Detail from the wheel of a VW Beetle parked in an iron smith’s yard in Oracle, Arizona. This was taken in 2008 when Automattic visited there and I have quite a few other photos from that visit to show you, if I ever get around to working on them that is! This was taken with…

The Historic C.O.D Ranch outside Oracle in Arizona where Automattic held a meetup in January 2008. Winter in the desert is mostly pleasant, during the day. At night it was freezing!

Inside Biosphere 2, Arizona is a complete ecosystem meant to keep a group of people alive for months on end. That project ended years ago but the building remains and it’s worth a visit if you’re in the area! Just in case you didn’t see yesterday’s post, 3 hotel rooms going for free on the…

Biosphere 2 in Arizona, from the outside with clouds.

These tall evergreens planted in front of a set of small houses in Oracle were almost gone before I saw them. The scene looked bizarre. Tall trees, tiny houses. I wonder who lives in them? Here it is on Google Maps. Try the Street View, you’ll see two cars pulled up in front of the…

If you’re living in Ireland, you’ve no doubt noticed that this summer hasn’t been great. Actually, I haven’t. I work at home and looking out my little window at the rest of the world is some days the closest I get to the outside world (almost!) Well anyway, this is to console you if you’re…

As Biosphere 2 is a self contained and airtight structure the air inside would expand and contract on warm and cold days which could cause the building to explode or implode! Two lungs were built to cope with this effect. One of them is pictured above. As the air in the building warmed up the…

Biosphere 2 lies in the dusty hot desert in Arizona. It was originally designed as a self contained “world” where scientists stayed for an extended period of time. After going through the tour, there’s no way I’d volunteer to spend my time inside. It must have been very difficult being cooped up in one building….

I shot this through the window of our car while driving back to the ranch after Automattic’s trip to Biosphere 2 in Arizona a few months ago. I love how the foreground blurs but the background and the sky remain motionless and static. Love the movement.

Another cactus shot from Arizona. I’m sure this is as boring as the flower pics everyone else posts for people who live in the desert but it’s all new to me! Black vignetting caused by a polarizer!

Cacti are probably an everyday sight for people living in desert regions, but I look out the window of my office and all I see are lush green trees, an overcast sky and the threat of another shower of rain. They’re an exotic plant for me to see out growing in the open. They also…

At Biosphere 2 in Arizona the land around the main building was sold to developers to fund the experiment and for maintenance. Unfortunately all the houses there looked very empty, but maybe that was because it was in January and in the off season.