Archive for the ‘Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum’ Tag
Gila Monster — Image by kenne
The Gila monster is a large, heavy- bodied lizard reaching a little over 1¼ feet in length.
The head is large, with small, beady eyes; the tail is short and fat. The family name
Helodermatidae means warty skin, referring to the beaded look of the dorsal scales,
due to the presence of osteoderms (small bones) under the scales.
The lizard is bright pink and black, usually in a reticulated pattern,
but in a banded pattern in some populations.
— Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
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Night-blooming Cereus Fruit (Sabino Canyon Recreational Area) — Images by kenne
“This unusual cactus has an aura of mystery about it, as it is rarely seen in the wild. Looking like dead creosote branches, it is not until it blooms that the Desert Night-blooming Cereus becomes obvious. Most of its mass is in a tuber below the ground. Twiggy finger-thick stems can grow up to 5’ long. Flowering happens at night, usually occur in June, and blooms are large, white, and fragrant. Golf ball size bright red fruit follow. This species occurs naturally in Arizona to Chihuahua, Zacatecas, and Sonora.”
— Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
FLOWER of the moon!
Still white is her brow whom we worshiped on earth long ago;
Yea, purer than pearls in deep seas, and more virgin than snow.
The dull years veil their eyes from her shining, and vanish afraid,
Nor profane her with age—the immortal, nor dim her with shade.
It is we are unworthy, we worldlings, to dwell in her ways;
We have broken her altars and silenced her voices of praise.
She hath hearkened to singing more silvern, seen raptures more bright;
To some planet more pure she hath fled on the wings of the night,—
Flower of the moon!
— from The Night-Blooming Cereus by Harriet Monroe
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Anna’s Hummingbird — Image by kenne
It started just now with a hummingbird
Hovering over the porch two yards away then gone,
It stopped me studying.
I saw the redwood post
Leaning in clod ground
Tangled in a bush of yellow flowers
Higher than my head, through which we push
Every time we came inside —
The shadow network of the sunshine
Through its vines. White-crowned sparrows
Made tremendous singings in the trees
The rooster down the valley crows and crows.
Jack Kerouac outside, behind my back
Reads the Diamond Sutra in the sun.
— from Migration of Birds by Gary Snyder
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Crested Caracara – Juvenile (Arizona-Sonora Museum) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
The crested caracara is related to the typical falcons but very different in shape and habits. This falcon has a strikingly patterned, broad-winged opportunist that often feeds on carrion. Because of its aggressive nature, it may chase vultures away from road kills. Juveniles are brown instead of black with a whitish neck and cheeks. In Arizona, they are only found near the Mexican border. “Caracara” comes from a South American Indian name, based on the bird’s call.
— kenne
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Monarch Butterfly — Photo-Artistry by kenne
“Just living is not enough,”
said the butterfly,
“one must have sunshine,
freedom and a little flower.”
— Hans Christian Andersen
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Rufous Hummingbird, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum — Image by kenne
The wings of this adult make a high buzzy trill in flight.
The rufous is known for their extraordinary flight skills,
flying 2,000 mi during their migratory transits.
— kenne
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Gates Pass Area In The Tucson Mountains — Panorama by kenne (This panorama was created by merging three photos in Adobe Lightroom)
The road through the pass
is narrow with lots of curves
and no shoulders for the
many bikers going along the
crest of the Tucson Mountains.
Sunsets in the Sonoran Desert
at beautiful, especially when
viewed from Gates Pass after
spending the day at Old Tucson
or Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
— kenne
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Great Horned Owl at The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum — Computer Painting by kenne
You fly dark skies
Traveling the underworld
The soul of darkness.
— kenne
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Barn Owl — Grunge Art by kenne
Somebody should tell us,
right at the start of our lives,
that we are dying.
Then we might live life to the limit,
every minute of every day.
Do it! I say.
Whatever you want to do,
do it now!
There are only so many tomorrows.
— Pope Paul VI
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Great Horned Owl — Image by kenne
My horns are feathers
and not ears as some may think,
they are in my head.
— kenne
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“Night Owl” (Great Horned Owl) — Grunge Art by kenne
On the winding path
I continued to follow
An owl sat perched
Old tree remain hollow
Its eyes were wide
Piercing through me
Claws dug in
To the barren tree
Hoot hoot hoot
A steady beat
Inviting me
To take a seat . . .
— from The Owl by Victoria Ruth
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Barn Owl (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum) — Grunge Art by kenne
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“Two Lizards” (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum) — Images by kenne
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Kate at Windy Point Vista
David and Kate at Windy Point Vista
David and Kate at Windy Point
David and Kate at Windy Point Vista
David and Kate at Windy Point
David and Kate at Windy Point Vista
Hiking the Mt. Lemmon Trail Near the Lemmon Rock Lookout
Docent Paul with David and Kate at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Docent Paul with David and Kate at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Docent Paul with David and Kate at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Kate and David at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Kate in the Bat Area at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
David and Kate in Tanuri Ridge pool
David and Kate in Tanuri Ridge pool
David and Kate in Tanuri Ridge pool
David and Kate in Tanuri Ridge pool
David and Kate in Tanuri Ridge pool
Kate swings at the ball
Fireworks seen from our nighborhood
David, Katelyn and Granddad
Images by kenne (Click on any of the tiled imaged to see larger view in a slideshow format.)
Granddaughter Katelyn and son Kenne David left this morning, returning to Houston after four-plus days here in Tucson. This was their second visit after three years. We made an effort to do as much as possible in the desert summer and the beginning of the monsoon season, which began while they were here.
Photos of Katelyn and poetry about her have been part of several posting over the last ten years — she will be eleven this September. Here’s one of the poems:
The Eyes Tell You
Little girls have a mysterious power,
But not all can feel it – when she does,
You can see it in her eyes.
As she matures, she is driven
To climb the tower of perfection,
Always resisting her own indifference.
Her enigmatic power is needed
To stir the artist inside,
To triumph over the unenlightened.
In her own way, she will find something new,
Something never before encountered
Placing art in a world void of feeling.
Inventive, she will act,
Sometimes seeking out failure
In order to turn it into a triumph.
Once her power is transformed
By the magical virtue of art,
Loving and understanding becomes simpler.
# # # # #
Now that they return home, I ponder —
Children and grandchildren
are the beautiful mysteries
that drive our emotions
stirring each moment we share,
not knowing if the same emotions
transcend each communication in the moment,
ending in emotional question marks.
kenne
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Mt Wrightson Trailhead Parking Lot
Old Baldy Trail
Old Baldy Trail
Old Baldy Trail
Josephine Saddle
Vista
Vista
Vista
Old Baldy Trail
Old Baldy
Mt Hopkins Observatory
Old Baldy
Old Baldy Trail
Old Baldy Trail
Old Baldy
Old Baldy Trail
Vista
Appalachian Mountain Club Hike Mt Wrightson In Madera Canyon — Images by kenne
(Click on any of the images to see larger view in slideshow format.)
This hike by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) was their last in the Tucson area. We are pleased to have been able to hike with them and share our (SCVN) knowledge and experience of hiking the trails of southern Arizona.
This is the last in a series of postings on the AMC visit to the Sonoran Desert, so let’s remember for a moment . . .
Let’s remember for a moment,
the trail head gatherings,
the greetings, the smiles,
the joy of another hike.
Let’s remember for a moment,
the steep climbs, the switchbacks,
the majestic views at the top,
the masterful returns.
Let’s remember for a moment,
the trail fellowship,
sharing who we are
and common interests.
Let’s remember for a moment,
the pools near mountain trails,
resting tired feet in the cold water,
watching others jump in.
Let’s remember the moment,
the hike alone ridges of granite
and the juxtapositions of water-loving
and drought-tolerating plants.
Let’s remember for a moment,
the rich biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert
which the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
illustrates through its ecological theater.
Let’s remember for a moment,
the images captured by
our mind’s eye,
lasting images to share.
Let’s remember for a moment,
that which we have added
to life’s experiences forming
a better understanding of self.
Let’s remember for a moment,
the desire, the drive to see
what lies just over the next ridge,
on the other side of the mountain.
Let’s remember for a moment,
lots of mountains, few streams —
all dry this time of year, and my
turning back at the base of Old Baldy.
Let’s remember for a moment,
my friends from New England,
“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome,
dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.” *
— kenne
* Edward Abbey
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