Hard hats are wonderful things. They were invented during the construction of the Hoover Dam when workers would seal two baseball caps together with tar to protect themselves from falling debris. Since then, the safety device has evolved to the orange piece of plastic I wear today. This is the sweaty inside of my hat.
(4.28.10) Hard Hats
Hard hats are wonderful things. They were invented during the construction of the Hoover Dam when workers would seal two baseball caps together with tar to protect themselves from falling debris. Since then, the safety device has evolved to the orange piece of plastic I wear today. This is the sweaty inside of my hat.
(4.27.10) Kaleidescope
We went to the planetarium for education today. Awesome! Come to Reno and I'll take you there.
(4.26.10) Desert Beauty
I wish you could see the desert today.
You, who have known her wretched, spiny embrace.
You, who has known the thorny comfort of the deserted road.
If you had taken a walk with me today,
You would have seen the hard won beauty of this world.
You would believe in hope. Transformation. Renewal.
With each throb of pink on the beaver tail cactus, your heart would pulse.
You would ask me the name of the blossom over there.
I don't know, I would reply,
But I'll give you twenty adjectives instead.
There is a joyful wonder in describing rather than naming.
But oh nomenclature, how we love you.
You help us to know a place, and in the knowing, we become known.
And in the knowing, we understand the depth of loving.
I wish you were here to know this place in springtime with me.
You, who love the desert in spite of her desiccation and spines.
Then you would be stilled with the understanding
--creeping up in that fashion of the desert--
that you are loved.
Because we know that in those prickles, a flower will unfold.
After the dry spell, flesh will reappear.
It is true.
I saw it in the desert today.
(4.25.10) Event Photography
Fact: If you bring a SLR camera to a highly publicized event, people will think you are an official photographer. As Americorps members, we volunteered for Reno's Earth Day event today. I skipped out on the end of my volunteer duties to take some pictures. More than one vendor approached me and asked if I was press. Hehe. Here's my photo report of the celebration of Earth and art and celebration.
(4.24.10)
I had to edit the full star out due to noise spots. Yuck. Still, a pretty cool chandelier, don't you think?
(4.23.10) Mad as a Hatter, With Two Spacebots for Friends
Reno just has the most amazing thrift stores.
(4.22.10) Happy Earth Day!
For Earth Day, a Celebration of Holistic Weed Management.
Ok, so I literally spent Earth Day with my hands in the Earth. I came home from work and attempted to remove the soil from underneath my fingernails. I say attempted because the dirt taunts me even as I write this a day later. I don't really mind. This week we were a part of our most effective weed management project to date. My fingernails are the trophies in a grand ecological experiment that really shouldn't be as earth shattering (harhar) as it is.
Tall whitetop (Lepidium latifolium) is a noxious weed that is taking over habitats of Northern Nevada. It takes loose, oxygenated, fungally rich soil and turns it into a compacted, anaerobic nightmare. The whitetop likes this environment, which is fortunate for the whitetop because none of the native species can survive in such soil conditions. Herein lies our problem. So what can we do about the acres of whitetop that infest this region?
Conventional weed wisdom suggests that we use chemicals (and lots of them) to eliminate the species. Not only are chemicals expensive (Problem #1), they will also kill any existing native vegetation (Problem #2). Furthermore, the chemicals do nothing to restore the damaged soil conditions (Problem #3). Chemical treatments inspire the somewhat unrealistic hope that we can actually eliminate the weed (Problem #4). And, we sadly admit, noxious weeds are a greater and more pressing problem all over the world.
This is where my friend Katie and other weed specialists are rocking the weed management boat. Why don't we use mechanical treatments instead? Yes, it may not kill the plant immediately but neither does chemical treatment (apparently). It is more labor intensive, but it restores soil conditions but disrupting the compacted soil. Repeated pullings, they theorize, will eventually require the plant to exhaust its extensive root system and then die. In the meantime (this is my favorite part) they will reseed the area with native plants that hold the same ecological niche as the tall whitetop. Thus the whitetop will be less likely to reinvade the area. Even if it does invade, it won't be in the devastating populations that exist today. Genius! Oh, and in a fantastic twist of fate, the whitetop detritus will be composted and then spread across the restored soils.
Weed management programs, amongst other areas of conservation work, need to adopt similarly holistic approaches. It makes me giddy. Just in time for Earth Day!
(4.21.10) Irrigation
This particular farm uses reclaimed water, so I suppose we can forgive them for irrigating while it is raining and SNOWING.
(4.18.10) Friendship
It's a wonderful thing. No matter how much time has passed, no matter how far we have traveled, we always arrive at home when we are together.
(4.16.10) Critique
I had an opportunity to sit under the criticism of two experienced photographers. Although they may be related to me, I appreciated their constructive words and perspicacity. I then benefited from a slide show composed of over 40 years of pictures!
(4.15.10) It's Spring. No apologies.
I have finished apologizing for posting yet another flower picture. For a few more, plus a lizard, see my Flickr page.
(4.14.10) California Coastline
A volcano erupted today in Iceland. Despite the hassle and tribulation this event is producing, I look forward to the resulting artwork. The Flickr gallery has a few amazing examples.
(4.13.10) Two For Tuesday
I am still recovering from this most recent tour and also preparing for another trip to SoCal and the Farm. Two pictures from the archives.
I was deleting some pictures off my hard drive when I found this. In the five previous sweeps through this folder I had failed to notice the deer behind me in the reflection. I never saw him, but my camera did. Sometimes the camera does give you eyes in the back of your head. From the early days of the SLR, Utah.
Magical light. I could go with slightly better composition, but I love how the insects are illuminated. Taken with the good ol' Powershot in Palm Springs.
I was deleting some pictures off my hard drive when I found this. In the five previous sweeps through this folder I had failed to notice the deer behind me in the reflection. I never saw him, but my camera did. Sometimes the camera does give you eyes in the back of your head. From the early days of the SLR, Utah.
Magical light. I could go with slightly better composition, but I love how the insects are illuminated. Taken with the good ol' Powershot in Palm Springs.(4.12.10) Alternative Energy
In general, I am a proponent of exploring and using alternative energy options. My one complaint is the nasty habit they have of marring the visual landscape. Why can't we put these things in cities and other tributes to human engineering? Let's leave the wildscapes wild.(4.11.10) Ocotillo
When I drove the Joshua Tree National Park in the beginning of March I dutifully read the information on the ocatillo (aptly named Fouquieria splendens). At the time, the tall spindles loomed, dry and seemingly lifeless. The rare blossoms the appear after a rainy seasons were wishful projections in my mind. A month later, flames of red jet up throughout Joshua Tree and the surround desert. It is all the more beautiful when you have seen this plant come alive with your own eyes. Check out the Flickr database for more pictures.
(4.10.10) More Desert Wildflowers
I just can't help myself. They are so pretty. Did I mention I'm in love with this land?
(4.8.10) Brassica. Miles and miles of Brassica.
After picking Brassica for over a month, we were quite disheartened to pull up to our worksite and discover acres upon acres of this invasive plant stretching before us. To make matters worse, the plants had seeded which means thousands upon thousands of viable seed are resting in the soil. Still, we picked it by the bushel, hoping to protect the fringe-toed lizard and other endemic sand dune species in the Cochella Valley.
(4.6.10) Music in the Desert
A piano. In the middle of the desert. Awesome. Unfortunately, there were no strings on the instrument, thus no music to be had.
(4.5.10) We left this behind in Reno...
...and high-tailed it down to Palm Springs for an 8-day tour. Let's just say the palm branches and warm sun were a welcome change.
(4.3.10) Color
Of all the things that human beings have manufactured over the millenia, I think we would be hard pressed to develop a color that does not occur naturally.
Christmas lights bokeh.
(3.30.10) Trees!
I'm back in the land of naturally occurring trees! I am particularly fond of the local cottonwood, Populus fremontii.
(3.29.10) Taking the Time
I almost didn't stop for this shot. Now I wish I had stopped a littler longer so that I could have brought the pipe to a more prominent place in the photo. For those of you who are interested in the ecology aspect of my blog, the vegetation lining the stream is the invasive tree tamarisk. NCC crews all over the state are hacking away at this water greedy tree. Our crew worked in Fort Churchill State Park to remove tamarisk and other fire hazards from the banks of the Carson River.
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