Welcome to our page! We're a couple living in Colorado, and our site showcases some of our hobbies and interests. Joel is into astronomy, photography, and library science; and Rebekah enjoys art, writing, and crafts. We hope you enjoy our site!

Joel & Rebekah      
 

Backyard Squirrel

Here's a shot of one of my backyard squirrel friends from a few winters ago. 

This one enjoys the free meals but gives me the evil eye and chirps in warning if I get too close for a photo. 

I took this shot with a Canon 6D DSLR camera and a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM telephoto lens.

Star Trails Over Colorado Springs

I took this shot from the foothills of Cheyenne Mountain, near the entrance of the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain complex, looking east towards Colorado Springs.

The North Star, Polaris, is just outside the upper-left edge of the image. You can see the increasingly large concentric circles as you move further and further away from the North Star. 

I took this shot with a Canon 70D and a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X116 Pro DX lens. It's the result of many, many long exposure shots combined into a single composite image in Photoshop. 

The Day Moon

The waxing gibbous moon during the day. I love the blue and white contrast of the lunar surface when viewed in daylight. 

I took this photo with a Canon 70D DSLR and a TMB92L refractor.

M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy

M51, popularly known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, is a face-on spiral galaxy in the constellation of Canes Venatici. 

A smaller galaxy, NGC 5195, can be seen interacting with it as the two galaxies pass each other, tidally interacting and distorting one of the spiral arms of M51. Both galaxies lie more than 31 million light-years from our own galaxy. 

I took this image with a TMB92L refractor telescope, a Hutech-modified Canon T3i DSLR, a Orion SSAG autoguider and 50mm guidescope, all on a Celestron AVX mount.

M22, a Globular Cluster in the Constellation of Sagittarius

M22, or Messier 22, is a bright globular cluster in the constellation of Sagittarius that is readily visible in binoculars in the summer sky. 

The dense star cluster is one of the nearest of the roughly 150 globular clusters surrounding the Milky Way. M22 was the first globular cluster ever discovered, back in 1665. 

I took this photo with a TMB92L refractor telescope, an unmodified Canon T3i DSLR camera, and a Celestron CG-4 mount equipped with a tracking motor. This was one of my first-ever attempts at long-exposure, deep-sky imaging. 

Waterlilies Burning, part 1

2013, Acrylic on Canvas, Mixed Media, 36″x36″

The first in a series of three, this is one of my favorite pieces. I am frequently drawn to vibrant colors and enjoyed working up my alternate take on Monet's "Waterlilies". 

Waterlilies Burning, part 2

2013, Acrylic on Canvas, Mixed Media, 20 1/2″ x 10 1/2″

The inspiration for this series was Monet's "Waterlilies". The second in a series of three, I enjoyed making a reductive version of the initial work. I like that I was able to convey the same voice throughout all three pieces while each one still works on its own, independent of the others.

Waterlilies Burning, part 3

2013, Acrylic on Canvas, Mixed Media, 20″x24″

My last of the three in a series inspired by Monet's "Waterlilies", this one took the furthest departure from the initial inspiration, but I feel it still retains the same spirit of the first two. 

Meditation

2021, Watercolor on Paper with Pen and Ink, 8 1/8″ x 11 1/8″

My reflection on the process of meditation and the feeling of experiencing your consciousness as all that you are, all that you exist as.

Double Rainbow over Colorado Bluffs

Photo of a double rainbow arching over the bluffs behind my old townhouse complex in Colorado Springs. This beautiful rainbow appeared after a particularly memorable afternoon thunderstorm.

I took with a Canon 70D DSLR camera and a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X116 Pro DX lens.