Life and Death in Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
First/Last Meditation
— Federico Garcia Lorca
Western Sneezeweed — Image by kenne
— from The Flower That Smiles Today by Percy Shelley
Hiking Rock Creek Trail (August 6, 2006) — Images by kenne
Chasing Life’s Horizons
— kenne
Rock Creek is a beautiful Eastern Sierra backcountry canyon in the John Muir Wilderness (Jerry, George, and Kenne, August 6, 2006)
Selma, Alabama is the Ninth Poorest City in Amarica Per Capital (August 10, 2021)
Selma Gave America the Right to Call Itself A Democracy
We still have many bridges to CROSS,
So come on ya’ll and LET US!
Let us start, Yes you and me
With a simple and easy decree,
To do something simple, EVERYDAY,
To uplift Ourselves and Our Families,
In small, Nugget-size Ways!
So,
When STONES are THROWN to Slay
Us ALL,
We Must, We WILL, We SHALL, build
bridges instead of walls!
And so,
We catch their stones and build
bridges of Respect and LOVE for
Ourselves, Our Families, and ALL
Communities who share this World!
We catch their stones and build
bridges because, EVERYONE
matters equally in the World!
— from “REFLECTING on Selma Alabama” by D. Olivia Jones
Golden Columbine On Box Camp Trail (Santa Catalina Mountains) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Mountain rains
bring out wildflowers
yellow and orange
in a sea green.
— kenne
Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly Art — Photo-Artistry by kenne
A Walk On The Beach, Sullivan, South Carolina (August 12, 2021) — Image by kenne
You look out into the water;
The waves make the most beautiful sound.
A place you find peace and comfort,
Walking hand in hand and looking around.
As you walk toward the water,
Sand coats the bottom of your feet.
The smell of the sea salt drawing you closer,.
The view is so beautiful, oh so sweet.
Almost as if it is calling you.
Sometimes it’s only in your mind.
A place to clear your thoughts
And leave everything very far behind.
You find shells, rocks, and other things.
The warmth is like a kiss from up above.
Looking out into the Gulf Coast
Can only remind you of true love.
As the waves come crashing in,
Time seems to be standing still.
The sun is shining down on you
As you walk the beach at your will.
Paradise you thought you could never reach.
Out in the distance you can see the ships sailing by.
Tears of joy for the scene God has put before you,
As the moment makes you cry.
Two shadows are together as one,
A sign of great unity.
A great day full of fun
While walking at the beach.
— Ralph P Quinonez
Picked Fence Morning Glory, Mt. Pleasent, South Carolina (August 12, 2021) — Image by kenne
We wreathed about our darling’s head
The morning-glory bright;
Her little face looked out beneath
So full of life and light,
So lit as with a sunrise,
That we could only say,
“She is the morning-glory true,
And her poor types are they.”
So always from that happy time
We called her by their name,
And very fitting did it seem,–
For sure as morning came,
Behind her cradle bars she smiled
To catch the first faint ray,
As from the trellis smiles the flower
And opens to the day.
— from The Morning-Glory by Maria White Lowell
A Columbine Bouquet — Image by kenne
At the edge of a stream
Stretching through mountain woods
Watching clouds create dark shadows
That sink down the stream where
Golden columbines shine
Though the dark shadows.
— kenne
A Hiking Break On The Box Camp Trail In The Santa Catalina Mountains — Image by kenne
He sat on the pine needles
Next to a medium size pine
Pondering the moment
Sweeping away illusions
Before contiuing the hike
On the Box Camp trail.
— kenne
How may we overcome the fear of birth and death
and arrive at the state that is as indestructible as a diamond?
What way can direct us in our practice
to sweep away our thousands of illusions?
If the awakened mind shows its compassion
and opens up for us the treasure store,
then we may bring into our lives
the wonderful diamond teachings.
— from The Diamond That Cuts through Illusion by Thich Nhat Hanh
Our yard and patio have a lot of drought-resistant plants, including several types of cactus and succulents. Additionally, we have a few tropical plants that need regular watering, even during the monsoon season. Irrigation being irrigation, meaning problematic, I routinely have to replace sections of PVC flexible hose. Since we will be gone for a little over three weeks, I’ve been working to minimize any potential problems. In the past couple of weeks, I have repaired four leeks and yesterday replaced the timer.
— kenne
White-winged Dove — Photo-Artistry by kenne
the dove sits and waits
till I leave the patio
still, the feeder waits
— kenne
Giant Saguaro Cactus In Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
Along the mountain ridges,
Across the desert floor;
Arms like verdant armor,
Stalwarts guard our door.
Shading for the lizard,
Haven for the wren,
Source of inspiration,
For past and present men.
–Earl Bloss, “Saguaros,” in Arizona Highways, 1973
White-lined Sphinx Moth — Image by kenne
Interesting creature —
is it a bird, a plane or
a white-lined sphinx moth?
— kenne
Bee On Whitestem Blazingstar Wildflower (Mt. Lemmon) — Image by kenne
These first days of summer are like the pail
of blueberries that we poured out together
into the iron sink in the basement —
a brightness unleashed and spilling over
with tiny bell-shaped flowers, the windows
opened and the shrubs overwhelming the house
like the memory of a forgotten country, Nature,
with its wandering migrations and changing borders,
its thickets, woodlands, bee-humming meadows . . .
— from Summer Surprised Us by Edward Hirsch
