desert vision

“one breath of juniper smoke, like the perfume of sagebrush after rain, evokes in magical catalysis, like certain music, the space and light and clarity and piercing strangeness of the american west. long may it burn.”
― Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire

buckskin gulch 1

buckskin gulch 2

buckskin gulch 3

buckskin gulch 4

buckskin gulch 5

drifting in red sands before the edge of the longest and deepest slot canyon, the landscape is full of magic. rock formations hold ancient petroglyphs, telling the story of the land and people that have lived here for thousands of years.

petroglyphs near buckskin gulch

sandstone formations 1

sandstone formations 2

sandstone formations 3

sandstone formations 4

sandstone formations 5

large swaths of this land were at the bottom of the ocean that divided the continent. now, it is rich with sage, juniper, scrub oak, and cacti – even moss.

tumbleweed 1

tumbleweed 2

tumbleweed 3

tumbleweed 4

tumbleweed 5

the colors, otherworldly – the designs of nature, striking.

desert cacti

desert flower

desert seed

desert cacti

flowering shrub

climbing deep into the slot canyon, the temperature drops, shadows slide over liquid stone. echoes of the floods – walls of water and debris, their markings left as tree trunks and branches held by the narrow walls, high overhead.

slot canyon 1

slot canyon 2

slot canyon 3

slot canyon 4

slot canyon 5

“men come and go, cities rise and fall, whole civilizations appear and disappear-the earth remains, slightly modified. the earth remains, and the heartbreaking beauty where there are no hearts to break….I sometimes choose to think, no doubt perversely, that man is a dream, thought an illusion, and only rock is real. Rock and sun.”
― Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness

my hometown

this anniversary, i’m remembering the power – destructive, and life-creating, of the mountain i lived next to and climbed.  I watched her crystalline reflection float in spirit lake from my earliest memories. mt. saint helens is still a lesson for me, the power of the life giving and life taking force of nature, the beauty and grace and challenge of that power. always remembering.

5.18.1980 – mount st. helens

spirit architecture – spain.2

evening shadow in the alhambra gardens – granada, spain

in spain, for thousands of years, architecture has been infused with the essence of human spirit

catedral primada santa maria de toledo - spain

human form, and the spirit of imagination have inspired the creation of powerful structures

virgin of montserrat – santa maria de montserrat monastery, spain

for centuries the benedictine monastery of montserrat developed around the legend of the black virgin – now a place of pilgrimage for millions

santa maria de montserrat – spain

elaborate courtyards, passageways, plazas, and intricately detailed structures inspire the continual flow of seekers

ribbed vaults of the monastery of montserrat

angel gracing the entrance to the shrine at montserrat - spain

scripts, hands, ribs, angels, saints, spirits – all deeply embedded into the form, the essence of buildings, in every detail

in the cloister of tortosa cathedral – spain

spirits that have passed become part of the walls

tortosa cathedral angel – spain

spirits carved out of the same materials of the structure – radiant and alive – polished skin and stone made fluid into wings and robes

gauidi’s sagrada familia facade – barcelona, spain

spirits emerging out of the structure – in the arches, window frames, and columns – growing out of the stone and earth

gaudi's park guell - barcelona, spain

human spirits are lifted from the ground, through the columns, to the arches and domes – upward into the light

central dome of the sagrada familia - spain

a striking reminder of how architecture can be a powerful embodiment of the spirit – how it can be the soul of the people who create it, or of those who are held within

tortosa cathedral - spain

or the spirit of those who have passed through

catedral primada santa maria de toledo – spain

or the spirit of those who surround it, or the community that is sheltered or inspired by it’s presence

granada cathedral - spain

or the eyes looking toward what cannot be seen

santa maria del mar - barcelona, spain

windows into the past and future

santa maria del mar – barcelona, spain

or the realization of collective dreams

shadow at the alhambra gate - granada, spain

or places to find your own shadow, in the dreams of a thousand years past.

lighthouse series #2 – key west

key west lighthouse - florida

lighthouse door with banyan tree - key west lighthouse, florida

reflecting on the year past, and in to the light of the next..

wrought iron ring lock - key west lighthouse, florida

beginning the journey again, today — climbing the 88 steps of key west lighthouse, up to the light – to look out

stair tower - inside key west lighthouse - florida

lantern oil coiling upward - key west lighthouse, florida

on the southern edge of the country, a shimmering blue ocean in the most brilliant sun – a glimpse of light in the opening of the year to come

light portal - key west lighthouse - florida

seeing all beauty in light on this quest..

top of the lighthouse - key west, florida

the circular spiral, the stair is the passage of space and time, experience and energy, light and beauty

windows in the lighthouse cupola - key west, florida

an inspiring opening to 2011, a hope whispered in the wind – to see more light in all things

shaft window - key west lighthouse, florida

to see all light reflected, refracted, magnified, spectral – the pure energy of being alive

fresnel lens - key west lighthouse, florida

here

now

dissolute beauty

skagit valley granary

i’ve been attracted by these structures for many years, collecting hundreds of images of granaries, silos, and other machine-like structures – the more distressed and weathered, the more captivating.

skagit valley silo

there is a kind of tragic beauty, as nature takes over, slowly eating away the perfect polished metal and paint into streaks of rust and patterns of time.

skagit valley granary

this set of silos is especially striking in it’s degradation, arresting us to stop on the highway and capture (with tim girvin’s collaborative efforts) these drive-by images..

skagit valley silos

in talking with a friend, paul stamets, about the degradation of our industrial environment as we gathered medicinal mushrooms in the olympic rain forest, he referred to this NPR story on how quickly the earth would recover to it’s natural state in the absence of man’s presence on the planet (with the aid of mycelium, of course).

grain silo near chehalis washington

last summer at tedglobal, at oxford, I had the chance to meet edward burtynsky – who has captured the stunning scale of our impact on the earth, and the beauty of industrial dissolution in his film and book  manufactured landscapes.

granary - near lake coeur d'alene - idaho

looking closer at the patterns, one story is layered upon another – of human intent, climatic shifts, and the passing of time – the hand, nature, and history.

concrete silos at ritzville train stop - eastern washington

there is beauty in the essence of the utilitarian design, the use of raw materials – steel, concrete, wood – exposed and bare, simple forms wrought from the nature of the materials and function of the structure. more beauty found in the siting – often alone, striking an open landscape in scale and form.

grain silo in the palouse - eastern washington

out here, i wandered into the wheat, and while the wind stirred waves across the golden fields, the silo stood quiet and alone – watching, listening. weathering in the wind, dust, sunlight and rain – over time, another layer of story, emerging..

madronas

only the sound of rain, in awakening

walking out as the day opens into a lighter shade of grey

surrounded by the deepest scents of wet earth

i found the madronas in their stunning gowns of bark

shimmering wet beauties

peeling open in the rain