“Takes most of a morning’s hike now.
To get to the quiet.
Mums the Word“
JoHanna Massey, Sedona Arizona
Spring 2019
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What if you slept?
And what if,
In your sleep
you dreamed?
And what if
in your dreams,
you went to heaven
And there plucked
a strange
and beautiful flower?
And what if,
when you awoke,
You had the flower in your hand?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Earth Day Events:
Locally: Earth Day/Arbor Day Celebration Red Rock State Park
Arizona Regional- Go Green Earth Day
Global: Earth Day Network
Wishing everyone a peace filled, safe, joyful, prosperous, healthy, creative and some heavenly dreams this month of April when we celebrate our planet Earth. Thank you for stopping by.
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“And once Frederick seemed half asleep
‘Are you dreaming, Frederick?’
They asked reproachfully.
But Frederick said, ‘Oh no,
I am gathering words.
For the winter days are
Long and many
And we’ll run out of things to say.’ “-
From Frederick
Such a novelty to have snow linger past sunrise, through lunch, and onto dusk. Stayed on through the next day and after, while we stayed inside. New snow would then arrive, while we stayed inside. And now it is March, the snow mostly melted, A memory to share with you. While we happily get back outside.
Peace and Blessings to each and every one of you for this month of March 2019. Thank you for showing up and supporting JoHannaMassey.com
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Pleased to share with you some of the birds I have captured with the camera lens in these past few weeks. May peace, love, freedom, be Yours this month of February. Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Your support of my website is valued and appreciated.
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Deadman’s Pass in Boynton Canyon, Sedona Arizona is quiet in the morning. A walk-a-bout more than a hike, a connecting path between Boynton Canyon and Long Canyon. Good to be out in the clean clear air while frost is on the thick stands of manzanita and the deer and birds show themselves.
Hot Loop Trail, located off Jacks Canyon Road in the Village of Oak Creek, Sedona Arizona is a favorite. Sharing A Hike On Hot Loop While Old provides an appreciation, such gratitude on still having the strength, agility, and wits about me to make the thousand foot climb upward to views that are stand up straight shoulder squaring. No other hikers but us the entire trek, which is excellent, considering the heavy density of use on so many of Sedona’s trails. The peace, quiet, and bird song, as well as that physical workout deeply energize. An ace choice of hiking trails for the New Year of 2019.
Carroll Canyon, Old Post, and the Ridge Trails are very much ‘in town’, neighborhood trails. Quick access to outdoors whether on a lunch break from employment at a close by coffee shop, a break for a take away slice or tamale picnic in a day of errands, or out for establishing that exercise every morning routine. There is activity here. Noise from the sky from the tourist helicopter tours taking off and landing from nearby Sedona Airport, mountain bike enthusiasts enjoy these trails for their proximity to bike rentals, but then there will be a stretch of quiet time, red rock beauties, solitude, and flowers blooming in winter, or a red tailed hawk swooping deep through Carroll Canyon to surprise and delight and elude the camera lens.
The holidays over, the family and friends returned home or traveled on, decorations packed away and fond memories held onto. To Mescal Trail one of the most beautiful areas in Sedona, and one we enjoy in the winter. There was an observation made over the holidays that my website often made it seem as though we were the only ones out hiking in Sedona and that their recent traffic jammed up tight experiences between the Village of Oak Creek and Sedona said otherwise. It was an accurate observation.
The slideshow above is a sample of what ‘peopling’ a Sedona Arizona photo essay looks look like. A visual ‘loved to death’ scenario unfolding all around Mescal Trail and much of the area this week as thousands of tourists finish off 2018 in Sedona Arizona. Clearly we are not the only ones who have chosen to welcome the New Year with being out in nature.
My personal New Years Resolution is to spend as many days as possible outside in nature. These three beautiful hiking trails and a walk about recently have reinforced to me that I have made a most excellent choice, a totally enjoyable commitment for 2019.
Thank you for visiting. All my best to each and every one of you for this New Year of 2019.
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One of the joys of JoHannaMassey.com is the variety of people from around our planet; whose lives, interests, and perspectives are so varied, so interesting, often challenging, and so vividly expressed and shared on WordPress. Enthusiasm to honor our holidays is shared worldwide. Those times to pause from the work-a-day pursuits, differences, challenges, and responsibilities. The holiday season has the potential, and so very often brings out the best, most generous, appreciative, creative, and good parts of being human. Snow on the San Francisco Peaks in the photo pictured above arrived here in Arizona right on time to boost that holiday spirit.
2018 has been quite an unsettled year for our shared planet earth. However humble or lavish, reverent or light-hearted the honoring of December holidays will be this year, their enriching value in our lives never changes.
A sample of celebrations for this month:
Kwanzaa- December 26-January 1- celebrating the history, heritage, and culture of the African American and African Diaspora (the dispersion of people from their homeland).
Christmas- December 25- Christians celebrate the birth of birth of Jesus the Christ.
Chanukah December 2-December 10- The Festival of the Lights. In Judaism, the re-dedicating of the Holy Temple following Israel’s defeat of the Greek Army. With only enough oil to light lamps for one day, the lamps stay lit for eight symbolizing the Goodness of God.
Pancha Ganapati– December 21-December25 Hindus worship Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed Lord of culture/new beginnings. A time to mend miss steps and bring Lord Ganesha’s blessing of joy and harmony to family, friends, associates, culture and religion.
Winter Solstice: December 21 –shortest day of the year. Welcoming back the light to follow
Soyal – December 21 Hopi and Zuni Tribal members honor the winter solstice, Soyal honors the beginning of the return of the light and a New Year around the seasonal Wheel of our Lives.
Shabe-Yalda- December 21- Iranian Interfaith celebration of the rebirth of the sun on winter solstice.
Mawlid al-Nabi: December 12- the birth ( Islamic Calendar) of Muhammad (prophet of Islam).
Bodhi Day December 8- Buddha’s Day of enlightenment
Thank you to each and everyone of you this holiday season. Heartfelt gratitude and joy for all of your kindness in support of JoHannaMassey.com. during 2018. All my best to you and yours.
Todays Music: Bing Crosby & Frank Sinatra – Silent Night
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This joy of photographing Flagstaff Arizona Murals and sharing them with you appears to be unfolding as an occasional series. Traveled up Oak Creek Canyon where the creek-side trees are just catching the eye to signal the Foliage change has begun, but still leaning towards green. Everything is fresh and clean from recent rains, and the fire risk has lowered. There are apples for sale at Slide Rock and Indian Gardens, and the best cider ever.
The opening portion of the mural completed in 2014, shows a large grand piano , it’s top thrown open and many species of birds surging out from the inside, then on into full flight across the wall. The choice of beginning with a grand piano on the Orpheum Theaters exterior acknowledges it as a place of performance and the arts.
The birds flow out of the piano as would musical notes, and as I stood at a distance gazing, I could see their movement and flight. Up close every perfectly proportion detail adding to the flock. A symphony of birds.
In 2015 a second portion was added, again with the continued generous support of the Flagstaff Community in support of public art for everyone. There is Michelangelo’s “David” accompanied by the Lady In Red Muse as well as many small details that are personally significant to someone in the Flagstaff community whether as a sponsored ‘in memory of’ bird or actually painted by a community member.
“The Thinker” leads the eye on a journey into the Canyon Lands on the southern edge. The gray wolf featured is Echo, found in the Grand Canyon, part of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project.
There is humor, irony and mischief within the landscapes, and I will leave it to you to find them or create new ones for yourself. There are some images that for me are just plain whimsical and wonderful.
If you are traveling towards or through Flagstaff Arizona, or if you are living close enough by and have never taken the opportunity to view “Sounds of Flight” it is definitely worth a walk about to see this stunning piece of artwork. Two other murals in Flagstaff I have written about:The Mother Road: Route 66, Nothing Is Inevitable Here,
Thank you to the Artists, The Flagstaff Arts Council the Flagstaff Business Community, as well as everyone who helped make this beautiful mural available to the public, to be enjoyed by everyone.
A safe, peaceful, prosperous, and creative month of November to each and everyone of you. Your showing up and support of my website JoHannaMassey.com is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Music: Everybody Wants To Rule The World- Tears for Fears
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