"When dawn spreads its paintbrush on the plain, spilling purple... ," Sons of the Pioneers theme for TV show "Wagon Train." Dawn on the mythic Santa Fe Trail, New Mexico, looking toward Raton from Cimarron. -- Clarkphoto. A curmudgeon artist's musings melding metaphors and journalism, for readers in more than 150 countries.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Desert Sentinels--7 days 'til Christmas

"Desert Sentinels," 5 x 7 watercolor card
In lands of far horizons like deserts, the Great Plains (once called the Great American Desert), where you can see "a far off," landmarks grow in importance and sacredness.
It's no accident that astrology began ages ago among the ancients in the Americas and elsewhere, such as Arabia, where people needed guides, land--"marks"-- not otherwise available to prevent being lost.
To me, another Sentinel of the deserts, of arid country, of wide open spaces, is the yucca. Many consider it just a cactus, but it is more--not just the state flower of New Mexico, but a sentinel of survival, of life, of hope...just as are stars, as was a star celebrated this season of the year.

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