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Thursday, February 1, 2018

Super Blue Blood Moon, Friends Are Off To New Adventures, Labyrinth on Palm Canyon Road

January 31, 2018

I woke up at 4:45AM determined to get pictures of the Super Blue Blood Moon. What I did not do is get up right away and by the time I did and got dressed and out the door it was 5:15 and the moon was more then half covered. Tom got up, made coffee, and brought it out. Considering how cold I was it was very nice holding and drinking the hot liquid.  I took 121 photos and these I felt were the best.






Just starting to see light from the sun in the East.

A little slice of the moon is peeking out.

Looking back to the East a little color is showing as the sun gets closer.

I was experimenting with different settings on my camera as the moon
started to set behind the mountains.




Then it was gone from our sight.
Minutes later Suzie and George were ready to leave. Along with Patsy and Bill we walked over to say see you down the road, then after hugs all around, and a reminder to travel safe they were off.

George stopped so I could get one more photo.

Suzie following behind. 

The sun popped over the mountains and because I was chilled to the bone,
by this time, I took this through the windshield of the Stinger "B".

After warming up and getting ready to take a ride over to Palm Canyon
we noticed Patsy and Bill were about ready to pull out of the neighborhood.
Patsy walking towards us after they had finished checking the lights.
So with hugs all around we wished them safe travels.

Clemson in the back seat "buckled" and ready to go.

Saying one last see you later we moved back towards the Stinger "B".

They are off into a "sea" of  dust.
Just before they pulled out a motor home went by leaving a large trail of dust.

It looks very empty out our door right now; it was fun having the four of them as neighbors. Now, for the next couple of days, we will enjoy this time, just the two of us, while at the same time we will be looking forward to the next time we cross paths.  Then we too will head off down the road to our next adventure.

The mission today was to find the Labyrinth on Palm Canyon Road, we had heard about, and scout a place to park for a few days.


We found it, with the help of directions from a friend.
Plus, you can use Google Maps to find it. "Hazel" directed us right
to it this morning.


Standing at the entrance, taking a deep breath, acknowledging in my mind
that I am taking this time to quietly walk and let my thoughts wander,   
as they may, I walked in.

I did take a few photos as I walked.
 At one point I looked up and  I could see
Tom in the distance.

Tom took this picture, it looks like I was just starting the walk.

During the walk I thought about a lot of different things and the only sound
for me was my shoes hitting the ground.
As I circled towards the center one of things that crossed my mind, that
 I have decided to share, is how much the passing of time is like the the circle. 
In the beginning it takes a while to make it around just like when we are young 
and we have our whole lives stretched ahead of us. There seems to be an 
unending quantity of  time that will never end.
 As I got closer to the center it went faster and faster and I thought of
 how many times I have said and heard others say, 
the older I get the faster time seems to go. 
With each passing year I realize how precious each moment is. 
Something we do not think about in our youth and why should we? 

I had read in Doug's Blog, Miss Adventure Travels, that others had left things
in the center of the circle so I was expecting this.

What I was not expecting and was disappointed about was that I was not able to
step into the center because of all of the stuff. I did not want to step on anything.
This is not the first time I have walked a Labyrinth and part of the journey is
 pausing in the center to center yourself and your thoughts. 
I know it is symbolic but it was still disappointing.

I will admit I did not walk the path out. I could see Tom waiting over by the
car and I knew we had other things we wanted to do. So from this point I
took the short way back to the entrance and made my exit.


Until I looked back I had not noticed all the Octillo around.

As Tom walked around the area he took some pictures of the cacti.



Heading towards Palm Canyon.


One of several green Ocotillo we saw today.

Looking ahead at Palm Canyon. We did not drive all the way today as
we are planning on coming back and hike to where we can see the Palms.

Just a few green leaves on this one. 

We found Doug and Yuma and made a stop. What we planned  to be a quick
hello turned into a nice sit down chat.
What I forgot to do was take a picture and I was holding the camera.
We found a place we hope will be vacant when we come back in a couple of days. 
Actually, we found two. Doug and Yuma are moving on and with any luck 
the space they are in will be vacant when we drive the Stinger "B"over.

Tonight's sunset.


I took this shot using one of the Effect's on my camera called,
Photo Illustration.

Clouds towards the northwest turned a pretty pink in the sun's after glow.

A little while later we could see the light from the rising moon in the east.



So ends another day parked in this beautiful place in the desert.







We enjoyed today and hope you did, too.
If you would like to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.

15 comments:

  1. What another wonderful adventure, and some great photos as always. You are getting to know your camera very well.
    Nice that you got to see Doug and Yuma again in their beautiful spot in the desert.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am trying with the camera and it is turning into a fun adventure.
      It was a nice visit and we have our fingers crossed that no one takes it before we get there.

      Delete
  2. Great pictures as always. Keep experimenting with your camera.
    Kathy has said that many times and our kids are just starting to realize it but our grands just give us a queried look wondering what we are talking about.
    Sorry we haven't had the chance to visit but Kathy didn't want to share her Illness.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, and I am having fun with the camera.
      You really do not get how fast time goes until you are older but I truly believe it is the way it is suppose to be.
      Hope Kathy is feeling better.

      Delete
  3. Wonderful pictures! Looks like you up in time. I missed it entirely. :-(
    We'll have to find the Spiral when we head up Palm Canyon Road. It looks amazing!
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I was so glad I made it out there. It was tempting to go back to sleep under the warm covers...:)
      The Labyrinth, Spiral, is nice. Whoever took the time to build it did a good job.

      Delete
  4. A wonderful post. Truly excellent pictures. You and the camera are getting along very well.
    Glad you found time to visit Doug and Yuma, hopefully you get a good spot when you head back to Palm Canyon.
    Safe travels.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Deb. I am having fun with the camera.
      It was a nice visit we were glad we decided to stop. Fingers crossed that at least one of two we found will be there.

      Delete
  5. Sorry I hit publish too soon. Anyway! Those were great moon photos Deb. The moon was so sharp and clear. I may have to breakdown and get me a better camera. Might help.

    I'm glad you two stopped by. Had a great time chatting. I hope my spot is still vacant when you get there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Doug. You already take such great photos but I will admit having a camera I can do more with is fun.

      We were glad we decided to stop. It was a nice spending time relaxing in the shade and chatting. Plus, watching Yuma enjoy his surroundings and then take a rest was fun. He is a beautiful dog.

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    2. Fingers crossed that your site or the one across the road is there when we get there.

      Delete
  6. I like walking labyrinths ... that is a really nice one. I think I would have stepped in the middle anyway, even if only with one foot. I'm glad it's still in such good shape.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I walking labyrinths, also and I agree it is a nice one. I would have stepped in but someone had put several seashells inside and I did not want to break them.

      Delete
  7. Deb, I think you should write a book..seriously. The way you write I can literally feel it. That labyrinth is really awesome! We'll have to check it out next year. Nice that you had a little visit with Doug and Yuma. Hopefully you can get his place. Pictures are awesome! Hopefully we'll see you a little later, we're headed that way for a few days if we ever get going :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the compliment, Shirley.
      I do not know how long that Labyrinth has been there but it really is well taken care of, which is nice.
      We had such a nice chat with Doug and Yuma is fun to watch. Fingers Crossed his site or the other one we found is still there.
      Hoping you got going and we get a chance to see you guys...:)

      Delete