Archive for the ‘Winter Solstice’ Tag
Solstice, Bloody Solstice — Photo-Artistry by kenne
“Solstice, Bloody Solstice
And it’s true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
The real battle just begun to claim the victory won on
Solstice, Bloody Solstice
Solstice, Bloody Solstice”
(from “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, with apologies to U2)
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Winter Solstice Sunset — Photo-Artistry by kenne
“The Winter Solstice is the time of ending and beginning, a powerful time —
a time to contemplate your immortality. A time to forgive, to be forgiven,
and to make a fresh start. A time to awaken.”
— Frederick Lenz
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Winter Solstice (December 19, 2009, The Woodlands, Texas) — Computer Art by kenne
A solstice night
in the dead of winter,
strategically placed lighting
on the courtyard wall.
Dark shadows imprinted
beyond the naked trees,
in this gloomy season of mists,
concealing signs of winter’s damage,
where only ghosts abound.
Tomorrow morning
the low sun starts
a minute-by-minute journey back,
not behind, but within
it’s new spring companion.
But for now,
nature remains soulfully raw.
— kenne
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Originally Posted December 21, 2009 (The Woodlands, Texas)
Winter Solstice — Computer Art Images by kenne
A solstice night
in the dead of winter,
strategically placed lighting
on the courtyard wall.
Dark shadows imprinted
beyond the naked trees,
in this gloomy season of mists,
concealing signs of winter’s damage,
where only ghosts abound.
Tomorrow morning
the low sun starts
a minute-by-minute journey back,
not behind, but within
it’s new spring companion.
But for now,
nature remains soulfully raw.
— kenne

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“Waxing of the Sun” — Image by kenne
The waxing of the sun, that
moment of solstice when
everything is still,
everything is silent —
an exotic moment of being
with darkness
giving birth to light
to which we celebrate
the relationship,
the moment of being
in the birthplace of life.
— kenne
“Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead in winter
and later proves to be alive.”
— from Keeping Quite by Pablo Neruda
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A Winter Solstice Morning After An Overnight Shower, View North From The Patio — Image by kenne
A Winter Solstice Morning After An Overnight Shower, View South From The Patio — Image by kenne
We were blessed with a little more the a half-inch of rain, with snow on Mt. Lemmon, the day before the winter solstice. Unlike our friends in the north, made weary by a succession of cold, dark days, we are enjoying the desert sun — yes, we are blessed and very thankful.
kenne
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Winter Solstice — Images by kenne
A solstice night
in the dead of winter,
strategically placed lighting
on the courtyard wall.
Dark shadows imprinted
beyond the naked trees,
in this gloomy season of mists,
concealing signs of winter’s damage,
where only ghosts abound.
Tomorrow morning
the low sun starts
a minute-by-minute journey back,
not behind, but within
it’s new spring companion.
But for now,
nature remains soulfully raw.
— kenne
Image by kenne
- Yule – Winter Solstice (auntiedogmasgardenspot.wordpress.com)
- Winter Solstice 2013 (emeraldstudiophoto.com)
- Winter Solstice (pullupatoadstool.wordpress.com)
- Everything you need to know: December solstice 2013 (earthsky.org)
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Being able to adapt is fundamental to all organisms to survive in their ecological niche or habitat. This ability is often more evident in harsh environments such as the desert. Plants need water and sunlight, some more or less than others.
Here in the Sonoran desert, plants that can adopt to a lot of sun and little water adopt well to the hot, dry conditions. While plants needing more water have adapted to conditions near water, i.e., riparian areas where annual foliage plants color the desert at this winter solstice time of year.
Plant Adaptation In The Desert — Image by kenne
Another example of plant adaptation can be found on rocky canyon wall facing the north in Sabino Canyon, just a few hundred feet from where the above photo was taken — there is no direct sunlight this time of year. Even in dry conditions, the wall can provide a perfect hitch for fern, moss and “resurrection” plants.
However, what really caught my attention was a small saguaro cactus that was growing out of the north canyon wall, which had fallen over and has continued to grow. Given the size of the plant and the fact that saguaros are very slow-growing plants, taking 6-7 years to grow an inch in the beginning of what can be a 200 year life, this still small cactus is probably about 20 years old — talk about plant adaption.
This guy is a real survivor!
kenne
P.S. Today we are getting much-needed rain in the desert with snow above 4,000 feet. The ferns, moss and resurrection plants will really green-up over the next days.
Saguaro Cactus — Image by kenne
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Maribeth’s iPhone Photo
Now a little over a week ago, we received rain in southern Arizona for the first time in months. The creek in Sabino Canyon had been dry for some time. Yes, there were a few pools here and there with a few gila chub, the native fish found in the creek, but no running water. For weeks I’ve had elementary school kids stand above the dam telling them they were “walking on water”, only that it was a few feet below the sand. It’s amazing how the desert begins to transform from the site of water running through the canyon — a site for dry eyes!
Then, there is the sound of water causing one to rush down to the water-side, like a magical sound of the piper.
Yesterday, some of us were hiking through the Sabino Canyon riparian area enjoying the winter solstice colors along the creek — tis the season to be merry!
kenne


Images by kenne
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Bougainvillea Images by kenne
The December solstice, also known as the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is December 21, 2012. However, two mornings ago the temperature in the Tucson area hit 32 degrees or below. The Bougainvillea is a very sensitive plant to freezing, which tells us that winter in the desert has arrived ten days before the winter solstice — goodbye till next spring!
kenne
32.270209
-110.860703
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Image by kenne
As the fall sunsets continue to move toward the winter solstice, our view here in the Catalina foothills each evening to more to the southwest over the Tucson Mountains. The desert temperatures drop quickly as neighbors gather to watch nature’s kaleidoscope of colors — a great time for a hot toddy with Maker’s Mark whiskey, not rum or brandy.
kenne
32.270209
-110.860703
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The summer solstice at Stonehenge, near Salisbury in England, Tuesday, June 21, 2011 — Source: boston.com
Not to worry, I will just catch it in the southern hemisphere next December — wouldn’t that be nice!
kenne
32.270209
-110.860703
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Image by kenne
“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure in the landscape – the loneliness of it – the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it – the whole story doesn’t show.” – Andrew Wyeth
The Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs on December 21, 2009 at 12:47 PM EST.
kenne
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