Senior Portraits with Paige

Paige contacted me for senior portraits after seeing some pictures I took of Rachel who goes to the same school. We had a little problem coordinating dates because of weather but finally found a beautiful afternoon. Paige enjoys tennis in addition to school studies, especially French and History. Our first shots were down at the school tennis courts.

Paige picked out a few outfits including a lovely dress with a lace skirt and ruffled top. After the tennis shots we headed off to the Cornell Campus.

Paige is a lovely girl with fair skin, a strong jaw line, great smile, and deep dimples, and gorgeous hazel eyes. She changed into a great orange top and we drove over to the arboretum, one of my favorite locations.

A beautiful girl with a great variety of expression. Thanks Paige.

All photographs are Copyright © George Cannon – Images.

Senior Portraits with Phebe

I shoot all my senior portraits on location, so was pleased to get an email from Phebe asking if I could do her senior pictures at her farm with all of her animals. Phebe is an amazing girl, confident, talkative, relaxed, great in front of the camera, not to mention, beautiful. Fantastic hazel eyes and a very bubbly personality. Plays beautiful piano and loves her myriad of pets.

When I arrived, she had a variety of outfit choices to look over and then I asked her to give me a short tour of the farm so we could pick good spots for pictures. Her farm was a perfect location for a great senior portrait shoot. So many settings and so picturesque. We started inside so the sun could get a bit lower and shot at her piano. Eventually her one indoor cat came to be a part of the project as we had hoped.

We shot a few more pictures in the parlor then moved out to take out the horses. Phebe has two horses that she really adores. The first was a bit edgy and uncooperative, so we spent more time with the other. They are both beautiful animals and made for great pictures.

When Phebe had shown me around the farm, she said she particularly wanted some pictures down in an old tree covered roadway, so we took their huge white dog that guards their sheep from coyotes and walked down to this beautiful light dappled old road.

We picked other beautiful spots in the barn, on the front porch, and in the wonderful old swings that hung from the big maple in the front yard, finishing out by the roadside, accompanied by their pretty Golden Retriever.

It was a delightful afternoon shooting an amazing young woman. Thanks for a perfect afternoon and thanks for the delicious pears you sent home with me.

All images Copyright © George Cannon.

R2P Closes 2011 Season with Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Running to Places Theatre Company finished their 2011 season at Ithaca’s State Theatre with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella in late August to the delight of adults and children, many of whom came dressed in costume for the event and greeted the characters after the shows.

The starring roles went to Engy Hassan as Cinderella and Matt Avery as Prince Christopher.  Both these young performers have strong beautiful voices and added grace and magic to the stage. Whether in quiet moments alone in the stepmother’s house as in “In My Own Little Corner” or in duets like “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful”, both Engy and Matt gave wonderful performances.  Todd Petersen’s choreography, as always, had these two floating across the ballroom floor as enchanted lovers should.

Extremely strong supporting performances were brought to life in the characters of the stepsisters, Grace and Joy, played with such humor and delight by Haley Evanoski and Natalia Rathburn, and guided by their mother, played by Allison Mollenkamp. The girls you love to hate were great fun in their disgusting habits and hilarious costumes. Kudos to Michelle Roy for great costume design. Grace and Joy won my heart with their great duet, “Stepsister’s Lament”. Fabulous, girls!

Another marvelous performance came from Jewell Payne as the Fairy God Mother.  Her powerful voice and elegant stage presence gave wonderful life to the character. Lisa Podulka also gave great supporting performances as Leona the Steward, with strong expression and energy and showing her talents both singing and dancing. Rebecca Woods and Felix Fernandez-Perry played the roles of the King and Queen with delightful duets and good humor.

Tyler Perry designed beautiful sets, simple and effective, to bring us into the story book production complimented by lighting by Max Doolittle and the pit orchestra led by Richard Montgomery brought the story alive with great music.

A wonderful family production and great finish to an amazing season. Hats off to all the cast and supporting crew, to Gail and Joey and everyone who works so hard to support this great local company of performers. Our community appreciates you and are lucky to have you all. Now, onto next season, bound to be even better if that’s possible. Congratulations Running To Places on a great season!

All images are Copyright © George Cannon. Images from this show and all Running To Places season shows are available for purchase at http://imageguy.zenfolio.com with a portion of the sales going back to support Running To Places. Order your favorites today.

Return to Utah with Spider Holster

To me, the canyon country of southern Utah is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Grand, expansive, spectacular, and colorful in the most amazing ways. I traveled there years ago when I took a four week photo trip across the country.

After many years, I had the good fortune to make a trip back to Utah this month, thanks to Spider Holster and my good friend, Shai Eynav. Shai is the inventor of Spider Holster and if you have never experienced it, it’s the ultimate camera carrying system. No straps, camera is carried on a waist belt and the weight is on your hips, not on your neck and back. Check it out at Spiderholster.com.

Spider Holster with medium format Pentax

We left from Elmira, New York to go to Salt Lake City for the new Outdoor Photography trade show in conjunction with the Outdoor Retailers Expo at the Salt Palace. This is the largest convention/trade show that takes place all year in Utah. So big that the Salt Palace can’t hold it all. We were there to represent Spider Holster and hopefully sell a bunch of them to the outdoor photo enthusiasts, but alas, the photo show was not well attended. Certainly nothing like PPE in New York or WPPI in Las Vegas, where we’ve done so well. But it’s the first year for this show, so maybe it will improve in the future. Shai and I were traveling with our good bud, photographer Bob Kaussner and Spider Holster engineer, Joe Crum. It was my first time doing more than passing through Salt Lake City, so we got to explore a bit in the off hours.

I was impressed with the city, very clean, well kept, lots of flowers and landscaping. Downtown seemed to have a lack of night life, a major contrast to NYC or Las Vegas. Perhaps it’s the Mormon influence. We did take a tour through Temple Square, the heart of the Mormon Church in Utah. Temple Square is a large walled compound surrounding the Mormon Temple (not open to tourists evidently), the Morman Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall, the Tourist Center, and some other buildings.

We entered the Tabernacle to see where the choir performed and there were met by two young ladies, missionaries for the church, who took us under wing to show us around and explain much about the buildings in the square and the history of the Mormon Church. They took us across the street to the new (built in 2000) Comfort Center, the new conference center that now is the setting for performances by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The auditorium is spectacular, huge, sprawling, with an enormous organ and choir loft and seating, with the main floor and the huge balcony, for 22,000 people. And not a column, support, post, or obstruction of any kind to block the view from anywhere in this enormous space. It’s truly awesome.

View from the balcony of the Comfort Center

Almost as amazing is the rooftop, a few floors up, with waterfalls, and pools, trees and plantings, and a spectacular view of the Salt Lake City skyline. We went back on Thursday evening to shoot the sunset from the roof and hear the choir rehearsing.

Approaching storm at sunset over Salt Lake City

Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearsing

We took our rental car for a drive one evening up to Park City to walk the downtown streets and had a great meal at Chimayo, an upscale restaurant on the main drag. We were about to leave after looking at the menu and feeling it too expensive, when the owner offered us a two for one special and convinced us to stay. Glad we did. The meal was amazing including the local Utah brew pub beers. As we were heading back to the car, we stopped in Michael Fatali’s photo gallery to talk with Michael and his wife. The conversations went on for quite a while as we visited and viewed his impressive gallery of large format landscape images of the canyons and red rock country. Michael seemed to take great pleasure in showing us his work as well as a couple of his unusual collectables. A giant camera lens from the U2 spy plane that weighed in at over 300 pounds, and the original HAL computer from the movie “2001, A Space Odyssey”. What a serendipitous day.

The following day we drove west of Salt Lake city, past the Great Salt Lake, and then south into the Stansbury mountains, taking a road that lead up to a camping area in the Wasatch National Forest. A nice afternoon drive with some great scenery, then back to town.

We happened upon the Red Iguana, another fabulous discovery we had made a couple of days earlier. Amazing Mexican fare, authentic and delicious, with a selection of the most incredible molés you could ever experience. You’d never know how amazing this place is to look at the outside of the building, except for the lines that form as the evening progresses. We ate there twice and would probably have again had we been in town longer. Highly recommended.

The trade show only ran two days and on Friday we packed everything and transported it over to Fedex for shipment back. Joe caught the redeye flight back that night leaving Shai, Bob and me in Utah. We caught some early rest and got up at midnight, piled into the rental car with camera gear and headed south to try and catch sunrise at Dead Horse Point overlooking Canyonlands and the Colorado River, north of Moab. It was supposed to be about a four plus hour trip. What we didn’t anticipate was the repaving of I-15 going on during the night. We were caught in a massive traffic jam for almost an hour. This was followed by getting off at the wrong exit which had us traveling for miles through parts of the suburbs with continuous traffic lights, slowing us at least another half hour. I was thinking we’re not likely to make sunrise, but we pressed on. As it turned out, we arrived with about 45 minutes to spare and were there by ourselves to await the sunrise under an amazing star filled Utah sky. Standing there in the dark, we did not know what to expect to see when the morning light finally arrived. But we were blessed with beautiful light, a scattering of clouds, and a spectacular view.

We spent quite a while climbing about, shooting the canyons and incredible view as the sun rose higher in the sky. Eventually we left Dead Horse Point and drove further down the highway out onto Island In The Sky. This is a huge plateau that was used through history as a place to herd cattle and horses because a very narrow place, called “the neck”, could be fenced easily and isolate the entire plateau.

We left Island In The Sky and headed down to Moab to get some breakfast, then drove back north to Arches National Park. We explored here into the early afternoon, shooting, despite the bright sunlight of mid-day.

To fill the afternoon and wait for the late day light at Arches, we drove south about 60 miles to the lower entrance of Canyonlands National Park where Church Rock sits beside the highway. A brief stay there with more pictures, then back to Arches.

Newspaper Rock in Canyonlands National Park

We stopped once more on the road back at Wilson’s Arch, a huge stone arch along side the highway. Bob and I climbed up to the arch to let Shai shoot us from the base, then he climbed up as well. I should do more of this kind of hiking. It reminded me of my childhood days climbing about on the back of Stone Mountain outside of Atlanta.

Once back at Arches, we shot for about another hour, then back in the car to head back to Salt Lake City. We got back near midnight after battling another paving traffic jam making it a 24 hour whirlwind tour with great pictures and well worth the effort.

My thanks to Shai and Spider Holster for giving us all this incredible experience. I love Utah’s spectacular landscape. I need to get back to the desert and the canyons again, it lifts my soul and helps me to realize how miniscule I am in the midst of nature and the open sky.

All photographs are Copyright © George Cannon, All Rights Reserved.

Two weeks at the Gulf

It’s been far too long since my last blog post. It seems that it get’s harder and harder to find the time to just sit and write a post, but I pledge now to make 2011 a more communicative year.

With a number of business plans that involve my images from the gulf and upcoming shows, I decided to turn my family vacation for Thanksgiving into a business trip by first going through Atlanta to meet with the Barry Glustoff at Digital Arts Studio where I get my fine art prints made. I’ve been working with them for a few years but always from a distance and never met face to face, so it was about time. Barry gave me the tour and we chatted for a while. I left several files to be printed for my show coming up at Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars here in the Finger Lakes. Then into the rental car to drive down to the Florida coast.

While in Florida I made arrangements to meet with current clients and met some new folks as well. I finally got to touch base with Dan Bailey at Amavida in Rosemary Beach and talk about a show there in June and July. He introduced me to Arix Zalace who will handle the show arrangements, so very happy to set that up. I got to see Jenny King at Sundog Books in Seaside, who sells so many of my postcards. And met and chatted with Tommy Crow, a wonderful photographer who has opened the Tommy Crow Collections gallery in Rosemary Beach. Happy to make that connection.

My goal while in Florida was to also add a sizable number of new images for use in what I hope will be a new entry into Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach for 2011. I have been in this show two of the last three years, but missed 2010. So I am looking to do something really fun for 2011 that will involve a multi-media presentation with about a thousand changing images from the Gulf area.

I love this area so much and am so glad that my Father-in-law and his wife are so generous in sharing their beautiful home there with us whenever we want to visit. I arrived ahead of my family so spent the first evening watching the sunset by myself on the gorgeous beach. Tanni arrived the next day from New York and Tessa and her girlfriend, Ariel, arrived from Ohio as well, so that we might all spend Thanksgiving with Art and Cheryl.

I spent each day rising early and heading out with my gear to shoot, visiting all the familiar haunts at Alys Beach, Rosemary Beach, Seaside, Grayton Beach, and the back streets of Panama City Beach where I continue to add to my “old Florida houses” collection.

I also went back to Eden Gardens to shoot this beautiful plantation house and grounds again. The place has changed considerably in the last year with a new entrance, walkways, parking, and other really beautiful improvements.

Animals were a theme this trip as they have often been with my zoology major daughter. We rode out to Alaqua Animal Refuge in Freeport where Laurie Hood and a large staff of mostly volunteers care for hundreds of adoptable animals including dogs, cats, horses, sheep, geese, pigs, and more. An amazing and wonderful operation.

Tessa and Ariel wanted to return to Gulf World in Panama City where Tessa has been “trainer for a day” twice. So we went back to pet the sting rays, and see the sharks, turtles, penguins, and performing sea lions, dolphins, and parrots.

As a further good omen, we were blessed with a visitor on Wednesday of a roosting Eastern Screech Owl, who sat quietly all day between evening hunts.

After the girls headed back north, I stayed about five more days to keep shooting. A couple of rainy and foggy days gave time for movies and a little shopping. I finally visited Margaritaville in Panama City Beach for dinner a couple of times after an amazing sunset as I came out of the movie theater at Pier Park. I sit listening to Radio Margaritaville as I write this to keep me in a Florida state of mind and warm inside, despite the snow outside here in New York in December. Rosemary Beach was all decorated for Christmas, so I made the stop on the way home after dinner to record the light show.

My last day there was spent walking trails at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. It was my fist visit there and, not being really familiar with the park, I arrived at about 3:00 pm with a bit of an ambitious agenda. My plan was to make my way down to the dune lakes then loop around to catch the beach dunes at sunset. It turned out to be about a seven mile walk and I’m so glad I didn’t take more gear than the two cameras I was carrying. Despite having to really keep moving at a quick pace, I found some beautiful spots. They had been doing a controlled burn in the park, so some areas were still smoking, adding a really nice quality to the light streaming through the trees. One of the rangers offered to take me to some prime spots if I would look him up when I come back. I’ll definitely go back allowing more time on the next trip.

All in all, a much needed time away, a very productive business trip, and a lot of great new images. When can I go back?

Thanks Art & Cheryl.

Copyright © George Cannon – Images, All Rights Reserved.

Adrienne and Jared wed in Geneva

Like many who chose the rare 10/10/10 date to marry, Adrienne and Jared were wed in Geneva, New York by Seneca Lake on this beautiful fall afternoon. On the Today show that morning, a numerologist talked about how auspicious the date was for those who began relationships or chose to marry on this special date. Adrienne and Jared live in Virginia, but Adrienne’s family are in Trumansburg where I live, so I was fortunate they found me when looking for a central New York photographer. They are both charming and personable people, easy going and open so I had every expectation that this would be a fun and enjoyable wedding.

The wedding took place in the late afternoon at the Ramada Geneva Lakefront at the north end of Seneca Lake. A beautiful ceremony, both Christian and Jewish, performed under the tent on the lawn as the sun shone on the beautiful autumn color surrounding us all. The forecast had been somewhat suspect early in the week, but Jared is a meteorologist so we assigned him the task of assuring a beautiful day and he did a masterful job.

When I arrived, the girls were already downstairs in their preparation room just off the tent area. The boys were in the wedding suite upstairs getting dressed and watching the football game (as guys are prone to do). Everyone was in great spirits and no one seemed overly nervous.

Guests strolled by the lake and gathered under the tent as the wedding time approached while the groomsmen waited in the gazebo on the lawn. As the ceremony began, the girls emerged wearing dresses of beautiful autumn red-orange with flowers to match. The bouquets were beautifully done by Vine Garden Designs in Trumansburg. The ceremony was simple and lovely.

We had a short period after the wedding for our formal shots by the water and for a few with the bride and groom before gathering inside as the sun disappeared. Introductions, first dances, and toasts followed early on before dinner.

Cindy Smith provided the wedding cakes which were beautifully done. It didn’t take long afterward for the dance floor to fill with music provided by Ron from Paradise Entertainment . Wedding receptions usually bloom around the personalities of the wedding party and this one was no exception. Combined with a great fun-loving group of friends and relatives, this was a party to remember. The celebration was even extended another hour because everyone was having such a wonderful time.

My thanks to the families of the bride and groom, and to all the members of the wedding party. You made my job much easier and  enjoyable just being your wonderful selves. Thanks to the wonderful staff at the Ramada, especially to Andy in the reception room and Teresa Robinson, the Ramada’s Wedding Planner. Everyone was truly helpful and totally professional. And thanks to Adrienne and Jared. I hope I helped make your day special for you both.

All images are Copyright © George Cannon.

A time to remember…

I was born in mid-September, so autumn has always been a season that has special memories for me. Growing up in Georgia, autumn came on somewhat slower than here in the northeast, but the feelings of the first chill air, the changing trees, the smells of leaves burning still return every year and take me back. I lived on a small dirt road (at least it was then, now it’s paved) in Decatur. Our front yard was fairly small, though as a child it felt quite large. There were two large oak trees in the front yard so leaves had to be raked. They were usually piled at the edge of the yard in the roadside where they might have gotten jumped in a few times before they were eventually burned. This would not be a raging flame, but instead a slow smoldering smokey fire that would fill the neighborhood with a wonderful oaky smell. I get those same feelings when I walk in my back yard, kicking the acorns from the oaks in the back by the fence and smell our wood stove on the chilly breeze.

As I walked the dog this morning up past Joan and Joel’s house, there were two does watching us from across the street. Later, a little farther up the road, two more does bounded off through the woods as we approached, their white tails waving as they leapt away. Margot and I walked to our usual turn around and as we began back down the hill a red fox darted out into the road and, upon seeing us approaching, thought better of it and turned back up Joel’s drive way.  Margot bounded through the leaves on the side of the road like the child in the leaf pile.

Last night I went to play cards with friends on Bostwick Road. Dave and Mary Rose own the Bostwick House B&B and their gothic Victorian sits high on Bostwick hill with amazing views out across the valleys south of Ithaca. The sky was an amazing color with beautiful thin clouds at dusk and a huge full moon was rising from the east. They have several laying hens that roam the yard and scratch about, following you like pets. A rare night.

I walked the trail to the falls last weekend at Taughannock Park to enjoy the peak fall color. We are so lucky here to be surrounded by amazing landscapes and the glory of nature. The road sides and farm fields are so beautiful this time of year with red sumac, asters and golden rod, teasels and wild grape. Fields of drying corn and weeping sunflowers stretch out under the autumn clouds. Maples glow an amazing red-orange against blue sky. The vibrance of the colors almost difficult to look at.

The splendor of this transition will be over all too soon, giving way to bare trees, cold wind, and the inevitable snows of winter. Time to hunker down and feed the wood stove and make a big pot of soup.

All images are Copyright © George Cannon, All Rights Reserved.

Katie and Jake at Cornell

Back in December I met with Katie and Jake to talk about their wedding and was very pleased when they booked with me. I knew when I met them that their wedding would be beautiful and fun. Both living in California now, they are originally from this area so came back to Ithaca to be married at Sage Chapel on the Cornell campus on June 26th.  The weather teased us that day threatening rain all day, but fortunately spared us the umbrellas (though not the summer heat).
I met Katie and her bridal party at Innovations in downtown Ithaca for hair and makeup. As is often the case, parties and late nights left everyone kind of dragging a bit, but the excitement was still there.  Katie is a small girl with the longest eyelashes I have ever seen.

The guys were having a cold one and watching the World Cup matches at The Rose tavern with Katie’s dad after shooting some hoops earlier.

I returned to the Statler Hotel at Cornell to shoot the bride getting ready amidst the cell phone calls, pizza deliveries, and bustling about with last minute preparations. My daughter, Tessa, met me there to play the role of assistant for the day. Her first venture into that realm, but a great help and fun to have her along. The bridal party was having a great time up in the room. Katie’s dress was gorgeous, sleek and smooth, with amazing beading down her bare back.

After a while in the bridal suite, I returned to Sage to wait for the guys to arrive.  I met Eric, the videographer,  there from Black Tie Entertainment up in Syracuse (they provided the DJ services as well) and we spoke about plans for images and how best to cooperate with each other. I also met Sara White from Wildflowers in Dryden, NY who was supplying all the beautiful calla lilies for the wedding.

The ceremony was fairly short and very sweet. The wedding party gathered outside for formal groups and then we boarded the limo bus for some bride and groom shots. At this point, unfortunately, we were running a bit behind schedule and had to cut out special picture time short, foiling plans to go to the Cornell Arboretum for some bride and groom shots in the landscape. A disappointment, but these things happen so you go with the flow.

Back at the Statler, the room was beautiful. The food was delicious. The bar was open and the party was off and running. The cake was small and symbolic, but a work of art. The bride and groom were encouraged to kiss, not by the traditional clinking of the glasses, but by table groups standing and singing love songs to them. Great fun.

As I have always found, it was the bride’s maid that were the life of the party (thanks Gina), though some of the older members of the guests cut a pretty mean rug as well.

All in all, a wonderful occasion and a beautiful wedding with a great couple. Thanks to Katie, Jake, The Benningers, and all the wedding party for making me feel so welcome and including me in the festivities. You guys were all great!

All Images are Copyright © George Cannon. All Rights Reserved.

Armstrong 2010 Dance Recital

ASD is back for another amazing annual recital.

Even though my daughter is no longer dancing with the Armstrong School of Dance since she graduated high school last year and has moved on to college, I still miss seeing these beautiful young dancers and still feel compelled to go and photograph their annual performance. As always, this year’s recital took place at Ithaca College’s Ford Hall. Split into two major productions, with the tiny tots dancing early and the older girls dancing later, it was great to return and see those familiar faces.

I am only allowed to photograph at dress rehearsal and it always seems that no matter how early I get there and position myself, at the last minute a six foot eight guy with a big head will sit two rows in front and I’m shooting around him all night. But that being said, it took nothing away from great dancing from tiny peanuts to the team girls and graduating seniors. This year the team Moms even got on stage and I have to hand it to them. Karen made them run through the whole thing twice at rehearsal and I’m not sure I would have that kind of stamina. Bravo, Moms! You did great.

I believe what I love most with the tiny kids are the expressions, the way they either keep their eyes fixed on their teacher (usually on stage with them) or the way they seem totally distracted and wave at relatives in the audience in their first big onstage experience. They are so adorable and I struggle to keep my eyes working all the time because there is so much cuteness to capture.

I loved the tributes to Michael Jackson with the gloves that swallowed the tiny hands. The excitement, the pride, the joy at performing and wearing the sparkly costumes. It’s every tiny girl’s dream to have all eyes on them on stage and they never disappoint whether they remember the steps or not.

It’s wonderful to see the older girls dance every year too, because so many of them I have seen grow and mature as dancers and young women over the last several years. I wished my daughter was back up there dancing with them, because I always loved watching her with this group so much. But all the same, I still feel a real affection for these students that follow in her footsteps and still feel as though our family is part of the Armstrong family. It’s part of what continues to bring me back.

Also, since I have been so connected with Running To Places Theatre Company, it’s great to see faces from R2P in the ranks of Armstrong dancers and have that double connection now.

So to Karen and all the team girls, I wish you the best of luck at nationals this year. I enjoyed seeing you all dance again this year so very much. You are all so beautiful, graceful, athletic, talented, and entertaining. Thanks for another great performance. Life is short, DANCE HARD!

All Images are Copyright © George Cannon.

These pictures and many more from my shoot are available at http://imageguy.zenfolio.com.

At the Vortex, Energy and Phoenix

I just returned from Phoenix, Arizona where my wife was graduating from her certification program with Donna Eden Energy Medicine. Donna is an amazing presence on the planet, touching the lives of countless people who are learning to heal themselves and others through the energy that exists and flows through and around all of us. After years of study and numerous trips to Phoenix, my wife’s group has reached the culmination of the first phase of training and this trip was to conclude and celebrate this event.

The training and this event take place at The Wigwam Golf Resort and Spa in Phoenix, a beautiful complex that has been an oasis in Arizona since the 1920s. Tall palm trees grace the manicured grounds and a complex of beautiful casitas surround the main building with fountains, pools, fireplaces, and ballrooms. The halls are filled with old photographs of the days when guests rode out across the desert on horseback and celebrities came to play golf in the warm Arizona sun. The place is gorgeous and anything you require is graciously furnished.

The Energy Medicine attendees gathered for a wonderful party on Saturday night. Many arrived in costumes and groups performed a variety of entertainment for everyone present. Donna Eden arrived dressed as Glenda, The Good Witch, and spread such laughter and joy with her infectious smile and loving presence. Never having been around this group of devotees before, I could quickly see why so many are drawn to her and all her family and teachers. There is a spiritual connection and atmosphere that pervades all that happens with this group. It was inspiring.

The real surprise of the evening was the musical performances of Here II Here, an amazing group of musicians who thrilled us all with their original songs and gave a magical performance. They are currently on a west coast tour, and if you can see them, you shouldn’t miss a chance to experience their love, joy, spirituality, grace, and peace. They are fabulous.

Monday was the actual graduation ceremony which was solemn, peaceful, emotional, and deeply moving, while also being joyous and uplifting. The love and connection among all these people is very powerful. It was beautiful and I felt privileged to experience it as a guest.

During the day, while my wife was busy with her classes and workshops, I drove and wandered about Phoenix, exploring an area I had never seen before and looking for great images. I love the desert and after some very cold months in New York, was ready for some sun and warmer temperatures. The city is laid out as a grid so fairly easy to navigate. I drove about exploring the outskirts in small towns like Buckeye, and through some of the urban areas of Scottsdale with all its art galleries and the antique shops of Glendale. I am always looking for new urban landscape images and photos for my Ornamental America series when I go to a new city.

I took some time to visit the Desert Botanical Gardens where visitors can see an endless array of cactus and succulents and other desert plants from four different types of desert regions of the American Southwest. I was surprised at how popular the gardens were, with a sizable crowd there visiting and walking the trails.

I also took time one afternoon to go for a short hike in the Phoenix Mountain Recreational Park north of Scottsdale. It is one of several natural recreation areas that ring the Phoenix area as the valley stretches out to the surrounding mountains.

Finally, my wife and I took a little extra time and drove north to Sedona to see the red rock country. Unlike Phoenix which is very flat and desert brown, Sedona sits at the edge of the vast plateau region that stretches down from Colorado and Utah at a much higher altitude. It is marked by stunning canyons of Oak Creek and red rock formations that stand like monuments in the landscape. A beautiful climax to a very satisfying trip.

All images are Copyright © George Cannon, All Rights Reserved.