Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Light changes the world!  The late afternoon light enhances the clouds and brings out the shapes and shadows and gives a sense of peace.  We camped across from the Vermillion Cliffs on our trip home from the Grand Canyon.  I've always been fascinated with the myriad of colors that play across those rocks. Opening my eyes slowly to a world about to awaken, watching the sun color the sky, listening to the early morning sounds of birds and critters is a magical event.  There was only nature - and me!                 Color Scattered  The Vermillion Cliffs in the early afternoon sun.   The sun travels as the light changes telling the story of the day. May you notice and appreciate the beauty of each hour of your day!

                                                                      The scenery is mostly flat after leaving Big Bend Natl Park and we almost missed the sign and entrance to Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens located in the Fort Davis area. http://www.cdri.org/   There were paths to explore and we chose the one to the cactus greenhouse where almost everything was in bloom.  I could have stayed a day just looking and examining those varied blossoms.  I love cacti and am always astounded at the beauty of the flowers.  Outside the headquarters rocks were grouped illustrating the ages of the earth.  The exhibit wrapped around the building and was one of the most interesting exhibits of its kind I've seen. On ...

One of the places on my ‘bucket list’ was Arcosanti.   My brother and his wife came for a visit and we were able to tour Arcosanti.   In a previous post, I shared my visit to Cosanti in Phoenix.   The architect, Paoli Soleri developed an architectural concept for cities and both Arcosanti and Cosanti   were the beginning of his experiment.   Concept - Arcology When I was in college in the early 1970’s, I studied housing and interior design.   Soleri’s concept of a city without cars where people lived, worked and played near each other was the opposite of Frank Lloyd Wright’s concept where everyone had an acre of land and a car.   I was very excited and curious to see how the Soleri experiment was developing. Entrance Arcosanti is very slow growing city in an urban laboratory.   There are 60 to 100 people living together, working in a bronze foundry and a ceramic clay foundry.   The development is mostly financed through the sal...

Vermillion Flycatcher There is a place just northwest of Phoenix near Wickenburg AZ that draws birders and nature lovers.   It is a desert oasis with cottonwood trees, palm trees and a pond where frogs and water fowl are found.   The Hassayampa River Preserve was purchased in 1986 by the Nature Conservancy and is being restored.   “ In the Sonoran Desert, riparian areas nourish cottonwood-willow forests, one of the rarest and most threatened forest types in North America. An estimated 90 percent of these critical wet landscapes have been lost, damaged or degraded in the last century. This loss threatens at least 80 percent of Arizona wildlife, which depend upon riparian habitats for survival.”   http://gosw.about.com/od/bestsightstosee/a/hassayampa.htm The Hassayampa River courses 100 miles through the Sonoran Desert and most of the water flows underground.   It looks like a dry riverbed until you dig down a little ways and feel...

One nice thing about being retired is the ability to say, “Let’s take a road trip!”   This one was a short two day trip to Lake Havasu AZ.   There was a Nutting’s Flycatcher, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoters and a Surf Scoters lurking around the area.   Yes, they are all birds and we like to track them!   We left early one sunny morning and drove the back roads for about 4 hours looking for birds as we talked about life.   We were looking for Planet Ranch Road is a primitive bumpy dirt road that had survived two big storms.   Don’t take campers on it!   My 4-runner was a good choice for finding the elusive Nutting’s Flycatcher.   We think we saw it….but to a birder that statement means little.   Birders have to really get a good look at the shape, the color, the field marks and they are delighted if they get a picture.   Well we think (maybe) we saw the bird! There were scenic hills with cav...

This is such a good time of year for conversation, being thankful and enjoying life.   I watched these two Northern Pintails (ducks) having just such a conversation – at least that’s what I thought!   Today’s blog is a picture story of ‘Conversation’.