Valentine from the Southwest

Red Pepper Heart

Red Pepper Valentine @ 2010 Bo Mackison

Happy Valentine’s Day to all my Valentines.

Red Pepper Valentine especially in honor of Sherpa. You’ve added lots of spice to my life!

And big hug to my son, my best Valentine gift ever. Valentine’s Day, all those years ago? — I remember as if it were today!  Happy birthday, Jeff!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for the next eight weeks. She is taking the day off after successfully exhibiting at the 5 day Tubac Festival of the Arts to enjoy the Arizona sunshine and celebrate Valentine’s Day. (Artist series will continue tomorrow.)

Clydesdales at Tubac

Clydesdales at Tubac Festival of the Arts

Clydesdales at Tubac

Today was the opening day of the Tubac Festival of Arts in Tubac, Arizona. After yesterday’s windy day during set-up for the show, the weather for the first day of the five day art festival was mild and warm, and of course, sunny.

One hundred and seventy artists from throughout the country set up their art booths along the streets of Tubac, amidst the artist colony’s galleries, shops, restaurants, and studios.  Clydesdales pull trolleys throughout the town since no cars are allowed on the streets during the fair.

I was lucky enough to get a booth placement near one of the trolley stops (at the corner of Hesselbarth Lane and Tubac Road).  What  magnificent animals they are! (You can see my booth to the left of the horses, look for the the white and green sign.)

Seeded Earth Studio will be at the Tubac Festival of Art for the remainder of the show, February 10 through 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Stop and say hello!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for the next eight weeks, exhibiting her photography in art fairs, taking photographs in deserts and desert gardens, and blogging about learning to live on her own. Visit as she writes about living and working in Tucson. Her mantra is “Bo goes solo!”

Within Our Dreams

Botanical Abstract

Within Our Dreams © 2011 Bo Mackison

Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities.  ~Sue Atchley Ebaugh

The Warm Colors

In Red and Yellow

Beckoning: In Red and Yellow © 2011 Bo Mackison

The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts. ~ Marcus Aurelius

The view from my window is white and blizzard-y, but I photographed lots of bright flowers in the conservatory last week — just to add some color to the first week in February.

February in Wisconsin is always wintry, but this year may be a record setter. We are shoveling and plowing from the first of the two storms “scheduled” for this week. We only had six inches of the white stuff fall in the last 24 hours, so this storm isn’t much of a challenge for Madison’s veteran snow handlers. Tomorrow there is more snow heading our way–12+ inches–but it’s not the snow that will cause difficulties, but the wind and drifting.

But if all goes as predicted and planned, the roads should be in fine driving condition as we head south on Friday, and then take a turn towards the west on Saturday. After a few more southerly and westerly maneuvers on Sunday, we should be pulling into Tucson Monday afternoon!

After almost a year of planning, I can hardly believe that my Tucson adventure is almost ready to begin!

The World Within

Hibiscus

A World Within © 2011 Bo Mackison

I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.  ~Lillian Smith