A Plant of Many Colors

Aloe in Bloom

source link Aloe in Bloom © 2011 Bo Mackison

I’m down to my last week in Arizona.

go to link And, not that I’ve been procrastinating or anything like that, but I finally accomplished the second to the last goal on my list — a trip to an Arizona attraction that required an overnight stay.

Purchase Klonopin Online Yesterday I headed to Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona. The arboretum is almost 3 hours north of where I am staying, and if I had wanted to push, I could have driven there and back in one day. But part of any trip’s appeal is being able to stop along the side of the road for that photograph…and that one…and that one. I know from experience that a three hour drive can easily turn into four or more hours, and I didn’t want to be driving unfamiliar roads through a dark desert on my way home. So I booked a motel room nearby.

https://www.ztpackaging.com/cake-pastry/ I found the overnight a bit more stressful than I expected–probably because it is something I have only done once or twice in my life. I tried to figure out ways to make it easier–checking in while it was still daylight and bringing my things in from the car before I went off to explore the area. Those helped. Even so, I didn’t see everything I had on my list because I wanted to get back to the motel to “feel safer”.  I need more practice with this kind of traveling. I’ll have to return to Globe/Superior and finish the tour next time I’m in the area.

I spent several hours at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

follow site I’ve been to here before and have always enjoyed the many areas to explore, but on this visit I concentrated mostly on the blooming perennials and a few blooming cactus. The central region of Arizona is much greener than Tucson and the areas south of Tucson, so it was a chance for me to see a bit of Arizona in bloom.

source link The aloes were a big surprise to me. I’ve don’t recall seeing aloe in bloom, nor did I realize that aloe blooms could be so varied. Makes sense–just something I’d never experienced before. I love these multicolored buds of the aloe in the photo. It seems as if almost every color, in some shade, is represented.

click here Since today is a mostly cloudy day, I’ll be processing the other photos from Boyce Thompson and the rest of my trip this afternoon. Usually I need to wait to do my photo work in the evening because the studio is too bright and the window coverings are minimal. But today I am appreciating the cloud cover!

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Living the Miracle

Fishhook Barrel Cactus

https://www.completerehabsolutions.com/wheelchair-assessments/ Fishhook Cactus Patterns © 2011 Bo Mackison

follow link There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle. ~ Albert Einstein

watch I think there might be a third way that Albert didn’t mention– trying to live your life as if everything is a miracle, but only succeeding part of the time because our human tendencies get in the way.

https://thesentinelgroup.com/what-is-elmiron/ When I step on a cactus thorn in my stocking feet…because I was only going to take a few steps on the patio…and my sandals were in the front room…and I took the chance that there wouldn’t be any wind-blown cactus spines on my patio…and the cactus spines won… Well, then it is a bit hard to focus on the miracle of cactus spines.

click here When I am taking a macro-photo of a yucca plant, and I’m moving closer and closer a few inches at a time, and not paying close attention to where my body is is relation to where the sharp points of the yucca are, and I jab my stomach into five yucca stabbers, and end up having to search for band-aids because my stomach has tiny, bleeding puncture wounds in several places…well, then, once more, it is hard to focus on the miracle of those heavily armored desert plants.

go to link But, when I am looking at a fishhook barrel cactus through a macro lens, and I see the delicate overall patterns, and the overlapping stickers all aligned like dancers in a tightly choreographed arrangement, and the contrasting pinks against the cactus greens, then once again, I see the miracle of each desert plant.

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Cactus Beauties

Cactus Blossoms

go site Cactus Blossoms © 2011 Bo Mackison

More cactus flowers.

follow I’m studying this cactus plant right now. It’s easy to do as it is blooming only a hundred feet from my front door. Today there was a cloud cover towards the end of the day, and I knew I had to go back out and re-shoot these flowers. The desert sun, even when it is low on the horizon, is wicked bright, and I didn’t have enough hands to manage camera and deflector. But today–today the clouds provided a natural deflector and the colors came out soft and even.

Hedgehog Cactus in Bloom

Purchase Xanax Online Hedgehog Cactus in Bloom © 2011 Bo Mackison

source link It was a windy day, but the nice thing about a cactus in bloom? The flowers are close to the plant, and wind doesn’t whip the flowers around, at least not the way the wind whips flowers on stems.

Purchase Xanax Online I’m still studying these blossoms. I brought a thick, rubber car mat with me from Wisconsin, thinking that if I had the chance, I might want to have some protection from the desert floor as I took photographs. Tomorrow, I’ll get the mat and try some different views. That’s the best part about photography–all the experimenting.

Cactus Red

Cactus Red © 2011 Bo Mackison

Sometimes I just sit and look at a plant for awhile, a long while. Try and absorb its character, its beauty.

I had another photographer approach me when I was shooting at the botanical gardens a couple of days ago. He asked me if I was done with my shoot. I said no, I was studying the angles of the flower and looking at the shades of color. He shrugged and turned to leave, then he looked over his shoulder and said, “You must be one of those art-y kind of photographers.”

That made me laugh. Actually — I just love sitting in desert botanical gardens.

 

Bloomin’ Cactus

Hedgehog Cactus Bloom

Hedgehog Cactus Bloom © 2011 Bo Mackison

I saw this cactus covered with these most marvelous bright red blossoms as I pulled into the casita where I am staying in Tucson.

I’ve been anticipating the cactus bloom since I arrived; I was beginning to think I would miss out on the spring blossoms. So when I noticed these cactus plants in bloom this afternoon, it brought a smile to my face.

Now, I admit I haven’t spent much of today smiling. It’s been a rough day. My mom, who will be celebrating her 86th birthday next week, was rushed to the hospital yesterday evening with a mechanical defibrillator problem. Repair surgery was scheduled for today, and then postponed. It was decided the small city hospital she was in could not do the surgery, so a transfer to a larger hospital 100 miles away was initiated.

Today was a day filled with phone calls to and from my husband — he was trying to manage the medical issues from Wisconsin, to the nursing staff and cardiologists, and to family members. Due to some complications with travel, and the immediacy of the surgery, it was decided that I would remain in Arizona. Sherpa headed to my family’s hometown to manage the hospital routine.

Layers of Red

Layers of Red © 2011 Bo Mackison

Now surgery is scheduled for Monday morning, wehave figured out our schedules, and everyone is resting comfortably.

And I am in Arizona.

I thought I would be okay with the decision. After all, the surgery is a minor repair, and my mother plans to return to her home after a few days in the hospital. But by the fourteenth phone conversation of the day, I was worn out with worry, confused by the multiple changes in plans, and on the verge of a panic attack. I knew I had to calm myself.

I kept thinking of those cactus flowers just down the road. I had wanted to photograph them just before sunset. The sun was setting. I only had a few minutes to gather my camera gear and check out the flowers. But here I was, crying like a baby, gasping for my next breath.

But I was determined to photograph those flowers in the waning light. And I wanted to get myself back in control too. So I stuffed Kleenex in one pocket and a filter in my other pocket, and I grabbed my camera and tripod. I’d like to tell you that I wiped my eyes and then calmly took these  photos. Not true, though. No, I couldn’t quite quit crying and sniffing, but I finally managed to set up my camera and tripod.

For the first few shots, I couldn’t focus because of my tears. But I really wanted the chance to capture the beauty of these flowers more than I wanted to keep on crying and feeling panicky.

Bloomin' Cactus

Bloomin’ Cactus © 2011 Bo Mackison

I took some deep breaths. I wiped my eyes dry. I took more photos.

Then I noticed my surroundings. I watched the last of the sunlight cast light and shadows on the Santa Rita Mountains. I watched a cactus wren do some maintenance work on her nest. I watched two striking black and yellow butterflies dance around the ocotillo blooms. I took many more deep breaths and calmed down.

Later I made a more calls to check on things. My mom is stable and is good hands in the cardiac care unit. All is okay–both in the Midwest and here in Arizona.

In eleven days, Sherpa will fly out and we’ll pack the car, turn it a little east and a little north, and drive home. We’ll make a stop on the way to visit my mother.

I’m not too accustomed to handling family medical emergencies alone. I’m sure not used to being 1800 miles away, but today, even though it was a complicated decision, it seems to be the right decision. Right now we are all calmly waiting for the next step.

Today I learned more about living solo in Arizona than I’d bargained for, but all is going well.

Baja Fairy Duster

Fairy Duster

Baja Fairy Duster © 2011 Bo Mackison

It’s a good thing that I finally conquered my fear of interstate driving. Now that I can navigate “the 10” (Interstate 10) which wraps around the west and south sides of Tucson, I can now drive anywhere in the Tucson area without having to deal with stop and go street traffic. What freedom!

Today I took a trip to Tohono Chul Park, an urban botanical garden in Tucson, and I finally got a chance to photograph a few flowers.

I’ve photographed the pink fairy duster before, but never have I had the honor of seeing the red Baja Fairy Duster, a species about three times the size of the pink one.

This flower has so many interesting features. Though must of the “dusters” stick straight out from the center of the flower, there were a few stragglers–these squiggles. How fun are they?

Baja Fairy Duster

Baja Red Fairy Duster © 2011 Bo Mackison

This is a more traditional view of the fairy duster. The plant is native to Mexico. Though it usually blooms in February, due to this year’s hard freeze and extremely dry conditions, it is just now blooming.

What a bright, delicate looking flower–I would never have picked it to be a desert plant.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.” She is happy to have the privilege to photograph desert flowers.