May 007

It's o'dark early in the morning and I can't sleep. The grandbabies are coming today. (I haven't mentioned that lately, have I?) So, for lack of sleep, I bring you the May 007 post. Because otherwise, you probably aren't going to get one. At least, not while it's still May.

May has always meant the end of the school year and the beginning of vacations. For a long time now we have scheduled our summer vacation to begin the very minute that school lets out for the year. Since our part of Arizona is always out of school before the Memorial Day weekend, we have missed a lot of the crowds that show up at summer vacation sites in the latter parts of June and July. We also usually have better weather, since the real summer heat hasn't started yet and the rainy weather usually holds off until July. Not that we haven't had our share of snow, rain, and 100 degree days!

So it's time to hook up the trailer on the back of the minivan and head out once again. The National Parks of the west beckon. Several years ago we spent time at Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Sequoia, and Rocky Mountain NP (Estes, CO); unfortunately this was before the time of having a digital camera. In case you hadn't noticed, I love to photograph the canyons of Arizona and Utah. I guess it's easy to do, when you really love your subject.

Bryce Canyon, from two years ago.

Zion, from three years ago.

And my home away from home, where I intend to be a week from today, celebrating my birthday and photographing away. The Grand.