Category Archives: photography

Trouble in iphone land

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I snapped this photo of Red in a tree. I’m happy with it, especially the background, which I have no clue how it turned out this way!

I have noticed now I’m driving myself to Physical Therapy, that the maps app on my phone doesn’t work. Yes, I know the way there, but I like to check for traffic and the best route.

Then I turned on my Hallow App for the drive — and guess what? It didn’t work either!

My phone kept trying to connect with the car. Too much tech for me. So I turned off WiFi on my phone and thought it would use cellular data — and I’d get maps and Hallow. No luck. My phone is a brick when I leave the comforts of home.

Yesterday morning I left the house for a walk, listening to a podcast and the phone went dead once I was out of home WiFi range. I went through settings a million times and finally noticed my SIM was turned off. I entered what I thought was my SIM code. Next message said SIM locked. Enter PUK. What? What’s a PUK?

I called the customer service carrier number and my call failed. My phone was worthless.

What’s a PUK?

A PUK code, or Personal Unblocking Key, is an eight-digit security code that unlocks a SIM card when the PIN has been entered incorrectly too many times.

When you set up a PIN for your SIM card, it acts as a password to protect your phone’s cellular services (calls, texts, data). If you enter the wrong PIN too many times (usually three), your SIM card will lock, and you’ll need the PUK code to unlock it.  From AI Overview

I used my husband’s home office phone and got a PUK from the carrier. I reset my SIM code. So far so good. I’ll find out when I’m out and about if my phone is more than a brick. At least the camera works!

What tech issues have you had lately? Do they make you crazy too?

Chipmunks like the birdseed, too. They especially like corn.

Another One Bites the Dust

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I was walking out the door for my morning walk when I spotted a mighty saguaro that fell down and landed against a tree. That makes four that we’ve lost. I was afraid it was due to overwatering which can cause saguaro to rot and fall.

This one was completely dry at the base. My husband said it looked like the base rotted out. I looked it up, it’s called root rot.

Some of the saguaro are native while others are transplants:

We are thinking this one must be a transplant. It obviously didn’t have a great root system.

Transplanted saguaros often have a more damaged or less naturally formed root system, and may be tagged or have a history of being moved. Native saguaros, on the other hand, will have a more natural, established root system.

  • Root system:Transplanted Saguaros typically have their roots trimmed during the transplant process. While they can regenerate roots, a lack of extensive, naturally developed root structure might be noticeable. 
  • Damage from transplanting:Look for signs of scarring or damage to the base of the cactus, especially if it was moved recently. 
  • Lack of natural habitat features:Saguaros in their natural desert habitat often grow on slopes or in valleys. A Saguaro in a perfectly flat, manicured lawn, for example, might be an indication of transplant. –Google AI

Another thing I learned about native versus transplanted saguaro is the transplanted ones can be discolored at the base. Native saguaros stay a healthy green.

The gardener came the very next day and said he’d get it out of the tree, but it couldn’t be saved. He said he’d cut it up with his chainsaw and would let it dry out before he hauled it to the dump. It weighed more than 1,000 pounds and was too expensive for him to deal with.

Here are two photos of the saguaro in it’s new shape:

It is interesting to see the insides of our saguaro.

I took a few photos of prickly pears while I was out on the driveway taking pics of the saguaro’s demise. I hope you enjoy them.

Have a nice weekend! Any exciting plans?

A Few Photos of Bird Buddies

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I loved how this quail kept watch over his family. His wife and a baby are below him. There were three other babies who were very bold and not close to his watch but mingling with doves.

One of the bold babies.

Red and Mrs. have been visiting each day, but not at the same time. I’m waiting to see some fledglings.

Mrs. enjoying some birdseed. Thanks to photographer Bushboy, I did return to a mix of birdseed rather than using straight sunflower seeds. He warned that sunflower seeds are not as healthy for my bird buddies. But it seems Red and Mrs. pick out the sunflower seeds from the mix.

Red with a sunflower seed.

Not a bird buddy, but a Desert Spiny Lizard found a bit of shade next to a planter.

How’s you week going so far?

Favorite Photos of the Week

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No surprise. Red is at the top of my list. I was getting a little worried. Mrs. and Red didn’t show up for most of the week. I sent my husband to the hardware store for sunflower seeds. Their favorite. Voila! They both arrived, although separately which makes me believe there is something going on in the nest.

Mrs. made a few appearances. The sunflower seeds did the trick!

Red sharing his favorite rock with a quail. Did you notice I caught a bird in flight? It’s a blur in front of the saguaro.

A male quail keeping watch over his family. Momma and baby below the bench.

A Cactus Wren on a cactus! This is the state bird of Arizona.

What a surprise. Yesterday two cacti bloomed.

Aren’t these gorgeous flowers?

This cactus is next to our driveway.

I had to get photos of the flowers because they only last for a day.

We planted a few bougainvillea. This one is purple and the others are pink. I can’t wait to see how they grow throughout the years

The bougainvillea add such a nice touch of color.

One more favorite photo of Red.

Do you have a favorite photo? If so, which one is it?

Any exciting plans for the weekend? We’ll be celebrating our 40th anniversary!

A few favorite photos of the week

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Red continues to be the star of the show. What I noticed this week is that Mrs. and Red visit for birdseed at different times — no longer together. They take turns. Does that mean that one of them is in the nest? Does that mean there are babies or eggs?

Mrs. showing off her back and tail.

My new birdbath is seeing some appreciation.

It must be lizard season. I’m seeing them daily running across the yard.

We now have more quail families than I can count. From newbies to teens.

Quail always have a male on guard stationed above the others. This one is on a bench on a raised platform where he can watch over the clan.

Mrs. enjoying a snack.

Red flitting around the back yard from a cactus statue to the real thing.

Happy 249 birthday to our nation! What plans do you have to celebrate?

PT, Point of View and Photography

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I caught my favorite model taking off in flight. That was exciting for me. Much more so than PT.

I’m going to a Physical Therapy place twice a week. In the beginning, I was fine with it. But by the time I’d get home, which is 20 minutes away, I started to hurt. I didn’t ice the first couple visits because the appointments were during my husband’s work hours and I didn’t want to take up more of his time (which he said didn’t matter.) Oh well.

Now my appointments are in the afternoon, and I’m asking for ice. It’s helping. But what I really miss is the Game Ready machine my physical therapist had back in the Palm Springs area. The Game Ready is a game changer!

My husband asked if they had one and they said they aren’t very common here as they are in California. What’s a Game Ready you ask? It’s an ice machine that pumps cold into a sleeve you wear and it also adds compression. It is amazing. I used one after I fell skiing and had my ACL replaced.

Mrs. in our backyard enjoying bird seed.

I had a bad experience Monday when my assigned PT guy wasn’t there. The PT works my ankles with massage and stretches. I got a sub who did just as fine. When the PT is done, I get passed off to an assistant to guide me through exercises. The day which wasn’t so great, I got passed off two times to assistants and landed with one who was working with five patients at once. Needless to say, I did a lot of sitting, trying to get attention, and not getting any corrections or anyone watching me.

Back at “home” in Palm Springs, my PT office was owned by two former collegiate athletes — swimmers and women — who watched me every moment. That’s my comparison.

And they invested the money to have a row of Game Ready ice machines. Oh yeah.

Red striking a pose.

I was frustrated when I got home. I called two friends and asked about their PT, thinking I might need a change. I called the kids, as well. Anyway, before calling my surgeon to complain, I decided to keep my Wednesday afternoon appointment and go with an open mind. (She had said to let her know if there were any issues with PT). Maybe my Monday appointment was a one off and Wednesday would be fine.

We have two new families of baby quail visiting our yard. They have six babies each!

Fortunately, it was a good appointment. I got attention, corrections and wasn’t left alone. I believe it’s essential to face something with a good attitude and open mind. I could have gone to PT with a negative point of view and my outcome would most likely have been bad.

What are your thoughts about point of view, attitude and keeping an open mind?

A Blast from the Past

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My son at age four and half at our riverfront property in Washington State that my grandfather bought for a few dollars during the Great Depression.

I am facing a chore I’ve put off for years. I have stacks of photo albums with many of the same photos and duplicates from my high school years through raising kids — before digital photos became a thing. We had a photo developer a few blocks from our house in Palm Springs called Double Photo. Yes, you got two photos for the price of one for every roll of film you brought in. I’d walk to the store, pushing a double stroller with kids plus rolls of film treating them like treasure. Hence my abundance of photos and closet full of photo albums. I’d mail the double photos to Mom, but after she passed, they were all returned to me.

I’m finally addressing the elephant in my closet by tackling one album a day. I take out the photos I want to keep and put them in a photo box. The album with remaining photos gets tossed.

Here are a few photos I found this week that bring back memories:

Here I am at our property with both kids, my daughter aged 18 months, throwing a punch?

My son before little sis was born, bathing in the kitchen sink.

Baby Kat at our park for the Fireman’s annual egg hunt.

My son eating steamer clams we dug together in Washington at my mom’s house. Funny, he’s allergic to all seafood now.

My husband and I took a rewards trip to Hong Kong thanks to the company he worked for. This is the parking lot of the Peninsula Hotel. I couldn’t believe their fleet of cars. Or the flowers for a wedding.

Wow! I’ve never seen a wedding with so many flowers before. I guess it goes along with the cars.

Then in typical China fashion, this was a side of pork at a local open air market. Such a contrast between the haves and have nots.

A picture of me in Hong Kong. We were all turned around time wise and I tripped on the curb outside our hotel — my first steps outside — and sprained my ankle. We have lots of photos of me sitting on that trip wearing an ace bandage. Kind of foreshadowed our trip to the lake in Eastern Arizona last month!

What do you do with photos from the past vs. digital photos?