Sycamore Point – and – Calendars     Picture of the Week

Trick or Treat
smell my feet
give us something good to eat

Since this is my first-ever Halloween post, I couldn’t pass that up.

So, where were we? Oh yes—Queen Anne and I spent an afternoon exploring and photographing along the back roads to Sycamore Point. The sun was going down, and we wanted to get back to Williams to have a nice dinner at The Red Raven Restaurant.  Before we leave, let me get in one more shot.

Sycamore Point - From Sycamore Point, looking back over Thumb Flat to Bill Williams Mountain.
Sycamore Point – From Sycamore Point, looking back over Thumb Flat to Bill Williams Mountain.

I call this week’s photo Sycamore Point. If it isn’t apparent, I took it with my drone. Unlike a normal camera, you can’t spontaneously whip it out and start flying about—well, not if you want to keep your license. You have to file a flight plan, conduct a pre-flight check, and there are no fly areas. In this case, I couldn’t fly it past the wilderness boundary (you can get an exception from the BLM—but that takes weeks).

The truth is that I took several drone shots of the canyon, but because the drone’s camera lens is ultra wide, the images from my Sony were better, so I used those. Since the drone had battery time left, I turned it around and pointed the camera toward the road we traveled. From an altitude of two-hundred feet, this is the image that I got.

When I started processing this photo, I realized that it has everything that we’ve been talking about during October. In one image I see Alligator Juniper, patches of yellow wildflowers, Thumb Flat, the edges of Sycamore Canyon, burn scars, the back road, shafts of sunlight, and in the distance, the Northern Arizona Volcanic Field—including Bill Williams Mountain (center left) and The San Francisco Peaks (far right). It’s like you’re back in school, and here’s the chapter review before the test—but from a different perspective.

You can see a larger version of Sycamore Point on its Web Page by clicking here. Next week, it’s time for a new project from a different location. You’ll want to come back and see what trouble I got myself into this time.

Calendars

This year is hurtling to an end already, so it’s time for me to make new calendars. In spite of the extra cost last year we got a nice response. Inflation has taken a toll again this year. After reviewing my printer’s price list and post office shipping costs, I need to charge $20.00 for them. I know that cost is prohibitive to most of you, but they’re a limited item. I need to get one for myself and if you’re interested, I’ll print a copy for you.

The pictures for the 2022 edition are from this year’s outings. The size remains the same—6 ½ inches high (each half—about the size of a sheet of paper folded in half) and 8 ½ inches wide, and they have holidays noted on the dates. They’re printed on card stock—which is part of the expense.

In order to get them to you for Christmas (and we’re cutting it close according to the Post Office), I need to know by November 10th. If you’d like one, you can leave a comment in this post, use the contact form on my website (https://www.jimwitkowski.com/junk/index.php), or email me directly. Don’t forget to leave your contact information if I don’t already have it.

Until next time — jw

2021 Wall Calendars Are they worth the price increase?

Warm Springs Cholla - Cholla along the roadside provide a good foreground contrast for McHeffy Butte at sunset.
Warm Springs Cholla – Cholla along the roadside provide a good foreground contrast for McHeffy Butte at sunset.

It’s calendar time again. Last year we got a nice response, but things have gotten worse like the rest of 2020. After reviewing my printer’s price list and post office shipping costs, I can’t charge $10.00 each for them. I sell these calendars at my cost, and this year they’ll cost me 17.75 to print and ship. To me, that moves them out of the stocking stuffer range, and they’ll be more expensive than picking something up at Costco or Walmart. But, if enough of you find that there is still value in my little calendar, I’m up for producing one.

Because the pandemic kept  Queen Anne and me from traveling out of state this year, I’ll pick out a dozen of my best blog shots. The size remains the same—6 ½ inches high (each half—about the size of a sheet of paper folded in half) and 8 ½ inches wide, and they have holidays noted on the dates. They’re printed on card stock—which is part of the expense.

If I can get five or more orders, I’ll put them together and place an order, but I need to know by November 1st to make a go/no-go decision. That gives me enough time to ship them in November before the holidays. If you’d like one, you can leave a comment in this post, use the contact form on my website (https://www.jimwitkowski.com/junk/index.php), or email me directly. Don’t forget to leave your contact information if I don’t already have it.

Until next time — jw

Calendar Update 2019 Wall Calendars Are Coming

 

Aspen On Boulder Mountain
Aspen On Boulder Mountain-Fall color at 9000 feet comes early and quickly.

I wanted to let everyone know that we’ve exceeded the minimum orders to produce a 2019 calendar, so I’m going to design and order them. I’ll begin working on them next week, but I won’t order the printing until the end of the month. That will be plenty of time to get them to you for the Holidays.

If you were on the fence but couldn’t decide if you wanted a wall calendar for 2019, I can still put you on my list (naughty or nice). The cutoff date is still next Thursday—the 25th. We’ve had orders via the contact form and email, so you can order those ways, but if you prefer and you know the telephone number, you can call.

I’m excited about producing these again, and I can see the calendars as an annual thing. Hope I can make one for you too. They’re $10 each.

Till next time—jw

2019 Wall Calendars Would you like one?

Several years ago I produced and sold annual wall calendars. I printed, assembled and bound them in-house using two-sided photo paper. The production cost was high, and I sold them at my cost—$15.00. Even at that, I wound up with leftovers.

Thor's Hammer And Sunset Point

Gnome Garden

I found a source online that will do the printing and assembly cheaper than I can do in-house. If I can get five or more orders, I can offer them at $10.00 each. So I’m asking if you’d like a 2019 wall calendar with a dozen of this year’s Utah trip photographs on it. They’re 6 ½ inches high (each half—about the size of a sheet of paper folded in half) and 8 ½ inches wide, so they’re a smaller more convenient size than my old ones, and they’d be good stocking stuffers.

If I can get five or more people who are interested, I’ll put them together and place an order, but I need to know by October 25th so I can make a go/no-go decision. If you’d like one, you can respond to this post, use the contact form on my website (https://www.jimwitkowski.com/junk/index.php), or email me directly. Don’t forget to leave your contact information.

Until next time — jw