Tag: dog

Chaco Canyon

4 Comments

A daylily by any other name would smell as sweet . . . maybe, maybe not.  Chaco Canyon is a beautiful, spiritual place in New Mexico.  It is not easy to get there – the road is dirt, not improved – many ruts for miles and miles.  But, it is worth it because it was an empire of the Ancient Pueblo Indians.

10147020_10152033054086239_663592744_o (2)

The road to Chaco Canyon before it turns to dirt

I have been there twice.  The first time, I had no idea what the road was like but I am persistent.  I was on my way home from a conference in Albuquerque and had seen the road signs on my way down.

1625643_10152043138886239_1411051356_n

Hungo Pavi – one of the many Chaco buildings

I was instantly taken by the place, but it was late so I didn’t get to see much.  I bought a book and loved looking at the pictures.

1604411_10152043139826239_1513133530_n

The walls of the Chaco ruins blend into the background of the canyon walls

 

So, six years ago when I had decided to travel for my spring road trip and got me a fine dog (Maizzy) to accompany me . . . we headed back to Chaco.  This time, we met an old friend of mine.  We hiked and caught-up with each other after several years.

1538888_10152043138616239_1593787443_n

The canyon walls tower above the ancient ruins

Chaco Canyon was a huge trade center that is linked to the stellar world in crazy and mysterious ways.  I am no expert, but many of the buildings are aligned perfectly north/south – and you can follow the north line miles to the next building.  The buildings are aligned to both sun and moon cycles.  There are petroglyphs that light up like Las Vegas on Solstice and Equinox each year.

1978876_10152043140326239_1560540395_n

The round petroglyph on the right reminds me of my daylily bloom

My trips to the Ancient Pueblo ruins remind me how humanity has lost touch with our connection to nature. We drive in cars, leave the lights on 24/7, and argue with strangers about wearing masks.  We have become so disconnected from the messages from our planet and solar system – it makes me sad for all of our advancement some days.  The message of Chaco is sacred and special to me.

 

1533765_10152043141221239_1186344848_n

Petroglyphs and wasp nests cohabitate on the walls of Chaco Canyon

So, when I happened to see a daylily named Chaco Canyon – just after I discovered one named Kokopelli (and by the same hybridizer, Ned Roberts), I ordered it instantly.  Not only did I like the name – It is a striking daylily.   I wonder what about this daylily reminded Ned of Chaco Canyon – maybe the red color?  Maybe because it blooms around summer solstice?  Maybe because it looks like the sun or the stars?

ChacoCanyon8.9.2

Chaco Canyon daylily soaking up the sun – 2019

My Chaco Canyon grows in a big pot on my back porch.  I moved a couple fans to the Southwest garden last year to extend the bloom season (the two gardens have slightly different peak bloom times).  It is getting big and I am watching for scapes now because it blooms on the early side.  I can’t wait to be stunned by the first flower!

ChacoCanyon6.24.1

Chaco Canyon daylily shines in the sun – 2018

I thought I had lost the photos of my trip to Chaco  – but silly me, I uploaded them to Facebook 6 years ago.  Taking a road trip vicariously through my daylilies makes me want to go back to this place, again, when COVID-19 clears.  It isn’t all that far away.  In the meantime, I wait for it to bloom in my yard.

ChacoCanyon7.12.1

Two Chacos dancing in the breeze

Daylily Photobombs

Leave a comment

The peak lives on with 72 blooms today.  One of the things about photographing so many daylilies before I have to leave for work is that I get in a rush.  I focus on the flower and hit the shutter button.  Sometimes, when I am editing later, I find stuff that I didn’t notice at the time.

My favorite photobombs have other daylilies that I didn’t notice in the background – like Happy Hopi today:

HappyHopi7.26.2.jpg

Happy Hopi with friends Laughing Feather and Zuni Thunderbird 7/26

And, the most common photobombs are when I cut off a petal in the shot by a lot.  Why am I struggling to get photos of Navajo Grey Hills?

NavajoGreyHills7.26.2.jpg

Navajo Grey Hills 7/26

Of course, there are occasionally cat photobombs:

SkinWalker7.25.1.jpg

Skinwalker and my cat, Sokasbai – 7/25

Or, dog photobombs:

BlueBeat7.25.1.jpg

Blue Beat and my dog, Maizzy – 7/25

The most embarrassing, though, are the foot photobombs.  The flower is at a weird angle, so you try to bend over so you can get a front shot.  What was I thinking?

BlackIce7.26.1.jpg

Black Ice and my feet – 7/26

OK – so what about Premiers.  Only three today.  The pace slows a bit, although I saw my neighbors at dinner and the first thing they talked about was my giant daylilies.  So, it isn’t over yet!

Nona’s Garnet Spider was a bonus.  She hasn’t been a consistent bloomer but is putting on a good show of buds this year.

NonasSpider7.26.1.jpg

Nona’s Garnet Spider – 7/26

Autumn Jewels . . . I think this was a bonus, too.  She is related to El Desperado.  I had a huge El Desperado for years but lost it to the weird, cold, wet spring.  I lost a couple and several had setbacks . . . but so many are blooming this year that haven’t before or the regulars have a higher bud count than usual.  It’s interesting the yin and yang of this year.  Anyway – I got a new El Desperado and it is just putting up scapes now.  I like both of these cultivators.

AutumnJewels7.26.2.jpg

Autumn Jewels – 7/26

And, Nearly Wild is another bonus plant – she looks like her ancestor, the ditch lily or Fulva.  I am sure that is where she gets her name.

NearlyWild7.26.2.jpg

Nearly Wild – 7/26

It is raining, again.  We will see what that brings.

 

 

Back to the Drawing Board

Leave a comment

Going back to the drawing board is both literal and figurative for me this day.  And, when you are a creative, drawing boards can help generate positive emotion.

When I buy daylilies with southwestern names, I usually am attracted to names like Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon – places where I have been. With Ghost Ranch, I put the cart before the horse.  Or, the daylily before the trip.

GhostRanch5.7.27

Oh, the name sounded southwestern, and it is a Ned Roberts bloom, so I Googled it.  Much to my surprise, this place called Ghost Ranch was just over in my neighbor, New Mexico.  At first, I saw it said no dogs.  But, I did call the morning we were driving through that area on the road trip.  Dogs, sure!  Just bring a leash.

GhostRanchOverlay2

This is a beautiful place that is the subject of Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings.  It is clearly on the Colorado Plateau – I knew as soon as  saw the rock structures.  The only downside was that we got there during the beginning of a good size windstorm, so hiking was not as fun and the light was rather muted.  At any rate, here is Ghost Ranch on Ghost Ranch . . . my drawing board.

GhostRanch10.7.27

Ghost Ranch was the only new bloom today.  I had 10 different cultivators today.  Nice little smiles, each.  My last Blue Beat, though.  See you next year! No, wait.  See you when I break out the Christmas present paint.

 

Collage 2016-07-27 17_26_56

From R to L: Top Row – Classy Lady, Fine Time Lucille, Desert Icicle, Blue Beat, South Seas.  Row Two: Primal Scream, Lullaby Baby, Ghost Ranch, Marque Moon, Mini Pearl.