GLOW 2010 in Oracle, AZ

Here are a few pictures I took Friday night at the annual GLOW event held up in Oracle, AZ. [If my readers can't tell from my lack of recent posts, more work than life lately, Friday started with an on-call phone call at 3:30 AM...]

In spite of the long day, I was able to get out to enjoy the sights and sounds of GLOW under a beautiful full moon. My favorite GLOW art this year was the large installation along the trail of glowing flowers that looked like they were made of legs wearing heels -- very cool!

[click pics for larger images]

A very large metalic spider scaning the ground

Several different bands and performers making tunes around the ranch

I remember this guy with different light than last year.

A flaming forge over in the area where the blacksmiths were hammering out glowing metal

Great turnout, this year's friday night turnout was 800 people. Maybe next year I'll submit some glowing art display of my own. I was hoping to this year, but didn't have the time to build the piece I'm thinking about making.

Marshall Gulch Hike

ok, so Tucson's hot right now. So I headed up Mt Lemmon (immediately north of Tucson) today for an hours drive that would place me in pine trees and cooler temps for a short hike.

Who said fireworks can't be green? At least that's what these look like to me.

These creatures look like they would be right at home swimming around in the ocean somewhere.

But instead they flutter around the forest...

Totally missed this log on the way up to Marshall Saddle, but got a chuckle out of it on the way back down -- sometimes it pays off to retrace a trail looking the other direction versus doing a one-way loop.

entering the burn zone from the big forest fire a few years back...

This tree looked like it had made an image of the fire as it burnt.

Very interesting burn patterns. I'm guessing that the gaps in the bark had higher amounts of sap oozing out to ignite? Bizarre burn patterns.

The past and the future

the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ) 4/4

I'm wrapping up my pics of The Musical Instrument Museum with this post -- my goal is not to create a catalog of all 10,000 musical instruments on display at The MIM, but to provide a sampling for my readers who can't make it there and to encourage anyone who can to go visit this great new museum in Phoenix.

Wildcat fans anyone? Lute, Lute, Lute, Lute! ;^)

I remember seeing Pat Metheny play a similar, but different, very complex stringed guitar/harp/whatever in a concert some years back -- amazing.

seems like just about the time you finished tuning you would be starting again?

Large tuned chimes, each about 2 inches thick!

yep, 12 ft high, and yet playable! levers on the top left of the body control bars that pull into the strings along the neck as the player stands on the platform.

"The Phoenix" a very slowly rotating bronze sculpture in the courtyard with guitar-like strings coming down from the wings.

the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ) 3/4

Very large vertical and horizontal log slot drums, nicely carved!

ok, my low light pic doesn't do this justice... this was cool - an instrument to be played by four people at once: harp like strings, a vertical neck strings, kalimba like section, and drum section (click pic for better view)

exploded view of a Steinway

one of several harp or harp-like instruments on display

Fender certainly deserves a section in a musical instrument museum

even though a few exhibits were still being developed, it didn't detract from the visit whatsoever... just another good reason to come back again

If you can tune a steel drum...

... you can individually tune a collection of cans as well

another large carved slot drum

the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ) 2/4

R.C. Nakai playing samples of Native American style flute music. I'm sure I may have missed some given the quantity of instruments/exhibits, but I counted a total of three North American style, two chamber flutes with block (bird). Even though there are about 10,000 instruments on display, there are so many different types (and regions) represented that while you are likely to find, say, a hundred different flutes, you are unlikely to find many of the same style of instrument.

Bigfoot is in Africa? Who knew? No wonder we haven't seen him in these parts lately... ;^)

resonate gourds

More pictures of a few of the instruments on display yet to come... By the way, they currently allow photographs in most areas, however no flashes are allowed. I took all the above pictures with my P&S which doesn't have a very large aperture lens for gathering light -- so while the museum is very well lit to the human eye, some of my pictures were taken near the limits of hand held shots for my particular camera.