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, socialwelfare, and the law. This matriarchal society may have resulted from there being two types of priests, female and male. The female, calledOquinca, interprets the designs of the Supreme Being. TheOquinca 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 tobe remainwithout answers.
— kenne
(Reference: “Traditional Bijago Statuary,” by Robert C. Helmholz)
Brittlebush 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 (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.
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, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that 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 become 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
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.)
This may be the baby Jesus rock — Can you see baby Jesus?
Bijago Statuary — Image by kenne
Brittlebush Blooming Everywhere In Picacho Peak State Park — Images by kenne
Computer Painting
Morning Hike In Picacho Peak State Park (February 26, 2015) — Images by kenne
Tom Turner
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, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that 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 become 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
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