Yearly Archives: 2016

Flagstaff

Gateway to the Grand Canyon.

Flagstaff, some 150 miles north of Phoenix, is a former lumber town now largely dedicated to tourism, being one hour away from the Grand Canyon.

A quick visit to the latter with my son saw us stop for lunch in Flagstaff, enjoying the historic downtown area.


The Babbitt Brothers building was the center of Flagstaff retail through 1987.


The Coconino Courthouse Building dates from the late 19th century, remaining in use today.


Sign of the past.


Alleyways in Old Town are replete with this sort of thing.


Murals abound ….


…. as does abstraction.


The downtown arts scene is vibrant.


Preservation of old architecture is to be applauded.

The sentry

Evening visitor.


Nikon D3x, 300mm f/4.5 Ai-S Nikkor.

He drops by every evening between five and six, announcing the all clear for his clan which then descends on the pool for an evening libation. I keep the little waterfall on for them to make things friendlier.

Then there will be a sudden panic and the lot takes off after several minutes of hanging out.

This is Gambel’s Quail, native to Arizona and you can read more and hear his lovely call here.

America

The country I love.

I implore you, do the right thing tomorrow.

This is the alternative:

As a rational human being who does not subscribe to bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, sexual predation, serial fraud, bullying, support of our enemies, a complete lack of empathy, mocking of the disabled, nuclear proliferation, complete ignorance of basic economics, denigration of our military and a host of other evils, there really is no choice, making things rather easy tomorrow. Vote.

Note: The images of beautiful America, a nation which has been my home since 1977, are from the very region which gave us independence and universal suffrage. They were snapped at my son’s school in western Massachusetts, Northfield Mount Hermon, and nearby Brattleboro, Vermont where I stayed the night during his recent Parents’ Weekend. There are 48 more states, each as special in its own way.