Red BarnShoot Date: May 5, 2018
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
15.0 sec at f/2.5 0 EV
Lens: 15mm @ 15 mm
ISO: 1600

At a lonely barn in the desolate grasslands of the Las Ciegnas Valley, one can allow their imagination to travel back to an earlier century. Here, a small fire chases the chill from a sleeping cowboy's bones, the burning red embers gripping a cast iron kettle of joe so that its steaming hot liquid is ready for the morning roundup. Then, as now, the quiet is only broken by the occasional wail of coyotes, their eerie call a beacon to the pack announcing their place in the wilderness.  The barn and the fences may pen my body to the area, but the stars guide my soul and imagination to the heavens.  I am free! 

These are the types of thoughts I ponder while capturing the pristine majesty of the night sky against the dilapidated pioneer structures of a long-gone era.  There is a power in such scenes, a unity created by history in the structures of the past, the lonely singleness of the moment of the present and the endless eternity of the Milky Ways path to infinity.  These are times that I humbly remember our small place and time in the immortal tapestry of God's glorious masterpiece.  These are times that I  bow my head in grateful praise that He has allowed me to be its witness. 

It is why I am obliged to be a scribe to His glory. 

Red Barn at Night
©RGallucci Photography

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Shoot Date: May 5, 2018
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
15.0 sec at f/2.5 0 EV
Lens: 15mm @ 15 mm
ISO: 1600

'MundiI think this Coatimundi is Italian-American. As one I can share that only an Italian-American can talk with its hands the way this one appears to be doing. I imagine if it could speak it would be saying, "Hey! Look! I'm eatin' here."

This is the world famous Santa Rita Lodge Coati, a wild animal that has figured out that hummingbird feeders make for good drinking. As we watched it tipped the feeder into its waiting mouth, tongue slurping frantically and nectar spilling wantonly down its chest. When it had its fill, it meticulously licked every last drop off its chest legs and paws before casually walking back into the forest. I have heard that it visits the feeders daily, which is incredible because at Santa Rita Lodge the seating is less than five feet from the feeders. Clearly, this 'mundi has no fear of the humans raptly enjoying its antics.

A member of the Racoon family the Coatimundi is at the northmost part of its range in Arizona. While prevalent south of the US border down through South America it ranges in the US are confined to southern parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Gregarious and familial, troops as large as 40 individuals can be found at altitudes between 4,000 and 7,000 feet.

The coatimundi is just one of the species that thrive in the Sky Island region of the Southern Arizona High Desert. As the most biologically diverse ecosystem in the United States this region provides a continual adventure for any willing to explore its wonders. On the day we spied this Coati we also enjoyed observing the rare Blue-throated Hummingbird (on the same feeder as the Coati) and the very rare White-throated Thrush.

I am grateful for the privilege of seeing and sharing this beautiful creature and humbled by the grace of God for the honor. I remain dedicated to being His scribe.
Shoot Date: January 12, 2019
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Aperture priority ¹⁄₂₅₀ sec at f/5.6 0 EV
Lens: TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011 @ 150 mm
ISO: 100

I think this Coatimundi is Italian-American. As one I can share that only an Italian-American can talk with its hands the way this one appears to be doing.  I imagine if it could speak it would be saying, "Hey! Look! I'm eatin' here." 

This is the world famous Santa Rita Lodge Coati, a wild animal that has figured out that hummingbird feeders make for good drinking. As we watched it tipped the feeder into its waiting mouth, tongue slurping frantically and nectar spilling wantonly down its chest.  When it had its fill, it meticulously licked every last drop off its chest legs and paws before casually walking back into the forest. I have heard that it visits the feeders daily, which is incredible because at Santa Rita Lodge the seating is less than five feet from the feeders. Clearly, this 'Mundi has no fear of the humans raptly enjoying its antics. 

A member of the Racoon family the Coatimundi is at the northmost part of its range in Arizona. While prevalent south of the US border down through South America it ranges in the US are confined to southern parts of  Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Gregarious and familial, troops as large as 40 individuals can be found at altitudes between 4,000 and 7,000 feet.  

The coatimundi is just one of the species that thrive in the Sky Island region of the Southern Arizona High Desert. As the most biologically diverse ecosystem in the United States this region provides a continual adventure for any willing to explore its wonders. On the day we spied this Coati we also enjoyed observing the rare Blue-throated Hummingbird (on the same feeder as the Coati) and the very rare White-throated Thrush. 

I am grateful for the privilege of seeing and sharing this beautiful creature and humbled by the grace of God for the honor. I remain dedicated to being His scribe. 

'Mundi
©RGallucci Photography
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Shoot Date: January 12, 2019
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Aperture priority ¹⁄250 sec at f/5.6 0 EV
Lens: TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011 @ 150 mm
ISO: 100

Council RockTonight I stood with the ghost of Cochise and watched as the sun gave a eulogy to his legacy with a closing burst of golden beams to guide his spirit's journey home.

I've often shared that my favorite of the Sky Island mountain ranges is the Dragoons in Cochise County. This incredible collection of misshaped jagged cliffs jut from the ground at improbable angles as if some subterranean warrior thrust them through the surface to create a defense of their sacred realm. There is no symmetry in the Dragoons. Gigantic boulders weathered by the eons into oblong spheres border the base of these mountains while large hoodoos stand sentry along its ridges. There is chaos here that inspires a serenity in the beauty of understanding that it is an abstract sculpture created by God long before mankind had the notion of abstract design.

It is in the Dragoon Mountains that Cochise, the great warrior chief of the Chiricahua Apache, and his fighters, found the sustenance, shelter and the strategic advantage to hold off the US Military pursuers of his tribe. And, it was in the Dragoon Mountains, at Council Rock, that he ended the years-long battle with the US in a meeting with General Howard. It was a treaty the US would betray.

Council Rock has been a place of continuous gathering since 200 AD when the Mogollon people settled in the southern Arizona High Desert. They left pictographs on the walls to attest to their residence. The Chiricahua Apache used the area next, augmenting the primitive artwork with that of their own. Today adventurous tourists gather here, in gratefully small numbers, to view the artwork (and never to touch it!), examine the metates where corn was ground, and hopefully to gain a sense of appreciation for this uncommonly beautiful land.

As the sun finally escaped the horizon and we walked back to our cars I could not help but be thankful that God allowed me the grace to know and share this sacred site. I am humbled by His gifts and remain dedicated to being His scribe.
Shoot Date: January 13, 2019
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Aperture priority 2.0 sec at f/16 0 EV
Lens: EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM @ 16 mm
ISO: 100

Tonight I stood with the ghost of Cochise and watched as the sun gave a eulogy to his legacy with a closing burst of golden beams to guide his spirit's journey home.  

I've often shared that my favorite of the Sky Island mountain ranges is the Dragoons in Cochise County.  This incredible collection of misshaped jagged cliffs jut from the ground at improbable angles as if some subterranean warrior thrust them through the surface to create a defense of their sacred realm.  There is no symmetry in the Dragoons. Gigantic boulders weathered by the eons into oblong spheres border the base of these mountains while large hoodoos stand sentry along its ridges. There is chaos here that inspires a serenity in the beauty of understanding that it is an abstract sculpture created by God long before mankind had the notion of abstract design. 

It is in the Dragoon Mountains that Cochise, the great warrior chief of the Chiricahua Apache, and his fighters, found the sustenance, shelter and the strategic advantage to hold off the US Military pursuers of his tribe. And, it was in the Dragoon Mountains, at Council Rock, that he ended the years-long battle with the US  in a meeting with General Howard. It was a treaty the US would betray. 

Council Rock has been a place of continuous gathering since 200 AD when the Mogollon people settled in the southern Arizona High Desert. They left pictographs on the walls to attest to their residence. The Chiricahua Apache used the area next, augmenting the primitive artwork with that of their own. Today adventurous tourists gather here, in gratefully small numbers, to view the artwork (and never to touch it!), examine the metates where corn was ground, and hopefully to gain a sense of appreciation for this uncommonly beautiful land. 

As the sun finally escaped the horizon and we walked back to our cars I could not help but be thankful that God allowed me the grace to know and share this sacred site. I am humbled by His gifts and remain dedicated to being His scribe. 

Council Rock
©RGallucci Photography
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Shoot Date: January 13, 2019
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Aperture priority 2.0 sec at f/16 0 EV
Lens: EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM @ 16 mm w/ND.9
ISO: 100