We were standing in line for a ride at Disneyland when I noticed this girl perched on her dad’s shoulders. I noticed her because she was making all these funny faces at me: smiling, smirking, making googly eyes and being really cute. I raised my camera to catch her in the act but she suddenly decided to play it straight. I snapped this shot real quick and then noticed the ice cold stare coming from Dad. I brought the camera down from my face to see if I’d made him upset by snapping the photo. He was staring at me pretty hard and not looking too happy at all. The only thing I could think of was to give him a quick smile in hopes of breaking the ice. It didn’t work. He stared me down even harder - for just a moment - and then broke into a huge grin. I smiled back once more, feeling quite relieved, and the little girl went back to making faces at me.

I love this town; the weather, the people, the city, the buildings, the culture… I want to capture it all.

Stopped in at Federico’s for some cheese enchiladas and saw this scene just across from where I was sitting. I loved the way the light was coming through the window and the sign and the shadows it created on the floor. If you look closely you can see my reflection in the window as I make the shot.

It’s what you do when it’s 145 degrees outside and you’re in the frozen food section at the grocery store. Here’s Liz trying to find some relief by pressing her face against the cold, cold glass in the ice cream aisle.

I’m a morning coffee mess maker. 

These are just a few random abstract shots I took at our local 4th of July fireworks show. I decided to forgo my tripod for the evening and got some pretty interesting blurry and impressionistic images.

Yesterday morning I drove up to Prescott for the Frontier Days 4th of July Rodeo parade. This is the third year in a row that I have gone. I always have a good time and the atmosphere can’t be beat. If you like the charm of a small town parade and a cooler climate to watch it in, then I highly recommend you check it out! (Next year, of course.)

June 20th was the first day of summer and the temperature in Phoenix climbed to 116 degrees (which is slightly less than the predicted temperature of 120 degrees). Yes, it was pretty darned hot. The sunset that day seemed to reflect just how hot it truly was. I managed to capture its blazing intensity, and the accompanying waves of hot orange sky, just as the sun was beginning to disappear behind the mountains.

I made a quick stop-off downtown to checkout all the people coming and going near the Phoenix Convention Center. This weekend was the Phoenix Comicon. I didn’t have a lot of time to spend so I was only down there for an hour or so, but next time I’m buying tickets and I’m going to spend at least an entire day walking amongst the costumed attendees. It was truly fantastic and fun and I was only outside on the street. I can only imagine how wonderful it must be inside. Next time, absolutely!