Kaleidoscope #304

by D.M. SessousJune 20, 2018June 10, 2018

“Where are the people?” resumed the little prince at last. “It’s a little lonely in the desert…” “It is lonely when you’re among people, too,” said the snake.
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Below is the original photo used to create this image. This was taken at the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, AZ during a recent vacation. This has become one of my favorite spots to see when visiting family in the area. April might possibly have been the best time to visit with everything in bloom. No special lighting or retouching, just a snap from my smart phone.

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Kaleidoscope #303

by D.M. SessousJune 19, 2018June 10, 2018

For without you, I swear, the town
Has become like a prison to me.
Distraction and the mountain
And the desert, all I desire.
― Rumi, Love: The Joy That Wounds: The Love Poems of Rumi

Below is the original photo used to create this image. This was taken at the Grand Canyon during the tail end of the sunset golden hour. The colors were glorious and I’m so pleased with the watercolor intensity. No special lighting or retouching, just a snap from my smart phone.

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Kaleidoscope #302

by D.M. SessousJune 18, 2018June 10, 2018

Night poured over the desert. It came suddenly, in purple. In the clear air, the stars drilled down out of the sky, reminding any thoughtful watcher that it is in the deserts and high places that religions are generated. When men see nothing but bottomless infinity over their heads they have always had a driving and desperate urge to find someone to put in the way.
― Terry Pratchett, Jingo

Below is the original photo used to create this image. This was taken at a scenic view and hiking trail outside of Sedona, AZ during a recent vacation. I was surprised and delighted to find this patch of royal-purple irises. No special lighting or retouching, just a snap from my smart phone.

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Kaleidoscope #301

by D.M. SessousJune 17, 2018June 10, 2018

They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars—on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home
To scare myself with my own desert places.
― Robert Frost, The Poetry of Robert Frost

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Kaleidoscope #300

by D.M. SessousJune 16, 2018June 10, 2018

He felt the urge to go into the desert, to see if it’s silence held the answers to his questions.
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Below is the original photo used to create this image. This is a close-up of a vibrant flowering bush taken outside our hotel in Mesa, AZ while on a recent vacation visiting family in the area. April was truly a lovely time to visit, everything was in bloom! No special lighting or retouching, just a snap from my smart phone.

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Kaleidoscope #299

by D.M. SessousJune 15, 2018June 10, 2018

I will fill myself with the desert and the sky. I will be stone and stars, unchanging and strong and safe. The desert is complete; it is spare and alone, but perfect in its solitude. I will be the desert.
― Kiersten White, The Chaos of Stars

Below is the original photo used to create this image. This gathering of saguaro and funky gourd-like cacti were part of the landscaping in front of my Gramma’s house in Mesa, AZ. No special lighting or retouching, just a snap from my smart phone.

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Kaleidoscope #298

by D.M. SessousJune 14, 2018June 10, 2018

Without music and dance, life is a journey through a desert.
― Pat Conroy

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Kaleidoscope #297

by D.M. SessousJune 13, 2018June 10, 2018

The desert is a capricious lady, and sometimes she drives men crazy.
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Below is the original photo used to create this image. This was taken on my last night in Arizona, just outside of Mesa during a recent vacation. The skies had been almost crystal clear, and I was grateful to have a vibrant sunset, I kept excusing myself from dinner to run out to the parking lot to take more pictures. I especially love how the cloud formation looks like a bird in flight, a Phoenix perhaps… No special lighting or retouching, just a snap from my smart phone.

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Kaleidoscope #296

by D.M. SessousJune 12, 2018June 10, 2018

I could not have known then that everybody, every person, has to leave, has to change like seasons; they have to or they die. The seasons remind me that I must keep changing.
― Donald Miller, Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road

Below is the original photo used to create this image. This was taken at the Grand Canyon during a morning hike along the southern rim on the Greenway Trail. I’m still fascinated by the stark beauty of this dead tree, juxtaposed against the vibrant green of the pine and the watercolor sky. No special lighting or retouching, just a snap from my smart phone.