Halfway to Anywhere: Arizona Tries to Steal my Heart 2019

Arizona tries to steal my heart for a second time in 2019. I still think about it and plan to spend even more time there this coming winter. It's not that I do not like the change of seasons, the beautiful colors of autumn or the flowering spring, I'm just not a fan of winter cold, snow and darkness.

Beautiful landscapes, absolutely gorgeous and insanely red sunsets, the oh so animated saguaro cactus, abundant sunshine, hiking, with mountain views everywhere and one of my very favorite sculpture parks.

Desert Red, Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona (c) b.steichen 2019

"All the great pleasures of life are silent." — Georges Clemenceau

Volkswagen Love, Somewhere on the Road, Arizona (c) b.steichen 2019

Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona (c) b.steichen 2019

Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona (c) b.steichen 2019

Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona (c) b.steichen 2019

Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona (c) b.steichen 2019

I often call the Amazon guy my boyfriend because he brings me presents all the time but this guy stole my heart a long long time ago. Who doesn't love a guy named Smokey.

Smokey Bear was born on Aug. 9, 1944, when the U.S. Forest Service and the Ad Council agreed that a fictional bear would be the symbol for their joint effort to promote forest fire prevention.

Artist Albert Staehle was asked to paint the first poster of Smokey Bear. It depicted a bear pouring a bucket of water on a campfire and saying “Care will prevent 9 out of 10 fires.” Smokey Bear soon became very popular as his image appeared on a variety of forest fire prevention materials. In 1947, his slogan became the familiar “Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires!”

Then in the spring of 1950, in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico, a young bear cub found himself caught in a burning forest. He took refuge in a tree, and while managing to stay alive was left badly burned. The firefighters who retrieved him were so moved by his bravery, they named him Smokey.
News about this real bear named Smokey spread across the Nation, and he was soon given a new home at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The living symbol of Smokey Bear, he played an important role in spreading messages of wildfire prevention and forest conservation. Smokey died in 1976 and was returned to Capitan, New Mexico, where he is buried in the State Historical Park.