Previously Seen Here

Last April I was driving home and was completely awed by the view of a sliver of the silver moon hanging low in the night sky with Venus at her side in between the gaps of several tall saguaros on the road near my house. I huddled on the side of the road with my camera on its tripod, taking pictures for seconds at a time as cars drove by, their headlights giving the perfect extra glow to the scene. I was giddy with delight at the landscape before me!

Then in July, our monsoon season, the same area was graced with the presence of a full rainbow, so again I took the opportunity to capture the beauty of this special area of desert, practically in my own backyard!


I decided to go explore this area again recently, and was devastated to find that this beautiful patch of natural desert vegetation had been plowed, graded, and cleared with exception of the protected saguaros. Those towering giants now overlook a plain of freshly tractored dirt, still soft from the dragging. They used to be surrounded by other plants particular to our Sonoran desert, but now they seem isolated with nothing in front of or behind them. I imagine that their arms turn down, and placed on their "hips," they gossip about the travesty. Tire tracks have replaced my shoe prints and the tracks of desert creatures who once called it home.

I cried for this magical place I've developed a sort of friendship with and immediately called my mama, a lover of the desert, knowing that she would understand. I expected her to be oober-sympathetic with me, and while she was sorry for me, she also said that my property was once covered in desert landscape, too. This comment surprised me, but she is a Senior Zoning Inspector for the Town of Oro Valley and she deals with this sort of complaint over and over again from Oro Valley citizens who call her, much like I did, frustrated over the development of a new area, and the loss of something natural and beautiful. My mama was right. I, too, am guilty of enjoying my home situated in a subdivision, the result of the very act that distraught me: de-desertation.

Our population is growing, and developers need to make room for people moving in - I get it, and it has never bothered me before. But now the awe-inspiring scenes I witnessed right there will never be seen the way I saw it again, except for digitally (thankfully). Those plants, shrubs, smaller cacti, and trees will never grow quite the same there, and now an apartment complex will sit on that corner and people will move in and perhaps never know what used to reside on that plot of land, land I didn't figure anyone even owned, naively.



I feel gypped. There wasn't even a warning! But what would I have done? The Lorax comes to mind. Where is he when you need him? However, people like my mama salvage our desert vegetation and ensure that our native plants are represented in new developments. I'm thankful for that. Thank you, Mama!

It's crazy to think about all of the paved roads that divide the landscape, and what now CAN'T grow or live there because WE have so many places to go to and be at. I do appreciate our roads, parking lots, homes, architecture, schools, museums, and businesses, I do. But it is interesting to think about what once was there and can be no more. And a little sad.

Thankful for the sights I saw there,

Dawn

Dr. Suess' Horton Hears a Who

This movie is incredibly delightful! One clue to that fact is the way my husband cracked up during the film... you know, the hearty genuine laugh - the kind that brings tears to his eyes, and even if I didn't find the feature equally hilarious, I would have been giggling anyway at the sheer delight he was experiencing! But it just so happens that this film did tickle my funny bone, too. (Click on the title of this post to go to the website.)

Horton is a sweet-hearted elephant who believes in caring for a Who called Mayor who inhibits the teeny-tiny speck sitting delicately on a clover. Mayor learns of Horton and even though he can't see the large elephant, larger than his entire world, has a true belief in him. These two characters have absolute, unwavering faith.

When you think about it, Earth is really just a speck floating through the starry universe. There's a great and loving God who cares for you and me, a couple of "Whos" on a speck in the massiveness that is His universe.

"For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice, the earth is full of his unfailing love." — Psalm 33: 4-5

"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent!" — Horton

Amazed,

Dawn

While He Was Sleeping

Napping

Adorably

Through

Hugs

And

sNapshots

The blue jamies were Mike's and they won't fit Nathan for very much longer! In Mike's babybook there is a picture of him wearing those very same jamies (yes, with feet!) and Nathan looks very much like his daddy's baby-self. I still see Gayle's features on his cheekbones and nose though!

happy snapping,
Dawn

A Bath and Jamies with Feet

I always hear people say how they love the way babies smell. Well, until I smelled darling Nathan boy after his first bath, I didn't have a strong memory of a baby scent. I could not take a deep enough breath! He smelled so yummy-clean; a cleanliness that I've never smelled on an adult human!

His first bath was at Gayle's kitchen sink under the supervision of Gramma Dockery, a labor and delivery nurse from the World War II era. She bathed all of her grandbabies in their infancy, Gayle and I included, and she was tickeled to have been a part of her first great grandbaby's first bath, too. Mama would have loved to be there, but sadly, she was at home busy fighting the terribly yucky cold that Kurt and I both endured. Get well soon, Mama!

Then Gayle dressed her baby in comfy feet-jamies from Grandma Dee Dee (Mama) which are covered in little mice, a signature favorite of Grandma. The other interesting thing about these jamies is that they are sized 0 to 3 months, and can you believe that this little 4-day-old filled these jamies out?! That boy - he's a monkey!

I wish we adults could smell like a clean baby and get away with wearing jamies with feet, but then I just don't think it would have quite the same effect.

Smiling,

Dawn

Nathan Michael Martin Warren

He came into the world very pink with a deep cry and a pointy head (see in photo above). But can you blame him? Big heads run in the family! My sister, Gayle, gave birth to a 9lb. 6oz., 21 and 3/4 inch long baby boy on Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 at 8:58pm. So, due to his size, a pointy head was inevitable! He's rounded out since the day of his birth though.

I was very honored and fortunate to get to be in the delivery room, and I was armed complete with camcorder and camera, and sadly, a mask since I had a sniffling cold.

It's a strange sensation for there to suddenly be one more person in the room without anyone coming through the door, even though I knew that was the purpose of being in the room in the first place.

Mama was also in the room, near Gayle's head, helping to support her back every time Gayle tucked her chin down and did a giant crunchie to push. Gayle's husband, Mike, was there by her side giving her updates on how much of Nathan was showing. "I can see his eyebrows!" There were 5 nurses I think, one designated as the "baby catcher," and a doctor. Daddy was behind the curtain like the great and powerful Wizard of Oz, but he kept fairly quiet except for the occasional proud, soft, deep chuckle as he anticipated the arrival of his grandson. Kurtis and Beth were in the hallway trying to witness as much as possible from behind a door.

Gayle's contractions lasted over 24 hours, but she pushed on March 4th for less than an hour. I'm very proud of her... we all are. She and Mike are very proud parents. Proudness is all around.

Finally I get to see that Nathan has the nose of his mama and the lips and chin of his daddy. A more beautiful meld of two people I cannot imagine. What a blessing he is.

A happily doting aunt,

Dawn

Done Yet?

My how they've grown! Nathan has quite a pouch there in his mama! Believe it or not, Gayle doesn't have any stretch marks yet! This was about a week ago, and the due date is March 4th - less than a week away! In fact, Gayle has had some contractions already, which is crazy! Her stomach gets really hard for a few minutes and then relaxes again. Her body seems to know what to do. Amazing! More info to come!

In anticipation,
Dawn

Proyecto Compassion

Last Saturday, Kurtis, Alan, and I traveled 40 miles south of the border to visit a Mexican orphanage, Casa de Elizabeth. I feel privileged that I got to go and photograph some of the children who live there for the newsletter and website that Proyecto Compasion (Project Compassion) delivers to keep readers and contributors informed on the happenings at the orphanage.

This place is a home for, at the time, 98 children of many ages. The 98 children share quarters, food, chores, clothes, toys, and attention; a skill they make look easy, but sharing should not be underestimated. Can you imagine?

These little children don't really have a lot of choice in their circumstances, but they do have a choice on their attitude and I am quite impressed with the good naturedness, hospitality, and joy that they displayed to perfect strangers who came and visited, some with very sparse Spanish-speaking abilities.

After arriving, I shock myself because I begin to meld all of the kids together and to think of them as one collective mass as though they are each the same. But I quickly snap out of that ridiculous notion because, in truth, just because I can’t communicate readily, doesn’t mean that each and every one of these children isn’t special with individual qualities and a unique, one-of-a-kind personality. How dare I? He knows them each by name. “Como se llama?” need not be asked by Him. Each child is unlike any other person on the entire planet. Remarkable. I began to wonder what each of these kids dreams of and hopes for, prays for. What does she want to be when she grows up? Does he have great aspirations? I wish I could ask them... in their language.

For now, the language I have in common with them, besides the few basic phrases that we exchange in either Spanish or English, is the language of love and the message of a smile. They smile back. Their smiles speak loudly, that's for sure. I’ll try to crack the code. Some smiles innocently show contentment. Some smiles beg for excitement. Some smiles say shyly, "Don't take my picture." Other smiles cheese it up for the camera. Some smiles shout, "Watch what I can do!" Some smiles ask, "What did you bring me?" Some smiles are suspicious. Some smiles say, "Ooh, someone new." Some smiles show a hint of recognition. Some smiles are purely for the soccer ball or the bicycle with the metal wheels. Even that bike without rubber tires warrants a smile. Some smiles yearn to show off their home. Some smiles await lunch. Some smiles tease each other. Some smiles are modest after a violin concert in the office. Some smiles barely show at all. Some smiles take up half of a face.

I hope that my smiles speak the volumes that their smiles do. I hope my smiles adequately say, "Wow," "You're special," "You beautiful creature of God," "That's awesome," "Good picture!" "Thanks for sharing," "I admire your spunk," and "Keep up the good work," which unfortunately all sound like stickers one would get on a homework assignment. While I know that many of those kiddos would take a sticker with gusto (even in English), that doesn’t seem good enough! There’s so much more I want to ask and say, so much they each deserve to hear, which I believe they do all receive – share - on a daily basis in their home at Casa de Elizabeth.

Despite our language barrier, I hope they saw the compassion I feel for them and the strength I see in them. I pray they recognize the love around them and the love from a few people across the border.

With Hope,
Dawn