Photo: Lovebird in a Tree

Our lovely wild peach-faced lovebirds are out again.

We love to hear and see them.

And, last night I had an amazing wildlife experience. I was working at my desk in my home office and heard a loud "whooooo, whoooo."

The sound was loud. I had heard it before. The owl was back.

I left all of the lights off and went outside and there was a big owl perched in my tall mesquite tree.

He was staring at prey: the rabbits that are everywhere. It was very dark. The owl silently left the tree and opened its large wings and flew down to the ground and grabbed a bunny and flew down the road and away. I felt like I was watching a nature show.

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Photo: Arizona Storm

We are still in monsoon season in Arizona with a few storms but not as much rains as we would like.

This photo shows the skyline of tall buildings and the mountain and horizon with the rain cell and voluminous clouds descending upon the Valley.

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Photo: Golf Course with Pink Flowers

We are yearning for cooler weather so we can get back outdoors to hike, sit, and for some, golf.

This is a photo of a golf course at the Phoenician, which is near my house.

During the summer months, we all stay inside with air conditioning, but we are all anxious to get back outside. Some people have long cold winter months to endure, we have bright sunny summer days but we can't go out in that heat.

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Photo: Poetic Delicate Cactus Flower

Here is a photo of my favorite cactus flower that was blooming just a month or so ago.

I used my tripod and my macro lens to capture the color and the delicate perspective of this cactus flower.

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Photo: Neiman Marcus

Here is a photo of the Neiman Marcus store at Goldwater and Camelback Roads in Scottsdale.

This is the only Neiman Marcus store in Arizona.

It is located at the Scottsdale Fashion Square shopping center, which is the largest shopping center in Arizona. It is upscale and popular.

Other stores include Barney's, Nordstrom's, Macy's, Dillard's and more.

You can see Mummy Mountain peaking over the top of the store.

And for drama, after we took this photo, the security guard came and forbade us from taking photos from the roof of one of the parking garages of the shopping center.

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Photo: Two Orchids

Here are two pretty orchids that were brought to me as a gift.

Such color and detail.

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend.

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Photo: Multiple Saguaro Cactus Blooms

Here is the top of a tall Saguaro cactus loaded with cactus buds.

The cactus spines look like needles or spiky hair.

The flowers are quite pretty.

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Photo: A Cloudy Stormy Sunset

Here is a photo of a recent stormy sunset in the Valley of the Sun.

I love those horizon colors and they stretch magnificently across the sky.

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Photo: Red Yucca Flower

Here is a delicate bloom of a flower on the tall stalk that grows out of the red yucca plant in my backyard.

You really have to get up close to see these delicate petals.

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Photo: Octopus Pink Flower

Here is a photo of a wonderful flower that blooms in my desert backyard.

The flower has many thin fuscia petals and looks like an octopus.

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Photo: Storm Arrives

Here is a photo of the haboob arriving on the street where our office building is located.

You can see the blue sky getting blotted out with the yellow dust wall as it descends on downtown Phoenix.

At least these dust storms are not that dangerous. They are far safer than hurricanes or tornados.

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Photo: Haboob Wall of Dust

Here is another photo of the haboob wall of dust that we experienced.

This photo was taken from the 24th floor of our office building.

Look at the size of the wall of dust compared to the large mountain that the dust is rolling towards.

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Photo: A Haboob

Here is a photo of the haboob we experienced in the Valley last night.

What a wall of dust.

They call it a haboob.

We have had three this year and I don't ever remember seeing them here before.

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Photo: Wall Plants and Tools

Happy Thursday!

Here is a photo of an art wall garden taken at one of our friend's house.

This shows a great use of shovels and pots for plants.

What unique plant holders do you have?

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Photo: Hunt's Tomb

Here is a photo of Hunt's Tomb and Papago Mountain, which is right above the Phoenix Zoo.

I can remember as a child hiking regularly up to Hunt's tomb.

Hunt's tomb memorializes Gov. George W. P. Hunt who was the first governor in Arizona. He served seven terms and was President of the convention that wrote the Arizona constitution.

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Photo: A Moment in Nature

Here is a photo from the slot canyons on Navajo lands.

To walk on the sand through this gorgeous red rock is a lucky moment that makes one feel connected to the Earth and life.

Very Zen experience.

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Photo: Phoenix Skyline

Here is a photo of the Phoenix skyline.

I took it with a tripod from the Desert Botanical Garden.

I am amazed at how crisp and clear the image turned out.

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Photo: Red Sand and Rock

Here is a photo of the red sand and rock canyon on Navajo lands.

Growing up in Arizona makes me feel very comfortable in these types of spaces.

They are familiar and peaceful.

And, today is Sunday so that means new travel photos and this time we are posting photos from the fabulous area of Atacama, Chile so check them out at Viva La Voyage!

Photo: Fire in the Sky

Here is a sky that looks like it is in fire.

The monsoon season in

Arizona makes for a very interesting colors in the sky.

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Photo: Storm and Cloud

Here is a dramatic photo of an agave bloom in front of a big monsoon cloud that has mushroomed into red.

The skies in Arizona are fun to photograph at this time of the year.

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Photo:Camelback Sunset

A beautiful sunset over Camelback Mountain.

I love looking out my bedroom window at this gorgeous creation by nature.

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Photo: Boy and Red Balloon

Here is a photo of a darling little boy with a red balloon.

He has such big, beautiful expressive eyes.

He is enjoying shopping and the balloons at the fun Pro's Ranch Markets.

These are great supermarkets with festive music and atmosphere.

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Photo: Mesmerizing Sand

Here is another southwestern Arizona photo.

What is it about sand that makes us want to touch, feel and just stare at it.

Untouched wind blown sand makes us want to go and walk on it and be part of it.

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Photo: Fluffy Clouds

We are in monsoon season so lots of clouds.

This cloud looks like an explosion in the sky.

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Photo: Swirling Rock

Here is another photo in my postcard series of Arizona.

This was taken in the slot canyon on Indian lands in Navajo country.

Such beauty and peace in these mesmerizing red slot canyons.

And, today is Sunday so that means new travel photos. Check out beautiful travel photos of Lake Como and Bellagio at Viva La Voyage!

Photo: Phoenix Skyline at Sunset

As part of my series on Arizona postcards, for those who like a more urban photo, here is a photo of a vibrant sunset with the Phoenix skyline.

Urban photos are appealing to some, while others like the outdoor natural scenes for postcards.

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Photo: Slot Canyon

Here is a photo of the fabulous slot canyons in Arizona.

I am continuing my series on great Arizona postcards for a few more days.

I wish there was a way to make mixed packets of notecards with great photos at a reasonable price.

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Photo: Sky Over Lake Powell

Here is a photo of beautiful Lake Powell near Page, Arizona.

I thought this should qualify as an Arizona postcard as part of my series this week.

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Photo: South Mountain Skyline

Here is another photo in my series on Arizona postcards.

I always love the vibrant southwestern sunset colors.

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Photo: Horseshoe Bend

Here is a photo of Horseshoe Bend up near Page, Arizona.

This week I am sharing postcard photos from Arizona. I hope you enjoy them.

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Theme Day: Postcard

Here is my postcard from

Arizona for theme day. Everyone on the city daily photo blog site has extra special photos for today's theme day of postcards.

I will do a week long series of postcard photos from Arizona as we have so many unique scenes.

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