Hummer Portrait – Anna’s Hummingbird

Male Anna’a Hummingbird © 2014 Bo Mackison

Purchasing Valium Online Legal “There is something inside the soul of all of us that wants to soar through sunbeams, then dance midair in a delicate mist, then take a simple bath on a leaf. There is something in our souls that wants to hover at beautiful moments in our lives, making them freeze in time. There is something in us that wants to fly backwards and savor once more the beautiful past. Some of us are just hummingbird people.” ~ Ted Andrews, Animal Speak

click here What a beauty, the Anna’s Hummingbird. One of the more common hummingbirds in Arizona, but always a visitor worth stopping for to enjoy  his spirited movements. If nothing else, the hummingbird reminds me to pause and appreciate the beauty surrounding me — and not just the wondrous hummingbird which is easy to appreciate, but all of the mysteries in the natural world.

Flashing his Colors © 2014 Bo Mackison

Buy Msj Diazepam Online The male hummingbird turned towards the sun in the western sky, and I saw a magnificent display of his colors, a flash in the sunlight. At a slightly different angle the iridescent pinks fade into deeper colors. This flash of color is often a part of the hummingbird’s mating ritual – the male dives, dances, and flashes his glimmering colors towards a female, signaling his intentions. The female may accept or simply fly off.

https://www.iql-nog.com/2025/01/19/1etdldoo This little guy reminds me of a miniature, pink feathered Darth Vader!

Anna’s Hummingbird in Color © 2014 Bo Mackison

go site “Hummingbird shows us how to re-visit the past for the purpose of releasing it instead of being caught in a permanently backward flight pattern. It also helps us to see that if we step aside we may see our life differently. Hummingbird teaches us to transcend time, to recognize that what has happened in the past and what might happen in the future is not nearly as important as what we are experiencing now. It teaches us to hover in the moment, to appreciate its sweetness.” ~ Constance Barrett Sohodski

Anna’a Hummingbird © 2014 Bo Mackison

source url Recently I’ve been seeing hummingbirds wherever I go. They seem to be hovering nearby, not only at the backyard bird feeders, but also in the grocery store parking lot or deep in the Sonoran Desert when I am hiking.

follow site I am never too busy to stop and admire their beauty, and be reminded of their independence and determination.

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Hummer Portrait – Costa’s Hummingbird

Hummer © 2014 Bo Mackison

go to site “The worst is not death but being blind, blind to the fact that everything about life is in the nature of the miraculous. The language of society is conformity; the language of the creative individual is freedom. Life will continue to be a hell as long as people who make up the world shut their eyes to reality.”

http://lisapriceblog.com/7k3132zx1 ~ Henry Miller, Stand Still Like the Hummingbird

Cottonwood at Historic Empire Ranch

Cottonwood

Valium Prescriptions Online Cottonwood at Empire Ranch © 2014 Bo Mackison

Tramadol Canada Online For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. ~ Hermann Hesse, Bäume. Betrachtungen und Gedichte

A tree stands in the spreading grasslands of the Empire Ranch, a thriving ranch from the 1870s to the 1970s.

Valium Online Sale Empire Ranch was not only a ranch. It was the set for dozens of western styled movies and television shows, filmed from 1946 through 1998.

I imagine many a movie great walked the land under this cottonwood tree.

https://bettierose.co.uk/xee7794wask Just a few of the many movies icons and films shot on this wide open “set” were: John Wayne in https://www.mckenziesportsphysicaltherapy.com/cf9hzb5d Red River, (1948); Gordon McRae, Shirley Jones in source site Oklahoma!(1955); James Arness, Dennis Weaver, Amanda Blake in  go here Gunsmoke, several shows (1955-75); Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas in Cheap Valium Wholesale Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, (1957); Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, several shows of  https://opponix.com/81nkwzx9pta Bonanza (1959-73); Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson in go to link A Star Is Born (1976); and Barbara Stanwyck, Walter Huston in https://valkyrieswebzine.com/nouvel/valium-to-buy.php The Furies (1950).

https://www.amyglaze.com/5sak19fe They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven and Nietzsche. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfill themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. ~ Hermann Hesse, Bäume. Betrachtungen und Gedichte

This tree has a history, but the history I imagine for it is a fictional one.

http://geoffnotkin.com/laygu/buy-valium-overnight-delivery.php It is easy to imagine a movie crew resting in the shade of this cottonwood between takes filmed under the unforgiving desert sun. It is easy to imagine the children who lived and played on the working ranch bringing a picnic spread to eat under the tress. Perhaps there was a doll party or two. Or even a child’s birthday party.

go An argument, a first kiss, a fist fight, a marriage proposal? The tree was near enough the ranch to be a convenient gathering place for all sorts of events.

Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. When a tree is cut down and reveals its naked death-wound to the sun, one can read its whole history in the luminous, inscribed disk of its trunk: in the rings of its years, its scars,

all the struggle, all the suffering, all the sickness, all the happiness and prosperity stand truly written, the narrow years and the luxurious years, the attacks withstood, the storms endured. And every young farm boy knows that the hardest and noblest wood has the narrowest rings, that high on the mountains and in continuing danger the most indestructible, the strongest, the ideal trees grow. ~ Hermann Hesse, Bäume. Betrachtungen und Gedichte

A solitary tree in the high desert is a mighty thing.

Few trees reach the stature of a cottonwood in this land. The cottonwoods create a sinuous ribbon of life contrasted with the parched white grasses spreading away from the dry creek beds. The trees, with deep roots, can access the deeper water aquifers that other plants cannot.

This tree stand solitary, sacaton grasslands spread from it in all directions for miles. In the harsh light, the light is brighter, the shadows are deeper. The cottonwood is beginning to leaf out, but the brilliant light transforms the individual fluttering leaves into brilliantly lit diamonds.

Empire Ranch offers many opportunities for photographs, but for its introduction, I chose to focus on this one tree. When I combine this stoic tree, leaves rustling, with the distant voices in my imagination, it is enough for an introduction.

 

Essence of Place – Mission San Xavier del Bac

White Dove Mission

https://www.mssbizsolutions.com/mdke71m “Essence of Place” – A limited selection of photographs that, when combined, provide an overall feel for a place and offer a unique glimpse into what gives a place its particular essence. The mood or emotion portrayed in the place is emphasized. People are frequently included to illustrate culture or connection.  ~ Bo Mackison

Capturing “Essence of Place” is not limited to expansive landscape and wilderness areas.

Essence of Place is also a useful container when photographing historical sites, architectural spaces and urban settings. are also perfect spaces to capture their essence in a limited number of photos.

In some settings, particularly if one is traveling to see a special place, it is helpful to do some research and list a few words or phrases that highlight what the qualities that capture the essence of place. This is simply a place to begin — there will always be the serendipitous photos seen on site.

When photographing an architectural, it is helpful to keep in mind scale, and include photos of the entire site, photos of a part of the building’s exterior, plus expansive interior photos, intimate interior photos, and photos that capture small, telling details.

Words, phrases and concepts that define the “Essence of Place” at Mission Xavier del Bac:

  • National Historic Landmark
  • Catholic mission
  • a sacred place and active ministry
  • south of Tucson Arizona
  • construction from 1783 through 1797
  • built by the Tohono O’odham tribe, under the direction of Spanish Franciscans
  • oldest European structure in Arizona
  • original statuary, murals undergo constant restoration as funds are available
  • carved wooden statues of Native Americans and other saints
  • roofed with masonry vaults, domes
  • shells (symbol of pilgrimage) and cords (Franciscan symbol) are throughout the church
  • lime plaster exterior covering adobe bricks
  • painted curtains, marbling, even exterior drain spouts
San Xavier Mission

San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

This intimate landscape highlights the adobe brick structure, covered with lime plaster.

The white is stark against the Arizona bright blue skies. Desert trees offer minimal protection and shade. The sharp angles taken from a low vantage point emphasize the church’s majestic presence over the surrounding desert environment.

Down Spout of Paint

Painted Down Spout at San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

Creative details abound in the Mission Church.

In this frontier land in the 1700s, stone and adobe were available for building supplies, as was a limited amount of wood, but other items were hauled from Mexico, requiring a difficult overland trek

This did not stop the creators of the church from fabricating a sacred space using paint, gesso, and other natural materials. In one example, the drain spouts were fabricated from adobe, covered with lime plaster, and then painted from a crushed red rock substance.

In this portrait in a landscape, visiting brothers explore and worship in the historic church.

San Xavier Mission

The original church, whose construction dates from 1783-1797, was built by Tohono O’odham and supervised by Spanish Franciscan priests and brothers. The church has been repaired and renovate countless times – after periods of abandonment and disuse, earthquake damage, and lightning strike fires. Renovation is an ongoing process.

Pilgrims from around the world, some 200,000 a year, visit the Mission Church known as the “White Dove of the Desert”, a sacred space steeped in history, culture, and art.

Sacristy, Mission San Xavier del Bac

Sacristy, Mission San Xavier del Bac © 2014 Bo Mackison

The sacristy and east and west transepts feature over a hundred carved statues and murals.

Fabricated curtains, tassels, fonts, niches, and columns are carved from plaster and then highly decorated to resemble marble, fabric, gilding, and wood.

San Xavier Mission

Dome and Arches of San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

The mission church is a National Historic Landmark.

It is the oldest, still intact, European structure in Arizona.  Masonry vaults and domes form the roof which makes it unique among Spanish Colonial buildings in the United States borderland.

The church continues with restoration as funds become available. A glimpse of the scaffolds in the west sacristy is the site of a current restoration project. Experts are restoring a wall mural.

San Xavier Mission

St Bonaventure with Angels at his Feet, San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

Statues were usually created in the artist guilds in Mexico.

Then the statues were transported to the Mission where local artists added the finishing touches. Often the statues were “dressed” in gesso or fabric.

San Xavier Mission

St. Francis Candle at San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

Candles are an integral part in many Catholic Churches.

A warm golden glow emits from the many candle racks in the transepts of the church. Parishioners and visitors light candles as offerings, in gratitude and in petition. The candle lit areas are a favorite place for quiet prayer, introspection, meditation.

I chose to take a photograph of these candles and highlight the painted portrait of St. Francis Xavier, namesake of the mission and a revered saint of the Tohono O’odham — a “portrait” in a still life photograph.

San Xavier Mission

St. Francis Chapel at San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

A side chapel honors the namesake of the mission, St Francis Xavier.

Inside the small square building are racks for votive candles, statuary, and offerings from petitioners. Atop the chapel are three brass bells in a triple bell tower. The area in front of the chapel has carved stations of the cross in the stone wall and a desert garden.

San Xavier Mission

Interior of St. Francis Chapel © 2014 Bo Mackison

A detail shot shows the interior of the ten foot square chapel, white washed walls streaked with smoke.

There are always lit candles of petition and gratitude. (The paraffin candles have been replaced with a smokeless candle which will avoid further smoke damage to the ancient walls.

If one is patient, there are lulls between the petitioners’ visits. Wait long enough and the empty shrine fills with the still-present energy of seekers and believers.

I stood in this dim room, my eyes slowly adjusted to the candle lift dark when I came inside from the drenched-in-bright-sunlight desert. Scrawled letters with heart-touching stories, children’s drawings, holy cards, wedding and baptismal announcements, bits of jewelry and children’s toys adorn the altar.

(The Mission San Javier del Bac is located approximately 20 miles south of Tucson, Arizona, easily accessed from the I-19 expressway.)

Beginning to Blossom – A Lesson from the Desert

Barely Blooming - Ocotillo in the Sonoran Desert

Barely Blooming – Ocotillo in the Sonoran Desert © 2014 Bo Mackison

Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need the most: quiet, reflective time. Time to dream, time to contemplate what’s working and what’s not, so that we can make changes for the better. ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

I go to the desert. Walking in the canyon, deeper into the wilderness, away from the few others who are also roaming the desert. I sit on a rock outcropping, settle into the earth. Before I take photographs, I take the time to contemplate my surroundings. It is winter in the desert, there is little color in the desert. Only a few blossoms, the earliest flowers, add a touch of color to a world of muted greens and grays. The time of first awakenings. It is during this time of contemplation that I discover not only the essence of place, but also my place.