Three Views of a Saguaro

Saguaro Spines

go to site Saguaro Spines © 2011 Bo Mackison

https://bettierose.co.uk/booking/ Lately I’ve picked one subject to photograph in many ways, exploring it up close and far away. Exploring it from different views – from the top, all sides, from low while lying upon the earth. The desert has made me adapt to her ways, as I haven’t yet found a way to lie comfortably on her floor. I do not trust even a small area that looks gravel-y and clear of sharp objects.

https://www.jacobysaustin.com/press/ Cactus spines, tree thorns, cholla stickers – my eyesight will never be acute enough to judge a space safe enough to lie upon.

http://www.ztpackaging.com/laminated-bags/ It is making me explore alternative methods, for I have a strong connection to photographing earth’s living creatures while lying on my back, feeling fully connected to the earth itself.

go Not a problem is Wisconsin, but a definite concern in Arizona.

Cactus Catch

Buy Ativan Online Without Prescription Cactus Catch © 2011 Bo Mackison

Order Tramadol Online Sherpa and I did a running count yesterday as we walked in the Sonoran Desert. We counted the number of “cartoon” cacti that we actually saw. Remember those “Beep, beep!” road runner cartoons? The desert would be a huge void, the ground sandy, much like a beach or a child’s sandbox, and at repetitive intervals a saguaro cactus would drift in and out of view. The cactus was always a one-armed or two-armed version of a Saguaro.

https://anthonynewmancamps.com/lacrosse-camps/ Obviously the cartoonists simplified the desert for the children, or perhaps they’d never seen the living desert themselves. Although there is space in the desert — most plants are not crowded together, but stand at respectful distances from each other, giving most plants enough space to provide the needed moisture — there are no large, open spaces of sandy terrain. Various cacti, bushes, trees and other vegetative species occupy a good amount of the land.

Purchase Xanax Online So I need to figure out a solution to my “lying on the earth” dilemma. Lightweight so I can carry it, impervious to sharp, sticky things, non-destructive to the desert floor. Hmm…

Cactus Portal

Buy Clonazepam Online Overnight Cactus Portal © 2011 Bo Mackison

I am always amazed at the unusual things I see in the desert. In the above photo, there is a hole in the saguaro allowing me a peek at the saguaro standing behind it. Not only was I able to show this secret space, but the sunlight cast lovely shadows of the saguaro spines upon the cactus surface which gave the added treat of diagonal shadow/light.

See? The desert gives many gifts to those who wander there, observing the obvious and the not so obvious. I am very grateful that I am able to have another desert experience this year.

Desert Redux.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer, owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is thrilled beyond words as she can again explore southern Arizona, especially the Sonoran desert.

 

Garden Gate

Garden Gate

Garden Gate © 2011 Bo Mackison

My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never been.  ~ Diane Arbus

Travel and blogging – a difficult pair. I always have much I could write about when I am traveling. But I never have much free time. And when I have free time, I am at the end of my day and my motivation to ready a photo and write are struggling with my needs to relax a bit or go to sleep in order to be ready for the next day.

I’m not in my more accustomed Tucson mode. This is trip one of two trips to Tucson in the next few months. Sherpa and I decided November was a safer time to drive the art trailer to Arizona. Less weather drama. And after last February’s travels through rain, sleet, ice and snow, we decided “no more winter travels, not if we can avoid them.”

Sherpa hooked his remaining vacation days to the long Thanksgiving holiday and so, on this first trip to Tucson, we are officially on vacation. We’ll return to Wisconsin for most of December, and then I’ll return to Tucson in January and be here for a few months to do a few winter art shows in Arizona.

Today I am going to do one of my favorite things – go where I have never been. (Diane and I must have a lot in common!)

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Bo Mackison is a photographer, owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.

An Evening Out

El Charro

El Charro © 2011 Bo Mackison

Sherpa and I took the evening off and went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant. After three days of nearly non-stop driving,  a great Thanksgiving, and then a whirlwind weekend setting up for winter housekeeping in the condo, we appreciated an evening to sit down and relax, and have dinner served to us with a smile and no kitchen duty.

Since I am staying put for the next week, I will take my Canon out of the camera bag and return to my “slow” photography. I enjoyed my week with my iPhone camera, shooting with the Hipstamatic app. I never quite knew what would show up and that was part of the fun. And I’ll readily admit it did make traveling less stressful both for me and for Sherpa.

But I miss my big camera and I miss macro-photography. I’m ready to break out the gear for my first visit on this trip to the Sonoran Desert.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer, owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is on a ten-day explore in Tucson with Sherpa. Bo has experimented with iPhonography enough for one week, so tomorrow it’s the Canon’s turn.

 

 

Tucson, Here We Come

Driving To Tucson

Driving to Tucson © 2011 Bo Mackison

After a couple of days reprieve from driving, we stopped in Phoenix for a visit which included good times, good conversation and a great Thanksgiving feast. Friday morning, bright and early, we got back on the interstate and headed southeast towards Tucson.

The Desert is Green

The Desert is Green © 2011 Bo Mackison

This part of the Southwest has had rain. And this part of the Sonoran Desert is green. All last year, I hardly saw green, unless it was in the form of a cactus. Oh, how I love even a few hours of green when seen in the desert.

On the 19

On the 19 © 2011 Bo Mackison

The clouds were quite amazing. White fluffy clouds floating across the desert and the interstate. When the clouds reached the Santa Rita Mountains to the west, they hung in the creases and valleys. There were no mountain tops to see when we were driving through Tucson and heading a bit further south to our home.

Pecan Orchards

Pecan Orchards © 2011 Bo Mackison

More clouds and more green. These pecan orchards looked like rows upon rows of dead trees last year. Today they are covered with leaves, the leaves are turning a yellowish brown. I love the pecan trees with their leafy cover. But I suspect that when I return here in another month the trees will again stand bare – and remind me of the trees in Wisconsin.

We have arrived. Now to stock up on groceries, paper products, and begin the dusting, vacuuming, window washing routine. Tucson has it all – great scenery, great people, great weather, and dust storms which tend to keep home interiors slightly dusty, no matter how often one cleans.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer, owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is on a ten-day explore in Tucson with Sherpa. While they are sight-seeing, Bo will continue using the Hipstamatic — fast photography approach. Once she is on her own, she will again practice her slow photography. (Hope the Canon doesn’t get too lonely.)

Turkey and Cranberries and Giving Thanks

The Star of the Show

The Star of the Show © 2011 Bo Mackison

The turkey is suitably browned and ready for the master carver to do his job.

Three Watched Pots

Three Watched Pots © 2011 Bo Mackison

The assistant to the chef is watching over the stove top. Whoever said three watched pots never boil wasn’t watching these pots.

Simmering Cranberries for Thanksgiving

Simmering Cranberries for Thanksgiving © 2011 Bo Mackison

The cranberries are simmering, soon to be a cranberry dish for the Thanksgiving table. We have stopped out travels long enough for a Thanksgiving Day visit with some special people we know.

Thanksgiving Day — perhaps the best holiday of the year. A holiday that is filled with meaning. Yes, there is the wonderful food as each cook puts his or her love into the offering of food. There are family celebrations for some, celebrations with friends for others, but the most important celebration is the one you can do alone, by yourself, no one else required.

I take time out of this holiday — filled with parades, football, a Thanksgiving feast, friends and family — take time and list that for which I am grateful. There is so much goodness in my life, and I am grateful. My life, my health. My spouse, my children, my family. My home and garden. I can go on and on. And I will — in silent thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio. She knows that the cranberries in the photo strongly resemble baked beans, but she is thankful for any kind of photography.