Spa.

The Phoenician is a special place and has it all for people to enjoy.

We really enjoy our visits to the Phoenician.

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Spa Entrance at the Phoenician

Here is the grand entrance to the Centre for Well-Being spa at the Phoenician. Just go through the two glass doors at the bottom of the stairs.

Camelback Mountain and the pool is in the background.

Hmmm, it is time to schedule a luxurious day here at the spa. I try to get to this spa at least once per year.

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Solarium at the Phoenician

Here is a photo of the solarium at the spa at the Phoenician resort.

The spa at the Phoenician is fabulous as it is not too crowded and allows for quiet time.

The spa provides you fruit cups in a martini glass and drinks. I always feel very pampered when I get the pleasure of partaking of the spa services.

I like to start my spa day with lunch at the pool so I can take in a few rays and the surroundings, then walk back and read magazines while sitting in the big, comfortable chairs in the solarium before having a massage.

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Pool Image at the Phoenician

Look at the gorgeous mountain view at the Phoenician pool.

The yellow pool cabanas are quite nice also.

The Phoenician has three major pools to choose from for your sunning or swimming pleasure.

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The Phoenician

Here is a photo of the Phoenician and its gorgeous pools looking towards the spa and golf course.

I took this photo looking down while hiking on Camelback Mountain.

If you ever come to Arizona, the Phoenician is an absolute dream place to stay.

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Native American Statue at The Phoenician

It is theme day today and the theme is statues.

Here is a photo of a very welcome site to me. It is a photo of a Native American Statue at the Spa at The Phoenician.

The spa is called Centre for Well-Being.

My Mom and I love to go this spa. It has a solarium and is very special.

This statue greets us each time we get to go to the spa. The Phoenician has a lot of great art and you can take an audio tour of the art at the resort.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

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