Today is my two month anniversary my my new job. I am now “the new web master” for the Coconino National Forest.  Living in Flagstaff for around 25 years, I’ve spent a lot of time throughout the entire forest, from the Peaks to the Rim to Sedona. Over the years, I’ve put much of my energy into photographing, writing about, and evangelizing this fantastically beautiful region.

The photo at the top of this page incorporates many elements of why I am so delighted to be the Coconino’s new web manager. I took that photo at the Red Rock District Visitor Center on a “welcome to the new job” tour my boss gave me. In the reflection of the glass behind Smokey is a view of Sedona’s glorious red rocks. This forest, that view, and even the bear are all central to my being. The opportunity to be part of it, to contribute to the work of the Forest and communicate its mission to the public, is incredibly important to me.

This is a photo of Smokey Bear at the Ohio State Fair, taken in 1969. While this isn’t my family’s photo (it’s from the Ohio Historical Society aka Ohio History Connection), it easily could be. In this era, I was a tiny girl (a couple years younger than the little girl in the blue dress) who went to the Ohio State Fair each year with her parents, eager to visit Smokey as soon as we entered the fairgrounds. Smokey is one of my strongest and fondest early memories.

Here are a couple shots of the view from the Red Rock Visitor Center taken the same day as the photo at the top of the page. Not my best shots, but Sedona’s beauty shows through, even in photos taken with a crappy point-and-shoot on a cloudy day.

A few more shots of the Coconino National Forest. We spend a lot of time hiking, backpacking, camping, and exploring with our dogs. There’s tons more in my Flickr photostream.