Cowgirl Autochrome & Living in the Sedona desert

This is an autochrome which is housed at the George Eastman Museum. Click here to go to the link which will keep you busy for a long time viewing many autochromes.
Color was so exciting to those first photographers that were able to have the equiptment and money to make autochromes before the advent of color film. there is a wonderful explanation of the process to be found here.
I do live in the West as many of you know, Arizona and although this is not my native state and I am originally from motor city, Detroit, I have lived here for the past 5 years. There are still cowboys here although not many. There are no ranches that I have seen but rather those who love the desert, wide open terrain and landscape that the west offers. There are mining towns and Indian ruins and all sorts of wonderful museums around that state that you would be hard pressed to name a favorite.
But those who come to Sedona for a vacation may end up with a man dressed in a cowboy outfit and driving not a horse but a pink jeep. These are the tour jeeps and there are yellow ones as well. People sit in these open air jeeps in the coldest of weather and are toured around bumpy back roads without any warmth or protection and by the time they are returned to their hotels they are ready for a hot tub and a good meal.
I see the hot air balloons going up in the early dawn hours when weather is cool enough to keep them afloat, and even had a niece who with my brother in law went up in one and he said it was "freezing" cold the entire time despite the warmth on the ground. I have lived here for almost 5 years and my enjoyment of the town has not been any of the tourists spots but rather getting a new found appreciation for the little things like a tarantula the first summer I was here, about 6 inches across, just meandering around a path near the local park, or better yet the often time lone coyote who walks down the middle of the road in mid day with no fear of cars or people, as if out for a jaunt. One of the scarier times was walking in early morning in summer as that is the only time in summer you can walk, and coming upon a family of javalinas, wild boar and their little ones, about 15 as they travel in large large packs often.. they are really ugly in the face, worse than a wild pig and make unearthly sounds. So I also appreciate the little bud flowers on my trees in front because with the very very little color besides the rocks that are here you tend to appreciate every living and flowering thing... and then there are the clouds.. oh the clouds.. when weather is clear and the planes are not criss-crossing their trails in the sky polluting our earth you have a spectacular cloud display, and sunsets to make you melt... then comes summer, but for now, it is spring and I intend to enjoy it before I am writing about the 112 degree heat.