Cattle In The Dusty West — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Once beautiful desert grassland,
Now destroyed by overgrazing
On land unable to sustain
The native desert environment
Draining the groundwater levels in a
World of “pay me now, or pay me later.”
— kenne
American Snout Butterfly — Image by kenne
— Alan W. Watts
Tumacácori (September 27, 2019)– Image by kenne
“As Jesuit Eusebio Francisco Kino and his party approached the O’odham (or Pima) settlement of Tumacácori in January 1691, they rode the wave of a century of expansion northward along New Spain’s west coast corridor. The Jesuits had performed tens of thousands of baptisms and also become the region’s most powerful social and economic force. But the tide carried them no farther north than the Pimería Alta, home of the upper Piman Indians.” — Read more . . .
Panorama of the Santa Catalina Mountains from the Sweetwater Trail in the Tucson Mountains (March 15, 2019)
— Images by kenne
— kenne
Cattle Watering Hole In Southern Arizona — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Once beautiful desert grassland,
Now destroyed by cattle raising
On land unable to sustain
The native desert environment
Draining the groundwater levels in a
World of “pay me now, or pay me later.”
— kenne
White Rose Shades A Tear Before #MeToo Came To Be — Image by kenne
Image by kenne
Insolation Controls in the Age of Anthropocene
(Understanding Global Warming for Nonbelievers)
anthropocene
newly coined
unknown to
joe the Plumber
a new human
condition
argued as
invalid
only to be
based
on the invalid
alignment of
insolations
maxima and minima
questioning the new
condition
of our condition
— kenne
Canyon Rim Sunlight — Image by kenne
— kenne
Rocks & Saguaros — Image by kenne
Stacks of Rocks — Computer Painting by kenne
The saguaro cactus is the largest cactus in the U.S. and is almost completely restricted to southern Arizona and western Sonora. These giants of the Sonoran Desert are very slow growers taking 10 years to attain 1 1/2 inches in height and 30 years to reach a height of 2 feet. However, if planted in a suitable climate and watered regularly, saguaros can reach flowering size in 15 years.
Saguaros may begin to grow arms between 50 and 100 years of age. The growth of arms is random, number and location are not meant to better balance the plant.
Saguaros arrived in the Tucson area approximately 8,000 years ago. Humans have been living here longer than the saguaros.
— kenne
Catalina State Park — Image by kenne
— from The Honest Man’s Fortune by John Fletcher
“Sonoran Heat” — Computer Painting by kenne
The Path of Dreams
There were no trails where I walk.
I walk the desert, poor and broke
thinking of family in Mexico.
Continuing north, I make a path
around the cactus and desert brush.
The sun, still low in the east,
temperature now rising faster
than the morning sun.
Low in water, I find an
old mesquite tree to rest
in its shade until late afternoon.
Then, I will continue following
the path of my dreams —
carefully watching for
green and white trucks.
— kenne
View From Colossal Cave: Vail, Arizona (Children and Grandchildren: Dave, Katelyn, Jaxon, Kate, and Nick) — Image by kenne
Winter Sunset — Image by kenne
One Liners
— kenne
Leaves On the Ground (Mt. Lemmon) — Image by kenneLeaves of brown they fall to the ground
And it’s here, over there leaves around
Shut the door, dim the lights and relax
What is more, your desire or the facts
Pitter patter the rain falling down
Little glamor sun coming round
Take a walk when autumn comes to town
Little stroll past the house on the hill
Some more coal on the fire will do well
And in a week or two it’ll be Halloween
Set the page and the stage for the scene
Little game the children will play
And as we watch them while time away
Look at me and take my breath away yeah
You’ll be smiling eyes beguiling
And the song on the breeze
Will call my name out and your dream
Chestnuts roasting outside as you walk
With your love by your side
The old accordion man plays mellow and bright
And you go home in the crispness of the night
Little later friends will be along
And if you feel like joining the throng
Just might feel like singing Autumn song
Just may feel like singing Autumn song
You’ll be smiling
Eyes beguiling
And the song on the breeze
Calls my name out in your dream
Chestnuts roasting outside
As you walk with your love by your side
And the old accordion plays mellow and bright
And you go home in the crispness of the night
Little later friends will be along
And if you feel like joining the throng
Just might feel like singing Autumn song
Just may feel like singing Autumn song
You’ll be smiling
Eyes beguiling
And the song on the breeze
Calls my name out in your dream
–Van Morrison
Autumn Song, by Van Morrison (Video)
In 2007 I had an opportunity to visit a rural Nicaraguan water project that is part of the Rainbow Network. When it comes to the availability of water, it’s on the backs and heads of women. Even when hand driven water pumps are made available, it is the women who pump and carry the water back to their communities.
The practice of women being responsible for finding and collecting water for drinking, washing, cooking, cleaning is common in many countries. ” They walk miles, carry heavy burdens, wait for hours and pay exorbitant prices. The work is back-breaking and all-consuming. Often the water is contaminated, even deadly. In these instances, they face an impossible choice – certain death without water or possible death from illness.” You can learn more about women and the water crisis at water.org.
Living in southern Arizona one is frequently reminded of the need for sustainable water sources, and global warming will continue to challenge our ability meet water needs. An article in today’s New York Times, “A Parched and Sinking Capital — Mexico City’s Water Crisis Pushes It Toward the Brink,” is one more reminder of the social, economical and health issues caused by the water crisis.
— kenne
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