Archive for the ‘Tom Markey’ Tag

Taking A Breather   Leave a comment

Hiking the Italian Springs Trail (April, 2012) — Image by kenne

bushed

a trail cursed
and charmed
taking a breather
in solitude
and shade
alligator junipers
mountain pines
overlooking a
big sky pass
scrambling time
and seasons
whence we came
where we went
Redington road
to the plateau
beneath 
Mica
mountain summit
till you get there yourself
it remains our paradise
sharing our wanderlust
in this virtual world

— kenne

(This hike was one of many I did with my old hiking buddy, Tom Markey, who passed awayAugust 17, 2022.)

Hiking to Manning Camp   Leave a comment

Moonrise Over The Black Mountains — Photo-Artistry by kenne

 

We reached Mica Mountain as the sun was setting and set up camp two hours out from Manning Camp; our expected goal where we would get water and spend the evening. However, we did not have enough water to spend two nights in the mountains, so we decided we would turn back in the morning. Before setting up camp we watched the sunset and the moonrise.

Cold out! Feels like winter as we crawl into our sleeping bags. It must be the altitude. The full moon provided light, no warmth. The night was long. The tarp above us was attached at only three corners since Tom wanted one loose to flop in the wind, making noise that would keep the bears away.

After a long night of wind-driven noise and cold temperatures, we broke camp early to arrive back at the trailhead before the expected temperatures in the mid-nineties. As we reached a lower elevation, we could contact Tom’s wife, Pat, to give her our expected arrival time at the trailhead. Once we got our stuff in the car, all we could think of was going to Risky Business for a cold beer and French fries with mayo.

— kenne

Autumn Crocuses   Leave a comment

Tom Markey on the Bear Waller Trail In The Santa Catalina Mountains (October 15, 2012) — Image by kenne

Basketing leaves during earth’s 
annual leavetaking, we’ve realized
with a start—something’s missing.
The autumn crocuses that would spring

each October by the rocks.
No longer here! We never planted them,
but they implanted themselves
on us. Now, for their lack

we are poorer. Purest orchid color,
they astonished amidst the season’s
dwindling. Crocus in autumn?
How perverse, to reverse the seasons.

— from 1982: Autumn Crocuses by Robert Phillips

A Reunion, But For The Wrong Reason   1 comment

Three years ago this past August, Matt, Ty, Tom, and I were getting ready to get on the Tuichi River in the Bolivian Amazon.
It was an adventure of a lifetime that was being recalled as we gathered at the Quaker Meeting House in Tucson
for a memorial service for Tom Markey — sharing happy times in a moment of sadness.  (August 20, 2019)– Image by kenne

“Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
What might have been is an abstraction
Remaining a perpetual possibility
Only in a world of speculation.
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden. My words echo
Thus, in your mind.
But to what purpose
Disturbing the dust on a bowl of rose-leaves
I do not know.
Other echoes
Inhabit the garden. Shall we follow?”

— T. S. Eliot

Tom and I Shared a Tent Each Night On the River

Tom Markey Past Away on August 17, 2022, RIP   6 comments

Tom Taking A Moment to Rest Before Setting Up Camp on Mica Mountain (April 2012) — Image by kenne

Remembering So Much, Yet So Little

We walked together as brothers
His a shuffled pace totaling
Many unnumbered miles
Remembering so much, yet so little

Have known him for the last ten years
Reminding me of my brother,
It seemed like a lifetime
Remembering so much, yet so little

When we first met
We were in a hiking group
For me, all were strangers
Remembering so much, yet so little

He had that something
We all feel but can’t explain
As with the wistfulness of used books
Remembering so much, yet so little

Hiking dusty trails, stirred only by our steps,
A soft breeze unable to lift
The dust above our boots
Remembering so much, yet so little

Sharing a love of the wild
To hear sounds, see vistas
In the desert and sky islands
Remembering so much, yet so little

He was born with a feel for the moment
Making use of the incidentals
Whether invited or not
Remembering so much, yet so little

An eye for beauty and form
Where nothing is perfect
And everything is perfect.
Remembering so much, yet so little

Always ready to go farther afield
Looking for new trails – such as
The Hidden Pasture Trail
Remembering so much, yet so little

Meticulously researching new adventures
Was a hobby driven by the belief
One knows the country through direct contact
Remembering so much, yet so little

Possessing a diverse love of life
Sharing stories of youthful conquests
As the sunsets only to be replaced by a full moon
Remembering so much, yet so little

Dare not wave the punctual tissue of farewell
He would reply with an insouciant shrug
Therefore, I drink to you, my brother
Remembering so much, yet so little

For this is a path we will all take
On the Hidden Pasture Trail
It’s all part of nature’s plan
Remembering so much, yet so little

— kenne

Lighting Candles At Mission San Xavier del Bac    Leave a comment

Tom Walking to Mission San Xavier del Bac in Tucson — Image by kenne

My hiking buddy, Tom Markey, has been home from the hospital and rehab for about ten days.
This past Sunday, I took him for a short walk in the Sweetwater Wetlands Park, and yesterday
he called me to see if I would go with him and Pat to Mission San Xavier del Bac — he wanted to light
some candles ahead of his third chemo session today.

Tom is a Quaker, so I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to ask him, “What’s a Quaker doing
lighting candles in a Catholic Church?” He replied, “I’ll take whatever help I can get — what have I got to lose.”
Tom is a very spiritual man.

While at the mission, I also lit some candles for Joy’s younger sister, Janna, who passed away yesterday
from a cardiac arrest. May she rest in peace.

 

We Will Return In June   3 comments

Little Colorado River (June 2021) — HDR Image by kenne

Last June, some of us got out of Tucson’s heat and spent a few days in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. 

My good friend, Tom Markey, and his wife Pat were with us. We spent time walking and fishing in the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. 

Late in 2021, Tom was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Last week he received his first chemo session, to which
he had an adverse reaction, but doing better now. The tumor in his arm has already reduced in size.
So we are already talking about going back up to the mountain stream pictured above — We will return!

— kenne

 

Tom Markey Fly Fishing on the Little Colorado River — HDR Image by kenne

Fly Fishing On Little Colorado River   Leave a comment

Tom Markey Fly Fishing on Little Colorado River (Fort Apache Indian Reservation, White Mountains) — Photo-Artistry by kenne

Drought closed the forest

But not the Resevation

Time for fly fishing.

— kenne

 

Ciénega Creek — Photo Essay   Leave a comment

Hiking the Ciénega Creek Trail with Friend,Tom Markey — Images by kenne
(Click on Any Image for Larger View with Descriptions In a Slideshow Formate.)

Ciénega Creek Trail (English: “Hundred Springs Creek” or “Marsh Creek”) is an intermittent stream located within the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve, and is one of the most intact riparian corridors left in the state, represents one of the last perennial streams in southeastern Arizona. It originates in the Canelo Hills and continues northwest about 50 miles (80 km) to an area just outside Tucson, where it becomes known as Pantano Wash. Pantano Wash continues through Tucson and eventually connects with the Rillito River.

Gila Topminnow, once the most widespread fish in the Gila River basin (including Santa Cruz River), the Gila topminnow now claims Cienega Creek as its last stronghold in the United States. This guppy-like fish is good at thriving in less than ideal water conditions and loves to feast on mosquito larva. — Source: Pima County

Guinea-Bissau Bijago Statuary   Leave a comment

statuary-1-of-1-2s-art-blog-copyBijago Statuary — Image by kenne

Last fall our friend Tom Markey and his son went on a fishing trip in the Bijagos Archipelago off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. The Bijago inhabit most of the 25 Bissagos Islands constituting a small West African tribe of approximately 22,000.

It is not unusual for some of the islands to have a matriarchal society where women possess all the power organize themselves into associations, which manage the economy, social welfare, and the law. This matriarchal society may have resulted from there being two types of priests, female and male. The female, called Oquinca, interprets the designs of the Supreme Being. The Oquinca is named by the king or chief and may temporarily replace a deceased king until the new king is installed.

While in the Bijagos Archipelago Tom purchased one of the traditional wooden statues of two women, one standing on the head of the other. For centuries the Bijago worshiped wood statues. To ensure its safe return in his luggage, Tom had the wood carving cut into two pieces.

Upon his return to Tucson, Tom ask me to photograph the Bijago statuary. Questions of form, meaning, function and most all the context within which traditional Bijago statuary came to be remain without answers.

— kenne

 

(Reference: “Traditional Bijago Statuary,” by Robert C. Helmholz)

 

Brittlebush Blooming Everywhere In Picacho Peak State Park   1 comment

Picacho Peak State Park Panorama (1 of 1)

Brittle Bush (1 of 1)-12 blog

Wildflowers (1 of 1)-4-2 blogBrittlebush Blooming Everywhere In Picacho Peak State Park — Images by kenne
Friend, Tom Markey and I spent a recent morning hiking in the Park and so much is in full bloom.
This posting focuses on brittlebush images with many more wildflowers to come.
Click here to see more brittlebush images in a slideshow format.

Morning Hike In Picacho Peak State Park   1 comment

Morning Sun (1 of 1)_art blogComputer Painting

Morning Sun (1 of 1)-2 blogMorning Hike In Picacho Peak State Park (February 26, 2015) — Images by kenne

One of the best places to see spring wildflowers in southern Arizona is at Picacho Peak State Park, so early yesterday morning Tom Markey and I drove up I-10 for an hour to the park, not to hike to the top of the peak, but to hike the west trail to observe and photograph the wildflowers. The rains this winter have not only produced beautiful wildflowers, but made the desert very green, which adds contrast to the views. This posting is meant to give you a feel for our hiking into the sun on the backside of Picacho Peak setting the stage for wildflower photos to be posted later.

kenne

“Though it seems that I know that I know . . .”   4 comments

Tom Turner

Tom Turner

Tom Markey

Tom Markey

Images by kenne
(This posting id dedicated to my brother, Tom Turner and my close friend, Tom Markey.)

Munford & Sons is a group I love to listen to, and one of my favorite songs is “Timshel,” which means “thou mayest” in Hebrew and is an important symbol in the novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

“But the Hebrew word, timshel—’Thou mayest’— gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.”

Timshel is everywhere in life, what existence is all about — “thou mayest” gives meaning to our thoughts and actions, the source of becoming emotionally attached to the world. Life begins to lose its significance as meaning becomes limited and bound. 

“Though it seems that I know that I know, what I would like to see is the ‘I’ that knows ‘me’ when I know that I know that I know.” 

 — The Book, by Alan Watts

kenne

“Timshel”

Cold is the water
It freezes your already cold mind
Already cold, cold mind
And death is at your doorstep
And it will steal your innocence
But it will not steal your substance
But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers, we will stand, and we’ll hold your hand
Hold your hand
And you are the mother
The mother of your baby child
The one to whom you gave life
And you have your choices
And these are what make man great
His ladder to the stars
But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers, we will stand, and we’ll hold your hand
Hold your hand
And I will tell the night
Whisper, “Lose your sight”
But I can’t move the mountains for you

 

 

Fences, Trails and Cattle Guards   6 comments

Images by kenne

Last Sunday (November 4, 2012), Tom and I hiked the Baby Jesus Trail near Catalina State Park. This was a very enjoyable hike looking for the Baby Jesus rock without any luck. But, was able to get a lot of photos, which are shared on this posting.

kenne

(Click on any of the thumbnails for a larger view of the images.)

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