Create and Sell Your Own Calendar Online

Like I did!

It’s no secret that I have a serious photography addiction.  With sunrises and sunsets as beautiful as they are around here it’s hard to resist.  The perils of living in a target rich environment I suppose.  As a result I have all these pictures.  What to do?

Over the last couple of years I have been playing around with Zazzle.com.  I have a little store there with some of my pictures on coffee mugs and mouse pads.  I’ve sold a few and it’s pretty neat to see some of the great scenes I capture around here on a mug.  My favorite is the “God Is Amazing” mug with a great shot of Pusch Peak after a storm.  The other is a mug that screams Valentine’s Day gift.  The, “Life is Better Shared” mug features two hummingbirds enjoying a sunrise lit breakfast together.  Aw.

I’ve had a couple of friends asking when I was going to have a calendar for sale.  Well today I finally went through my pictures and have published two calendars you can buy at my Zazzle store.  The Oro Valley 2012 Calendar and the HummingbirdFeederCam.com 2012 Calendar.  The cost is kinda high though.  Almost $21! and I only make $2 of that.  Calendars are half price today at Zazzle, so you might could grab one for $10.50 plus shipping.  I’ve sold a couple so far today!

Still, $21 is kinda high for a calendar.  I don’t care how much you like me :-)  So, I was looking around for a better solution and I found it.  A quick web search landed me at Lulu.com.  I remember my Mom telling me about it.  A site mainly dedicated to self publishing authors, but they also have a slick tool for creating calendars.  Here’s what I came up with.  My self published TonightsSunset.com 2012 Calendar:

Best part is I can offer it to you for $15.99 and I make almost $3. I call that a win win.  Order up a couple today and tell your friends.  2012 is only a week away!

Here is the HummingbirdFeederCam.com 2012 Calendar:

Reptile Dysfunction

Don't you hate it when you've just popped some corn and the family gathers around for a little evening TV and one of those Cialis commercials comes on?  If no one is talking, suddenly someone brings up something, anything, so the family can talk instead of stare uncomfortably at the screen.

While I'm on the subject I've been wondering, just what is "Reptile Dysfunction?"  I live in the desert and see lots of reptiles.  I even came face to face with a rattlesnake a few Springs ago, not to mention a Gila Monster and numerous other slithery and scaly critters.  They all seemed fine.  Frankly, I'm a big fan of all the lizards that run around here.  It kinda brings out the big kid in me!  All of that excitement seeing a lizard dart up a wall or a snake crossing the street.  I don't think I've seen any reptile dysfunction.

What?  What's that you are saying?

Really?  Oh.  That's different.

Never mind.

How Cold is it?

COLD

New record low of 18 this morning which is also tied for the second coldest ever for a February Tucson morning.  There's a chance we tied the all-time record February low of 17.  We won't find out for sure for a few hours.  If we didn't reach it, no worries.  We have an even better chance tomorrow morning!

This could be the coldest February chill in Tucson's history.  I go through all of that plus take a look at the cold, snow and freezing rain forecast for Texas in this morning's "Coffee and a Forecast"

Video streaming by Ustream

Here is a comprehensive look at the cold start originally posted on my TucsonWeather.us site.

Praying for Tucson

Saturday’s shooting in Tucson (technically Pima County) is heartbreaking.  How do you make sense out of what doesn’t make any sense?  All you can do is shed a tear and pray.  There has been a lot of both in Tucson and around the country since Saturday.  The prayers continue even as the victims start to heal and the families of those killed mourn.

Since the shooting occurred only a mile from my apartment, I did want to describe what happened in my little world on Saturday.  I received calls from family and friends because they know that I have been to some of Congresswoman Giffords’ events in the past and they wanted to know that I was OK.  This tragedy underscores once again how important our relationships are with those we love.  Another reminder to never take our friends and family for granted.

Saturday morning I went to my LD (Legislative District) meeting, LD26 at 9am.  It was there before the meeting started that someone mentioned that Gabrielle Giffords had an event planned at the Safeway at Ina and Oracle.  Our meeting went as planned.  At the very end a lady stood up in the back and said that there had been a shooting at Ina and Oracle and to stay away from the area.  She didn’t have any more information.  Immediately I thought, “I hope the Giffords event hasn’t started yet and I hope she wasn’t there.”  I had no idea what time her event was scheduled for, but naturally I was concerned.  Our meeting ended and some of us were visiting when one of our state representatives came in with the bad news.  He had been in contact with police and they had told him that Gabrielle Giffords was among those that had been shot, but he had no information on her condition or if the gunman had been caught.

Immediately some of us began to cry.  Many of us have met Gabrielle Giffords, and some knew her pretty well.  All of us were stunned.  Some of us huddled together for a prayer for Giffords, the others who had been shot and their friends and families.  Then I left for Pima County Republican Headquarters.

I had already planned to go there for the LD28 meeting scheduled for Noon.  Now I was headed there to see if there was anything I could do in my role 1st Vice Chair of the Pima County GOP.  We spent he next few hours making phone calls, answering phone calls, praying, crying at times, and watching the news unfold.  We were devastated when we heard that Giffords had died.  We were devastated to learn that a 9 year old girl had been killed.  We were relieved to learn that Giffords was alive!  More prayers for her recovery and for God to comfort those who lost family members.  Those prayers continue.

It was an emotionally draining day and weekend.  It’s an emotional start to the work week.

It is surreal to drive by Ina and Oracle and see the Walgreens that I frequent and the entire Safeway shopping center surrounded with yellow tape.  Police cars guard every entrance with their lights flashing, and satellite trucks are parked across the street.

All eyes are on Tucson and all hearts cry out to God for healing and comfort even as we try to understand the evil that was carried out through a very disturbed young man.  I have confidence that God will bring good out of this tragedy.  It is His nature.  I also know that He is close to the brokenhearted.   His Word says so.

AMAZING Oro Valley Sunrise

Nice way to start the day.  I think God really likes Arizona:

Sunset Time Lapse

I saw the high clouds late yesterday afternoon and knew it was going to be another one of those amazing Tucson Sunsets (patent pending) that we Tucsonans love so much.  So I grabbed my tripod, camera and FlipUltra HD and headed for Pima Canyon.  I hiked about a half mile up the trail, ducked behind some cacti and ocotillo, set up my tripod and started rolling.  Meanwhile, I hiked around with my “regular” camera and got a few dozen shots.  The best ones are here.

I sat on a rock drinking in God’s handiwork while the Flip did all the work. I love watching Him paint and repaint and repaint the sky.  As it got darker and darker the Moon seemed to get brighter behind me.  I followed my Moon shadow back to my car and coasted (almost) down the hill to edit the video.

Here it is.  45 minutes of sunset condensed into 3 minutes-ish with Selah’s, “Oh Draw Me Lord.”

Winter Storm Watch Tomorrow Afternoon – Thursday AM

Winter Storm Warning Just Issued

The National Weather Service in Tucson has issued a Winter Storm Warning above 4,000 feet in effect from 8:00 tonight until 11:00 a.m. tomorrow.

Here’s what they say about possible accumulations and snow levels:

SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…SCATTERED ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ABOVE 6000 FEET THIS AFTERNOON. TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING…EXPECT ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO AN INCH AT 3500 TO 4000 FEET…2 TO 4 INCHES FROM 4000 TO 5000 FEET…4 TO 6 INCHES FROM 5000 TO 7000 FEET…AND 6 TO 10 INCHES ABOVE 7000 FEET.

SNOW LEVELS…SNOW LEVELS WILL HOVER NEAR 6000 FEET THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE FALLING TO 3000 FEET TONIGHT. THEY WILL RISE SLIGHTLY TO 3500 FEET SATURDAY MORNING AS THE STORM DEPARTS.

So who lives at or around 3,000 feet? Residents in Catalina, Northern Oro Valley, Vail, Parts of the Foothills. My apartment is at about 2,600 feet. Much of Tucson Metro is around 2,400 feet.

Could be interesting by morning!

Snow in Tucson?

It could happen by tomorrow morning.  The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch above 4,000 feet for this evening through 11am tomorrow.  Here’s what’s happening.

A cold front blew through last night with some moderate to heavy rainfall lasting through the night.  We are now on the cold, unsettled side of the storm.  Today’s forecast is for much cooler with the rain showery in nature.  Cold air has moved in aloft, so especially this afternoon when we get a little bit of heating (yes, we get some heating even on a cloudy day) the atmosphere will be pretty unstable.  That means the possibility of some thunderstorms forming.  With such cold temperatures above our heads, it won’t take much for some of those storms to drop small hail.  The winds aren’t as strong as yesterday, and they aren’t as warm.  Yesterday it was south winds gusting to 60+.  Today it’s southwesterly winds gusting to 30ish.

Then there’s tonight.  Another weaker storm is on the heals of the one exiting right now.  It is coming straight down from the Gulf of Alaska.  It’s a cold system that will drop snow levels to 3,500 feet by morning and probably lower at times.  The storm is moving through at night and in the morning hours, so that increases the chances of very low snow levels.  The National Weather Service isn’t putting snow depths on it yet, but there is a chance of some good snows in towns south and east of Tucson such as Tombstone, Sierra Vista, Benson, Wilcox and of course Oracle.

Here’s the fun part.  This storm could also bring some convective activity with it.  In other words, some thunder is possible.  Any thunder activity would drag colder air aloft down to lower elevations causing snow levels to drop.  Even without thundersnow, it will be possible to see snow falling in the Tucson Metro area and possibly sticking in places like Catalina,  Oro Valley, Vail and the Foothills.

We will know more by tomorrow morning.

High Wind and Blizzard Warning!

A robust storm, as it were, is barreling toward Arizona and the effects across the area promise to be dramatic.  The headline is the strong wind.  A strong southerly jet stream is driving this strong storm and the combination will translate into very strong winds in the lower elevations and even stronger winds higher up.  Gusts to 55 mph by this afternoon will be likely in the Tucson area and gusts to near 70 mph are possible in the mountains.  That’s why the National Weather Service has issued a HIGH WIND WARNING  from 11 this morning until 2am Friday.

Tonight is when the main impact of the storm will be felt.  Normally winds will decrease at night because you lose the mixing of the atmosphere leaving the strongest winds above your head.  Tonight that may not be the case as scattered thunderstorms will have the capability of pulling some of those higher winds down to the surface.  It’s possible that the high winds won’t decrease tonight at all.

Last time we had winds this strong there was a fatal pileup on Interstate 10 near Casa Grande.  Thankfully we had some rain yesterday morning and again this morning.  I’m hoping that the rain we’ve had combined with what is coming will be enough to keep the dust down.  Still, caution should always be observed driving on the Interstate near those usual blowing dust areas.  Also high profile vehicles may have difficulty with this wind.  Definitely a two hands on the wheel kind of driving day.  It’s also going to be possible to see some damage from these winds.  Downed trees and stuff like that may occur in town.

Higher up, the winds will combine with a lot of snow.  That’s why the National Weather Service has issued a BLIZZARD WARNING above 7,000 feet for tonight and tomorrow morning.

Initially, the snow level will be around 8,000 feet.  Our last storm left a few inches of snow as low as 6,000 feet.  The rain combined with some melting snow could result in some flooding in mountain streams and perhaps downstream.  Otherwise, snow levels will drop below 7,000 tonight and 1 to 2 feet of new snow is possible in the mountains around Tucson combined with winds gusting as high as 70 mph.  The White Mountains could get as much as 4 feet of snow from this storm!

As far as rain amounts in the lower elevations, we are expecting generally 3/4 of an inch to an inch and a half with this system.  Some areas could exceed 2 inches if they get a thunderstorm or two.  This is great news!  We need the rain.  The snow pack will help us out too.

Snow in Tucson?

Well, maybe in the Foothills and out towards Vail.  After the cold front moves through tonight, temperatures will start to drop and so will the snow level.  It’s possible that by early Saturday morning there may be some snow showers right down to the valley floor!  Accumulating snow is expected above 4,000 feet, but it’s worth watching.  This will be the back side of the storm so we aren’t talking about a whole lot of snow, but it’s possible that Oracle, Tombstone, Sierra Vista, Benson, and some other places could pick up a few inches.  IF the snow level can manage to get down to the 2,500 foot level maybe we could finally see snow here at the apartment in Oro Valley.  It’s not likely, but when the possibility gets this close, I start holding out hope.

Bottom line to all this?  Enjoy the adventure but be careful out there!

Another much much weaker storm is headed our way early next week as the El Nino pattern is kicking in.  El Nino dried out or Monsoon last Summer, let’s hope we can now make up for it in the remaining months of Winter into early Spring.

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