northern az | kritterspix

Tinder Aftermath

Posted on July 11, 2018July 11, 2018 by kritterspaw

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They opened the forest today, against my advice. Not that they consulted me… but I made sure to voice my concerns. We have had 1/2″ of rain in the last week. That hardly seemed like enough rain to justify opening up our burn areas to traffic (and campfires), but thankfully we have gotten more rain today.

We were anxious to see the effects on the forests we call our backyard. While it has a tremendous amount of burn, scorched earth, and sad landscape, I was relieved to see some green trees.

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There was new growth already cropping up which we found moving and inspirational after the trauma our forest has had. It made me think of the resilience of our community that continues to re-build and heal from this terrible event.

I actually found the ‘burn sculptures’ to be fascinating and eery. The textures and character left by the fire scar has now become part of our new forest, and I thoughtfully walked through our new landscape and tried to capture some of the tales it tells.

I hope to get back out there, and document some of our forest’s stories, and will share them as they unfold. For now, I was just happy to be able to walk among the trees, see several elk doing the same, and finding patches of green and new growth.

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Tinder Fire

Posted on July 8, 2018July 9, 2018 by kritterspaw

It’s been a month since the Tinder Fire, and our community continues to heal.

I first wrote about it here…. https://kritterspaw.com/2018/05/02/tinder-fire/

We had a community craft fair this July 4th weekend to celebrate our freedom and independence. Talented members of community shared their talents, hand crafted goods and tokens of the Tinder Fire, along with their stories of desperate helplessness during the fire. It seems an appropriate time to remember our own turmoil, our survival, and tenaciousness to rebuild.

This fire was like ‘The Devil’, as it tore through our lives with terror in it’s eyes as it faced us down in our neighborhoods and communities, with it’s 40′ flames and spiraling gusting winds. It created it’s own fire storm and took daylight and turned it dark; green turned to charred black; and ground to ash.

But we have persevered and are re-building. Only a month later, many who lost homes have excavated the ruins and cleaned their grounds, as they prepare to set new foundation and build back up their lives and their homes. We have seen more fire-wising since the fire, than ever before, as people rake pine needles and clear dead and downed trees.

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The goodness that we have witnessed during and after the event is what I want to remember and not forget. Neighbors helping neighbors; the few that stayed putting out fires and doing what they could for their own communities; the many donations of water, food, and supplies to the fire house and their communities; donations of time and money to help those in need. It makes my heart feel good to see so much kindness to so many.

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It’s in a time of despair that the best (or worst) comes out in people. Our neighborhoods are forever scarred, but we are stronger together, more so now than ever.

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Big Lake, Greer AZ

Posted on July 1, 2018July 1, 2018 by kritterspaw

There are a number of little lakes around the Show Low / Heber area in northeast AZ. Originally named, Big Lake is one of the larger lakes, with multiple camp grounds, and boat rentals that make up this Recreational Area.

There are signs everywhere to be aware of bear… but we didn’t see any, only Journey who enjoyed a dip in the water during the water summer sun.

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We did see some antelope which is always a treat, along with the occasional deer and elk.

The Ram Have it

Posted on June 26, 2018June 26, 2018 by kritterspaw

It’s not very often we see ram (otherwise known as mountain sheep). I think the last time we saw them was on Canyon Lake in Mesa. We have never seen them in Northern AZ. There was a time ww saw some in Utah, in Zion National Park….

But during our trip through Greer / Hannigan’s Meadow area… an area between 8500 – 9000 feet in elevation, we saw a whole herd (of 4).

I was ready at the camera to get some shots. They didn’t pay much attention to me when I told them they should go into the light, as they gravitated to the shade (who can blame them?), or look toward me… say cheese, er, grass?

Somewhere Where It’s Quiet

Posted on June 9, 2018June 9, 2018 by kritterspaw

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Now if that doesn’t describe where we live, I don’t know what does!

We live in the most amazing place, with the most amazing people, and the most amazing animals. It is truly somewhere where it’s quiet. Somewhere between the Mogollon Rim and Moqui Draw, surrounded by Potato Lake, Knoll Lake, and Blue Ridge Reservoir, and littered with elk, deer, bobcat, mountain lions, fox, and coyote. This is what we call our home.

After the devastating Tinder Fire (https://kritterspaw.com/2018/05/02/tinder-fire/) which we still continue to clean up from that raged in our backyards, we are blessed to have friends and neighbors helping each other out.

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And this is what it looked like BEFORE the fire. My photo of Moqui Draw, now scarred by the Tinder Fire.

“At sunset, fog shrouds a ponderosa pine forest at Moqui Draw, along East Clear Creek in the Coconino National Forest. This spot is about a mile southeast of State Route 87 and northeast of Potato Lake.” Photograph by Kathy Ritter, published in the June 2018 Arizona Highways Magazine, just after the Tinder Fire devastated this very same area.

Elklings

Posted on October 25, 2017 by kritterspaw

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First it was the deer, now the elk. We love the return of the animals. It has been so dry. No rain in the past or foreseeable future. The weather is unpredictably warm. Our plants and animals are confused beyond measure. Bees are swarming late… baby animals are appearing late… and wild birds, normally migrated, are looking for food.

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Winter must be near… but the weather gods aren’t cooperating. Maybe next week. In the meantime, the animals are trying to fill up on whatever food and water they can get their mouths on…. including having elk and deer in the same space.

We’ll enjoy what we get… when we get it.

Where there’s smoke there are pix

Posted on October 15, 2016October 30, 2016 by kritterspaw

I am finally taking heed of all that I have been reading, learning, and experiencing in taking all these pix. Go when inclement weather rules.

For years I thought anything but a blue sky was a disaster. Now, a blue sky makes me cringe. I am finally starting to get it… ‘hey, it’s raining… let’s go take pix’. ‘It’s snowing out, let’s go take pix.’. Crazy, right?! Those interesting, moody skies, make for … wait for it… interesting, moody shots.

Case in point, we are being inundated with smoke in our neighborhood thanks to the Forest Service. Their ‘prescribed burns’ are meant to help keep the fires at bay. I’m all for that… and can put up with some smokey air now and again to assure that our fire risk is abated. And as long as we’re getting smoke… let’s get pix.

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I had thought the smoke would diffuse the light and allow me to bring out my fall colors by isolating my subject. So we left early in the morning to see what we could capture. The fall colors were unaffected by the burns… but the early low sun streaming through the trees made for some interesting shots.

First Fall

Posted on September 27, 2016September 27, 2016 by kritterspaw

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Living in the woods, I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite season, as we have all 4 of them. They all have their own beauty. Having said that, I do love Fall. As a photographer, Fall provides such photographic possibilities. While it is a grand subject, made busy by the very trees and leaves that make it beautiful. The trick is to separate out the color from the busyness, while maintaining the intent.

Our Fall has only just begun, but it is coming fast. The temps are dropping, as are the leaves. So these are the first Fall photos of the year, but there promise to be more…. and I can’t wait for the challenge and the beauty that comes with it.

Gobble Gobble

Posted on August 17, 2016 by kritterspaw

No, it’s not Thanksgiving… just turkey passing through.

We had 3 of them munching their way across our neighborhood. Gotta love it!

OMG! It’s a BEAR!

Posted on August 3, 2016 by kritterspaw

John and I often go out to the Mogollon Rim for dinner, sunsets, and in search of a bear. I would so love to get a photo of a bear. Little did we know when we sat down to dinner this evening we would get more than we bargained for…. dinner and entertainment.

For whatever reason, we decided to have dinner in our dining room. So here we were enjoying a lovely meal, chattering about our day, when we looked out our window and saw a bear on our front concrete pad. This ‘little guy’ was standing on two feet getting into our bird feeder. OMG! It’s a BEAR! He was maybe 30 feet from us. OMG! It’s a BEAR! Holy cow, errr BEAR!

We watched him (or her) from the comfort of our window until he just sauntered off toward our neighbor, where he again stood on two feet and got into their bird feeder. Finding them both empty he cruised down to our neighbor down the hill, hoping to find more success.

“Quick, call Pat! I’m grabbing my camera” … and with that I was chasing this bear through our neighborhood.

He didn’t go far. He found Pat’s feeding trough just right as he lied in it and wallowed, shoveling food into his mouth.

These pix aren’t going to win any awards, but OMG! It’s a BEAR!