Galen's Hideaway

A Pile of the Blues

2007-04-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

Enough blues for everyone. Taken at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show at Tucson Electric Park.

Submitted for Photo Friday 13 April 2007: "The Blues"

OK

2007-04-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what was ok about this dirty banged up seafood delivery truck... even the van body was mounted lop-sided... but apparently someone thought it was ok... or at least the windshield was... back in the days you could see through it!

Take Out of Pump Gear

2007-04-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

The pump control panel of a retired fire engine at the Tohono O’odham Nation Fire Department at the nation's capitol of Sells Arizona. The "friendly" reminder above the main suction line is to disengage the pump and transfer case before trying to drive away. The pump can become very unhappy if you don't!

Grandfather's Clock

2007-03-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

A Grandfather Clock... because it was my Grandfather's Clock.

Submitted for Photo Friday 24 March 2007: "Sentimental"

Sold Sara

2007-03-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Sara bought it... wants it shipped! The crate contained a large amethyst cathedral. Captured at the Tucson Electric Park Gem and Mineral Show.

'57 Chevy

2007-03-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

President Theodore Roosevelt once said... "Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out."

It appears this little gem... once a shiny and sparkling specimen off the showroom floor... has experienced both.

Skeletons of the Mountain Top

2007-03-17T22:57:00.000-07:00

The steel skeleton frame of a radio transmission tower begins it's rise above the charred skeletons of Ponderosa Pine trees destroyed by fire in 2003. This photograph was taken at the top of Ski Valley at Mt Lemmon (Tucson) Arizona at a ground elevation of 9300 feet.

Submitted for Shutterday Saturday 17 March 2007: "Radio, Radio"

The Cutting Edge

2007-03-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

Steel being cut with precision in a process involving accuracy... skill... and heat... plenty of it. Thanks to my son Tim... and Superior Steel... Tucson AZ.

Submitted for Photo Friday 16 March 2007: Heat

Alone

2007-03-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

Submitted for Photo Friday 2 March 2007: "Alone"

Springtime in Southern Arizona

2007-02-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

Southern Arizona has very little of what most areas call "Springtime"... but one of the sure signs of the season is the appearance of the wild African Daisies. There are very few of them this year... as has been the case the past several years... but each and every one has its own special charm.

Malus Sylvestris... Dried... Sliced... Tied... Spiced

2007-02-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Detail of a wreath made of dried apple slices tied together and spiced...

Fork in the Road

2007-02-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Cracks in a chip-seal roadway forming "a fork in the road"...

Leaving Tracks Behind

2007-02-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

Tire tracks at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico.

Submitted for Photo Friday 23 February 2007: "Texture"

Playground

2007-02-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Capturing the vibrant colors and geometrics of children's playground equipment in the afternoon sun at a local park.

Fashionable

2007-02-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

A couple on a downtown street in Tucson Arizona. This is a resubmission of "Maria and Friend" originally posted September 18 2006. Submitted for Moody Monday February 19 2007: "Fashionable"

Drive By Shooting Self Portrait

2007-02-16T05:07:00.000-07:00

Drive by shooting project.

Submitted for PhotoFriday 16 February 2007: Self Portrait

22 Degree Halo

2007-02-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

A strange phenomenon in the sky when a bright halo appears encircling the sun.

These are considerably different and more rare than what we commonly refer to as "sundogs"...although both involve sunlight and ice crystals. The 22 degree halo forms when light from the sun is refracted by ice crystals associated with thin high level clouds. The refractions bend the light by 22 degrees from its original direction... producing a ring of light observed at 22 degrees from the sun.

The halo in the photograph appeared over the Tucson Arizona sky in June of 2006.

Submitted for Photo Friday 02 February 2007: Strange

No Stronger Than The Weakest Link

2007-01-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday James

2007-01-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday James. We are very proud of you.

Mom and Dad

Tour de Sixth Avenue Underpass

2007-01-01T22:36:00.000-07:00

Desert Stillness

2006-12-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

The Stillness of Sunrise in the Sonoran Desert

Submitted for Photo Friday 01 December 2006: Stillness

My Space

2006-11-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

Parking Spaces Behind Student Housing
The University of Arizona
Tucson Arizona

1485

2006-11-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

Union Pacific Engine 1485
Tucson Arizona
Bound for the Mexican Border

Corroded Yet Connected

2006-11-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

Found among the accumulation
in the outdoor courtyard of the
DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun
Tucson Arizona

Beyond the Blue

2006-11-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Tucson Museum of Art Plaza
Tucson Arizona

Slinger, Wis.

2006-11-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

Fender Lights
1935 Pirsch Fire Engine
Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting
Phoenix Arizona

Deliver Us From Evil

2006-11-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

Deliver Us From Evil
Photo Friday 17 November 2006: "Evil"

Police

2006-11-16T04:52:00.000-07:00

Drive By Shooting Project

Government Paint Job

2006-11-14T05:06:00.000-07:00

A paint label found along the fuselage of an Air Force C-97 stratofreighter now resting in an aircraft salvage yard here in Tucson.

Pay Gas Here

2006-11-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

Lancing the Sky

2006-11-07T05:20:00.000-07:00

Slow Day at the Rug Tent

2006-11-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

Submitted for Moody Monday 06 November 2006: Comfortable

Journey in the Night

2006-11-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

Cowboy Church

2006-11-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

Cowboy Church
Canelo Arizona

Aperture to the Firmament

2006-11-03T05:35:00.000-07:00

Photo Friday for 3 November 2006: Light

Skylight
University of Arizona
War Memorial

A Bag of Tools

2006-11-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

"A Bag of Tools"

Isn't it strange
That princes and kings,
And clowns that caper
In sawdust rings.
And common people
Like you and me
Are builders for eternity?

Each is given a bag of tools
A shapeless mass
A book of rules;
And each must make--
Ere life is flown--
A stumbling block
Or a steping stone.

©R L Sharpe (1870-1950)

Hoping It Will Hold For Another Year

2006-11-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Driving Along In Her Automobile

2006-10-31T22:48:00.000-07:00

From my "Drive By Shooting" project...

Caution... I'm Hot

2006-10-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

They Protected... They Served...

2006-10-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

Long-retired Seagrave fire apparatus
Patagonia Arizona

Moment of Decision

2006-10-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Apple Annie's Pumpkin Patch
Willcox Arizona

Tech Data: Nikon D-70
AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 31 mm
1\500 @ f11

Pedestrian Down... Code 3

2006-10-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

Photo Friday 27 October 2006: Accidental

Tech Data: Nikon D-70
AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 70 mm;
1/250 @ f11; Early Morning Sun

Innocence Personified

2006-10-19T23:31:00.000-07:00

Photo Friday 20 October 2006: Innocence

Tech Data: Nikon D-70;
AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 55 mm;
1\60 Sec @ f4.5; D-70 Speedlight

Trial By Fire

2006-10-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

Tractor/Cab interior
Submitted for Photo Friday 13 October 2006: Destruction

Tech Data: Nikon D-70;
AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 24mm
1\125 @ f3.5

Danger

2006-10-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70;
AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 70 mm;
1\500 @ f11; Full Sun

Six Drips and a Clip

2006-10-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 70 mm;
1\250 sec @ f8; Overcast Sky

Portfolio: After the Rain

Quiet Time

2006-10-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Ken... and his quiet time with his Bible.

Resubmitted for Moody Monday 26 February 2007: "Spiritual"

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm lens @ 35mm;
1\250 sec @ f16; Open Shade

Portfolio: People

Amalgamated Intensity

2006-10-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

Detail from a painted outdoor sculpture on the University of Arizona Campus.

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; Nikkor 55-200 lens @ 200 mm
1\500 sec @ f8; Daylight

Portfolio: Abstract

It's Your Move

2006-09-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 lens @ 70 mm;

1\30 sec @ f22; Diffused Sunlight

Portfolio: Still Life

Shuttered Window

2006-09-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

House on Paseo Redondo... Downtown Tucson Arizona

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 lens @ 60mm;
1\500 sec @ f11

Portfolio: Still Life

Busted

2006-09-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

Town Marshall... Patagonia Arizona

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 35mm;

1\500 sec @ f11; Full Morning Sun

Portfolio: Signs of the Times

Fire Charred Skeletons

2006-09-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 18mm;

1\400 @ f11; Clouds and Fog

Portfolio: Where Fire Has Been

(Submitted for Photo Friday 06 Oct 2006: "Thin")

On Daddy's Shoulders (Photo Friday: Girl)

2006-09-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

Red Bird of Paradise

2006-09-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 62mm;

1\500 sec @ f11

Portfolio: Flora

The Fallen Leaf

2006-09-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 70 mm;
1\250 @f8; Open Shade

Portfolio: Looking Down

Maria and Friend

2006-09-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 mm @ 38 mm; 1/60 @ f8

Portfolio: People

Blue Door (Photo Friday: Bright)

2006-09-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 lens @ 35 mm; 1\500 @ f11; Full Sun

Portfolio: Colors

Hole In The Fence

2006-09-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 lens @ 70 mm; 1\3 sec @ f29; Overcast Daylight

Portfolio: Still Life

But Is It Art?

2006-09-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 31mm;
1\500 sec @ f8; Daylight

Portfolio: Street Scenes

Remembering Lt Joseph "Joey" Agnello FDNY Ladder Co 118 Brooklyn Heights October 10 1965 - September 11 2001

2006-09-10T22:19:00.000-07:00

Joseph "Joey" Agnello

Joseph Agnello was a career firefighter with the Fire Department of New York... but was described by his family and friends as not being defined by his life's work... rather a guy who loved his wife VinnieCarla... his kids Salvatore and Vincent... took pleasure in his dogs... and thoroughly loved life.

On the morning of September 11 2001... Agnello and 5 of his fellow firefighters aboard Ladder 118 responded to what was to become their final fire. They parked their rig at West and Vesey Street by the towers... and vanished into the thick cloudy smoke and soot of the Marriott World Trade Center Hotel.

Pastor Michael Carrano at Assumption Church located around the corner from the firehouse described Joey and the crew of Ladder 118 as having "hearts of gold that you can't find at the end of any rainbow."

Accounts by those rescued speak of the Ladder 118 crew ushering hundreds of the building occupants to safety. Survivor Bobby Graff says... "Their families should be proud of them. They knew what was going on, and they went down with their ship. They weren't going to leave until everyone got out. They must have saved a couple hundred people that day. I know they saved my life."

Graff recalls... "Joey helped me bring handicapped people down from the 19th floor in the elevator. We then went up to the 12th floor where people were screaming and brought them down. Then the mayday call came on the radio and the command was 'Get out! Get out! Get out!'. Joey and the other guys used their bodies like a brace... like a riot squad... directing the people out. They knew what was coming, but they stayed where they were. I'll never forget that. The men of Ladder 118 died side by side."

Joey Agnello with Salvatore (left) and Vincent (right)

Upon hearing the story of Joey's final moments... Agnello's widow VinnieCarla said... "I always knew that my husband died helping others, and I knew in my heart that he was helping people up until the minute he died, but I didn't know how. This is so incredible - knowing what happened that day is a gift that I can give my sons."

A memorial service for Joey Agnello was held October 10 2001. He was recovered from the fallen towers in the early morning hours of January 1 2002... and was laid to rest January 4.

According to Agnello's wife VinnieCarla... Joey was a simple man... and never took credit for his accomplishments... nor wanted for material possessions. He found comfort and happiness in the little things... being with his family and looking up at the sky on a starry night. "Sometimes..." She says... "when I take the dogs to the beach for a walk and I look up... I know he's still around. Like tonight. There's the most beautiful moon... and I know he's with me."

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

(Eyewitness accounts and comments by VinnieCarla Agnello were retrieved from articles in New York's Newsday. Official memorial poster designed by Lee Hanson and can be ordered from http://www.imagefactorygraphics.com)

The Mohawk (PhotoFriday: Boy)

2006-09-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Tech data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @60mm; 1\60 sec @ f4.5; daylight

Portfolio: Family

Miss Fancy Toes

2006-09-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 lens @ 70mm; 1\60 sec @ f4.5; Full flash

Portfolio: Color

Queen of the Night

2006-09-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

One of the strangest... although not that unusual... plants of the desert is the Cereus cactus... otherwise known as "The Queen of the Night".

If a bud forms and matures into a bloom... for one night and one night only... her exquisitely scented and glorious white flower opens as night falls... and then closes forever with the first rays of the morning sun.

This is the first and only bloom on this cactus we've had for about 5 years now... and Monday night... Labor Day evening... was her time to grace the twilight with her beauty.

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 lens @ 70mm; 1\125 sec @ f11; Diffused flash

Portfolio: Flora

Almost... But Not Quite

2006-09-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

The control relief joints of a sidewalk at a local park almost meet... but not quite.

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm lens @ 70mm; 1\100 sec @ f29; Daylight

Portfolio: Looking Down

Cascading Through a Chain of War

2006-09-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

A fountain cascading through an anchor chain salvaged from a World War II battleship. Photograph taken at the University of Arizona Student Union Memorial Center.

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; Nikkor 55-200mm @100mm; F4.5 @1\60; Natural light

Shadows on the Wall

2006-08-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

Shadows cast on an outdoor wall by an overhead ramada on the back patio. This was one of my earliest shots switching from film to digital a couple of years ago... just experimenting.

Some who have viewed this photograph feel the opposing angle shadow in the upper left is a distraction. Others feel it lends interest to an otherwise somewhat static composition. Only the shadow knows!

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 24mm; f8 @ 250

Portfolio: Shadows

Extreme

2006-08-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite themes is what I call "Drive By Shooting" where I photograph people and vehicles... and people in vehicles that are either driving by me or I am driving my them or both. This also includes people along the side of the street (photographing bus stops are especially interesting) as I am driving by.

For the sake of safety... it is a "catch as you can" type of photography. My eyes and attention are on the road when I'm driving... and I rarely catch more than a glimpse at what I am photographing. Good composition is mostly by chance. When I get home and go through the hundreds of images... there might be one or two that are good captures. It's more the enjoyment of doing it rather than satisfaction of a lot of great results.

My camera is tripod mounted on the floor of my van between the two front seats. Usually pointing out the passenger side window (which is open) and set on auto focus and usually speed priority. Few of my drive bys will be completely sharp... that's part of the effect. Even at 1/1000 sec there is minimal camera shake from the vehicle itself... the movement and speed of the camera source... as well as the subject... all factors that contribute to the rapid drive by effect.

And again... if I'm shooting from my vehicle... I am not looking at the subject. My eyes and attention are on the road. Good results are mostly by chance... but that's what makes it an interesting challenge and finding a good shot becomes an exciting discovery.

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70 @ 35mm; 1\1000 @ f8;

Portfolio: Drive By Shooting

Aim High

2006-08-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

High on my list of favorite portfolio themes is taking pictures of people taking pictures... or "Photographing the Photographer." These are shutterbugs who will put themselves in some very unique and interesting positions just to get that perfect shot and capture the moment.

This is my son James on one of our photo excursions trying to get a precise angle of a skylight at the University of Arizona Student Union Memorial Center here in Tucson.

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; Nikkor 55-200mm @55mm; F8 @125; Natural light

Portfolio: "Photographing the Photographer"

Craquelure For Photo Friday 25 August 2006: Circle

2006-08-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

A craquelure on an outdoor table top left unattended for several years. Contributed for Photo Friday 25 August 2006: Circle

Amy's Morning Raindrops

2006-08-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

This is Miss Amy Rillis... more commonly known to many as Amaryllis. A pre-dawn shower left her clean and fresh. A couple of weeks ago she sprang to life after being dormant since early spring. She is a delight to behold and a testament to new life.

Tech Data: Nikon D-70; AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm lens @ 70mm; 1\60 sec @ f16; Diffused flash

Portfolio: The Wonder of Wet

For Those Who Cannot Fly

2006-05-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

I don't have a particular passion for chain link fences. I don't collect them... I don't gaze at them and contemplate their beauty... nor do I seek a greater understanding of why they exist and how they affect my life. Although American publisher Elbert Hubbard wrote a hundred years ago... "Fences are made for those who cannot fly". Some interesting thinking.

The Look

2006-05-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

Adolescence is a time in life when a youngster begins to truly discover their ingenuity and creativity... in both thinking and doing. It is a new adventure... and consequently you find them often referring to themselves as "weird". It is not weirdness... it is magic! Submitted for Photo Friday... 5 May 2006... "Adolescence".

Morning Hibiscus

2006-05-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

It was a wise person who is recorded to have said some 2500 years ago... "If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change".

Please Be Respectful

2006-05-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

This crude sign with it's well-mannered message greets visitors to the rose garden at Reid Park here in Tucson. It was a wise sage who said... "If you are respectful by habit, constantly mindul of others, four things increase: long life, beauty, happiness, and strength."

Wise counsel in our "I... me... myself" world. Too bad it takes a sign to remind us.

"Seventy-Four Degrees and Happy Holidays"

2005-12-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

At about 6:00 PM yesterday... December 22... the temperature had dropped from an afternoon high of 80ºF. A high of 82ºF is predicted for Christmas day. It looks like a white Christmas is pretty well out of the question!

"Baby... It's Cold Outside"

2005-12-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

Taken at a bus stop along a Tucson street yesterday (December 15). The temperature had dropped to near 60° F. Around here... if it drops below 80°... it's time to get out the jackets!

"Just Short of a Dollar"

2005-12-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have days when you feel like your just short of a dollar?

"Where Rain Has Been"

2005-12-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

For after all

The best thing

One can do

When it is raining

Is to let it rain.

--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

There Is A Time...

2005-12-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

The old dies... the new blossoms. There is a time... for everything.

Distracted

2005-12-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

Being distracted is a normal human attribute. And it's not always a bad thing. Behind every distraction could be a new discovery... or an enjoyable moment.

"No Cure" (PXITE Entry: Party)

2005-12-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

"There is still no cure for the common birthday!" (Senator John Glenn)

Every time I'm at a birthday party... I keep asking myself... "Why is a birthday cake the only food you can blow on and spit on and everyone still rushes to get a piece?"

"Star of Wonder"

2005-12-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

"O star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright." (John Hopkins ca. 1857)

Last night the lights were placed so they would be balanced throughout the Christmas tree... the garlands were hung so they would be evenly distributed... the decorations were carefully located so there would be no empty spots. A lot of effort was made so that the tree would be just perfect.

I am reminded of what American author Charles Barnard once said... "The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect!"

Resubmitted for Moody Monday 19 March 2007: "Celebratory"

"Problem Statement" (Photo Friday:Experimental)

2005-12-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

"I am doing this experiment because I think it will be fun..." This is from my granddaughter's 5th grade science project last year. The actual project was to bake a series of cupcakes but leaving a single ingredient out of each batch... and observing and recording the results.

"My World... For A Moment"

2005-12-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

According to the language of flowers... the amaryllis conveys beauty and pride. English poet William Morris (1834-1896) wrote... "When I take the flower in my hand and really look at it, it becomes my world, for a moment."

A Single Step

2005-12-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

This was my first complete photograph taken more years ago than I care to remember. Complete because it was the first time I had ever taken a photograph... developed the film... and printed and processed the final picture. It was my sophomore year in high school... I had just joined the yearbook staff... and was sent to cover a track meet. My first attempt at photography with other than a "point and shoot" snapshot camera was a disaster. I attempted to capture a shot-put competitor just after the shot was released.

The photo was underexposed... blurred... and poorly composed. In making the print... I had the photo-paper in the enlarger easel crooked... and even managed to fog the border. Obviously... it was destined for the trash... but my darkroom mentor recommended that I keep it. He said not only would it be a reminder of how not to do something... but later I could look back on this photograph and remember fondly of how it all began.

Confucius is reported to have said... "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." For me in photography it was more like a stumble. But photography has remained an important part of my life since that first single step.

(Resubmitted for ShutterDay 19 February 2007: "First")