Yellow Blooming Prairie

Prairie at Governor Nelson State Park

Prairie in September Bloom © 2012 Bo Mackison

“The real things haven’t changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.”  ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

I walked in the prairie yesterday. In mid-September, the prairie is a mix of blooming flowers – mostly Late Goldenrod and Showy Goldenrod. Wild Indigo and a few stalks of Prairie Blazing Star are scattered in the yellows. Oak savannas are in the background.

Prairie Flowers at Governor Nelson State Park

Prairie Flowers, Prairie Seeds © 2012 Bo Mackison

The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies.”
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

By this time of the year, many flowers have long gone to seed – Rattlesnake Master and Common Milkweed, the yellow Cone Flowers and many of the sunflower varieties.

Some of the paths wander through prairie that is waist high, but some of the taller prairie lands rise high above my head. It is an hiking experience not often found, walking on a dirt path through flower stalks that are several feet above my head.

The view is all flower and sky!

These prairies were photographed on the Morning Side Trail at the entrance of Governor Nelson State Park, north of Madison, Wisconsin.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Walking is her daily pleasure, her daily meditation. Walking in the tall prairie is a walk for the senses and for the soul.

Sunday Series – Historic Log Church

Praire Land on Hauge Log Church Property, Church Visible on Hilltop

Hauge Log Church above the Prairie © 2012 Bo Mackison

I am trying to teach my mind
To bear the long slow growth
of the fields, and to sing
of its passing while it waits…
~ Wendell Berry

Hauge Log Church - Exterior and Door

The Door of the Hauge Log Church  © 2012 Bo Mackison

Everyone needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and give strength
to body and soul alike.  ~ John Muir

Hauge Log Church - Exterior

Hauge Log Church – Church on a Hill Overlooking the Prairie © 2012 Bo Mackison

Be faithful to that which exists within yourself. ~ Andre Gide

Gray-headed Coneflower

Gray-headed Coneflower in the Hauge Log Church’s Prairie  © 2012 Bo Mackison

Notice how present a flower is, how surrendered to life it is. ~ Eckhardt Tolle

Hauge Log Church - Main Floor Interior and Pulpit, Photographed from Rear of Church

Hauge Log Church – Simple Interior © 2012 Bo Mackison.

A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your entire life.  ~ Christopher K. Germer

Hauge Log Church - Front Window and Pulpit

Hauge Log Church’s Pulpit © 2012 Bo Mackison

Read not to contradict and confute, not to believe and take for granted, not to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider.  ~  Sir Francis Bacon

Hauge Log Church - Rear Balcony with Window and Four Rows of Pews

Balcony of the Hauge Log Church with Window and Pews © 2012 Bo Mackison

In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration. ~ Ansel Adams

Hauge Log Church - Outside Grounds, Swing and Cemetery

Swing and Cemetery at the Hauge Log Church © 2012 Bo Mackison

You don’t get to choose how you die or when, you can only decide how you are going to live. ~ Joan Baez

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. On Sundays, Bo shares a series of photographs and quotes she finds meaningful. This photo series is of the Historic Hauge Log Church and its adjacent lands. The church was built in Dane County, Wisconsin in 1852. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and its upkeep is provided by a group of dedicated volunteers.

Close to Home: Arboretum Exhibit

Three in the Prairie © 2010 Bo Mackison

The University of Wisconsin at Madison’s Arboretum provides me with frequent opportunities to photograph a tallgrass prairie. This prairie is the oldest restored prairie in the country, established in 1934. The Arboretum is a pioneer in the restoration and management of ecological communities. In focusing on re-establishing historic landscapes, especially those that predated large-scale human settlement, the arboretum staff introduced a new concept in ecology nearly eight decades ago: ecological restoration.

This Sunday (only) the Arboretum is sponsoring a special holiday sale — their second annual Close to Home: Arboretum Local Products Expo. The center will feature art,  gifts, and edible treats, all made in the Madison area by artists, craftspeople, and foodies, extraordinaire! It’s a great opportunity to purchase meaningful gifts this holiday season.

Where: University of Wisconsin – Madison Arboretum

When: Sunday November 28   10 AM to 4 PM

Shop Locally, Give Green this Holiday Season!

This will be my last art show of the year, although my photography and art cards are always available through the internet (see above on the header bar) or contact me for details and special orders. I will be several art festivals in Arizona in early 2011, and will return to Wisconsin for the “summer season” which will begin in May.

If you are in the Madison area, hope to see you at the Arboretum this Sunday. My booth will prominently feature large scale botanicals, both prints and canvases, and sets of photo art cards. Look for the green and white sign Seeded Earth Studio, Photography by Bo Mackison. Thanks!


Prairie Walk – Searching the Earth

Middleton Prairie

Prairie Abstract © 2010 Bo Mackison

Walking the remnant prairie. Again. It calls me at this time of year, a nearly barren place at first glance. But what photographer only takes a first glance? I go to find miracles.

I’m greeted by a raven, screeching at me, he watches my movement through the grasses. Screeches loudly from his safe perch on a high branch in the oak tree. “Squawk-away-away-away!” he calls to me. I listen for awhile, then think perhaps he’ll fly away soon, so I can listen to the prairie’s quiet.

I begin a conversation with Raven, he squawks, I talk. “Fine. Sit there then. And hold still. I’ll change my lens and take a proper portrait of you.” I suppose he’s not the portrait type. He takes wing before I can unzip my pack.

I return to my search on the earth, finding little pieces of miracles as I walk. I capture the wonder of it all in notes and line drawings in my field journal and in my photographs. I don’t want this special prairie walk to be relegated to the realm of my memories, mostly forgotten.

Prairie View, Macro Style

Prairie View, Macro Style © 2010 Bo Mackison

Sun low on the horizon. Just before it drops from my view, it casts its golden light on a tiny bit of this remnant prairie. Still autumn on the prairie.