Moonrise Over the Mesa
27 March 2021
Outside Taos, New Mexico
The tall gate with anvil and fire breathing robotic sculptures act as the welcome committee for a nice landing at the home of friends and makers Christina and Christian. Looking into the Río Grande gorge on a late morning walk, a view one never tires of searching the cliffs for bighorn sheep, watching the hawks soar, and still wrapping one’s mind around the yawning crack in the land that a major river flows through. I’ve been coming here for 20 years, yet the chilly wind reminds me it is barely spring in the high desert. Still hope to take a full moon walk later. In the meantime, clean and repair the MRS, and a bit of editing.
Read MoreVernal Equinox
20 March 2021
Sea of Cortez | Mar de Cortés
Thinking about balance, the coming of light and longer days, the blossom of spring. On a spontaneous turn, instead of heading north to the Ajo Mountains, I head south, seeking the clarity of the water and waves on the shores of the Sea of Cortes. It felt essential. I fold a cyanotype boat for an old friend I recently found out had perished in the desert, sending it on a tiny rivulet flowing to the sea. I fold a boat for the father of a friend, a daughter who adored and cherished her father…
Read MorePeanut Cloud and Border Wall
18 March 2021
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona
In intense moments we often think of the most absurd things. This afternoon I am tucked inside with 33mph wind gusts shaking the MRS. The whistling and howling makes it hard to think, so I choose the simple task of cataloguing a pile of cyanotypes. I look at this one and am transported to a cloudless, dry day, barely a few weeks ago. At Cabeza Prieta, I haven’t seen a soul for miles, and the aptly named El Camino del Diablo grows narrower, more rutted and with deeper and deeper sand, the thorny branches of mesquite hemming me in on the sides. I think of the history of this road, and the many who have perished here over time…
Read MoreRusty Can
17 March 2021
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona
I start a cyanotype of rusty cans by an old mine, but the sun is about to dip behind the ridge and there’s not quite enough time to set up the 4x5 in this light. I wonder why I didn’t move the cans into a sunnier spot, but enjoy the moment nonetheless, thinking that it’s still a three mile walk back, I could’ve started earlier, or not been distracted back at the wash, but at the very least I got to try out the new daypack setup and decide how comfy (or not) it is...
Read MoreIt’s a Wrap!
12 March 2021
Tucson Mountains, Arizona
It’s a wrap! Added the final solar panel on the roof, the portable suitcase panel on the ground, and all wired up for the solar-powered MRS (mobile research studio). It all looks so pretty and blue, even the usage monitor, I feel like I’m on a boat! Now, to put back the bed, and everything else. The sun is setting behind clouds that promise rain as the wind picks up and the temperature drops. Better get my things inside! “These Grand Places” is a photography-based project on public land. Thank you to Scott Harris for electrician expertise, and for doing all the hard work, Giri Venkataramanan for the design, and for helping me understand a few things about electricity, and the UW Madison School of Education for supporting my work. Back on the road soon...
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