I thought I’d show you something unusual. Here is a view of saguaro cactus near Tuscon, Arizona. I love the way they grow sprinkled in the landscape, a real forest! Remember, each of these is huge, maybe 30 feet or ten meters tall, and can be a hundred years old if not older. For more scenic photos everywhere, click HERE.

Thought I’d add a link to some info about these cacti HERE.

Browsing through some old photos I found this I took somewhere in Florida in 1983! I really don’t remember where, maybe down in the Keys. But a pretty sky, a relaxing tropical feel, and a good start for the new year, I think. Here’s to scenic beauty and peace and relaxation in 2009.

For more skywatching photos, click HERE.

Last time we went to SF we took the Larkspur ferry to the new Ferry Terminal. Just wonderful, with super shopping and of course the scenery was perfect. This was taken on a warm day in February, and made me miss California so much. That’s the Bay Bridge in the distance.

For more watery photos, click HERE.

This is one of my all-time fave photos, taken last year on the way back from Astoria, Oregon, from the amazing bridge there. Mostly it was cloudy, but one sunny moment was all I needed for this.

Do you see a face in profile in the big cloud on the left?

If you’d like to post a photo you took of the sky and share, or look at many others’ work, click HERE. Happy Skywatch Friday!

This peaceful scene is from last July. Summer will come again! For more watery photos around the world, click HERE.

This is in Black Rock, Nevada, on my way back from the Burning Man extreme arts festival. The flat playa makes it possible to create a city in the desert, and then remove it, leaving no trace. So many thousands of people attend that I got up before dawn (NOT my usual pattern) to try to minimize the hours of waiting to exit, merging into one lane only. But the beautiful light made it almost worth it.

For more versions of the color red, click HERE.

I was away at a conference in Carefree Arizona and had a window seat both ways. Here is a view of clouds we don’t usually see. For more photos of skies everywhere, click HERE.

This is a morning view of Pyramid Lake in Nevada. Can you see the pyramid?

I’ve linked to a bigger one after requests but haven’t figured out how to get the medium size one to show here instead of the tiny one. Sorry! So click on the little one for a better view.

For more watery photos of all types, click HERE.

When thinking shadows, it’s hard not to think of my visit to Arizona near Sedona early last year. I had just gotten a digital camera and pretty much went crazy, taking jillions of photos. Here are two from that trip, with shadows as key parts of the photos. For more shadow interpretations coordinated by Hey Harriet’s great blog, click HERE.

Since I came to Seattle, I appreciate sunshine far more than ever before. Even though it’s mostly rainy out right now, here’s a photo from this time last year, taken of the Viaduct in the late day sun. Hope you like it.