Narcissus

Narcissus Macro

Narcissus Macro © 2011 Bo Mackison

The narcissus is a symbol of rebirth and new beginnings, a harbinger of spring. To many of us living in the northern climates, the narcissus–also called the daffodil– not only proclaims winter’s end, but gives us reason us to appreciate the present moment, this time of blossoming.

I have a bed of spring-flowering bulbs that is partially protected by the eaves of my house, and this afternoon I was able to take a few photographs of the garden flowers between raindrops and snowflakes. But I kept one eye on my botanical subjects and my other eye on the lightning streaking across the sky.

Once the hail started bouncing off the sidewalk and thunder began rumbling, I called an end to my outdoor photo-shoot, and decided I would continue to appreciate this spring moment from the interior–and safety–of my house.

 

 

 

Bleeding Hearts

String of Hearts

Hometown Hearts © 2011 Bo Mackison

“Solo in Tucson” is over.

Sherpa and I left Tucson on Thursday morning and spent the first night of our “going home” road trip at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino just south of Albuquerque. Friday we planned to drive to Wichita, Kansas before stopping for the night, but high winds and blowing dust plagued us from noon until after five p.m.

After I counted the eighth semi rollover in a two-hour period — trucks sprawled upside down in the roadside ditch — I went searching for a map and a closer stopping place. We ended up staying in Liberal, Kansas, four hours behind schedule. Fortunately, Saturday dawned calm and sunny, and after thirteen hours of driving, we reached our third night’s destination, Quincy, Illinois.

Quincy is my hometown, and as a child, I lived in a huge brick apartment house with my parents, my grandparents and my great-grandmother. I was frequently sent to pick a bouquet of flowers whenever someone wanted some spring color in one of the rooms. In April, my flower of choice was the beautiful bleeding heart. It never failed to bring a smile to the face of the recipient. Or to me.

Bleeding Heart Bush

Bleeding Heart Bush © 2011 Bo Mackison

On Sunday morning, our last day of travel, we stopped at the old house. The home is vacant and in disrepair, but I could see part of the back garden from the road, the greenery overgrown and leaning against the side yard fence. And I could see the bleeding heart bushes covered with hundreds of blooming flowers.

I grabbed my camera and quickly took a few photographs of my childhood garden. The bleeding heart plant is one that never ceases to thrill me, its many branches supporting strings of bright pink hearts. What a lovely and unusually shaped bloom.

And then Sherpa and I hit the road, and arrived home Sunday evening. We unpacked the art trailer before we collapsed in bed, quite exhausted.

My spectacular journey, “Solo in Tucson,” comes to an end.

All totaled, I spent 78 days in Tucson and Arizona, and wrote 62 blog posts about my travels, the art fairs I did in Tubac and Tempe, and the many places I explored and photographed in the Southwest.

During my travels, I was grateful to all who regularly visited my blog. Last Thursday, I announced a drawing for some of my photography as a token of my appreciation. Today, as promised, I announce the winner.

The winner of the drawing, picked using a random number generator, is Robin, a writer/photographer I often visit on her blog, Life in the Bogs.

Congratulations, Robin! I’ll be in touch soon.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She spent the last 10 weeks living Tucson while exhibiting in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art, and living life “solo” in the desert. Bo’s “Solo in Tucson” adventure is over, but the memories will last forever. And who knows — maybe there will be a “Solo in Tucson 2012”!

Views from Kitt Peak Road

View from Kitt Peak

View from Kitt Peak © 2011 Bo Mackison

Kitt Peak rises 6,875 feet above the Sonoran Desert floor.

As the road snakes up the side of the mountain, the views dramatically change from unending desert to juniper-pinion scrub to snow covered mountain peaks.

Tohono O'odham Land

Tohono O’odham Land © 2011 Bo Mackison

Kitt Peak which includes Kitt Peak National Observatory is surrounded by the Tohono O’odham Nation which covers nearly 4,000 square miles of land in several Arizona counties. The land for the observatories is leased from the Tohono O’odham.

Dusting of Snow at 8,000 Feet
Dusting of Snow © 2011 Bo Mackison

The Quinlan and Baboquivari Mountains are part of the Kitt Peak range.

When we visited in early April, there had been several days of cloudy weather and intermittent snow showers. Here the peaks still have a dusting of snow, even though the temperatures on the desert floor were in the mid 80s.

Last Reminder: I am having a drawing for one of my Arizona or Botanical photographs (11″ x 14″) or a set of photo art note cards in appreciation of the support my blog readers offered while I was “Solo in Tucson”.  To enter the drawing, here is the information about the contest and directions on how to enter. (Last day to enter is Sunday, April 17. Winner will be announced on Monday, April 18.)

Kitt Peak Visitor Center and Mosaic

Kitt Peak Visitor Center

Kitt Peak Visitor Center © 2011 Bo Mackison

Kitt Peak Visitor Center at the National Observatory is the hub for dispersing visitor information and has exhibits and a gift shop. I must say, however that one of my favorite parts of the building is the mosaic artwork on the building. In fact, I was so fascinated by the mosaic and its amazing mix of colors and shapes, I took quite a few close-up photographs of the mosaic.

I also intended to take a photo of the entire mosaic, but there were other visitors nearby so I planned to finish after we looked at the observatories. Oops. Looks like that will have to be a next time project. I forgot about the mosaic photo until I’d driven down the mountain and was approaching the exit gate. Twelve mountain miles away.

Kitt Peak Mosaic IV

Kitt Peak Mosaic IV © 2011 Bo Mackison

Here are a sampling of the close-ups of the mosaic. You’ll have to do the interpreting.

Kitt Peak Mosaic VII

Kitt Peak Mosaic VII © 2011 Bo Mackison

Love all these blue shades. Full of symbols, too.

Kitt Peak Mosaic I

Kitt Peak Mosaic I © 2011 Bo Mackison

And all these marvelous shimmering layers of color.

Kitt Peak Disc Art

Kitt Peak Disc Art © 2011 Bo Mackison

One last photograph of another piece of art I photographed on Kitt Peak, this a welcoming disc in the visitors’ parking lot.

I haven’t found any info about the art or artists, but when I have better access to internet research I’ll add whatever I find.

(Last post from Kitt Peak is next — the scenery from the mountain peak plus the inner workings of a gigantic telescope.)

Reminder: I am having a drawing for one of my Arizona — or Midwest — photographs or a set of photo art note cards in appreciation of all the support my blog readers offered while I was “Solo in Tucson”.  To enter the drawing, leave a comment on the April 13 post — check out the contest information and directions on how to enter.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She has been living in Tucson for the last ten weeks, exploring Arizona and living life “solo.” Bo is on her way back to Wisconsin, but will do a few more posts from her last days in Arizona.

Exploring Kitt Peak

Kitt Peak

Roadside View of Kitt Peak © 2011 Bo Mackison

My younger daughter flew in for a weekend visit just before it was time for me to leave Tucson. She loves science, any kind of science, and so we drove to Kitt Peak to see the National Observatories.

The white domed observatories on top of the 6,875 foot summit aren’t the only an amazing sight on the 50 mile trip west of Tucson. There is also plenty of breath taking desert and mountain scenery on the drive. We drove the  first 45 miles  on paved roads through the Tohono O’odham Reservation and the Sonoran Desert. The last 12 miles were on a maintained mountain road with patches of snow — from a mid-April storm a few days before we visited — and spectacular views of the desert floor and snow spattered, adjacent mountain ranges. (Next post!)

Kitt Peak Welcome Sign

Kitt Peak Welcome Sign © 2011 Bo Mackison

Kitt Peak National Observatory is operated by an association of universities throughout the country (including the University of Wisconsin at Madison) in cooperation with the National Science Foundation. We even saw a Bucky Badger decal on one of the scientists lab stands. My daughter is an alum of UW, so she was pleased to see the Wisconsin mascot on duty at one of the observatories.

Observatories on Kitt Peak

Observatories on Kitt Peak © 2011 Bo Mackison

This is the largest collection of optical telescopes in the world. It’s a rather amazing display of scientific buildings, all clustered on the very top of a desert mountain.

The tallest telescope in the photo is the Mayall 4 meter (158 inch), one of the world’s largest telescopes. It resides in an 18-story building. There is an elevator that provides access to the 10th-floor observation deck and panoramic views of southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico, but this particular telescope was closed the day we were there.

Just one more reason for me to return to Kitt Peak at a later date. I’d also love to stay for the night show and see the stars using one of the observatory’s telescopes.

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope © 2011 Bo Mackison

This is one of the more unusual buildings on the peak. It is the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope which produces a 30-inch image of the sun by using mirrors in a slanted 500-foot corridor. Only 200 feet of the tunnel are visible, the other 300 feet are below ground level. You can go inside the building and check out the long chamber and view the mirrors. Not only is this telescope a scientific wonder, it is also an architectural wonder. It even won an architectural award in 1962, rather an unusual accomplishment for an observatory.

1.3 Meter Telescope on Kitt Peak

1.3 Meter Telescope on Kitt Peak

This is one of the smaller telescopes, and one used by visitors during the nightly viewing tours. The larger telescopes are reserved for professional and student astronomers, though even they have to play a form of astronomy-roulette. They sign up for a viewing time months or years in advance and if their chosen evening’s view is obstructed by clouds, they have to sign up on the list again. Luckily there are only a few cloudy evenings  each year in this part of the Sonoran Desert.

Open 2.1 m Telescope

Open 2.1 m Telescope © 2011 Bo Mackison

The 2.1-meter (84 inch) telescope was the first large instrument on Kitt Peak for night-time observing. We were able to go inside for a close-up view of the inner workings, plus view an educational exhibit on the telescope. Astronomers use this scope to observe distant stars and galaxies in both the visible and infrared spectra.

On the day we were there, we watched as the telescope opened and closed several times.

Observatory Complex, Kitt Peak Arizona

Observatory Complex, Kitt Peak Arizona © 2011 Bo Mackison

One last photograph, proving that, yes, it does snow on the peaks of desert mountains. I thought I had escaped winter’s snow by coming to Tucson, but my daughter was delighted to see the snow, and stomp in it, and make a few snowballs to throw at me.

Seems she thinks the desert is too hot and prefers Wisconsin winters to Tucson winters. Amazing!

Reminder: I am having a drawing for one of my photographs or a set of photo art note cards in appreciation of all the support my blog readers gave me while I was on my Tucson adventure.  To enter the drawing, leave a comment on the April 13 post — check out the drawing information and directions on how to enter.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She has been living in Tucson for the last ten weeks, exploring Arizona and living life “solo.” she is now on her way back to Wisconsin, but will be posting photographs from a few more Arizona destinations.