Stu Jenks: Fezziwig Photography, Music, and Writing

"Cocoraque Butte, Arizona" (c) 2007

"Cocoraque Butte, Ironwood National Monument, AZ" (c) 2007 Stu Jenks

"The Sun at Cocoraque Butte, Ironwood National Monument, AZ" (c) 2007 Stu Jenks

"Rock at Cocoraque Butte, Ironwood National Monument, AZ (c) 2007 Stu Jenks

[From yesterday's deep hike into the Ironwood National Forest, an area of 'death playas', illegal paths, and old or not-so-old petrogylphs. (The dates '1921' and '1887' were etched into some rocks at the Butte, along with the Hohokam images of men, big horns and the Sun.)  Took some images, played a song or two on the mandolin, saw my first Gila Monster in the wild (The boy simply disappeared before I could get my camera out.) First sunburn of 2007. A place of isolation, and full silence. A place where the Gods can easily be heard.]

"Dragoon Springs, AZ" (c) 2006

"Dragoon Springs, AZ" (c) 2006 Stu Jenks

[This image was taken using the Brownie Starflash, loaded with that great Efke Croatian Black and White film I use all the time. A little Photoshop 7 was used to get the sepia and blue tones. These two Agaves, at the time, reminded me of a happy human couple, standing close and lovingly together. Two of anything can do that to me sometimes.]

[Dragoon Springs is an old Apache watering hole that no longer exist, due to a small earthquake that stopped the water from flowing. The Chiricahua Apaches aren't around anymore to drink the spring, even if it did still run. Only cows and mustangs roam there now. Very sad. Four graves of Confederate soldiers are just to the west of this spot. A beautiful yet lonely place. My kind of place.]