humanity – Michael Stephen Wills Photography

Canyon of Music, Wind, Light

there if you want to see it

October 3, 2020October 1, 2020 MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

Canyon de Chelly View — Looking southwest from the Canyon de Chelly visitor center toward the eastern escarpment of Black Mesa of the Hopis.

The village of Chinle is a “census designate place”, in other words it only exists because people live there, it was not formally recorded in “official” records. On the Navajo reservation, people lived here beyond recorded time. It is called in their language “flowing out”, where live giving water flows out from the canyons.

There is a fine Best Western in Chinle, better than most of that brand and the only choice for mile and miles and miles.

Navajo Hogan — This is a cribbed log hogan. The domed earthen roof keeps the interior cool in hot weather and, along with a fire, warm in the winter. The Navajo hogan entrance faces east.

In Junction Ruin Musings, the previous post, a ruin from the Anasazi people was contemplated. Above is a traditional Navajo dwelling from a later, more secure, time.

Ramadan for shade — A good place to cook, read and sleep in hot weather. The entrance faces east and, for this one, the view was superb.

Ouch!! Everywhere in the southwest, watch where you tread.

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Music

A Native American, seeing the flute playing Kokopelli, hears in the mind the sonorous melodies of their native flutes carried in as if on the wind. The hands waving in rhythm, “Here we are.”

Clan Sign Petroglyph — Canyon de Chelly symbol carved into red sandstone cliff representing a clan sign.

I recall our guide, Peter, describes this as a scorpion.

Desert Varnish Petroglyph — Canyon de Chelly petroglyph, desert varnish over red sandstone. Image is dated by representation of horses, brought by europeans.

The feeling of movement and the story invoked viewing this drawing etched carefully on the rock demonstrates we are in the presence of an accomplished artist. The story of the times for us to learn from.

Red sandstone formation on ridgeline, north side of Canyon de Chelly is remember by the Navajo for the story of the Raven Woman.

A Navajo woman, fleeing Apache captors, flew over this cliff, or seemed to. Survival depended on knowing how to run over slickrock without stumbling and to know where and how to disappear into the rocks.

South Cliffs below Junction — Canyon de Chelly below the first division into tow arms, the junction. This is looking south east. The cottonwoods are in autumn foliage.

Light

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Juniper o Slickrock — Cahyon de Chelly is is possible here to climb out of the canyon over these lower slopes over what is called slickrock. In the foreground is a juniper tree.

Breadth, Light, Shadow — Canyon de Chelly vista from a slickrock ledge

Beetle on Slickrock — A two inch dung beetle crawls up sandstone slickrock, the origin of this stone apparent from the visible sand granules within an apparent clay matrix. The stone grain, described as cross bedded, suggests this was a former dune of wind blown sand composed of remnants of the Ancestral Rock Mountains.

Wind

Click for the first posting of this series, “Portrait of a Navajo Guide”.

Click for the next posting in this series, “Moon Fin”

The Three Laughers of Tiger Glen – repost

The Sound of Laughter Among Friends

October 1, 2020September 30, 2020 MichaelStephenWills

In the midst of a pine forest……

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Baker Lab with Autumn Trees

Double Irony

September 28, 2020September 10, 2020 MichaelStephenWills8 Comments

Baker Lab

Baker Laboratory dates back to World War I. With 200,000 square feet of space, the lab is home to Cornell’s Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department, the Chemistry Research Computing Facility, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility, and the Advanced ESR Technology Research Center (whew!!).

Trees on a Knoll

On the right, on a knoll, is a European beech tree (Fagus sylvatica). The Latin name holds a double irony. Standing, alone, high above East Avenue on the Cornell campus (sylvatica means “of forests”) as a memory of the forests growing above Cayuga Lake is a being once worshiped as a god. In Celtic mythology, Fagus is the god of beeches.

A maple is on the left, genus Acer of unknown species. I recognize it from the shape.

Little Red Maple

First to flower, first to turn

September 18, 2020September 4, 2020 MichaelStephenWills12 Comments

Red Maple (Acer Rubrum)

The Red Maple (Acer Rubrum) is tolerant of diverse conditions, making it a perfect choice for this spot on the short of Beebe Lake.

Maple Syrup

Even though it is not a “Sugar Maple, early spring, the sap can be boiled down to syrup.

Turning Tree

The first to flower in spring and the first to turn in autumn.

From the Top Down

This maple turns from the top down and is already bare for most top branches.

A Perfect Afternoon On Beebee Lake repost

Anticipating Our Tenth Wedding Anniversary

September 17, 2020September 4, 2020 MichaelStephenWills

After work on a 2008 Friday afternoon in October we sped over to Beebee Lake on the Cornell University Campus to catch the late afternoon glow……

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Botanic Garden of Belfast

In closing

August 6, 2020July 25, 2020 MichaelStephenWills8 Comments

The Ulster Museum is set among the Botanic Gardens. It was in the gardens on this rainy Saturday Pam and I wandered for twenty minutes to sweep away the cobwebs of our rainy drive from Coleraine.

I do not have an identification for the following photograph. If you know, please comment. Thank You.

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“Tropical” palm trees and bromeliad are found throughout Ireland. Thank You Gulf Stream.

Another unidentified plant…..

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Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Paper Thin and Wet

Poppies!!! Petals like paper

August 5, 2020July 25, 2020 MichaelStephenWills6 Comments

The Ulster Museum is set among the Botanic Gardens. It was in the gardens on this rainy Saturday, after the Foxglove flowers of yesterday’s post, flourishing, bright red poppy flowers caught my eye.

Here is a take on poppy flower buds on long stems among leaves.

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Poppy is a storied plant, most species do not produce the narcotic alkaloids associated with sleep and death, pain control. Papaveroideae, the sub-family of these plants, is derived from the Latin for paper, papyrus. You can see the association in the following photographs, petals drenched in water, crumpling like wet paper.

….and more.

..to be continued…..

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Foxglove

Approach to the Museum

August 4, 2020July 25, 2020 MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

The Ulster Museum is set among the Botanic Gardens. It was in the gardens on this rainy Saturday we needed the umbrellas several times during our twenty minute digression before the museum engulfed us.

The rain brought out this snail, house on its back.

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We found flowers flourishing throughout the island. These foxglove were huge. The common name is after Leonhard Fuchs, who first described it. “Fuchs” is German for fox.

..to be continued…..

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Entrance

Approach to the Museum

August 3, 2020July 25, 2020 MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

The Ulster Museum is set among the Botanic Gardens. It was in the gardens on this rainy Saturday. We needed the umbrellas several times during our twenty minute digression before the museum engulfed us.

Click photograph for a larger view. To do this from WordPress Reader, you need to first click the title of this post to open a new page.

A solid fence, more dignified than a “Keep Off The Grass” sign.

I regret not recording the names of the trees and plants

This large, 28 acre, city owned park is free, opened to the public. It is treated with suitable respect by the residents.

The Row Houses on Colenso Parade (street) running parallel to the avenue of flowers we enjoyed.

..to be continued…..

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Gardens

Approach to the Museum

August 2, 2020August 3, 2020 MichaelStephenWills9 Comments

The Ulster Museum is set among the Botanic Gardens. Armed with umbrellas, Pam and I parked on this interesting street, Colenso Parade, on one side these row houses, on the other the gardens.

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Interesting, “no parking at any time” indicated by a double yellow line along the curb. We parked with everyone else, across the street on the Botanical Gardens side.

We parked and walked in, free as you please, taking in some of the beauty on our way to “Treasures from the Girona”, a permanent Ulster Museum exhibit.

I compliment the photography skills of our waitress

Our time strolling the walks was all too brief, 20 minutes, not enough to savor the treasures of knowledge suggested by the words “Botanic Garden.”

..to be continued…..

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