Christmas Traditions

December 24, 2012 by 7 Comments
Nativity with Vignette © 2012 Bo Mackison

Nativity with Vignette © 2012 Bo Mackison

When I was a small child, barely old enough to stay awake through Midnight Christmas services, I was allowed to place the baby Jesus in the crèche upon our return home from church. One magical night, as we left the church, laughing and wishing our neighbors a Merry Christmas, large, soft snowflakes began to fall.

This was nearly a miracle in the central Illinois town of my childhood – there were many more brown/green Christmases than white Christmases, and I always celebrated with a little more enthusiasm when Christmas outside looked as I expected – all white and wintry.

I went to an amazing lecture from a woman in Tucson, author and cultural historian Patricia Preciado Martin, who spoke on the Christmas traditions of the Mexican-American people. She related many stories, from years long ago,  when Christmas was not celebrated in the stores or with a pile of wrapped presents. It was celebrated with ritual and family traditions, as Patricia beautifully told.

She brought many of the Christmas items that decorate her own home during the Christmas Season, including this Naciemento,  hand-built and sculpted by a well-known Mexican potter. Quite lovely, very meaningful to Patricia’s family.

Tomorrow, for those who celebrate Christmas, may you celebrate with wonderful traditions. Merry Christmas.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She will be spending tomorrow with family. Wonder if anyone will accompany her for a snowy Christmas walk through the nearby woodlands?

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Desert Walking – A Meditation

December 9, 2012 by 12 Comments
Desert Mountain Trail

Desert Mountain Trail ©2012 Bo Mackison

Every soul innately yearns for stillness, for a space, for a garden where we can till, sow, reap, and rest, and by doing so come to a deeper sense of self and our place in the Universe. Silence is not an absence but a presence. Not an emptiness by a repletion. A filling up. ~ Anne LeClaire

When I want to do deep thinking, ponder the questions that, as of yet, have no answer, I head to the desert, walk one of the trails through this bountiful wilderness. I do some of my most productive thinking here, walking the desert path. Alone. In this deep stillness, the only sounds are far off – coyote in song.

Trail in the Sonoran

Trail in the Sonoran ©2012 Bo Mackison

The desert is my garden; it is where I till, sow, reap, and rest. I walk the paths carved around the desert plants, trees, climb in and out of washes, struggle with the changes in elevation.

Ideas come out in plain view for consideration. I dissect my goals into tiny seeds, doable baby steps. Plans ripen, lead to commitment to action.

Desert Tree

Desert Tree ©2012 Bo Mackison

My gratitude for the life I lead is huge. I speak to the desert, and so I, too, speak to the Universe. My list of gratitudes — people, places, events, things — is long. I give thanks, I cry at the wealth in my world, I sing a song of thankfulness, while wondering if the coyotes hear my off tune melody.

Nurse Tree to Young Saguaro

Nurse Tree to Young Saguaro ©2012 Bo Mackison

In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks. ~ John Muir

When I walk with nature, my world expands, I see where I stand in my life’s journey. I stand upon the Mother Earth, grounded, and feel connected to a greater plan for the greater good.

Saguaros

Saguaro Forest ©2012 Bo Mackison

 To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, to have a place to live, music, art — it is all a miracle. I have adopted the technique of living life miracle to miracle. ~ Arthur Rubenstein

Tucson Mountain Park

Tucson Mountain Park © 2012 Bo Mackison

Our way is not soft grass, it is a mountain path with lots of rocks. But it goes upward, forward, toward the sun. ~ Ruth Westheimer

Couple of Cactus

Couple of Cactus © 2012 Bo Mackison

I speak to the tall saguaro – tell of my plans, my hopes, my fears. I ask for courage and patience and understanding. The desert responds in its steadfast stillness, yet answers and awareness boomerang towards me on rays of sunlight.

Desert Moon at Sunrise

Desert Moon at Sunrise ©2012 Bo Mackison

If you look for the truth outside yourself,
it gets farther and farther away.
Today, walking alone, I meet it everywhere I step.
It is the same as me, yet I am not it.
Only if you understand it in this way
Will you merge with the way things are.
~ Tung-Shan

Strength. Courage. Understanding – all desert teachings, all are gifts from the desert.

—————–

Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Bo walks the deserts in Arizona, and pays attention.

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Awakening the Senses – A Photo-Heart Connection

June 6, 2012 by 22 Comments
Tucson Reflections

Tucson Reflection © 2012 Bo Mackison

Happy are they who see beauty in modest places. ~ Camille Pissarro

Beauty in modest places? Yes.

I went for an early evening walk in downtown Tucson just before I left Arizona to return to the Midwest. I was in a strolling mood, noticing architecture instead of desert scenes, and enjoying the many sights, the people leaving their workplaces, but with no rush to get anywhere. Rushing isn’t such a great idea when the thermometer hovers near the century mark.

I found beauty in the deep color of a textured wall, a red-earth color so appealing, I had to stop and not only photograph it, but touch it. Run my hands along the roughness, the ridges. That red, to my Midwestern trained eyes, was a Red Rock color, one of those desert colors that sang songs of the Southwest to me.

And then there was the purple-gray of the wooden window sill. So purple, I wanted to inhale its purple-ness, a purple so perfectly etched in my past that it grabbed a memory from my youth and held on tight.  It was the purple-gray of grapes fully ripe, grapes hanging in the arbor in my grandmother’s back garden. It was the dusty purple of grapes waiting to be plucked from the vine.

As I studied the contrasting colors, the memories came visiting. I was in the arbor, picking grapes just like my grandmother picked grapes — a handful for the pail and one to pop in my mouth and savor. I looked at the window frame and imagined my grandmother’s presence in the reflection, picking grapes just a few steps from where I stood.

—————

When I went through my May photographs, I stopped as soon as I saw this photograph. The day I took this photo was etched in my mind. All of my senses were on alert that day, intent on remembering a city that I would soon be leaving. The touch of the red-rock walls. The song of the Southwest. The scent of ripened grapes on the vine and the taste of sweet juice. And a sense of connection with loved ones, long gone.

Photo. Heart. Connection. Oh, yes!

I’ve long understood that when I carry a camera, that mere act heightens my sense of seeing. And now I’ve come to realize that my camera and photography can offer me another gift – the awakening my other senses, too.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. During the first week of each month, she re-visits her photographs taken the previous month, searching for THE photograph to post as the photo-heart-connection photo. Bo is always quite thrilled when that special photograph finds her.

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Goals for Tucson – Year 2

May 9, 2012 by 6 Comments
Palo Verde Leaves with Rocks

Palo Verde Yellows with Rocks © 2012 Bo Mackison

Now that I have been in Wisconsin a week, it is time for me to pull out my list I wrote in January that outlined some of the things I wanted to accomplish during my hundred day stay. This list is a good way for me to keep track of the new things I accomplish from year to year, and what better place than on the blog that records so many of my Arizona adventures.

Some goals I achieved, some I did but still need more practice, some goals I didn’t even attempt – but it is good to know how much got done.

And there’s always next year.

The list is rather long and detailed. So feel free to ignore the list and instead enjoy the “yellow snow” that Tucson had when I was packing to leave. (Not yellow snow at all, but the tiny yellow blossoms that had fallen from the Palo Verde trees!)

  • All the Basics “Solo” Redux
  1. Plan menus, cook all meals except occasional (1-2 x’s a week) eat out. — This year go more nutritious, and explore the world of the vegetarian eater/low carbs.
  2. Take care of my living space. — Living in a small condo makes keeping order a necessity, not an option.
  3. Drive wherever I need to go — Last year I managed to tool around the Tucson area, but Phoenix threw me in a driving tizzy, and I admit to Interstate Avoidance as often as practical. I hope to drive to Phoenix this year, and use direct routes more often.
  4. Money – not only banking, but keep a balanced checking account and following a budget. I groan about it now, but I think I will appreciate the discipline of money management, especially if I save money.
  5. Grocery shopping.  I did grocery shopping my first winter in Tucson, but when I returned home I let Sherpa the Chef take over. His preference. So while this is a goal I accomplished last year, food shopping is a necessity. Maybe I could learn to like it?
  6. Car. Last year I did the basics, now oil changes and a major scheduled car maintenance are on the calendar.
  7. Shop as needed–hardware, clothing, food, art, department store, recreational. Again I managed last year, more practice needed.
  8. Find a tai chi, fitness, or yoga class. Find a meditation group or other spiritually oriented meeting place.
  • Travel and “Explores” Around the State
  1. National Parks and Monuments — National Parks are one of my passions. Re-visit as many National Parks as I can. Can I reach the magic number of twelve parks  — six repeats and six new? (I got to four repeats and three new parks.)
  2. Sky Islands. Learn about the different sky islands, visit a few. Include an overnight. (Went to five different sky islands.)
  3. Historic Missions — Explore the nearby missions again. Find new perspectives to photograph.
  4. Kartchner Cave — Combination of dark and claustrophobia worries. Even though I really wanted to see this cave, I never visited under the earth. Maybe this time? Yes, wonderful tour.
  5. Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum —Visit minimum of once a week to document the gradual changes, winter to spring. Love this place!
  6. Kitt Peak Observatory — Last year I visited the observatory during the day, but didn’t stay for a night sky show.
  7. Center for Photography at the University of Arizona.
  8. Learn the major crossroads in the city of Tucson. Learn the major highways in southern Arizona and how to get to major attractions and towns.
  9. Architecture and galleries in Bisbee.
  10. Drive to Phoenix, see the major museums in Phoenix. Saw a minor league baseball game in Phoenix, but didn;t drive.
  11. Go on several overnight car camping trips. Mt Lemmon? Chiricahua National Monument? Organ Pipe National Monument? Tucson Mountain Park?
  12. Extreme car camping sites? Death Valley? Joshua Tree National Park? Salton Sea? Anzo Borrega State Park in California?
  13. Visit CCC or PWA sites in Arizona. Document with photographs. (Did three sites.)
  14. Research Wright’s presence in Arizona and visit sites if possible.
  • Art and Photography
  1. Visit Center for Photography at the University. See #7 in Explores.
  2. Visit at least two exhibits at Tucson Art Museum. (Got to one.)
  3. Visit the art fairs and festivals in the area. Good to see other shows, artists, and their set-ups and art. (Saw two new ones.)
  4. Take photos at gardens, make card sets, and consider garden gift shops re: selling.
  5. Take a photo or art-related workshop from Desert Botanical Gardens.
  6. Apply to at least two, multiple artist, gallery or museum exhibits. (Applied to 3, got in one.)
  • Business of Art
  1. Talk to 3 gallery owners or shops about photographs/cards.
  2. Participate in 3-4 art festivals. (I did 2 art festivals – one big outside, one smaller inside.)
  3. Talk to artists wherever I meet them, find out what they do, where they work, what inspires them.
  4. Go to several meet-ups with photographers.
  5. Stay current with summer art fair applications.
  6. Continue doing architectural photo shoots on freelance assignment.
  • Sonoran Desert and other Habitats
  1. Continue to learn the desert– the history, geology, botanicals, weather, animals, birds.
  2. Hike the desert two-three times a week. (Got up to 5 mile hikes every week. And two  7-8 mile hikes every month.)
  3. Expand my skills in desert photography. Learn new techniques for desert photography and practice some new perspective shots.
  4. Take a birding class, learn to identify fifteen birds, and meet people at same time.
  • Learn about Tucson.
  1. Learn the downtown grid, and locations of the major shopping centers and entertainment venues.
  2. Go to downtown Tucson – day and evening, weekend and during week.
  3. Walk the University of Arizona campus. Visit the cactus gardens.
  4. Hike Sabino Canyon.
  5. Hike trails on Mount Lemmon.
  6. Hike Catalina Mountains.
  7. Visit art galleries.
  8. Explore neighborhoods, barrios, the Presidio and the Turquoise Walking Trail.

.———————-

Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. What a wonderful 100 days she spent in Arizona, but Bo is glad to be home in Wisconsin.

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Cactus Flower in Pink and White

May 8, 2012 by 10 Comments
Torch Cactus - Pink Flower

Torch Cactus in Pink and White © 2012 Bo Mackison

We all walk in mysteries. We do not know what is stirring in the atmosphere that surrounds us. ~ Goethe

I am starting to understand this. I am a slow changer.

I packed my bags with a small amount of trepidation and drive from Madison to Tucson last January. I looked forward to the change in weather, to the sunshine and warm days.

I arrived, expecting to slide right in to a new life, and instead struggled for weeks to acclimate to a new place, a new routine, the newness of solitary living.

And, eventually, I slide into the routines of Arizona, and I feel I am where I belong. (Except when I get lonely and long for companionship.)

Three months and a few extra days pass, and I again pack a few bags and with a small amount of trepidation I leave my space in Tucson and drive to Madison. I look forward to again being immersed in the greens of spring and my circle of family.

Again, I arrive. And again I struggle as I adapt to the old familiar place, the old routine with a few new twists, and the change from living a solitary, very quiet life with a lightly filled calendar to days that are not solitary, quiet, nor lightly demanding.

I am giving myself time and space to re-orient myself. And that is good.

——————-

Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.  She is also a slow changer – she requires time to adjust to new places and new routines. And that is an OK thing.

p.s. The sun is shining this morning.

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