Peony Polaroid © 2013 Bo Mackison
Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words. They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of their character, though few can decipher even fragments of their meaning. ~Lydia M. Child
Stepping Stones © 2013 Bo Mackison
This is a post assembled partly while thinking about last night’s dream and partly while checking my emails this morning — makes for an interesting juxtaposition of ideas.
The dream? A long walk across water on huge, irregular stepping-stones. The stones could have been a replica set designed by the creators of Stonehenge, the ancient English site of healing, ritual, and worship, but also a funerary and a celestial observatory. In the dream, I cautiously, tentatively, cross a sparkling turquoise-blue bay, intent on reaching the shore of pebbly rocks that always are just out of my reach.
Then came my morning message from Tut, a humorous, motivational email that I read every weekday. It informed me that today, June 19th, is World Sauntering Day. Tut provided a link as confirmation, and sure enough, today IS National Sauntering Day, a day dedicated to the art of sauntering.
According to Wikipedia – a source I trust on this sort of trivia – World Sauntering Day is thought to have started at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan in the 1970s. “The Grand Hotel has the world’s longest porch, 660 feet in length. It was a counter response by W.T.Rabe to a growing movement toward the recreation of jogging. The idea of the day was to encourage people to slow down and appreciate the world around them.” Love the idea of a sauntering day!
According to Thesaurus.com, synonyms for sauntering include:
amble
linger
meander
mosey
promenade
ramble
roam
sashay
tarry
traipse
wander
So today I intend to take a saunter around the neighborhood pond, wander through the grocery store, and meander in my garden. It will be a nice counter-point to the arduous struggle I encountered in my dream, leaping from one low stone to another, then swimming to the next stone, taller and angular, which I climbed with the strength of a fingernail grip.
Now I only wish I could promenade on the 660 foot long porch of The Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island this evening as sunset drifts into twilight.
Maybe in my next dream…
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She explores wherever she travels, even in her dreams.
Wabi-sabi Peony © 2013 Bo Mackison
Wabi sabi acknowledges three things: “nothing is perfect, nothing lasts, and nothing is finished.”
~ Richard C. Powell
Peonies – as amazing going to seed as they are in their prime. I love this flower’s slightly withered pink petals, the shriveling yellow stamens, the green seed bearing carpels with their touch of lingering pink, and the few specks of pollen clinging to a lower petal.
Cycle of life. The flower does not last, but it is not at all finished. Wabi sabi.
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is fascinated by the different stages of the garden flowers and the inherent beauty that lingers in a flower long after it has fully blossomed.
Vintage Peony © 2013 Bo Mackison
“The best art of beauty is that which no picture can express. That said, the mere act of looking at your surroundings with intention and perhaps the anticipation of finding a suitable subject, makes you more aware of the diversity of nature. ~ Sir Francis Bacon
Sherpa and I traveled this weekend, a quick trip to visit family. On our way home, we stopped at the Amana Colonies near Iowa City, Iowa. The Colonies were settled by Pietists in the 1850s, immigrants from Germany who came to America to practice their religious faith in a communal setting. The settlers received all that they required — home, medical care, meals, a job, and schooling for children. Everything was shared. Farming and the production of fabrics, both wool and calico, supported the community, but everything from furniture making to brewing, were an important part of the community. Well-crafted products became a trademark of the Amanas.
During the farm economic crisis in the 1930s and the followers’ desire to live a more independent life, the Colonies adapted to changing times and the communal way of life transitioned into a profit-sharing entity, The Amana Society. Private enterprise was encouraged and the Amanas were able to thrive.The seven towns which comprise the colonies were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965. Today the Amana Colonies attract nearly a million visitors who come to experience a place where the past is cherished and where hospitality is a way of life.
We found it a joy to walk the streets and browse the shops and art galleries after being car-bound for many hours. Sherpa even found a brewery and sampled one of their fine ales, while I had a taste of their ginger ale. But I most enjoyed the intricate flower gardens in full bloom. Te Iowa River, which runs near the town was at flood stage, and so we had to take a few detours to get on the roads heading north and to Wisconsin, but we saw some amazing countryside on the back roads.
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She explores, with and without her camera, wherever she travels. There is always something new and interesting to see or do.
Red Stem © 2011 Bo Mackison
It is a good idea to be alone in the garden at dawn or dusk so that all its shy presences may haunt you and possess you in a reverie of suspended thought. ~ James Douglas
I see the red stem divide to support the two-lobed, dew soaked leaf. I see the leaf, waving in a steady breeze. I see the stem sway back and forth, absorbing nature’s forces. The leaf has such a magnificent support system in place.
Surely I also have a support system in place, perhaps invisible or unnoticed, but strong and flexible nonetheless.
