Tag Archives: Wildlife

Apr29

Creative Juice #292

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Beautiful quilts. Articles on writing. Bluegrass music. Photography. And more.

Pets trying to hide.
Wildlife in Botswana.
Pretty quilts.
Round robin quilts.
For most of my life, I’ve been conservative in my beliefs. Conservatives resist change. However, now that the world is so insane, I see the need for change. . .
Prizewinning quilts.
Like bluegrass? Listen to some wonderful covers. The Petersens.
Journaling for fiction writers.
I had Scrivener (writing software) on my previous laptop, and I was thinking about buying it again for my new one. On the one hand, I like some of the features, but on the other hand, do I really want to spend the money? I never understood the full functionality of Scrivener anyway. Now I see there is another software, Plottr, with a free trial, and is in some ways superior to Scrivener (although I realize that’s a subjective judgment). See this comparison of Scrivener and Plottr.
What do Ukranian refugees need. Quilts, of course. (You had to ask?)
There was a wisteria tree in our front yard when I was a little girl. My dad loved flowers, and he loved that tree. Here are some beautiful ones in Japan.
Kehinde Wiley first appeared on my radar when his official portrait of President Barack Obama was unveiled. But did you know he’s also an accomplished sculptor?

Jan29

Return to the Riparian Preserve

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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“Have you seen the spoonbill who lives here?” asked a man with a camera.

“No, I’ve never seen the spoonbill, but I see you’ve brought the big gun,” I said, pointing to the huge telephoto lens on his camera.

The Gilbert Riparian Preserve is a popular local venue for nature photographers. I posted about it in 2016 and 2017, but I hadn’t been back there since, so the other day I drove to the 110 acre park that boasts a lake, seven ponds, hiking trails, a playground, and an observatory. I wasn’t expecting it to be so busy on a weekday; I was lucky to get a parking spot. The park was full of senior citizens and parents with young children. And also lots of ducks.

When I was a little girl, we’d go to the local pond with a bag of stale bread and tear it up to feed the ducks. Bread is no longer a recommended duck cuisine. At the Preserve, only at the lake (not at the ponds) are you allowed to feed the ducks, and only birdseed, corn, and whole-grain cereal are permitted. (Most people, like the kids above, bring baggies of Cheerios.)

House sparrow — I think this little house sparrow wants in on the Cheerio action.

ring-necked ducks — Ring-necked ducks. See the white markings on their bills?

As I wandered around from pond to pond, I found lots of things to look at and wonder about.

Cactus garden — A garden of saguaro cactus

memorial placard — No blossoms in this garden in January, but as I read the dedication, I realized it was planted in honor of a baby who died the day she was born.

Benches appear throughout the preserve. This one had a placard that particularly touched me:

In one of the ponds I noticed some wading birds fishing for food.

An American avocet. See the curved-upward beak?

Black-necked stilt — A black-necked stilt

And further on, another turtle:

I noticed a painted rock nestled in the V of a tree trunk:

A gambrel’s quail sprinted across the trail in front of me, and I was barely able to snap a shot before it disappeared into the brush:

I won’t let another four-and-a-half years pass before I make another trip to the Preserve. Maybe I’ll see you there. . .

Jan7

Creative Juice #276

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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For creative people everywhere.

Wallpaper. You either hate it or love it. Here are some designs that might win you over.
This quilter finished a lot of lovely quilts in 2021.
A bunch of pretty quilts in different stages.
These ceramic mugs are works of art. (If you like animals, you’ve got to click this link.)
Wildlife photographs.
Do creative people ever misplace their tools? (Guilty.)
What habitual reading does for your brain.
Street photography.
What is it about successful authors that made their careers take off?
Resources for writers.
So, you quit your day job to write fulltime and now you can’t pay the bills? Here are some side hustles that will earn you a little cash and also help you be a better writer. Lots of openings right now.
How to generate content quickly.

Oct22

Creative Juice #265

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Special all-Bored Panda episode. Bored Panda is the single website (other than ARHtistic License, of course) that got me through the pandemic. Here are some of my favorite articles. You’re welcome.

Award-winning wildlife photos.
Beautiful mosaics from Brussels.
A man draws pet portraits to earn money for charity.
Tweets that every parent will understand.
When you score an awesome second-hand lamp.
Rac c oons are the best people.
When your dog needs an emotional support dog.
Surprisingly moving photographs of Russia.
I am ready to hire this 12-year-old decorator.
Amazing nature photographs.
Cats without boundaries. (Or their owners could just close the bathroom door.)
These wedding cakes almost make me want to get married again.

Sep17

Creative Juice #260

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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I didn’t set out to make this week’s offerings photography-heavy; it just turned out that way. Enjoy, shutterbugs.

Photographs of the sun and the moon that will knock your socks off.
Extraordinary wildlife photographs.
Why writers (and other creatives) should have professional photos.
The more you practice, the better you get, as these pictures show. Actually, I wish I could draw as well as some of the beginning efforts here.
For those who are prone to senior moments.
For the bloggers: “Create to connect to those who need you.” This quote comes toward the end of the article. I think it might be my new motto for ARHtisticLicense.
Excellent tips for photo portraiture.
I am definitely going to make this quilt. A good way to use up those miscellaneous odd pieces of fabric.
A new museum focusing on Edvard Munch is opening in October in Oslo, Norway.
The story of Franz Marc, an artist who inspired Mary Oliver.
I lived in New Jersey for the first half of my life and never knew there was an art museum in Newark. It’s fabulous! I must see it the next time I’m in the Garden State.
Photos of Montmartre in Paris.

Jul9

Creative Juice #250

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Lots of artsy stuff this week:

Muralist Fintan Magee.
This looks like a fun watercolor/drawing technique to try.
My community still has utility alleys (I like them!), but the surrounding areas are phasing them out. What to do with those spaces? Here’s what they’re doing in Canada. (By the way, since this article was published, the Thursday Doors challenge has moved to No Facilities.)
Farm animal photography.
Playing with shadows.
Y’all know by now that I’m a believer in art challenges.
Wonderful illustrations from children’s picture books.
Helicopter safari.
I don’t care for all of these upcycled wonders, but I love the two rugs.
When common objects suggest something else.
Cute cartoons.
Everything you want to do well requires practice.

Oct16

Creative Juice #212

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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I much prefer these uplifting, creative articles to the news these days.

Turn up your nose at balloon animals? Not these.
Tesselated zentangles.
Gorgeous wildlife photography.
Artists’ and writers’ workspaces. Mine looks like Francis Bacon’s right now.
Quilting memories in verse.
If you’re a parent who is also a bookworm.
For the writers: We unsubscribed from the local newspaper about a year ago—it just got way too expensive. But if you still read the local newspaper, have you considered it as a writing resource?
You can’t do every good thing. Here is an October Zentangle challenge that I’d love to be doing, but I’m participating in two other October challenges. I know my limits. However, I love what Alice has done.
A quilter tells the story behind one of her quilts.
Folk dancing tips during the pandemic.
I love looking at people’s art journals.
I love looking over Lindsay’s shoulder while she’s painting.

Oct6

Creative Juice #62

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Thirteen articles to help you get your creativity on:

Cute little paintings.
A trip to the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
What playing the piano does for your brain.
Wildlife photography in black and white.
Beautiful waterfalls.
Lovely ceramics.
What happens when you let seniors wear costumes for ID picture day.
I love this artist’s sketches.
Award-winning quilts. (Click on the small images for enlargements.)
Instead of aimless surfing, read these websites to increase your knowledge.
Quotes to ponder.
Amazing paper sculptures by Nguyễn Hùng Cường.
Something you can do to exercise your creativity.

Mar29

In Search of the Great Blue Heron

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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To make my physical fitness efforts more palatable, I often take my camera on my walks. The Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, AZ, is located a half-hour drive from my home. The ponds there attract all sorts of waterfowl. One day last month I decided to walk around the Preserve, hoping to get a shot of a great blue heron.

The 110 acres of the Preserve contain eight bodies of water.

The Southeast Regional Library rises from the opposite shore of Water Ranch Lake.

The solid land is veined with trails through desert vegetation. A half-mile concrete loop encircles the lake. Other gravel trails wind among the ponds. Several gardens of wildflowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Education is one of the purposes of the Preserve. I shared the park with several groups of elementary school children on field trips, families with small children, hikers, and people who, like me, brought their cameras in hopes of capturing creatures with their lenses.

An observatory on the grounds is open to the public on Friday and Saturday nights.

Spoiler Alert: even though several species of heron are commonly sighted year-round at the preserve, I didn’t see any. I saw mostly ducks, geese, sandpipers, and rabbits (I posted the rabbit photos on Easter Sunday).

Desert trees of all varieties provide homes and food for different species of birds.

Geese:

I can’t tell what these birds below are, with their heads tucked under their wings. I came back a while later, and they were still sleeping.

I think these may be snowy egrets, but I couldn’t get close enough to tell for sure. I caught a severe case of camera envy, me with my little Sony Cyber-shot, surrounded by people with tripods holding impressive cameras with honking telephoto lenses.