Trees are Sanctuaries

Looking at the Past

Trees are Sanctuaries © 2012 Bo Mackison

Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life. ~ Herman Hesse

Trees Are Sanctuaries

1806, The People Build the Church

They make the brick, kiln the lime, raise the walls, lay the roof,
paint murals and sacristy ornamentation, build niches for the statues of the Saints.
They clear the land, build the fences, plant corn and wheat,
and from the priests’ cache of pods and seeds, they plant and then tend
fruit orchards, nut trees, and olive trees.
They learn the ways of the missionaries,
they marry, raise children, care for their sick, weep for their dying, bury their dead.

1827, Weary, Ill, and Wary of Raiding Enemies

Many of the People wrap the statuary in leathery strips of yucca,
the bundled saints cradled like newborn babes
protected from summer’s heat, shifting winds, monsoon thunderstorms,
from damage to their wooden limbs or chipped painted robes or eyes of porcelain marbles.
They walk north, leave the Tumacacori Mountains,
settle in another valley with another priest and another church.

1848, Tumacacori Mission, Deserted in the Desert.

No missionary priest leads his people, crucifix in hand,
his carved cross held high, a silhouette in the blue bowl of sky.
No one gives signal to the last few of the Desert People
who now abandon their homes, possessions, crops;
abandon their church, stacked bricks of adobe, and
precious, the limestone wash, white like angels’ wings;
now the church is an apparition towering amidst the desert grasses, agave, mesquite,
standing in the foreground of the mountains.

2012, A View through the Window

Open to the cool desert nights,
no roof for protection, no doors.
Only the ruins remain,  maintained as ruins.
But the window opening frames the cottonwoods, green and tall,
lining the Santa Cruz River, growing.
They hold my fascination. When I walk to the river,
they form the arched roof over my head,
provide a spongy carpet of decaying leaves under my feet.
Wisps of white cottony fluff, seeds for the future, drift on the southwest breeze.

The trees are the sanctuaries.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC, living and photographing in southern Arizona. There are also days Bo wanders through Mission ruins, thinks of days long past, and writes poetry.

Yucca Candelabra

Yucca Candalabria

Yucca candelabra © 2012 Bo Mackison

Knowledge was inherent in all things. The world was a library and its books were the stones, leaves, grasses, brooks . . . We learned to do what only the students of nature ever learn, and that was to feel beauty.    ~ Luther Standing Bear

Yuccas are a common plant in the United States Southwest, so common that it is the state flower of New Mexico.

The leaves of the Yucca are long, narrow, and come to a sharp point. (I have proof – deep scratches on my arms. When will I learn!!)

Fibers of the yucca can be used to make rope and loosely woven textiles. The thick root can be beaten into a lathery pulp which is then used for soap and shampoo. It was a plant that was frequently planted near homesteads and encampments for its usefulness.

When the yucca blossoms, creamy-colored, bell shaped flowers hang in loosely arranged clusters. If the flowers are pollinated, seed-filled capsules develop. The yucca then dies after flowering and fruiting, but produces offshoots that spread out from the mother plant and develop into new plants.

The yuccas only known pollinator is the yucca moth. The female yucca moth has a specialized mouth to collect the pollen.  She lays her eggs in the yucca flower and covers the eggs with a ball of pollen. The pollen fertilizes the seeds which then begin to develop. The moth’s larvae require the yucca seeds for growth and development. Both species, the yucca and the yucca moth, benefit from the exchange. This inter-dependence on each other for survival is termed mutualism.

It is quite a lovely thing, to walk or drive down nearly any street and see the yucca blossoms swinging high in the air, atop the yucca stalk.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC, living and photographing in southern Arizona. She is happy to see  so many plants in bloom.

Hiking Sabino Canyon

Yipes Stripes

Yipes Stripes © 2012 Bo Mackison

On a sunny, 80˚ day in March, Sherpa and I agreed it was a great day for a hike, especially a hike that had a bit of a cheat to it. We hiked the Phoneline Trail in Sabino Canyon, a gorgeous canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains bordering Tucson. Our cheat was this — we paid a few bucks each for a ride on the shuttle which comfortably took us from the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center to the top of the line, stop #9. We figured once we were up on the mountain, it would be an easy hike down.

I love this photo of Sherpa with the many variations of stripes. Stripe shadows, stripes from the ramada on Sherpa’s shirt, and he’s even wearing a shirt with horizontal stripes. “Yipes, stripes” is right. I was seeing stripes for most of the shuttle ride.

End of the Shuttle Run

End of the Shuttle Run © 2012 Bo Mackison

As the tram takes you deeper and deeper into the canyon, the world of natural beauty feels immense. Towering mountains, rocky ledges, saguaro reaching up. This is another sky island, once of several dozen in southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. Desert at the lowest levels, a juniper, pine, and rocky habitat at the top.

The Hike Begins

The Hike Begins © 2012 Bo Mackison

This trail starts at the end of the paved road. A half mile climb of ever-upward-reaching switchbacks takes us to the main Phoneline Trail. Once there, the trail follows the road, only several hundred feet higher. It isn’t a hard hike, but there are gentle ups and downs throughout the “descent” and several hundred boulders to help you climb up or climb down.

The Peak

The Peak © 2012 Bo Mackison

Once we climbed high enough, we could look to the north and see Mount Lemmon, the highest mountain peak in the Tucson area. If we had been really ambitious — and 30 years younger — perhaps we would have climbed up and over. But since neither the ambition or the age was happening, we took a lot of long looks from the trail we were on.

Eye Level with a 40 Foot Tall Saguaro

Eye Level with a 40 Foot Tall Saguaro © 2012 Bo Mackison

There is one tricky thing about hiking on a desert oasis on a mountain trail. The saguaro are conveniently within grabbing distance if one was to lose their balance. I started to reach out for a steadying cactus arm more than once before I realized what I was doing and quickly pulled away. This saguaro was a forty footer, but at my eye level on the trail I could see the upper third in great detail. Wow! Imagine what it will look like in another month, full of white cactus blooms.

Switchbacks on the Sabino Canyon Trail

Switchbacks on the Sabino Canyon Trail © 2012 Bo Mackison

We looked back and laughed when we saw the trail we had just hiked, snaking up and down, switch-backing a mere 200 feet in elevation in a half mile.

It Seems the Trail Always Climbs Uphill

It Seems the Trail Always Climbs Uphill © 2012 Bo Mackison

Rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Careful here to not trip and stumble, as the fall would be a long one. Since this area had a foot of snow earlier this week, the trail was bordered by lots of green — bushes, trees leafing out, wildflowers everywhere.

Wildflowers Along the Trail

Wildflowers Along the Trail © 2012 Bo Mackison

We both had had our exercise for the day when we reached the picnic area near the Visitor Center. And let me say — my peanut butter and strawberry jam on thick whole wheat never tasted better. And that cold bottle of water — perfect!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC, is living in southern Arizona,  photographing and hiking the sky islands and giving thanks that she can see such sights.

 

Mexican Tree Flower

Mexican Tree Sunflower

Mexican Tree Sunflower © 2012 Bo Mackison

Nature can be trusted to work her own miracle in the heart of any man whose daily task keeps him alone among her sights, sounds and silences. ~ Gene Stratton Porter

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC, living and photographing in southern Arizona. She had never seen a sunflower tree until last week, but now she has.

Giving Praise

Hedgehog Cactus Bloom

Hedgehog Cactus Bloom © 2012 Bo Mackison

Quinn of QuinnCreative awarded me the Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you, Quinn.

Here are the rules for the Versatile Blogger Award:
If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.

  • Thank the person who gave you this award.
  • Include a link to their blog.
  • Nominate 15 blogs/bloggers that you follow.
  • Finally, list 7 things about yourself.

Here is my list of Versatile Blogger Awardees. Go visit them and see what they are up to.

Here are a few of the blogs I follow regularly:

Anita’s Photoblog   I’ve been loving Anita’s photographs since I discovered her photo blog many, many moons ago. She has a lovely way of combining flowers and textures to create stunning floral portraits.

The Art of Everyday Wonder Joanna may not have a typical blog (or she may) –she follows her vision and freely makes changes to her blogs when she is inspired. And she is indeed inspired and inspiring — a talented creative (writer, poet, photographer, nature lover…) from Scotland. Wander around her site and you’ll be sure to discover some delights.

Daily Practice  I have been following Marcie’s photo blog for several years, and Marcie faithful to her commitment, posts a photograph each day. She often photographs in her neighborhood where there is an amazing pond that bribes all the most photogenic fowl to visit. I never know when I am going to open the link to Marcie’s blog and gasp in awe at her latest.

Giraffe Head Tree  Debi moved only last week to within walking distance of the coast of North Carolina. She is just getting her camera adjusted to the glories of an Atlantic Ocean sunrise, but she promises to explore up and down the Carolina beaches, camera in hand. I’m joining her via her blog. She’d love to meet anyone else who wants to virtually beach comb with her.

Sue Henry Photography Sue and I met through the connecting world of photo blogs — and then discovered that we had been born in towns within spittin’ distance of each other. Since then, I moved north and Sue moved further south, but we both were bitten by the camera bug, and we share our worlds through our photographs. Sue is able to capture palpable moods in her photography — it’s a treat to look through her photo blog any time.

And here are some blogs/bloggers I have recently discovered.

From the Eyes of Denise Goldberg Denise posts marvelous photographs from the state of Maine. I love seeing what she sees through her lens because Maine seems about as far from Arizona as one can get. Denise is another photographer whose camera has encouraged her to peek into the small places. And I love seeing any and all sorts of small places on her blog.

Here and Now I discovered Gina’s photography since she is participating in a photo study on exploring balance with camera and Kat that I am also doing. I was attracted to the vibrancy of Gina’s photographs the first time I looked at her photo blog, and I always enjoy returning to see what she has posted.

Reflections and Nature  Ahh, photographs filled with bright colors, stunning silhouettes, and new surprises to enjoy at each blog visit. I recently discovered Sandra —  just as I met Gina — doing the challenges in Exploring with a Camera. It seems I am reaping many more benefits from Kat’s practice than just thinking about composition and balance…

Upon Halliburton Hill  Joanna from British Columbia is another “Camera Explorer” and so I have only recently started to visit her blog. If you want to be blown away by colors and abstracts, wow, check out the photographs Joanna posts.

Words and Photographs One more “Camera Explorer” before I run out of space and time — Juli posts the most colorful photographs, I always take a peek at her blog because I know it will bring a smile to my face. She blogs from Canada, and truly, I am surprised each time I visit. Flowers, fruits, shadows, brick walls — I never know what will be there for me to discover, but I love it. And one of my favorite things? Juli has a series called “Drive By’s” – photos she takes from her car while waiting for traffic lights to change. Living in the moment, yes!

Wow! I am going to close by doing one of the speediest lists of 7 about myself (and the photo above) ever:

  1. I love cactus when they are in bloom.
  2. I took the above photo of this orange cactus flower in my front yard.
  3. I took a picture of a hedgehog cactus. (Does it look like a hedge hog?)
  4. As a kid, I grew up playing along the shores of the Mississippi River.
  5. I never once saw a cactus growing near the Mississippi where I played.
  6. I saw lots of poison ivy, though.
  7. I like a cactus with thorns more than I like poison ivy with an itch. 🙂

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC, living and photographing in southern Arizona. She is happy to see that the cactus are beginning to bloom.