Simply Seen

A Light and its Curvature

A Light and Curvature

I’ve been told I take photographs of odd things. That’s true. While I was enthusiastically photographing this light, quite thrilled with the two color tones of wall behind it, the graceful curve of the wrought iron, the textures – metal, fluted glass, adobe, wood – I had three different people approach with cameras in their hands. They stopped, peered at what I was photographing, probably asked themselves “What IS she photographing?” and then walked on. They just didn’t get it.

But I got it. The picture I imagined in my head was captured with one of my photographs. How sweet that is!

Desert Sun – A Poem of Faith

Arizona Desert

Staring into the burning desert sun. Desert heat
rises, sears my soul, the searching soul, seeking light.

I sink into the sand-earth, the desiccated cactus roots unable to support me.

Be not distraught. Reach out. Stand upright.

The sun drops off the edge of the world, night slips in quietly, settles,

A star shimmers.
And another.

I have journeyed long,
watched sunrises and sunsets, the ascents and descents of many moons.

Now a multitude of stars alight the heavens, milky streams of light, and with faith
I await the return of the sun.

~~~~~~~~~

This is a contribution to the poetry challenge being run by the Abbey of the Arts: Entering the Desert’s Fire.  In the invitation to share a poem Christine writes:

I invite you this week to write a poem about your own invitation to enter the refiner’s fire – in alchemy lead is transformed into gold through heat and this becomes a metaphor for the human soul.  What is the lead within you ready to be transformed into something treasured?

Plump Saguaro Cactus in Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park

This saguaro cactus is nearly bulging at its seams. The Sonoran Desert region in this part of Saguaro National Park has had a rainy period and the saguaros were able to soak up the rain water and store it in its ribs. As the weather becomes hotter and drier, the saguaro will use the stored water and the ribs will shrivel and become more ridged.

Historic First Church in Phoenix, Arizona

Steeple against the Bluest of Skies

Steeple against the Bluest of Skies

Before we left Phoenix for the trip to Tucson, we got off the Interstate for awhile and drove the streets in downtown Phoenix. I saw this church a few blocks away, and said the now famous phrase, “That would make a great photo…” I am getting so much better at accepting that it is OK to go back for photographs, and so we drove in circles a bit until we found the right streets and the church.

I thought I remembered that the church had written on the front, in huge letters, “First Historic Church”. That made me curious. I get the historic part, but I wondered how it could claim first in that category. It didn’t look that old. Then I went back in my photo archives and realized it said “Historic First Church,” so that made more sense. Amazing how a turn of words implies a different concept.

When I Googled “Historic First Church,” I discovered there are numerous church buildings that are historic and first – Brooklyn, Pasadena, Albany, and yes, Phoenix. But I gave up trying to find much information about the building in Phoenix after several more Google searches.

I did learn that this was the first Protestant church organized in the Arizona Territory and that it has served downtown Phoenix as the First Presbyterian Church since 1879, but I could find nothing about the building itself.

And on a side note, Arizona has the bluest skies I have ever seen.

Adobe and Shadows in Tubac Arizona

Tubac Arizona

Tubac Arizona

On my recent trip to the Southwest, I noticed one big difference between Arizona and Wisconsin. Summed up in one word – SUN! The sun seems to shine all the time. Now I know that is an exaggeration. We actually had one day (out of ten) that was cloudy and we did get caught in a rain shower. But for the most part, the sun was shining in that big, bright blue sky.

The sun makes for some great photo opportunities of shadow play. This adobe building not only had strong shadows from the wooden ramada, but also had more subtle shadows from a nearby palo verde tree.