Simple Nature

Nature can be as simple as this or as sophisticated as wildlife. This is just a focussed dry leaf and a blurred pokey ball that falls from this sweet gum tree. You can see the tiny details on the leaf including the specs in it and the jagged edges. You can also see the shape of the pokey ball. It's sharp edges hurt the skin but don't break it.

3-Pointer

This is a shot for three points, commonly called a 3-pointer. Ranging 22 feet in the corners up to 23.75 feet in the top, the three-point line surrounds the hoop. I say it's nearly impossible for myself to make a 3-pointer from the NBA length but I have never tried. I think I'm good if I can make a 3-pointer at a college-length 3-point line.

Drive

After you take the ball down the court to the other team's side, you try to shoot a 3-pointer or drive into the basket for 2 points. This Memphis player decided to drive to the basket and go for 2. As he drives, the Phoenix defenders try and stop him. But if you look at how tense his arms and neck are, I don't think they have a chance at stopping him from scoring.

Tip-Off

As the game starts, two players jump and try to hit the ball, onto their side. Behind them is a teammate who will get the ball and take it to the opposing team's side to try and score. From this picture, it looks like Memphis is going to get the first possession and Phoenix will get the ball to start the second half.

Fun

Sometimes as you warm up before a game you just want to have some fun. This basketballer for Phoenix chose to have some fun be practicing his one hand, no jump shots. He will probably never do this in a game, but it seems like he is having fun even as he warms up.

Focus

Next we go to the Phoenix Suns Talking Stick Resort Areana. The Phoenix Suns played the Memphis Grizzles. It was a very close game, the final score was 97-95 Phoenix. In the picture, we see how much focus that the shooter is using to shoot this shot. Even when he puts the ball directly in front of his, face he still keeps his eye on the basket.

Birds of the South

This bird looks like a hummingbird and according to a bird identification website, this is a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We can't see it, but the bird is supposed to have a red spot under its mouth and white going down its front side. What was in the identification that we can see is the dark green tail and green back. You can't see it in the picture, but it hovered quite often and had rapid wing movements. Also, like the website described it.

Volcanic Sunset

One of the sunset shots that I took was this one. The mountain is called Pinnacle Peak, it was another one of the mountains that I hiked. The red and dark colored clouds seem to flow out of the 'volcano.' On the bottom left side is where yesterdays photo was taken from. The red colors from the sunset brought out mountains.

Mountain Sunset

While reading after our hike, the pages of my book turned red. I looked up to a red sky with hints of white mixed in. I ran inside and grabbed my camera. I had my big lens on, but it was too big. I wasn't able to get the full sunset. I switched lens but when I walked back outside there was a tree in the way. Not wanting to miss the sunset, I ran barefoot over gravel and concrete to find a new angle. After taking several shots, I walked back happy with the pictures that I took.

Teddy Bear Cactus

These types of cacti are named after their soft looks. From here it looks like the cacti is a soft object but stand next to it and look at all of the needles waiting to poke you. Another interesting thought about the cactus is why is it multicolored? It starts black on the bottom, turns brown, then yellow on top.

Hillside

Facing away from Scottsdale were clear blue skies. Facing toward Scottsdale were hazy/ smoky skies. The hillside cuts into the blue sky and attacks it with cacti. The sharp rocks and needles on the cacti are no match for the clear blue sky.

Arizona's Mountains

These mountains are different than the ones that I have seen in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. These mountains were much rockier, had cacti on them and didn't have any trees on them. The other mountains that I have seen have big tall pine trees, don't have cacti and have some rocks but not nearly as many as these do.

Dead Tree City

As we hiked away from the city, I turned around for one look and saw this dead tree. I believe that this is one of my best pictures from the trip. The dead branches just break off into different directions almost like a firework. Then you look behind the tree and there is the city of Scottsdale. Then behind the city are the mountains that surround Scottsdale.

Birds of the South

Still, on our hike, I saw this white and gray bird. After looking at several bird identifier websites, I still can't figure out what type of bird this is. I found several close looking types but they all say a small detail that this bird doesn't have. It could be an out of state bird that was just flying by, who knows.

Red Rocks

While walking on a trail, I saw this rock that had an interesting color. On the sides and bottom, the rock looks normal but on top is this red mark. The rocks does look very smooth making it a possibility that it could have been cut open and this is the center. This is a very cool but mysterious rock.

Desert Lands

Outside the house, where we stayed, were hundreds of acres of open land. In that land, I saw several types of birds, two types of rabbits, and I heard but did not see coyotes. I also learned that there are snakes but they are dormant. In the picture are several different types of plants. There is the brown grass, cacti, shrubs and several other types of plants that I don't know the name to.

Mountain Sunrise

As the sun rose, it caused the mountains to become black. The mountains made sure that the picture was not too bright and overpowering. Your eye is drawn on the mountains border with the sky before being taken all around the top of the picture. After your eye follows the darker clouds it starts to focus on the bright yellow and orange clouds before returning back to the dark mountains. 

Birds of the South

This sparrow is the next bird in Bird of the South. After taking this picture the sparrow flew away. I walked toward the bush to see if there were any more birds, which there were not, but I did see spikes on the bush. How could this sparrow sit on a spike? This is the last Bird of the South picture since the night is falling and the next day we were on another drive, this time to Scottsdale.

Birds of the South 

On this trip I took several pictures of different types of birds, these pictures are going to be called the Birds of the South. This bird, which I believe is a woodpecker, is atop one of the old, native New Mexican homes. This picture the almost like a silhouette. The bird is black and house is mostly black or a very dark color. This is contrasted by the bright sky.

Rolling Clouds

I would have liked to capture this picture with the clouds parting over my head but instead the clouds broke a few miles to the Northeast. This is what the rain came from. While it might not look very big and dark, it was a very rare and impressive rain for Las Cruces. Also notice the old, native style homes. With Stucco walls and red trimming around the windows, this is what the old New Mexican houses looked like.

Cactus Animals

I was sitting outside during the end of the rain storm and I looked down. I saw this cactus and noticed something on it. I can't tell if they are spiders who made a home in the cactus or are pieces of an object the look like spiders. If it is a spider then its head would be really small but if it was an object, then what would the object be?

Flying High

After the rain storm, this hawk flew out looking for a meal. I had seen several other birds flying about in the sky but I couldn't quite take a good picture of the bird. This hawk started in the right side of my eyesight before circling above me the swooping down in front of me. I chose this picture because you can see the detail on the bird all the way to the point on the beak.

Water Leaf

On the end of my rain walk, I found this leaf hidden in rocks. It was a jewel that a nearly missed if I had not looked down at a circle of rocks. The water droplets were in perfect spheres on the leaf. They reflected the sky and surrounding leaves. Making them a yellow and red color.

Spider Web

After a very rare rainstorm, I went walking around looking for raindrops on plants. I saw this spider web which had some water on it but not like the next pictures. I like how this is such a good and clear picture that you can see the tiny worm underneath the web. The worm is probably the spiders dinner, I would not choose that for my dinner.

UTEP

This is the start of our Southwest Trip. We are going to be visiting Las Cruces, Phoenix, and Scottsdale. When we got to the stadium we were only expecting to see the stadium from the outside but the grounds crew was cleaning up the stadium for the Sun Bowl. They left a gate open as they used leaf blowers to clean the stadium. This allowed us to go inside to stadium.

The Start of the Play

To start the play, the center hikes the ball to the quarterback. I was able to take this picture after the ball left the center's hand but before it was able to reach the quarterback's hands. You can see the wide receiver, number 13, running across to fake out the defense trying to give the Texas Longhorns extra yards.

Moments Before Kickoff

The kicker places the ball on the tee then walks back 10 yards. The rest of the team lines up with him before running as the kicker kicks the ball. It is a flag if a person on the offense passes the ball before it is kicked. I took this shot exactly a quarter second before the kicker kicked it. He kicked the ball so fast that after half a second the ball was off of the screen.

On the Run

Texas's quarterback Sam Ehlinger was on the run before throwing the ball away. One of the hardest things to do as a quarterback is run and throw at the same time. This is why if you see a quarterback on the run, the ball is normally not accurate.

Tripped

On the second play after the touchdown, this Texas Tech player caught the ball then ran for a short amount of time before getting tripped up by a Texas defensive player. The Texas player Deshon Elliott grabbed the Texas Tech player's leg and didn't let go until the play was over.

Diving for the Touchdown

As number Hemphill-Mapps dives for the touchdown, several Texas Tech players try to stop him. He ended up getting the touchdown. He was tackled by three Texas Tech players but number 1 pushed him over the line.

Air Time

This looks like one of the hardest hits that I have ever seen. As the Texas Tech player jumped into the air, he was tackled mid-air. He was thrown backward and lost a yard from the catch. Luckily he walked back up and played the next play, which he again caught the ball and was tackled hard again. I guess this is just how football is.

Kick Off

As we start both the game between Texas and Texas Tech and this new series, this picture of the kickoff comes first. Texas kicked it off to Texas Tech who returned the ball to the 27-yard line. In this picture, we can see several Texas players about to tackle the Texas Tech player. The tackle happened just after this picture but someone stood up and blocked my shot.

Lazy Squirrel

On a fence, I found this squirrel just laying with one arm off and the other on the fence. I wonder if he was trying to fall asleep. Probably not because it was around 11:00 am and because as soon as I shot this picture he darted to the right. I have taken hundreds of pictures of animals but never have I found a picture this weird.

Red Bird

Here is yet another very interesting bird. It is only found in North America, excluding Alaska and northern Canada. Like yesterdays picture, this red bird has a nut in its mouth. They must be really hungry. They also are very sensitive to humans, this was the closest I got to any red bird before it flew away.

Bird Breakfast

Early in the morning, the sun was shining from behind the trees. It made the blackbird even more black. Not only is the blackbird standing with his head sideways, but it has a nut in its mouth. If the blackbird didn't have the nut in its mouth, then it would have been just a regular photo.

Blue Bird

While pigeons are common in most places in North America, bluebirds are only found in the western states. Their bright blue wings and body make them stand out among other birds. Even against a bright blue sky, they stand out. This Bluebird was eating a nut which his why he is looking down. Two things that could make this better is if I could have zoomed in more and the bird was looking up.

Birds In Flight

I was hoping to get a close up of a bird in flight, but no bird would come close to me. I saw several flocks of birds flying overhead but they weren't directly over me. I wish I could zoom in on birds and cut out the top of the sky. Then the size of the picture would have a lower resolution and become a terrible picture.

Taking Off

While I was taking pictures of this bird, it took off on me. Like most of my good pictures, I thought I missed my chance. Luckily when I looked at the pictures I saw this. I was extremely happy. We can see the bird's individual wings which are surprisingly small. This might be my favorite picture of all time.

Pigeon

While pigeons may just be birds that annoy us and poop on our cars, they are also cool to photograph.  They have a white stripe on their side which contrasts there brown body.  I also like how the sky is not overly bright and doesn't ruin the picture.

Funeral

A normal funeral procession goes like this, a military band plays followed by a horse-drawn carriage with the body followed by the family and their supporters. This happens most of the time, 28 times per day. Today, there are more than 400,000 people buried there. Some people are worried because they are running out of space to put all of the bodies. They fear they will have to bury the military members at a different place. This is the last picture of the Washington D.C. trip. Next, we will be back in Dallas with pictures of nature in the fall.

Arlington National Cemetery

This is the sight of Robert E. Lee's original house. As the Civil War started, he was part of the Confederation but could see the Union's Headquarters, Washington D.C., from his bedroom. He ended up moving south soon after the war started. After the war ended, more than 17,000 people were buried there. Since Robert didn't want to live with the dead, his son sold the property to Congress.

Pentagon

On the second stop of our night tour, we went to the Pentagon Memorial. This memorial represents the people who died during 9/11 at the Pentagon. The benches show the where the person died. If you read the name faces away from the Pentagon, they were on the plane if the name reads to the Pentagon, they died in the Pentagon.

Civil War to World War

In the back of this picture is the Lincoln Memorial. Abraham Lincoln was the president during the Civil War. In front of that is the World War II Memorial. The president during that war was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Both of these presidents did great things to America. Lincoln abolished slavery and Roosevelt got us out of the Great Depression.

Lincoln Memorial Reflection

I walked to the backside of the World War II Memorial to find this. The clear night with no wind provided me with this amazing picture. The water was clear, still and mirrored the Memorial almost perfectly. There is a slight fuzz but you can definitely tell what this is without seeing the top half.

World War II Fountain

While on our night tour, we visited the World War II Memorial and the Pentagon Memorial. I liked seeing this during the night because if it was during the day, the sun might have made a glare or the sun would have made the picture too bright.

Highview of the HQ

From this angle of the Capitol Building, we can see everything. The Statue of Freedom, the half-raised flag and the fountain in front of the building. I tried to get more pictures of the cars leading up to the building, but this was the farthest that the deck extended.

Berlin Wall

In the Newseum, a museum about news is this piece of the Berlin Wall. What I like about this part of the wall is the writing on it. I focused on the 'Act Up' part but the other pieces of writing are not too out of focus. I focused on the 'Act Up' part because that represents the wall the most. When the wall was up people had to 'Act Up' to do what was right.

Statue of Freedom

On top of the Capitol Building is this 15,000 pound 19 and a half foot tall statue representing America. Completed during the Civil War, it gave hope to the Union as they fought the Confederates. Today, it can also be viewed inside where there is an exact replica with the only change being the stone they used to build it out of.

Falling Water

Once you finish the museum, there is this place where you can go and watch the water fall and reflect on what you just learned. It is a very smart thing that the museum does, you stop and remember all the things that the African Americans had to go through before they became equals.

Freedom

In the African American museum, there is this wall. When you walk in it looks like a normal museum. A gift shop, security, and a ticket booth. Once you take the cargo elevator down to the 1400s (the lowest floor) you are transported into lives of African Americans. As you walk slightly uphill, you travel back to the present.