Yep, that’s how we roll around here. 😎

We’d heard the rumors, and could always see how the cliffs near Carr Waterfall might be a good spot to launch a hang glider. But interestingly, we've never actually seen one in the air; and Kelly has lived here since 2012.

Then Kelly remembered reading a post in one of our local Facebook groups about how some of the earliest enthusiasts of the burgeoning sport during the 70’s and 80’s were here in Sierra Vista, Arizona before moving on to places like Colorado and California. Sadly, we have been unable to locate any contemporaneous news stories or other media about this early hang gliding era. But there are still two active launch sites near the Reef Townsites campground, and apparently with the right qualifications and permits they can still be used: https://www.sahga.com/flying-sites/miller-canyon-guide

Of course we had to see for ourselves …

And since we rarely do things the easy way, we also decided that we should see it right at sunrise. 🙃

The trailhead is only about 13 miles from our house, but since we had to drive up the steep, rocky Carr Canyon road, we figured we should allow about 45 minutes for the drive, then at least another 30 minutes to hike up to the launch sites.

This meant setting the alarm clock for literally O’Dark Thirty.

We found and arrived at the trailhead with no problem, in plenty of time. But then the real “fun” began. In hindsight, we really should have scouted this out in advance during daylight hours. It seemed like the combination of our headlamps and the information we’d gleaned from a YouTube video and our Trails of the Huachucas book would be enough to get us there. But it was a bit of a struggle.

We made a left hand turn about halfway up the trail to what we hoped would be the cliffs. When the brush started getting a little too thick to tell where the trail was, we decided to stop near a cool gray tree. I (Todd) set up my camera tripod, while Kelly climbed up and perched in the tree, waiting to be “wowed” by the colors.

Spoiler alert: although there were some interesting clouds, sadly the pastel colors we were expecting and hoping for never really materialized.

Fortunately, Kelly is not the sitting still type, so at some point before sunrise she took off towards the top of the trail (I stayed put, still hopeful for colors).

And then, Kelly~

I found my way back to the main road, it’s still in passable condition so the hiking was pretty easy going. When I reached the smaller trail split, I was greeted with a phenominal view!

In hindsight, I’m really glad I didn’t stumble onto the actual launch pads while it was still really dark. These launch pads, as one should expect, are literally set at a pretty stark drop on the edge of a cliff. Viewing this, even in nautical twilight, was breathtaking. At the second launch site, I experienced such a fun adrenaline rush, but even I can recognize it would have been much easier to have faulty depth perception and lose my footing. I found a cross at both locations, with a simple phrase, “In Memory of Papa”. More than one person has lost their life. I like to believe that they passed doing the thing that gave them great joy. Is there any better way?

As is my nature, after visiting the first launch pad, I moved toward the other when I spotted a pole reaching upward toward the sky. There wasn’t a trail to get there so I found a bit of a natural wash, where it was easier to bushwhack. It was a short trip to find the “treasure” I’m often rewarded with when I move off the beaten path. I was also greeted with additional breathtaking views. I moved around the back side of the pole and found it was connected to a fairly large solar panel for such a remote area. There was a second small solar panel linked to the west of it. I also found a military box similar to many I’d seen before with journals you can sign. I attempted to open it, but it was padlocked. Uhg, now I may have to remain curious FOREVER~

• Why are there solar panels?

• What could they be linked to? Is this a “hidden” prepper stash?

• Why is the box padlocked?

Should I come back and leave my own sign in journal to see who dares to find what I did?

I was so excited to get up there and see the places where these great adventures happened in the 70’s and 80’s. I’ve heard tales that some of the gliders moved on to further push their limits with squirrel suits. I have definitely confirmed many in the community regularly saw flights in the past and took drives to watch them land in a grassy field just south of a popular restaurant in the nearby town of Hereford. A wind sock still stands in the area, originally intended to assist glider pilots in a smooth landing. I doubt this is the last time I visit. I’m surprised it took so long to begin with. This location provides a great deal of bang for your buck in terms of length of the hike and incredible views.

Do you know anything about the history of the original Carr Falls daredevils, and/or Arizona hang gliding in general? If so, we’d love to hear about it.

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The Secret Language of Snacks

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week in Arizona, and I’ve spent it helping my three teens pick gifts for their “top tier” educators. Since I’m not exactly a high roller, we couldn’t gift the entire district, but the kids were eager to give back to those who impacted them most.

Interestingly, it all came down to snacks. Whether teachers skip lunch to keep teaching, or the kids just project their own love of chips and chocolate, food was the universal language. My son and one daughter knew every teacher’s specific craving; while my second daughter went for the “kitschy mug filled with sweets” approach. I loved it all. 😍

As an educator myself, I know that student recognition is the sweetest fuel we get. People often ask what wears us down; it’s rarely the kids. We’re here for the “forever” impact. The exhaustion actually comes from the red tape: the endless meetings, the rigid curriculum, and the high-stakes testing that can leave kids (and teachers) in tears.

In my role as a Registered Behavior Technician, I see the whole village, from gen ed to resource and self contained special education, and I work closely with administrators and district specialists. For ALL of us the most pressing question is “How do we reach the masses while accommodating the one?” We adapt. We ask for help. We lean on the village. Educators, you never cease to amaze!

So please, this week, thank a teacher. Thank the nurses, paras, custodians, and therapists. It’s a dedicated village, and if we want public education to thrive, we need to get behind every student and every educator.

What sort of things do you do to show your appreciation for the educators in your own community? Please share your stories with us.

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The weather in Arizona this coming weekend is going to be hot and dry; a preview of the early summer months to come. It’s also Mother’s Day on Sunday. Trying to come up with a way to have an adventure for Kelly while also doing something the kids might enjoy …

Where Are You From? (It’s Complicated)

“Where are you from?”

For most, it’s a city and a state. For me, the answer is usually “Everywhere.” I’ve lived on this earth for 57 years, and my “record” for staying in one place in a single stretch is still the five years I spent in Hawaii as a kid.

I own a house in Texas (the first house I lived in owned by myself or my family) but I’ve spent so little time there I call it “my kids’ house.” My life has been a series of arrivals and departures, from being an Air Force brat in England to 24 years of active duty service (including exotic middle eastern “vacations”).

When I retired from active duty in 2014, I was relieved: No more moving. The universe clearly has a sense of humor though. In the years since, I’ve still averaged a move every 24 months or so. Even now, during my “long” 3 ½ year stretch in the Arizona desert, I’m still tempted by job openings in Hawaii. Maybe that 5 year record won’t get broken just yet.

My mom used to have a sign hanging on our wall that read:

Even now as a civilian, it might still be true.

“Home” isn’t a place on a map, or my name on a house title; it’s wherever I happen to be at that moment, while I continue to wonder about what’s just over the next hill.

How about you? Is “Home” a place, or a feeling?

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• We already wanted to visit New Zealand. Now we know about a few places there that we definitely need to see.

  WonderWild Nature

  Islands of Second Chances: New Zealand's Predator-free Reserves

  In January of 1964, a small team of New Zealanders climbed into boats off the coast of Rakiura Stewart Island with thirty-six small, black-and-chestnut birds in soft bags. Ship rats had just swum to Taukihepa Big South Cape Island - home to the last remaining South Island tīeke - and were tearing through the bird populations in a raging firestorm of te…

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  8 days ago · 45 likes · 23 comments · Karen Povey

• We love waterfalls. I appreciate these tips about how to capture better pictures of them.

  Chasing Moments: A Guide to Better Nature Photography

  Chasing Moments: Photographing Waterfalls

  Chasing Moments…

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  3 days ago · 4 likes · Tony Baldasaro

• So we are more “Diet Mtn Dew” people, but this article was really discussing diet soda in general, and the results are expectedly mixed. The Aspartame will probably not give us cancer at the levels we drink. But there are definitely better things we could be putting into our gut. Shocking right?

  The Gut Group

  Is Diet Coke bad for your gut?

  ……. …

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  9 days ago · 63 likes · 22 comments · Dr Arif Hussenbux MBBS

• Todd takes pictures because he has an “artsy fartsy” side, but somewhere along the way decided he can’t draw or paint very well.

• If we had fairies near my office, this is probably where they’d live:

What sort of fun adventures is your family getting up to for Mother’s Day?

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To celebrate this partnership we are launching a new weekly format.

Each edition will lead off with Kelly’s Korner, followed by a report on Last Week’s Hikes about our adventures here in the sky islands (and beyond). We’ll then break things up a bit with Todd’s Takes, before we preview What’s on the Agenda for the coming weekend. We’ll have a section for Other Highlights, such as special Notes we may have posted during the week. Finally, we’ll wrap things up with a look Around Substack to see what kind of interesting essays and pictures our friends have been sharing.

We hope you enjoy it!

Hello All! I’m excited to start writing more. I have always had a dreamer’s spirit, and it is sometimes difficult to sit still and allow my thoughts to be shared. This has made it more difficult than it should have been for Todd to convince me to contribute more . I think a bit of this is due to the fact that growing up on a farm in extreme rural Iowa, I may actually be a bit feral. This is my both my best and worst quality.

When I started hiking in Arizona, I never truly knew where I was going. I didn’t read books about hiking. I didn’t consult trail maps. I just wandered. There was a local photography group where I would see a photo online and sort of just decide I was going to go “there”. I figured vague directions from the comments could get me close enough. It did. At times, I might actually just happen upon a trail and quite literally just be I need to see where this goes without honestly having any idea what kind of hike that would lead to.

The first photo in the gallery is literally the fist sunset photo I ever took here in Arizona in 2012 as I crossed into the state on I-10 with my 3 young boys and only the most essential belongings we needed in a green Chrysler van that was, in these moments, occasionally overheating. It was one of the most pivotal decisions I have made in life. Oh the incredible adventures I have had, and no doubt am committed to continue.

Most of the above pictures were, in fact, happy accidents of circumstance while I was looking for something else. A few, that were deliberate, took multiple attempts to locate. It was frustrating at times, but I loved the thrill of the hunt. Although, I have graduated to trail guides, books, and maps to navigate places, as I am certain it is much safer, I still can’t help wander off trail (much to Todd’s dismay) to find hidden treasure in these hills.

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We actually had a pretty busy weekend for the middle April. We started out on Saturday morning driving the Jeep up Huachuca Canyon, where Todd was rewarded with pretty decent picture of a …

We then headed over to Bisbee, where we didn’t technically hike. But in our search for a phantom football game that we were trying to attend to support one of Kelly’s students, we got to explore Warren, and even stopped to see one of the oldest professional baseball stadiums in the United States.

On Sunday we headed over to Patagonia for a real life meet up with Don Boivin and his wife Jennifer who are visiting Arizona from Massachusetts. It is the pinnacle of cool to have online Substack friends turn into real-life friends.

We had lunch and talked for over an hour at this cool little pizza place called The Velvet Elvis. Afterwards Don and Jennifer were meeting up with another friend they had in town, so Kelly and I decided to see if we could find the trailhead for the Arizona Trail (which we knew was close by).

We found the parking lot at Casa Blanca Canyon, and ended up hiking a couple of miles of AZT Passage 3. To be perfectly honest, it wasn’t terribly exciting, and I expect that doing the entire 18+ miles to or from Canelo is going to be a bit of a slog when we eventually have to do it.

Do I really need a brand new multi-thousand $$ camera?

Let’s be real, if I had unlimited resources, I’d probably own a top of the line Canon mirrorless camera with big white, fast, 600mm prime lens attached. I’d also have a Medium Format digital camera made by Fujifilm or Hasselblad for capturing the sweet landscape scenes here in southeast Arizona. And finally, I’d round out my kit with something I could stick in my pocket and take anywhere; and if money was no object, it would probably be a Leica.

But, since I live here in the real world …

The overwhelming majority of pictures I capture these days happen on either a decade old Canon 80D dSLR, or my Pixel 9 Pro XL smartphone.

Heck, even with the 80D, I bought it used about 5 years ago for $500. Before that I shot for a couple of years with a $300 EOS M, and before that, with a Canon 20D that I did buy new, in 2004.

I’m not mad or disappointed about it though. Below are examples of images from each camera. If I didn’t tell you which two were taken on phones could you guess?

Heck, now that I’m lookin though my archive, I remember that my first “real” camera was a Sony F-717 that I got in 2002. Check out this shot I captured with that 5 megapixel fixed lens beast:

Final caveat: I DO own some pretty nice lenses. But even those were bought used, or are from quality 3rd parties. The Sigma 150-600mm that Kelly got me for my birthday is attached to the Canon 95% of the time. I also have a 70-200F4L (that I bought with poker winnings in 2005), a Tamron 28-75 F2.8 (this was the first and one of the only new lenses I ever bought, also in 2005), a 17mm Tokina, and (if I can ever find it) a Tamron 90mm macro (which was a gift from a friend).

Bottom line: it would be fun to have one (or more) of the latest and greatest digital cameras. But realistically, unless you’re getting paid to do this, you can probably have a perfectly enjoyable time taking just about any kind of pictures, with a camera that doesn’t cost four figures.

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First off, the weather here in southeast Arizona is going to be beautiful this coming weekend. Mostly clear skies, relatively light winds, and pleasant temperatures (lows 50s and highs 80s).

Unfortunately, Todd has to work on Saturday morning, so that will limit our options a little bit. In a perfect world, we’d still find a way to go see a waterfall. But that may have to wait for a longer (and warmer) weekend. I think if I had to guess right now, we’re most likely to end up in Split Rock Canyon (which is one of the least traveled trails in the Huachucas) early on Sunday morning.

Of course, the only way to know for sure is to check back next week …

• Kelly posted her first note:

• Our Girls had their Senior photoshoot in Bisbee with a friend of ours.

• Peter Barr sharing some wisdom about birds, and humans.

• I don’t think I know anybody who isn’t cursed with procrastination at least occasionally. Check this out if you’re like me and want to change it.

  Flow State

  Give Me 14 Minutes And I'll Destroy Your Procrastination Forever

  What if you could eliminate procrastination forever…

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  2 months ago · 1455 likes · 32 comments · Rían Doris

• We have to agree with Anna on this one.

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At first I thought we might head down to the San Pedro River this morning. But then Kelly really wanted to see how far up Huachuca Canyon we could drive the Jeep … kind of a scouting trip for next time we try to climb Huachuca Peak.

A couple of weeks ago when we were in Sunnyside Canyon on the backside of Huachuca Mountains we’d heard 3 or 4 male trogons calling out (they have a very distinctive call, that sounds a little like a barking dog). Since I knew that the trogons are here, I was kind of hoping we might run into one if we went with Kelly’s Jeep adventure idea.

As you can see by the picture above, I was rewarded for my flexibility. 😎

It turns out the road really wasn’t too bad. It’s rocky, but we never even had to switch to 4-wheel drive. Our original goal was to drive up Huachuca Canyon road as close as we could get to Crest Trail. We ended up stopping about a 1 1/2 short due to some hikers on the trail (but we could have kept going).

It worked out well that we stopped where we stopped though.

Almost as soon as we got out of the Jeep there was a male turkey strutting around and displaying his feathers for a couple of females.

I was happy enough with at least one shot I got of the turkey. But then Kelly showed me what she captured with her phone, and I think hers is better.

Then we heard the trogon calling … and it was really close. Kelly pointed out what looked sort of like a trail off to the right, so we headed down it.

The first picture I took in these woods was actually a different bird entirely.

But then we caught a little bit of movement about a 75 yards up ahead. This is where I’m really thankful to have a 600mm lens and a camera that still captures reasonably good images even at ISO 2000. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure until we got home and I had a chance to look on the computer screen whether or not I’d even gotten a “keeper”.

As it stands though, I think I like this shot almost as much as the image I captured the first time I saw this bird up close way back in 2014.

After the trogon noticed us and flew away, we turned around and started heading back down the “trail”. I realized I’d left my phone in the Jeep, so went back to retrieve it. When I didn’t get back to where she was quickly enough, she called out to chide me:

lol, not quite. I knew we weren’t done. We still had to verify whether or not the rest of the road would be drivable all the way to the end.

It turns out we could have kept driving just fine. But since we were out of the Jeep, we managed to get a little two and half mile nature walk in addition to our canyon drive and trogon encounter.

Also, of course we got some butterfly pictures.

Interesting aside:

Up until November of 2025, every time I’d photographed this bird, I had (correctly at the time) called in the Elegant Trogon. Now experts have determined that there are two distinct species; with the Coppery-tailed trogon covering a range from southern Mexico into extreme Southeast Arizona, and the Elegant Trogon now only being those found in Central America.

In any case, our Southeast Arizona sky islands are the only place in the United States that you can see this bird … and it is a big part of the reason birders come here from all over the country, and the world.

Your Turn:

Have you ever set out with one destination in mind, only to have a change of heart lead you to something even better? I’d love to hear about the best thing you’ve found by being flexible.

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Til next time,

~ Todd

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I consider myself more “birder adjacent” rather than an actual birder. But living in southeast Arizona, birds are one of those things that I do happen to take quite a few pictures of. I’ve had the eBird app on my phone for quite a while now, but never really used it. Then I was reading an article here on substack:

Birding University

eBird 101

If you’ve spent any time birding in recent years, you’ve almost certainly heard of eBird. Maybe it was someone mentioning a recen…

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18 days ago · 22 likes · 3 comments · Birding University

I end up taking pictures of almost every bird I see anyway, so there really no good reason I shouldn’t be filling out these checklists … at the very least later when I’m editing my pictures.

So this afternoon, that’s what I did.

First I went out to Ramsey Canyon and totally struck out when it comes to looking for birds, or any other wildlife for that matter. But then on the drive out I decided to stop down at the Brown Canyon Ranch House. There’s a little pond in the front surrounded by trees.

I was able to get pictures of 10 different types of birds. Nothing really unique or spectacular. But it did give me a chance to practice filling out the checklist and uploading my pictures to the eBird website.

The only thing I didn’t include were some hummingbirds that buzzed me a few times. I could take a guess about what type they were, but honestly I never really got a good look (let alone a picture), so decided to leave them off my list.

Here’s what I did see:

As you can see, taking pictures for birding identification is slightly different than what I might normally process and share. For instance, that Ash-throated Flycatcher shot with a freshly caught bug is an interesting scene. But given the missed focus softness of the image, if I didn’t need it for ID purposes, I probably wouldn’t have even edited it at all.

Your Turn:

Have you ever completed an eBird checklist? Did you include pictures or audio?

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Til next time,

~ Todd

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Seven Falls is a popular hike in Sabino Canyon, a little too popular. If you can walk it on a random weekday, this is the way to go. It gets crowded. We still saw a few people, but it was a pleasant 6 mile out and back without any lines on the trail. This is a sunny hike with very little shade. On hot days, you are very grateful for the water, which is seasonal. On this particular Monday the hiking weather gods smiled upon us with cloudy skies and cool breezes. As a result I chose NOT to swim this trip. It is a fun spot to do so with crystal clear, cold pools plenty deep enough to take a dip.

We started at the Sabino Canyon visitors center and there were beautiful blooming cactus, noticeable right from the road. Something about a Saguaro in bloom really brings springtime to life. There is nothing more awe inspiring than the desert when you add a little water. We have been lucky to have a few spring rainstorms, so the cacti are absolutely loaded with buds bursting at the seams this year. What a welcome renewal to witness.

The Bear Canyon trail is fairly sandy and incredibly gradual for the first two miles from the tram stop. It meanders nearby, occasionally crossing the creek fed by Seven Falls. Wherever there is water there is life, and there was no shortage of butterflies, dragonflies, birds, bees and other cool bugs. The insect varieties were diverse and I really enjoyed being fluttered around for a lot of the lower portion of the hike. Mile 3 is about where the switchbacks begin. They are not too steep and not too many. As you start to rise above the creek bed, you get beautiful views of the city and the other mountains surrounding it. I think this really is the quintessential “Tucson” hiking experience.

All in all this hike took about 5 hours. It’s always a really great time on the mountain. Please make sure to note this hike is MUCH more brutal in hotter months and it is absolutely essential to stay hydrated in the desert. In addition, the water is seasonal. You can get updates in the visitors center and some of the trail websites also have this information available so you know before you go. I think my favorite thing about this hike is remembering the day spent there 11 years ago when most of my kids were still little. The hike was A LOT easier than I remember, without kids in tow, but I’d LOVE to try to convince them to come back with me as the young adults they are now.

Seven Falls is a core memory for my family. What’s that one trail in Tucson you first hiked with your kids (or as a kid) that you still return to today? I’d love to hear your “then and now” stories in the comments.

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Looking forward to your stories!!

Always Kurious Kelly

Every photo tells a story, and stories are better with company. If you enjoyed this glimpse of our life in the Sky Islands, pass it along to a fellow explorer.

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Nobody likes flies. We have sprays, electric zappers, and even plastic swatters named specifically for the insect they are designed to kill. All of this is totally understandable. Flies really are pretty disgusting. They spread disease, they bite, and even when not doing those things, they’re still just plain annoying.

Plus, if you ever get a good close look, some of them are truly nightmare inducing. Could you imagine if that robber fly was the size of a bird?

Yikes!

But a really funny thing happens if the word Dragon or Butter comes before the fly part … they suddenly become super cool and people love them!

This is the despite the fact that I have plenty of pictures of dragonflies doing essentially the same thing (eating another insect) as that robber fly in the first image.

I will freely admit that it’s much harder to find anything nearly as objectionable about butterflies. But they do none-the-less still have “fly” in their name.

When I’m out on the trail in the mountains or down by the river with a long lens on my camera, I’m usually looking for birds or other animals to photograph. But it’s nice that there are almost always also butterflies and dragonflies around.

I don’t always just take their picture as an aside though. One time, back in 2013 I laid on my stomach in a field for about 45 minutes trying to get this shot:

Even just this afternoon when I stopped at Huachuca Canyon after I got off work, I couldn’t resist capturing (and now sharing) this dragonfly porn. 😎

Of course this a decades long love affair for me. While I couldn’t tell you when I first took a picture of a dragon or butterfly, but I’m pretty sure this image captured on a Sony F-717 in 2004 may be one of the oldest in my archives.

Your Turn:

We all love butterflies and dragonflies, but is there a 'creepy' insect you actually find fascinating to look at?

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Til next time,

Todd

Every photo tells a story, and stories are better with company. If you enjoyed this glimpse of our life in the Sky Islands, pass it along to a fellow explorer.

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I’ve had the Adobe Lightroom plan that includes 1 TB of cloud storage for 5 or 6 years now. Until very recently, I’d only used Lightroom and never explored any of the other features that are included with the plan.

I was vaguely aware of Adobe Portfolio, but I had no idea how it works; and to be honest I’m pretty sure I thought it would be really complicated.

The first thing you’re going to do is go to https://portfolio.adobe.com and sign in with your adobe account. Then you are going to click “New Site”.

You can have up to 5 sites. I first got the idea of using this tool when I did my 2025 Review post. Instead of downloading then reuploading a whole bunch of pictures, I just created a folder for each month right in my Lightroom cloud.

I then went back over to Adobe Portfolio and under “Integrations” I added all 12 albums, which then became separate galleries on that site.

If you later add more pictures to one of your albums, in portfolio you simply go to “Page” then scroll down to “reset from Lightroom”.

There are a lot of other cool things that you can do with your galleries, such as using a custom domain name and linking to your other site (like your substack).

But rather than bore you with more screenshots, I’m just going to link you over to Adobe’s Portfolio Knowledge base: https://help.myportfolio.com/hc/en-us

Your Turn:

Where do you normally host your picture galleries? If you build a site with Adobe Portfolio, shoot me a link below so that I can check it out.

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Til next time,

Todd

p.s. if you’re not a subscriber yet, I’d love to have your join our little group. If you do already subscribe, thank you! Please consider sharing this post with others:

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When I moved to Arizona the first time in 2014, this bird was one of my nemesis. I think it was a good 2-3 months between the first time I saw one down by the river and the first time I was able to capture a nice crisp image.

This shot was pretty indicative of those first couple of months chasing this bird. I could just never get close before it flew away, even if I did sometimes end up with interesting pictures anyway.

I did end up getting more shots of the vermillion flycatcher over the next couple of years, including a few of the male and female together.

It’s funny, because since I’ve come back to Arizona, it seems like almost every time I’m out with my camera (including yesterday) one of these birds will just fly up and pose almost right in front of me.

Unless you live in Arizona or south Texas, you may not have seen this bird yet.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Vermilion_Flycatcher/overview

But if you do visit this area, I’m sure you’ll see at least a few. The male’s bright red feathers are kind of hard to miss. And if you’re hoping to capture a picture or two, I hope you have better luck than I did during that first year. 😎

Til next time,

Todd

p.s. if you’re not a subscriber yet, I’d love to have your join our little group. If you do already subscribe, thank you! Please consider sharing this post with others:

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Like millions of other people around the country (and the world) we attended our local No Kings rally on Saturday afternoon. Of course I brought my camera. I clicked the shutter a little over 400 times. But after some editing time at the computer, I managed to come up with 30 images that I think tell the story.

I had a minor failure of persuasion before we even left the house. I asked the teens if they wanted to make signs and go. My 17 y/o daughter’s response:

“Come on dad, there’s going to be mostly old people there, and I already deal with enough of them at work.”

Fortunately we did see a few young people at the protest.

But ultimately she was mostly correct. This is a retirement town, so the demographics skew older. But it seems just about everywhere that the people showing up to many of these protests mostly have gray hair.

Another demographic that’s well represented in our town in Veterans, and they (okay we) were definitely out there among the crowd.

Another thing I saw a lot of this afternoon was American flags and smiling faces. Heck, even the police officer who was assigned to walk the crowd seemed to be enjoying himself.

Of course some people came dressed up in costumes or with accessories.

And last but not least, there were quite a few funny and imaginative signs …

Your turn:

Did you attend (or at least drive by) a No Kings protest in your city or town?

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Til next time,

~ Todd

p.s. if you’re not a subscriber yet, I’d love to have your join our little group. If you do already subscribe, thank you! Please consider sharing this post with others:

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As a weather forecaster who likes to take pictures, you’d think I’d have plenty of really cool storm shots. I have taken quite a few weather pictures over the years, but the ones I like best are mostly from the 8 months I lived in Lawton Oklahoma in 2017.

I have seen some interesting severe weather outbreaks, especially while I’ve been at work. Unfortunately, on most of those occasions, the only camera I had with me was my phone. Still managed to capture the blue/green skies indicative of potentially large hail.

Don’t get me wrong, even with just the phone I’ve managed to capture some pretty cool long exposure lightning shots over the years.

Every once in a while it’s even possible to catch a lighting bolt during the day.

Of course, not every weather shot has to have lightning or severe signatures. Sometimes just being accompanied by a rainbow is more than enough.

This past year, probably my favorite weather picture wasn’t ever really a thunderstorm. Haboobs (aka giant walls of dust) are relatively rare in this part of Arizona, so of course when it looked like one might be coming, of course I had to go get a few shots.

I had my Canon dSLR with me, but the best shots of this storm were actually captured using the panoramic mode on my Pixel 9 Pro XL phone.

For the first time in a couple of years, we are supposed to have above average precipitation this monsoon season … which will likely mean more photogenic thunderstorms. I plan to capture more images with my real camera this year.

I really need to try to find my tripod before then though. lol, I think it’s probably hiding in the same place as my long-lost macro lens.

Your Turn:

Do you ever chase storms or other weather to capture pictures and videos?

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Til next time,

Todd

I don’t want to make you think, I don’t want to try to teach you anything, and I certainly don’t want to sell you anything.

If you come across one of my notes or posts, I hope that it’s a “break” from all the serious stuff.

Or, if I occasionally let myself stray out of my happy lane, I hope that it’s at least something where we can find strength in numbers; knowing we’re not alone.

In the end though, I’m happy to just get out with my camera and maybe inspire a smile or two when I share the final results.

I don’t know that I’ll always succeed. But I do know that if I’m at least trying to hold up my end of the bargain, I myself will likely also have a much more relaxing time while browsing the substack feed.

Your Turn:

What sort of intentional efforts have you made to curate your Notes feed into something that makes you feel good when you scroll?

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Til next time,

Todd

Every photo tells a story, and stories are better with company. If you enjoyed this glimpse of our life in the Sky Islands, pass it along to a fellow explorer.

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Kelly and the teens had spring break this past week, so of course we had to do something. At first there was a little uncertainty about everyone’s schedules, then gas prices spiked, so we decided to stay relatively close (103 miles) to home, and she just rented a cabin in Summerhaven, on Mount Lemmon. It’s the off season in this mountain town so other than an hour or so of afternoon bustle, we basically had it all to ourselves.

This place cost about the same as a decent hotel room, but had plenty of space for all 5 of us; two adults and three teens, plus my son and granddaughter stopped by for a bit on the first evening. We saved a little additional money by cooking our meals in the cabin and filling the evenings with game and movie nights.

Also, since it’s such a tiny little town with relatively dark skies, of course I had to give Pixel phone astrophotography another try.

Oh, speaking of my Pixel phone, all the pictures from this trip were taken with Pixel phones (9 Pro XL for me, 10 Pro XL for Kelly). I did bring my Canon dSLR, but only discovered once we were on the top of the mountain that all my SD cards were still back at home. Oh well.

Of course Kelly had a couple of hikes in mind … and, there were plenty to choose from. We did three hikes total; two during the planned trip, and one “bonus” hike when we had to drive back up the next day. (Todd forgot his keys).

Without further ado, here’s Kelly to tell you a little about our wandering:

Spring Break, for us, tells a tale of 3 little hikes~ The goal for the first was to wander around the forest.

The last leg of Mint Springs Loop provided a mossy trail under towering Ponderosa Pine with log bridges over a crystal creek fed by snow melt from the Ski Slope. A glorious playground to explore on our own!!

Kelly’s Pictures:

Todd’s Pictures:

The goal for the second hike was to meet up with my oldest son on a Sunny trail with vast vistas.

Hike 2 was a bit more robust. Seth was able to join us and We completed the Incinerator Ridge section of the Arizona Trail! This jaunt offered rock scrambles, and expansive views from the ridgeline with a full 360 from Leopold Point. All along the way there were spaces to walk right along the edge of the world~

Kelly’s Pictures:

Todd’s Pictures:

The goal for the third hike was to have a nice easy meandering walk around the summit of Mount Lemmon.

❌

This hike was a banger from the very start. Barely into the trail, there were reasons to add extra trails on the side. On Meadow and Mount Lemmon Loop we added Lemmon Rock Lookout because the splendor was too intriguing to ignore. There were remnants of a viewing tower built in 1928, crystals bedded along an old stairway, red tail hawks and natural springs. We then passed right by the mapped junction and on to climb pillars of rocks that had excited me in the distance. Traveling back to the junction loop with only a mile or so to go, we were once again under a canopy of Ponderosas switching back to the Summit for incredible sunny views of Tucson and beyond. I can't wait to go back (not so sure Todd shares this sentiment), to go further, to see more, to take my kids and friends.... There is so much to explore, so much beauty when we are willing to see it!

Kelly’s Pictures:

Todd’s Pictures:

Getting there:

From 1-10, get off at Houghton, then follow it all the way until you hit Catalina Hwy. From there it’s only another 23 miles or so up the mountain, but plan for it to take about an hour. It’s really interesting to watch the transition of the vegetation along the way.

You start out with saguaro cactus

Then transition to scrub oak

Then finally, above about 7500’ you enter the pine forest

Along the way there are a number of pullouts and turn-offs for campsites and hiking trails. But the one you will want to stop at is Windy Point. There’s a parking lot and restrooms. But you can also walk right out on the edge of the rocks overlooking Tucson below.

Once you’re up in Summerhaven, be aware that parking can be a little tricky, especially at certain times of the year. Also, if you have an American The Beautiful National Parks pass, it may come in handy to avoid a few parking fees.

This is a location I’m sure we will return to many times in the coming years.

Your Turn: Do you have a favorite vacation spot that’s close enough it could also be a day trip if you wanted it to?

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Til next time,

Todd

I went from a day where I didn’t plan on taking any pictures, to having almost 1500 images on an SD card by the evening. I ended up editing about 150 images and plan to share a couple dozen or so in this post.

When I used to take skateboard pictures of my son, I almost always used a wide lens from a low angle. But since I didn’t know these kids (or if I was even going into the skate park itself), I just left the Sigma 150-600mm on the camera. I did still get some action shots, but the longer lens also allowed me to focus a bit on the skate crew and the crowd.

I had the aperture at F8 the whole time, so not always a lot of background blur (especially when I was at 150mm). But it sometimes paid off. For instance, I don’t even mind that the skater who wiped out wasn’t in focus here; the reaction of his buddies was the better visual story anyway.

If you know me, you know I like to take pictures of other people taking pictures.

Pretty sure this girls had the best seat in the house to catch the action.

As I said, getting “action” shots with the long lens was a bit different than what I was used to during previous skateboarding shoots. But I got a few I liked.

And then there were a couple of cool shadow shots (wish I’d gotten more)

Skate kids don’t always have the best reputation, but I remember from when my son was into it, that’s usually not deserved. This was a competition, but you could tell they were all friends and sportsmanship was front and center.

In the end, it looked like everyone, including the judges had a really good time.

Now that I’ve gotten a taste of this again, I think I may have to put the wide angle lens on my camera and got back over to the park one of these afternoons to see if I can get to know any of these skaters and maybe get some better action shots for another future post.

I made an album with the rest of the pictures:

https://sierravistaskatepark.myportfolio.com

Til next time,

Todd

p.s. if you’re not a subscriber yet, I’d love to have your join our little group. If you do already subscribe, thank you! Please consider sharing this post with others:

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I don’t know exactly how Josh’s idea about a group “car week” for photographers here on Substack came across my feed. But it sounded interesting, so my immediate reaction was:

One minor issue: I don’t actually take very many car pictures. I mean we definitely have plenty of very cool cars here in southeast Arizona, so I could probably head out with my camera and get some good shots. But there are some really talented photographers who also signed up for this, and I’m looking forward to seeing what I expect will be amazing car pictures from them. I wanted to try to do something a little bit (hopefully) unique instead.

I thought about the image at the top of this page (“The Fog of War”). It’s a little soft and and maybe even a bit out of focus ( took it from the passenger seat of a moving truck). But out of the nearly 1,000 images I took during that deployment to Iraq, it’s one of my favorites. So I think my contribution to Car Week is going to be sharing some other pictures of HMMWVs I’ve taken over the years.

Two things to know about the military HMMWV:

1. They are a pain in the butt to maintain

2. They are really fun to drive

Caveat: they’re fun to drive in rugged four-wheel situations. On a flat paved road convoy for hours and hours, not so much.

Of course there are other ways to get a HMMWV from point A to point B:

Whether up-armored and parked in the mud in northern Iraq

Or driving through a field in Texas on the way to an exercise

Your HMMWV will take care of you, as long as you take care of it …

Heck, you can even put your name on it so it’s easy to find in the crowd.

It’s been a few years since I’ve been in a HMMWV, but my memories remain fond.

We started this series with “The Fog of War”, and I think we’ll end along the same lines. Of course, if Mother Nature doesn’t provide the fog for your war, nothing says you can’t make it yourself.

It’s Car Photography Week on Substack
To see more car photography posts, visit:

Random Capture

Welcome to Car Week!

Car Week Background…

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2 months ago · 9 likes · 6 comments · Josh Weinberg

Til next time,

Todd

This was intended to be a picture of a Say’s Phoebe on a slightly rusty fire pit grate. That part of the shot turned out pretty much as intended. But then when I got home and loaded my images in Lightroom, I noticed that one of my frames had this black butterfly (probably a Pipevine Swallowtail) just to the right of the bird.

What’s most cool is that it is on exactly the right plane where part of its body is in focus … enough that you can tell what it is, as opposed to just an amorphous blue blob.

This got me thinking …

How often are some of our favorite shots, if not total, at least partial accidents that we many times aren’t even aware of until we get home and see the image on a big computer screen?

Of course I’m not complaining. I’m always happy to be able to capture and edit a cool shot that I might be able to share.

But I suspect that I’m not the only photographer who has this type of thing happen more often than we might be comfortable to admit in public.

… not that the originally intended shot wasn’t interesting enough on its own.

Your Turn:

If you captured an image like this, would you be tempted to take credit for it? Or would you just admit it was a happy accident?

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Til next time,

Todd

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This past June two of my daughters were visiting from Texas, and since they had been begging since forever to go to California, we jumped on AirBnB and rented a house near Ocean beach. Our other daughter who lives with us was super excited because both the house and the beach are dog friendly!

Luna was coming with us!

With six teenagers, two adults, and a dog, we had to take two vehicles on the 6 1/2 hour drive from our house in southeast Arizona. We left really early in the morning, with a plan to arrive in the San Diego area around noon and spend a few hours at the beach before check-in time at our AirBnB.

We decided that our first stop would be the dog beach on Coronado Island. Since it’s right next to the Naval Air Station, this would also give me a chance to hit the commissary to pick up groceries for the week. One thing we didn’t count on, parking was a bear! We drove around for about 20 minutes, and ended up parking the two vehicles about 1/4 mile away from each other.

But once we got to the beach, there were definitely plenty of entertaining dogs!

I suppose if you’re going to bring your dog to the beach, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be fashionably dressed.

Even the dogs who didn’t have fancy costumes had plenty of fun splashing in the water and chasing balls.

This guy was my personal favorite. He not only had fun with that orange ball, but also spent some time and energy digging a pretty impressive hole.

Of course Coronado wasn’t the only dog beach we visited. There is a whole dog section of Ocean Beach that was within walking distance of the house we were renting near Sunset Cliffs. Jamie and Luna spent hours there everyday.

In addition to running and playing on the beach, she also took a lot of her own pictures of Luna and the other dogs:

If I lived in this area, I would probably be out at this beach with my camera nearly every day. But since we are almost 600 miles away, it’s just going to have to be a once or twice a year thing I think.

Luna clearly had the time of her life, but we definitely learned that parking at Coronado is a mission! Have you ever braved the San Diego crowds with your pups, or do you have a secret, quieter dog beach we should check out on our next trip? Tell me your favorites in the comments!

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Til next time,

Todd

Every photo tells a story, and stories are better with company. If you enjoyed this glimpse of our life in the Sky Islands (and beyond), pass it along to a fellow explorer. Please and Thank you.

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We went to another star party last night; this time at Oracle State Park, north of Tuscon. It was about a 2 hours drive from our house in Sierra Vista, but I think the pictures we got made it worthwhile.

This was our second attempt at photographing the nigth sky. The first time when we went to Chiricahua National Monument I had no idea what I was doing, and we kind of learned on the fly. Being a little better prepared, plus having that previous experience under our belts I think made a difference.

To be honest, the hardest part of the whole process was being able to visualize the shot in the dark when setting up the mini-tripod, then having to sit stil and quiet for 4 minutes while the Pixel captures the image(s).

I thought about writing up a tutorial for this, but it’s really as easy as making sure you have a sturdy mini-tripod, putting the Pixel in “night sight” mode, then waiting for a dark enough sky for the button to change from a moon to a star.

We were out there for about 3 hours. It cost $20 to get into the park, but they had live music for the first hour or so, and several high-powered telescopes set up for those who wanted to get a really good look at the constellations. We were even treated to a bonus Space-X launch just after the sun went down.

Your Turn:

Have you ever tried to take pictures of the night sky?

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Til next time,

Todd

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We took a nice little mini roadtrip this past weekend. Stopped at a Nature Conservatory site, visited an art festival, enjoyed a hotel in Tucson, and hiked in Sabino Canyon Recreation area. Only 75 miles from home, but still a nice change.

Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve

Our first stop on Saturday morning was a nature preserve near Patagonia, AZ. We already have a membership to the Nature Conservatory, so we were able to get into this one for free. We didn’t stay for long, but I did get a couple of bird pictures. A Robin, and Say’s Phoebe, and an Anna’s Hummingbird.

Tubac Art Festival

Our primary destination on Saturday was an art festival in Tubac, which is just north of Nogales and Rio Rico. It was a neat little town, and I think it would be interesting to visit just on a normal day. For the festival, we had to deal with a little bit of traffic, then pay $10 for parking. But it wasn’t bad. We walked around people watching and stopping in at some of the booths.

We bought an amethyst a candle for Kelly. It’s neat. There’s a hole drilled in it, then a glass reservoir that holds oil. A rope wick uses the oil to stay lit as long as the oil lasts. Theoretically, this candle should last forever.

Finally, there was this kid’s dance troop from Mexico that just set up in the middle of the street and put on a free show.

The Hotel was Nicer than we Expected

Seriously, for a Comfort Inn, this place was pretty stylish. We really only got it because is only 5 miles from Sabino Canyon.

But then the court yards, the fountains, and even the artwork near the pool made it all feel a little bit special and more like a vacation.

Hiking Sabino Canyon

The winter is the best time to hike in Tucson, and Sunday was no exception. It was a beautiful 77 degrees that afternoon.

Sabino Canyon is run by the National Park Service, so there is an $8 daily use fee. Fortunately, I have an America the Beautiful pass, so it was free for us.

We only did a relatively short 5 mile loop (still wore me out). But there are miles of trails in the canyon, and if you get there early enough you can purchase tickets to get a tram to some of the more distant trailheads.

There was an abundance of wildlife. I saw several different species of birds, including a male and female Phainopepla, a Cardinal, a Red-tailed Hawk, a Black-throated Sparrow, and a Curved-billed Thrasher.

Butterflies … in February!!!!

I had really hoped to see a snake, but had to settle for a lizard.

We got to see a waterfall over a dam in the creek near the end of our hike.

Then it was time to head back to the visitor center.

Your Turn:

Do you ever do mini roadtrips and stay in a hotel, even if you’re just an hour or two away from home? If so, where did you go last?

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Til next time,

Todd

p.s. if you’re not a subscriber yet, I’d love to have your join our little group. If you do already subscribe, thank you! Please consider sharing this post with others:

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I took this image at about 11:30am on Saturday morning. Towers like that so relatively early in the day are a good indication of a fairly unstable atmosphere.

As such, I was not terribly surprised when we were in Tucson later that afternoon and the kids called to tell us there was hail at our house (back closer to where this picture was taken).

Your turn:

Do you ever see certain cloud formations and know things are going to bad later?

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Til next time,

Todd

p.s. if you’re not a subscriber yet, I’d love to have your join our little group. If you do already subscribe, thank you! Please consider sharing this post with others:

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Or wonder if you should be living a different life?

I think it’s only human, and we all do it from time to time; I know I sure do. Especially on the days when I’m not sure I really like “me” all that much.

Fortunately, those days are relatively rare. Most of the time, overall, I kind of like the 2026 version of me … and I’ve been shaped by everything that’s happened in my past; whether it was decades ago, or just last week.

I’m not sure if some of you are aware, but I was a military BRAT growing up. We lived all over the country and the world. My real formative years were when we lived in Hawaii and I was “forced” to go to the beach every weekend.

Then we moved to California, where I had my first work experience, made some good friends, and played a whole lot of golf, including on the high school team. After California, we moved to England, where I graduated from Lakenheath High School, and on the weekends got to visit places like London and Cambridge.

Finally, my dad retired and we moved to Florida. I lasted about 6 months before I joined the Air Force myself in about the most dramatic fashion I could imagine.

Let’s fast forward a little bit through my own 24 year Air Force career, and 10+ years so far as a civilian weather forecaster. What’s really shaped me these past couple of years has been moving back to Arizona, starting a relationship with Kelly, and navigating this “Bradybunchesque” situation we find ourselves in as our teens finish up their last couple of years of high school.

This has been challenging at times, to say the least.

I mostly think about that concept in relation to my personal life. But I’m also pretty sure that the right here, right now, is also the sweet spot for my Substack journey …

A little over 4 months after starting this new account, I’m now to the point where I’m no longer mostly talking to myself. Pretty much everything I post either to notes, or here on the blog gets some interaction … and more importantly, it’s from people who I’ve gotten to know.

I’m pretty sure this site will keep growing over time. But I’m not even sure that will necessarily be a good thing.

My primary goal for this site it to make real connections, and I’m concerned that maintaining those connection might be harder as the number of people following or subscribing continues to grow.

Substack doesn’t really have a way to build lists, feeds, or favorites within Notes (maybe they should?) . In the meantime, I think what I am going to do is make a new page, where I can build my own list of “Substack Friends”, then make that my first stop when I log into the app.

Ideally, even a year or two down the road, if I have thousands of subscribers, I’ll still be able to go to that page to see what the friends I’m making now are up to.

(I’m not going to share this right now, as it’s still a draft, and I don’t want to accidentally leave anybody off … but I may link it at the top of my page in the future)

Now, on to the wrap-up of blog posts that you may or may not have seen yet this week:

My B&W photo project is still going well. Here are this week’s images:

Other posts I wrote this week:

Around Substack:

Humorous essay about the free hotel buffet:

Nothing to Declare

Breakfast is Included

Everyone in this room has made the same decision this morning, which is to stay inside…

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3 months ago · 78 likes · 30 comments · Scott Monaco

For someone who claims not to be a photographer, I have a feeling Adrian’s travel pictures are going to be very interesting.

I’ve been confronted with this dilemma a few times myself:

NoOne’s Substack

Personal Ethics in Photography

One of the things a photographer must define for themselves is their own ethical boundaries. Some photographers find this much easier than others. Perhaps due to their choice of subject, or because they have a strong sense of ethical self. The reality of it all is it’s purely individual and based on opinions of right and wrong…

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3 months ago · 25 likes · 21 comments · NoOne

So how was your week?

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Til next time,

Todd

p.s. if you’re not a subscriber yet, I’d love to have your join our little group. If you do already subscribe, thank you! Please consider sharing this post with others:

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