Living the Miracle

Fishhook Barrel Cactus

Fishhook Cactus Patterns © 2011 Bo Mackison

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

The miracle of life.

 

Cactus Beauties

Cactus Blossoms

Cactus Blossoms © 2011 Bo Mackison

More cactus flowers.

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

Hedgehog Cactus in Bloom © 2011 Bo Mackison

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.

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.

Hiking Brown Mountain Trail

Blooming Ocotillo

Blooming Ocotillo © 2011 Bo Mackison

There are trails that criss-cross the desert and desert mountains surrounding Tucson. Tucson Mountain Park, which runs along much of the west border of Tucson, is one of the most easily accessible areas for day hiking. Best of all, there are hikes for all levels of difficulty and time required. It is a simple matter to stop at one of the many asphalt pull-offs to take a photograph or two–such as this photo of a blooming ocotillo that was only a few feet from the road–and a ten minute hike to check out the desert landscape and plants. Or, with basic preparation, it is convenient to plan an all day hike through the Tucson Mountains.

Brown Mountain in the Tucson Mountains

Brown Mountain © 2011 Bo Mackison

One of the first hikes I took in Tucson Mountain Park was a climb up (and down) Brown Mountain. I thought Brown Mountain was aptly named since it is a mountain mostly of brown rock with scattered saguaro and other cacti.

Wrong. Brown Mountain is named for the first administrator of Tucson Mountain Park, a Mr. Cornelius Brown who was instrumental in creating the park in 1929 and was an agricultural agent in the region from 1920 to 1945. (Thank you, Mr. Brown, for without your forward thinking, these mountains would be dotted with all types of structures. Instead, except for a few special use permits, these mountains are quite pristine.)

I went looking for information about this mountain in one of the many reference books about Arizona that I have gradually collected over the past 4 years. I don’t usually laugh when researching “rocks” but I discovered in the book Roadside Geology of Arizona by Halka Chronic that these mountains are made of up so many different kinds of rock–ancient lava flows, volcanic ash, Paleozoic limestone, and more–that geologists call this mixture of rock the Tucson Mountain Chaos.

On Top of Brown Mountain

On Top of Brown Mountain © 2011 Bo Mackison

The trail is a loop trail circling the north and south ridges of Brown Mountain. There is are two trail heads–one at Brown Mountain Picnic Area and the second at Juan Santa Cruz Picnic Area. When starting at Brown Mountain, there are a couple of washes to cross and a rocky trail before reaching the switchbacks that climb the mountain. When starting from Juan Santa Cruz, the trail head is behind the picnic site north of the rest room. Rock steps carved by the CCC in the 1930s lead down to a wash, and then up on the other side where a switchback trail ascends to the ridge.

Sea of Saguaro

Sea of Saguaro © 2011 Bo Mackison

There isn’t a lot of elevation gain, so even though most references consider this a moderately difficult hike, there are only a few short sections that require much effort. And those sections are worth the effort, for the view, if not breath-taking, is interesting. To the west, the peaks of Baboquivari and Kitt Peak are visible on clear days. And there are saguaro everywhere, a virtual sea of saguaro.

View of Arizona Sonora Desert Museum from Brown Mountain

View of Arizona Sonora Desert Museum © 2011 Bo Mackison

One also gets a birds eye view of many desert attractions in the near by area. The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum just beyond the Juan Santa Cruz Picnic Area. The Desert Museum is the second most visited destination in Arizona, second only to Grand Canyon National Park. I’ve visited several times and it does give an excellent overview of the Sonoran Desert–a combination botanical garden, zoo, arboretum, and learning center. Just down the street is Old Tucson Studios, a tourist site and movie set for many of the classic Old West movies. And Saguaro National Park is adjacent to Tucson Mountain Park, so you can take advantage of National Park programs and ranger led hikes, if you want.

What a great area filled with a variety of features to visit when in Tucson. And with so many different activities  to choose from, it never seems too crowded.

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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 spends a portion of each day exploring the desert.

Sunny Days at Tempe Festival of the Arts

Seeded Earth Photography at Tempe Festival of the Arts

Seeded Earth Photography at Tempe Festival of the Arts

Sherpa came out to Arizona for the weekend and proved invaluable in helping me set up and assist in manning the Seeded Earth Photography booth at the Tempe Festival of the Arts in Tempe, Arizona. Plus it was great to see him after his exile in snowy Madison!

Tempe Festival of the Arts

Tempe Festival of the Arts

The streets were filled with enthusiastic crowds and I had a great time explaining my artistic philosophy to hundreds of people. Most people don’t care why I do the kind of photography I do, but these people not only cared, they wanted to hear about my photography, why I shoot macros, and how I decided to show on the art fair circuit. The conversations were a highlight of the first two days of the show.

Tempe Festival of the Arts - Saturday Afternoon Shopping for Art

Saturday Shopping for Art at Tempe Festival of the Arts

The weather was perfect. The crowds friendly and seemed to enjoy the festival. One of my favorite parts of the show were when people would look into my booth, stop in their tracks, point at a specific photograph of mine, and break out into a huge grin. When they came into the booth, they were a pleasure to work with.

Today, Sunday March 27th, is the last day of the Tempe Festival of the Arts. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you live in the Phoenix area, there are 300 artists who would love to talk to you and have you enjoy their art.

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Bo Mackison is the 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 at the Tempe Festival of the Arts through Sunday, March 27th, showing her botanicals and several photos in her new desert series.