UC Davis Botanical Conservatory

Last weekend UC Davis celebrated Darwin's birthday by having an open house for a few of their collections including the Botanical Conservatory.

Darwin's Orchid

Single molecule
of moth pheromone
invisible in the immense
freight of pollen blown
over the desert

how halves relate
their common weight
papilionate

~ Amanda Joy

from a book of her poems "Orchid Poems" published by mulla mulla press.

How did it get so late so soon?

How did it get so late so soon?
It’s night before it’s afternoon.
December is here before it’s June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?
~Dr. Seuss

Really.
I can't believe it's already September.
Summer flew by but what a great time it was.
August was a month full of hikes,
my parents came for a visit
and I managed to squeeze in a quick backpack to the Big Horn Crags
(a place that should not be visited quick)
and now,
I'm already into the second week of school.

I can't believe it.

A few photos from August.

Mom and Dad on the way to Boulder Basin

Rafting the Salmon with Mom and Dad

Boulder Basin

A little place I like to call home.
Sun Valley and Ketchum viewed from Ruud Mountain.
Hiked the Proctor and Ruud Mountain loop with Mom and Dad.

Backpacking the Big Horn Crags

And I guess I'll say it again... I can't believe it's already September. Fall is in the air though and thoughts of snow have already come up. More than once. I love the change of seasons.

Summer's here!

Summer's Here

Summer's here and we can hike the peaks again,
have lunch and tea on mountaintops, look down

on the backs of circling hawks and laze away
the afternoon watching blue-hazy, distant hills.

Come on! Give up those winter blues. Let's go!
Grease up those boots, find that walking stick.

Get your lungs and legs in shape. And don't forget
what Yuan Mei, said, two hundred years ago:

If you begrudge your feet some pain
you'll miss ten thousand peaks.

~ David Budbill

This post is credited to my friend Laura who sent me the photo yesterday (gotta love those phone photos) when she was hiking Heidelberg, a local favorite, and today she sent me the poem.

Happy Summer!

The Snow-Storm

The Snow-Storm

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air
Hides hill and woods, the river, and the heaven,
And veils the farmhouse at the garden's end.
The sled and traveller stopped, the courier's feet
Delated, all friends shut out, the housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of storm.
Come see the north wind's masonry.
Out of an unseen quarry evermore
Furnished with tile, the fierce artificer
Curves his white bastions with projected roof
Round every windward stake, or tree, or door.
Speeding, the myriad-handed, his wild work
So fanciful, so savage, nought cares he
For number or proportion. Mockingly,
On coop or kennel he hangs Parian wreaths;
A swan-like form invests the hiddden thorn;
Fills up the famer's lane from wall to wall,
Maugre the farmer's sighs; and at the gate
A tapering turret overtops the work.
And when his hours are numbered, and the world
Is all his own, retiring, as he were not,
Leaves, when the sun appears, astonished Art
To mimic in slow structures, stone by stone,
Built in an age, the mad wind's night-work,
The frolic architecture of the snow.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

With the last three posts having been posts of the past I thought I would post from the present. We had some pretty good dumps last week and snow is at the top of my lists of fave. The photos are from a hike I took with friends out Lake Creek.

Women and The World

Woman

Each one of you
are beautiful.
Each one of you
are strong.
Each one of you
are brave.

Each one of you
are kind.
Each one of you
are true.
Each one of you
are love.

Each one of you
are experience.
Each one of you
are knowledge.
Each one of you
are wise.

Each one of you
are real.
Each one of you
are special.
Each one of you
are unique.

You are Mother, daughter, sister, wife, lover, friend.
You are Woman.

Believe it!
Revel it!
Embrace it!

The preceding poem I wrote yesterday as part of an assignment for a women's wellness circle I've been attending with facilitators Midge Patzer and Melissa Boley. The assignment was to be completed for the last class of the course and we were asked to write about each of the women in our group. The poem was inspired by each woman individually but also by the group as a whole and by all of the other women who are a part of my life.

The image that I associated with the poem is a card, The World, from my Motherpeace tarot deck by Karen Vogel and Vicki Noble. I use tarot daily for inspiration and guidance. It's imagery works very well for me. As for the card, The World, I will try to explain it without getting into a huge explanation of tarot.

The tarot deck consists of seventy eight cards that are divided into two groups: the twenty two cards of the major arcana and the fifty six cards of the minor arcana. The fifty six cards of the minor are based on four series of suits containing fourteen cards; similar to a regular deck of playing cards and the twenty two cards of the major correspond to the connective paths of the Hebrew "Tree of Life" of which these paths are lines along which life develops. The World card, which also may be referred to as The Universe in other decks, is the final card of the major arcana and as such can be read as the final step or completion of a process.

As defined in the Motherpeace book of interpretation:

The Fool (the first card in the major arcana) has grown up into a woman of the world. Leading a spiral dance, she is followed by her circle of friends and family. She skips through a chain of peyote buttons and flowers. These sacred plants part to let her by. She's come a long way. It no longer matters to her how she looks or that her clothes are torn. She takes her place among the children of the earth.

The World is breaking free into a new cycle. The old is completed and many new things are now possible since she has done her work. She knows and loves herself and all her facets have come into harmony. She may feel expanded and omnipotent because a major cycle of her life is completed and a new doorway opens.

The Motherpeace tarot is the second deck that I am learning to read. The first deck I learned was the Thoth tarot, by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris, which was given to me by one of my closest and dearest friends. It was the deck that she learned from and it was given to her by her mother. In the Thoth deck the last card of the major arcana is The Universe.

As defined in the Crowley book of interpretation:

The Universe is the expression of the wholeness, in which the divine in its three aspects harmoniously connects with the earthly as an eye, virgin, and snake, through which the four cherubims are manifested. The number seven, the sum of the above, is an expression of a time boundary that is contained three times in the numerical value of the card 21. The card then stands for the goal that has been attained, for the climax of a development, and therefore in some cases for the goal in life itself and our place in this world, where we belong.

From the psychological perspective, the Universe personifies the waking consciousness and the self-regulating power of the creative self. This allows us to act socially within the surrounding of our community, and process emotionally the creative contractions of eternal transformation:

To experience the Self means that we are always conscious of our own identity. We then know that we can never be anything other than our Self, that we will never lose our Self, and that we can never be estranged from our Self. This is so, because we realize that the Self is indestructible, that it is always one and the same, that it cannot be dissolved or exchanged for something else. The Self enables us to remain the same under all circumstances of our life. ~ C.G. Jung

I am very thankful for all of the women that I know and that have touched my life. They have inspired and encouraged me but most of all they have loved me for who I am. Included are the women that I have found here in the virtual world who, although I have never met any of them, spark my creativity and boost my confidence almost daily. I enjoy randomly perusing blogs and I truly appreciate all of the visitors to my blog who leave words of appreciation and encouragement. Thank you all!

Autumn Dreams

Autumn Dreams

I know the year is dying,
Soon the summer will be dead.
I can trace it in the flying
Of the black crows overhead;
I can hear it in the rustle
Of the dead leaves as I pass,
And the south wind's plaintive sighing
Through the dry and withered grass.

Ah, 'tis then I love to wander.
Wander idly and alone,
Listening to the solemn music
Of sweet nature's undertone;
Wrapt in thoughts I cannot utter,
Dreams my tongue cannot express,
Dreams that match the autumn's sadness
In their longing tenderness.

~ Mortimer Crane Brown

All photos in this post were taken yesterday as I wandered Route 20 between Arco and Carey.

The old dilapidated house is west of Arco and it sits behind a fence marked 'No Trespassing'. The house looks like it is constructed of very thin pieces of stacked slate and I really would like to get a closer look. It is a piece of art.

The car is east of Carey just sitting in a swampy field. It too is a piece of art although it changes quite regularly as different people tag it.

Both the house and the car I believe to be Route 20 icons.

As for the faded flowers I don't know what they are. Dog and I took a walk east of Craters of the Moon (Dog can't walk Craters of the Moon the rocks hurt his feet) and that's where the flowers were found. Yesterday, although blustery cold and grey was a fantastic fall day just right for wandering, by car and on foot, and for dreaming.

B is for baby

This weekend I attended a party which was in honor of two of my best friends' first child (party photos). He is due any moment and the following is in celebration of baby Theobald a.k.a. 'the bump' (great maternity photos taken by another friend of theirs, Kristin Cheatwood, Cheatwood Photography, Ketchum, Idaho).


B
is
for
baby

and bike and bat and ball

and boarding on Baldy (be it one board or two)

and the big, big, fish in the Big Wood

and bananas and bongos
and bubbles and butterflies

and burritos and beer

and Buddha

and books,
lots and lots of books

and lets not forget frisbee

big, brother 'Boose (the best mountain basset ever)

and

being
best of friends.

most this amazing

i thank You God for most this amazing
~ e e cummings

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any - lifted from the no
of all nothing - human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

Boulder Mountains from Baker Lake access road

As Summer is slowing fading into Fall

This weekend not only did I have the need to wear my down jacket in the evening to take the chill off I also noticed a lot of trucks coming home from up north full of firewood.

By no means am I ready to even think about the recent rain turning to snow, and I LOVE the snow, so I am posting lots and lots of wildflowers I've found throughout the summer to warm me up a bit.

Subaplpine spiraea, Spiraea splendens or wild rose
Found in the backyard.

Ciliate bluebell, Mertensia ciliata
Found in Slaughterhouse Canyon where we take our daily dog walk. Just behind the house.

Sitka columbine, Aquilegia formosa
Scarlet paintbrush, Castilleja miniata
Elephant-head, Pedicularis groenlandica or pink elephants
Elegant camas, Anticlea elegans
Slender cinquefoil, Potentilla gracilis

All found at Washington Lake in the White Cloud Mountains while hiking with Mom and Dad. What a treat.

Closeup of pink elephants.

Closeup of elegant camas.

A lone Silver lupine, Lupinus argenteus
found in a field of Twin arnica, Arnica sororia.

Following are a couple of my favorite
wildflower photos from this summer.
Both were taken while on a hike
to Betty, Baptie and Goat Lakes.
The same hike I found the white bog orchid on
mentioned in my previous post.

Lewis's monkey-flower, Mimulus lewisii
Oregon bluebell, Mertensia bella
Spear leafed arnica, Arnica longifolia

California false hellebore, Veratrum californicum

While working in early July I was lucky enough to be up in Copper Basin during some of the height of the wildflower season.

Prairie smoke, Geum triflorum

Taper-leaf penstemon, Penstemon attenuatus
Spear leafed arnica, Arnica longifolia
with the Pioneer Mountains in the background.

Pioneer Mountains in the background again. Only this time from the other side. The field of wildflowers consists mostly of American bistort (white), Bistorta bistortoides, Mountain sheep sorrel (red), Rumex paucifolius, and Upland larkspur (blue), Delphinium nuttallianum.

Another view of the Pioneers with
Longspur lupine, Lupinus arbustus in the foreground.

And last but not least some cactus flowers.
They are some of my favorites
as they grow in extreme heat and dryness,
they are very delicate, their color is amazing
and they last for only but a day or two.

Spiny prickly pear, Opuntia polyacantha

Brittle cactus, Opuntia fragilis

And...
an Aztec poem

From within the Heavens
by Ayocuan Cuetzpaltzin

From within the heavens they come,
the beautiful flowers, the beautiful songs,
but our yearning spoils them,
our inventiveness makes them lose their fragrance,
although not those of the Chichimec prince Tecayehuatzin.
With his, rejoice!

Friendship is a shower of precious flowers
White tufts of heron feathers
are woven with precious red flowers,
among the branches of the trees
under which stroll and sip
the lords and nobles

Your beautiful song
is a golden wood thrush
most beautiful, you raise it up.
You are in a field of flowers.
Among the flowery bushes you sing.
Are you perchance a precious bird of the Giver of Life?
Perchance you have spoken with God?
As soon as you saw the dawn,
you began to sing.
Would that I exert myself, that my heart desire,
the flowers of the shield,
the flowers of the Giver of Life.

What can my heart do?
In vain we have come,
we have blossomed forth on earth.
Will I have to go alone
like the flowers that perish?
Will nothing remain of my name?
Nothing of my fame here on earth?
At least my flowers, at least my songs!
What can my heart do?
In vain we have come,
we have blossomed forth on earth.

Let us enjoy, O friends,
here we can embrace.
We stroll over the flowery earth.
No one here can do away
with the flowers and the songs,
they will endure in the house of the Giver of Life

Earth is the region of the fleeting moment.
Is it also thus in the Place
Where in Some Way One Lives?

Is one happy there?
Is there friendship?
Or is it only here on earth
we come to know our faces?

(as translated by Miguel Leon-Portilla)


With a little bit about Aztec poetry.

Some orchids and a poem

White bog orchid, Platanthera dilatata

Found while hiking in the Pioneer Mountains
to Betty, Goat and Baptie Lakes.
Goat being the highest lake in Idaho.

An Encounter by Robert Frost

ONCE on the kind of day called “weather breeder,”
When the heat slowly hazes and the sun
By its own power seems to be undone,
I was half boring through, half climbing through
A swamp of cedar. Choked with oil of cedar
And scurf of plants, and weary and over-heated,
And sorry I ever left the road I knew,
I paused and rested on a sort of hook
That had me by the coat as good as seated,
And since there was no other way to look,
Looked up toward heaven, and there against the blue,
Stood over me a resurrected tree,
A tree that had been down and raised again—
A barkless spectre. He had halted too,
As if for fear of treading upon me.
I saw the strange position of his hands—
Up at his shoulders, dragging yellow strands
Of wire with something in it from men to men.
“You here?” I said. “Where aren’t you nowadays
And what’s the news you carry—if you know?
And tell me where you’re off for—Montreal?
Me? I’m not off for anywhere at all.
Sometimes I wander out of beaten ways
Half looking for the orchid Calypso.”

Wild Flowers

Wild Flowers at the height of the Burma Road, Idaho

For myself I hold no preferences among flowers,
so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous.
Bricks to all greenhouses!
Black thumb and cutworm to the potted plant!
~ Edward Abbey