2010 was a Very Good Year for Photography - Part 1

Kathleen and I have a great year in 2010 and produced a lot of photographs.  In January we heard about a Snowy Owl spotted in El Paso County (the first in 67 years).  So we naturally headed down there to see if we could find the critter.  We did and were rewarded with the following photo.

 

Needless to say we were ecstatic to see this majestic animal up close and as you see in an urban environment. In early February we traveled to Breckenridge, CO to the Snow Sculpture competition and were treated to some amazing pieces of art work.  Here is one sample: 

The weather was unseasonable warn and the some of the works were melting as we watched.  I think we will try to get up there again this year.  The highlight of the year was a road trip in early March to California to pick up our daughter Joanna, who had just arrived back from 2 years in India working with the urban poor.  On the way out to California we stopped at the Basque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and captured a few photos of Sand-hill Cranes and Snow Geese. 

There were not many cranes left at the refuge in early March (maybe 200), but this guy was right next to the road and really posed for us.  A few minutes later we were standing near a small pond where we had earlier seen a group of snow geese.  They were gone and I was upset that I had not stopped and grabbed a few photo when we had seen them earlier.  Then I heard this loud noise in the sky and looked us and saw a couple hundred snow geese circling just above us.  I got so excited I just started to point the camera in their direction and shooting.  Words can not describe the feeling at that moment and it is amazing that I got any photos in focus.

We definitely plan to return to the Basque, hopefully early this year, when there are thousands of birds wintering there.
We had a nice visit with my family in California and was treated to a surprise birthday party for my twin brother.  After all the festivities we started our trip back to Colorado.  Our first stop was at the mission at San Juan Capistrano.  What a beautiful old structure (some of which is being restored).  I was truly amazed at the craftsmanship of the native Americans who did most of the work on the early missions.

We spent several hours at the mission touring the grounds taking photos and learning about early American history before the arrival of the Pilgrams.  From there we headed to Arizona and a visit to the "Pearl of the Desert" or the mission just south of Tucson: San Xavier del Bac.  This is an absolutely beautiful mission (photographed by Ansel Adams in the 1930s) and was in the process of being restored.  It is a magnificent structure:

Kathleen is caught here photographing the front on the mission.  The left tower is completely restore and work is on going on the right tower.  The sanctuary in the chapel was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen and I will have to go back with my tripod and capture the interior.
Our next stop was at the Saguaro National Park.  This stop was not planned, we were driving down the highway and saw a sign the said SNP exit ahead.  We turn off and headed to the park and am I glad we did.  Here is a photo of Kathleen and Joanna looking at one of these giant cactus.

These are the largest and oldest cactus in the US, they can be 3-400 years old, grow to 40 feet tall and weight several hundred tons (mainly water).  This park was full of these cacti and other desert plants.  This photo shows just a small part of the Park.

If you are ever in this area, this is definitely a must see place.  There is a road through the park and numerous hiking trails (just beware of rattle snakes in the summer).  From here we headed home to Colorado.
[TO BE CONTINUED]