I Left My Heart in Yosemite

Wells hand, he lost his finger roping, a common hazard of the rodeo industry.

Mazie playing home on the range after Wells passed away with his horse Buck

Home With Down To Earth Folks

Yosemite National Park has been a huge part of my family life since I was a we child.

My grandfather Joe Rachuta; a Navy man, father and my best friend brought me and my brother here often for his pals from his submarine days in Pearl Harbor had a cabin rental in Wowona the southern end of Yosemite. We spent days wearing out our swimsuits on natural water slides at our secret spot!  The best swimming hole in America to this date.

I always thought I 'd reside in this park one day and I still crave it.

The photos below are of Tim and Betty Ann Woolstenhulme.

Rancher friends that owned most of the land between Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy area, mainly the SF Camp for families.  My first residence working for the Park Service was at the Stephen B Mather Ranger Station.  I was 20 and I shared the cabin with three other women from places around the USA.

We were all on a huge adventure and brought together by our love of nature and preservation.

One of the friendships I made that was and is very dear to me was with Wells and Mazie Woostenhulme; Tim's parents.

I wanted to live in their cabin at age 20.

I stopped by and asked one day ... how much for your cabin and land?

Wells smiled and said you got a million dollars?

I said no but I will start saving now!

We began a long and loving friendship over many years.

Both Wells and Mazie have passed and the stories I could share would shed a tear or two and great laughter.  We rode fence lines and made art photos and ate and prayed and loved in pure spirit.  I love them still and miss there presence in real time.

After Burning Man 2009 I stopped by and had a visit, brought artist Michael Christian for a home cooked meal in this very timeless setting.  Ranchers with big back bones, solid God like people whom honor and love all that cross their path.

I am reminded of real people whom care and how to care for others's souls being in their presence.  I am humbled and blessed.

Ladies and Gentlemen The Woolstenhulme's

Here's Tim and Betty Ann and a few pics of Well s hand as he sits on a saddle stand and Mazie below their ranch home in Snelling California, its remote and hot and plain old fly swattin country that reminds me of Andrew Wyeth s paintings.

Tim and Betty Ann Smoochin at Stoneman Meadow Cabin

Stoneman Meadow makes my heart sing.

Tim rounding up Betty Ann, lots of laughs with old friends

Me and Betty Ann, great memories from my childhood and as a young woman remain saturated with love and longing to return for the earth and people in this region are full of integrity, truth and beauty.

Collecting Eno

INTEGRITY

My life is far from boring.
Today an email slipped in with this picture of Christopher Gurney.
I have always honored my word, I may be slow sometimes but follow through is key.  
I don't even remember half the things I do as I do so much to support others whenever possible.
 I sent Chris this a photograph of Eno many years back after working on a job for Travel & Liesure. 
 I have given many images to folks over the years and continue to do so.
Recently an artist from Burning Man commented on how many times he has been photographed and that I was the only one to ever send him a print.  Bingo.  I am just now filling the 2010 image to go out by August and its pretty cool to get a sweet print in the mail, one that stirs your heart in a good way.  Photography has been a huge vehicle for me to mingle in all worlds.  I have learned so much and made so many friend via my camera.  I love my tools and the Gods have blessed my with ideas and ability to see more than most.  I see it all and sometimes its just too much and other times its just right. I am grateful this day for my gift working through my body to reveal truth and creativity. I may never be banking green but my life is abundant with the real things that count and I know I am making a difference when I get letters and emails of thanks.
It makes a difference for me to know I've touched another soul in a good way.

"In 1989 or so you came to Disney Studios for the grand opening.

 I was fortunate enough to escort you and your assistant for most of the day.
I just wanted to thank you for the Eno print you sent me - one of my most
prized pieces. I'm now back in Knoxville, TN and have been a freelance audio
tech for 15 yrs.
Hope you are well and happy."

Christopher Gurney

Hakim Bellamy

Prize Poet of New Mexico
(listen here)

http://hakimbe.com/post/25310612872/the-official-poem-commissioned-by-the-city-of?og=1&fb_action_ids=10150895072537266&fb_action_types=tumblr-feed%3Apost&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=457116589995 

To: New Mexico

From: Hakim Bellamy

100 Years of Corridos: A song for the New Mexico Centennial

In the 1st chapter

Of the Gospel

According to Anaya

Rudolfo writes

“All of the older people spoke only Spanish,

And I myself understood only Spanish.”

In English

Bienvenidos Albuquerque

I myself

Understand only English

In Dine

We speak many languages

But mean the same thing

And manana

Will be more of the same

Familia

Food

Fiesta

Forever

Come on and sing along

We’re going to

Familia

Comida

Fiesta

Forever

For 100 years B.C.

Before the Commodores

Before Lionel Ritchie

And for a 100 years more

We’ve farmed

Feasted and fixed cars

We’ve moved people

And mixed razas

We’ve got an appointment

With the curandera

As soon as we leave the doctors

A lust for livestock

Like chupacabras

Afraid of God

And the inexplicable

Dinosaur fossils

So in love with space

And the people who live there

That we speak Chewbacca

The 48th state

Admitted to the Union

We might as well have been The Moon

…of Endor

To our forefathers

With the oldest

And highest

State capital in the country

People on both coasts

Should look up to us

Instead of wondering

If they have to exchange their money

Before coming

Yes,

Dollars is our official currency too

And though

We don’t have much of it

Money can’t buy cultura

Our History Book

The King Alfonso Version

Is a canon

Of wars and peace

A Bible

Of you and me

That was written in Madrid

By missionaries and mestizos

We are men of magic

And women of wizardry

Who speak in spell and song

Wing words

And fly them like a flag

All yellow

Between red and green

Like a traffic light

Like the state question is

Hurry up

Or slow down

Never stop

All of the older people sung only corridos

However,

In those corridos…

Me?

I only heard gospel

Maybe it’s me

Maybe it’s a stage

But every time

I hear the clap of thunder

It sounds like a blessing

Every time

I hear the pitter, patter

Of the rain

It sounds

Like a round

Of applause

And even the monsoon roars

“Encore”

And the flash bloods

Flood

Our hearts

With love

One hundred

New Year’s Eves

Of trying to puncture precipitation

Where the sky never dies

And the clouds wear bulletproof vests

Where we perpetually live

In the shadow of a hot air balloon eclipse

We are not a city

That speaks “Good Morning”

We are a city that speaks

Mass Ascension

Like Grandpa

Only spoke Spanish

While he was drinking

Buenos Dias

Like Grandma

Only spoke Latin

When she was praying

Buenas Noches

Where water

Is so sacred and scarce

That we pot it

In puddles

On our flat roofs

Pool it

In vestibule stoups

Of steepled temples

Where pigeons swirl and roost

Pond it

In mountaintops

On our not-so-flat horizons

We bottle it

In our bodies

And set fire to it

In our forests

Where it sounds like

Acequias babble “amen”

And bosques

Smell like baptisms

Where the rain

Doesn’t speak any language

It only understands dance

And sometimes

We miss it so much

We need TWO rainbows

To promise us

It is coming back

After thousands of years

Of owners

For this little piece of hacienda

It’s been us as tenants

Together

Roommates for the past hundred

Call it a trust

Call it a Zia-shaped symbol for eternity

Over our right ring finger

Call it the interconnectedness of cultures

Call it married to each other

Speak now or forever hold your “chisme”

We are

Actions speak louder than wordsmiths

Storytelling rituals

We don’t speak Project Runway

We Cowboy Cosmopolitan

Urban Traditional

Where our children

Dare not say or see

Cucui or La llorona

But are lucky

Santa speaks Spanglish

And has a sweet tooth

For leche y biscochitos

Where birthdays

Are miracles

And each one

Has a spirit

Holy Spirit

Or patron saint

Where we celebrate

100

Today

In the beginning

The Greatest Spirit

Created America

And the earth

And it was

Bueno

I don’t speak perfect English

Barely even speak passable Spanish

But it’s okay

Because there is no such thing

As “perfect English”

Except for the word

Nuevo Mexico

© Hakim Bellamy June 12, 2012

Dean Stockwell

Rolling With Ease

Interview magazine sent me out to photograph Dean Stockwell in the late 80s.

I showed up to yet another hotel room to work in a location that had nothing to to with my subject.  

Here's the shot that ran full page over 20 years ago. 

Having been invited to a local TV taping I was told that he would be one of the guest. 

I brought a print of this shot with me to gift him.  He seemed no different.

Toting a cigar, quiet and kind.  He let me shoot a few more shots of him as well.

Dean Stockwell for Interview Magazine 1990

Dean Toting out the stage door ABQ NM

Thank you Mr Stockwell for you time Sir.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Stockwell

Divine Spirit's

Divine Masculine - Divine Feminine

I have always had a way of drawing in some of the most unique people into my life.

The last six months has been one healer after another.

Baba Dez is all about love and sex healing.

Not an issue with me at this time but what a wonderful connection to have made based on a film about his Temple in Sedona and the healing work he does for couples and individuals that need help to feel love and peace within.

He is incredibly open and free.

I say free as he is just doing the work that most can t do sexually to evolve out of patterns that are some sort of stayed and possibly stale.

He is a poly amorous being.  He is honest about it unlike the most of the population I've come to know.  He's got gifts and being in his presence is a blast.

He's very silly and fun and serious about his work in a LIGHT way.

But he will call you on your crap if you table it.

You have to be accountable.

He stopped by with one of his lovers; Sonia; a Goddess creature.

We all got along super and had a fine time over meals and making images.

Love and hugs and free to be as sweet as pie.

I was shown yet another beautiful male and female energy.

Inspired by his honesty I feel a blessing over what had betrayed my soul in the last few years.  Honesty reveals the integrity of humans. 

 Dez has restored my faith in man.

Men of equal evolve are really key, men and woman whom dare to grow and evolve are far more interesting to me than those who are manipulative and fear driven.

Love is the only way we can elevate our world 's issues to a higher frequency.

Time is so precious.  

This day with Sonia and Dez sweetens my heart and soul.

Here's a few images from our shoots, more to come.

Desert; One of the sweetest men I've ever met.

Sonia; Goddess of the Yerba

Chakra Love

Play time for chakra workers

Throat and Third Eye Chakra

Yoni of the Goddess in Peace

Fetal Divine Female

Fetal Divine Male

The Offering

My name for Dez is Baba Yum

Playtime thinking about book covers

Everything with Dez is honest and with INTENT.

  http://www.babadez.com 

 http://schooloftemplearts.org 

 http://www.sedonatemple.com/ 

 http://www.templeartsproductions.com

About Dez    

"With intent and awareness we arrive in a place of wholeness where we embrace, appreciate, and celebrate life force energy fully and completely. We can live free of limiting beliefs, judgments, and telepathic agreements and a addicted life experience. On the Spiritual/Sexual Shamanic path, everything in life becomes a meditation and a prayer. We learn to feel, live, flow and let go into the oneness that is Divine Love."

About Sonia

Well I have to say being a photographer is always interesting.

 

 

Love that Desert is bare naked and were laughing all day long with great conversations and it was as if we were all clothed or naked, it didn't matter for the depth of joy and shared stories seeded new friendships. 

"Free thinker, free dancer, centered in the off center.Well if you don't know something already... Groove on barefoot ecstatic dance, Duncan dance, music is everything, silence is good. Bhakti yoga, raw food, cooked food, books, art, NATURE, other cultures; any progressive voodoo hoodoo alternative open minded thinking. Nonthinking is good....Zenning is good. Holistic Healthy and Integral Living. Spiritual. Tantra. Energy Awareness. Touch. Relationships based on being present; inspiration and follow through....creative projects. I adore the sea and the night sky."

Thank you Desert and Sonia for such a free shoot and letting me play with your mind bodies and Spirit's

Gifts always the Blessings shared.

I love you both.

Namaste

Santa Fe Calling?

Mastering the Portrait

Santa Fe New Mexico

JULY 22nd - 27th 

Phoenix Home and Garden by karen kuehn

Read all about it here:

Mastering the Portrait | Santa Fe Photographic Workshops Santa Fe, New Mexico