The Trail Ride bracelet

A unique and artistic Horse and Nature Bracelet. Inspired by the many hours of trails I rode on when I was  kid. And dedicated to the great trail horses in the world who give us their best with generosity that literally shaped civilization. Think about it- where would we be without the assistance and devotion of horses?

click on picture to be taken to this bracelet's Etsy listing

They certainly brought me on a journey in more ways than one! yes, I learned responsibility,  devotion, a good work ethic, humility, and gave me a profound love of the natural world. (and while I'm at it, to be truthful, they also did a number on my vertebrae...which I am dealing with currently- actually, I only blame one bratty pony for my current tender neck...his name was Sprite- and he used to throw me after every jump by yanking his head down for grass....little brat!)

me, on pony- NO HELMET! (it was the early 70's) and my sister Amanda. My first riding lesson :-) 

Anyhow- I do love my equine friends- and I miss the ritual of the end of the day, going out to the barn while my horse munched on hay- and just listening to the munch munch munch of contented horse teeth.

please give your ponies a smooch on their velvet nose for me!- <3 M

pretty and deadly

pretty and deadly
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

It's finally cooling off here in Tucson- enough to be able to take a little hike in the desert. We went to Catalina State Park last Saturday morning with Daisy to walk the Romero Canyon loop (a relatively easy scenic desert trail). Thankfully, I had my eyes open and I spotted this beautiful creature just crossing the trail. I knew that we have snakes that look like coral snakes (but aren't) here in southern AZ they are pretty common, called Kingsnakes...BUT what I didn't know was that we also have coral snakes here (apparently someone forgot to tell them that our coral is long gone)

I took this picture so that I could identify the snake when we got home and to my surprise I find that it is a Western Coral snake (venomous and potentially deadly). So glad my son and my dog kept their distance (I did too- used a zoom on this image)

Here's the little rhyme that is taught to identify these two critters apart:
"Red touches yellow, could kill a fellow"
"Red touches black is a friend to Jack"

I'll remember it now! :-)
Happy trails to you!-MBZ

Affordable alternatives

Yes, silver is becoming more and more expensive-
I'm watching the market price go up on a daily basis- it's almost to the point that I won't be able to replenish my stock of silver supplies without raising my prices on my silver stock! YIKES!

Anyways- I totally appreciate the being on a budget thing-
that's why I've just added a less expensive alternative to
some of my gear pendants- They are in Yellow bronze and are on "sliding clasp"
adjustable cord.

gear heart pendant in yellow bronze  with sliding adjustable cord $35(pictured here)

I will also have one of these tree huggers on a sliding cord listed soon-
just have to finish them up and take some pics- they are the same as this listing, but with a sliding cord (also $35) I can list one of these for you if you are interested- just let me know

oh yeah- I don't have the compass pieces in bronze just yet- will have them in stock most likely in December/January. Hopefully in December...early. That's what I'm shooting for- Bang!
:-)

Summer Pomegranate

Summer Pomegranate
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

every summer my clothesline gets invaded by a huge Pomegranate bush. we have hundreds of pomegranates at the end of summer.
Does anyone know a good trick for juicing these things? we usually just end up with a big mess:-P

Tucson's summer playground

When temperatures reach the 100*' s here in Tucson you can bet that many Tucsonans go find their "hide-y holes" to hunker down and wait out the heat...most often a cool house with the lights off, or the comfort of an air conditioned store, museum or theater...oh, yeah, and there's also the bars...
But when you feel the call of the wild, and have the need to breathe fresh air- you head for the mountains!

This image was taken at Windy Point, along the Catalina Highway- the road to Mt Lemmon-
Mt lemmon is Tucson's playground away from the heat of the summer- we drive up for a cool weekend nature walk  in the summer and fall-  Winter is when you can actually do a little sledding (and bring a cooler full of snow down from the mountain...)

Right now, -late June- we are in the beginning of what is called "monsoon season"- it's one of my favorite times here in the southwest deserts- yes, it's terribly hot- and the cicadas are driving us all crazy with their incessant hisssssss...

In a few weeks we will be treated to some invigorating (and dangerous) storms that appear in the late afternoon. We all start searching the sky for dark clouds...sniff the winds for that Sonoran creosote perfume...and we rejoice as the skies crack open and pour down their sweet sweet rainwater.

Until then, we'll be in our hide-y holes...waiting for the storms

May 21 2010 rad #89 little carciofo 1

May 21 2010 rad #89 little carciofo 1
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

I was picking through my garden today, pulling weeds, checking on my plants- I was sad to see my little artichoke plant that was in front of my studio had given up for the year (it's shrunk down to a little meager plant..)

However, I did finally see that it had made an effort...and grew me a teeny weeny flower.

Good job plant! you gave me my ring of the day inspiration:-)
I paired the tiny Carciofo with one of my many Poppy seed pods from my spring wildflowers. the structure of the ring is pewter wire (wrapped in a loose "vine" ring.)

I like the gesture of the swooping wire- up to the "maraca" poppy pod.

It's very festive :-) A celebration of garden seasons! While most of the country is getting going on their gardens, here in Southern Arizona we are in our dry season. Which pretty much means it is unbearably hot and dry outside- what we call "driving with oven mitts weather"...because your car has turned into an oven.

In about a month or so we start monsoon season- when the desert sky becomes magnificent with dark rumbling clouds and flashy displays of lightning. We only hope that rain comes too...

Ok- that's my little ditty about AZ- Here's to Northern Raindrops making their way south!

ciao- MBZ

ps- Carciofo = Artichoke (singular)in Italian. it's pronounced Car- choff- oh.

March 24 2010 Studio Wildflowers

March 24 2010 Studio Wildflowers
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

I just thought I'd share this pic of the gorgeous flowers that are blooming outside in my studio garden- I look forward to this every year- and each year's wildflower crop is more spectacular than the last. 2010 has been very rainy here so far- record rain in fact for Tucson- so the desert is awash with color. (and we all are reaching for benedryl)
The only bummer about this is that we know what is coming....6 months of scorching heat! It usually starts around late April- When the temps reach 100+ degrees...the first time it happens we call it "ice break", and there are contests for predicting the exact date and time. Usually the prize is a car-with air conditioning- which the winner traditionally uses to "get the hell out of Dodge!" and find cooler places to hang their hat.

Vacation in Tucson

yes, I've been spending the past few weeks with my family, on vacation..

I'm eager to get back to my studio and get some of my new work started.

I have LOTS of new ideas! (hooray- my synapses are working!)

I have no new work to show you, but I thought it would be fun to

post a couple of pics of the beautiful parks I went to during my winter break...

Sabino Canyon

Jan 3, 2009

on the east side of Tucson

in the Catalina Mountain range

Me and Cosmo at Catalina State Park

Dec 25 2009

on the North side of Tucson (just outside city limits)

we love both of these parks, lots of great friendly trails (I do "nature walks" not hikes..I'm a wimp)

Have a great week everyone-

ciao for now- Maureen

lovely ladies

lovely ladies
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

I love these new pewter pendants with images of the Venus of Willendorf-
I remember her as one of the first sculptures that we touched upon in Art History 101 waaaay back when I was in my first year or art school.
I love her because she is a real representation of motherhood, of female beauty and power. A venus from another time, when you couldn't photoshop any images, as they were on cave walls, and the skinnier the figure the less healthy or desirable it was.
Now I'm not here to celebrate obesity- we all know that carrying extra weight can be deadly. What I am saying is that I think women need a touchstone to remind us of our power, a talisman of femininity that is untouched by modern cosmetic ideals.
Unlike Botticelli's venus with it's incredible effusive beauty- the Venus of Willendorf's power is echoed in the howls of labor, the tenderness of friendship and the carnal pleasures of the flesh. You go girl!

atmospheric perspective

atmospheric perspective
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

There's just something about this image that makes me want to fly...
I am reviewing my pics that I have been taking this past month and I am struck by the beauty that is southern Arizona this time of year.

Down here in Tucson we are in such good moods these days- the heat has finally broken and we are once again emerging from our air conditioned and swamp cooled houses...picking up rakes, taking bike rides, going to the park, and just enjoying being comfortable without artificial cooling.

Now we can enjoy 5-6 months of incredible weather- having paid our dues all summer long with brutal heat and violent storms.

I have lived on New Hampshire and Boston (and still consider myself a New Englander) and I can sympathize with those of you who are staring 6 months of cold grey winter in the bearded face...so I'll be kind and not rub it in too much....but I'll take AZ summers over NH winters anyday!

I'll keep posting pics of my Desert world for you- stay warm, keep reading, and start socking away money for that escape to warmer climes in February (if you plan on coming to Tucson I'd book your hotel and trip now....the gem show usually takes up most of the town-)

ciao for now- Maureen BZ
aka Cosmo's Moon

Annual Telescope Trek

Last Saturday we went to visit the telescope that my husband works on- it is located in Safford Arizona, on the top of Mt. Graham.

The Large Binocular telescope (or LBT as it is commonly known) is just beginning to gain acclaim in the astronomy world and beyond, It was one of the featured telescopes in a recent National Geographic magazine (click here). Guido has been working on this project on and off since 1990- both for the Italian team in Florence Italy (where he grew up and went to university) and also at the University of Arizona (Tucson) where we live today.

The Annual friends and family gathering is usually held in October- just after the scorching southern Arizona oven is turned down for the fall. The drive there from Tucson is a couple of hours of desert, followed by an hour and a half of mountain road. Our son Cosmo is learning how to deal with car sickness on that road.....now, thankfully, he knows to request a short stop - so we pull over and get out of the car until his tummy stops swirling and we get a good breath of mountain air.

We reach the summit through an iron gate flanked by yellowing fall aspens- and from there it's a short drive, past the Vatican telescope, and the German SMT (Sub Millimetric Telescope) to the tippy top, where the imposing 200ft tall LBT telescope is seated.

Inside the building we go to the control room and kitchen, where everyone (and their goodies) are gathering- We then commence to pig out on all the treats that the scope folks bring. The control room is open for viewing, with a scientist there to explain each computer screen and image- Soon people start to go up to the scope chamber-
right at sunset the show begins!

sunset w pope scope
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

We have a chance to walk around, go to different levels (even on the top observation deck, where I took this picture) then, once we all are
inside and ready for a show, they begin...

The walls of the telescope chamber begin to open........
then...the telescope begins to move....It is breathtaking, even now after I have seen this many times, how smooth and fast the scope rotates! Well, at that point everyone is really impressed, but it's not done yet....the third and fourth walls open (along with the cieling of the chamber) and then.....the building begins to rotate!

It goes around and around, with the scope moving, and the sunset brilliant in the distance...and we see Science and Nature, Technology and Trees...the beauty of nature from the earth and heavens.
and it is a wonder to behold.

BUGS

Speaking of nature and enamels......

the real thing...Mt Bigelow Blue Bug 
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

have I ever mentioned that we live next door to a couple who are entomologists? I adore the shapes and colors that nature brings us with the insect world..years ago I did a series of torch fired enamel bug pins that I think I may revisit..... 

My interpretations

"swarm 2006"

Well I'm the Human Fly 

and I don't know why

I go

Buzz Buzz Buzz

and it's just because........

human fly, The cramps

a bit of fresh air...

As much as I love my work in the studio and office, it's not enough to keep the soul fresh and sassy....

So this weekend I took time to enjoy the natural world around me. Guido and I brought Cosmo and his buddy Max up to the mountains outside of Tucson to have a picnic and walk.

Here are a couple of images.....( Guido, Cosmo and Max drawing) and (view from the mountaintop, mt. Bigelow)

Today I have a few hours in my studio...I'm still waiting for my new pieces to arrive from the casters so now I'm just burning up energy, keeping the fires warm until my new supplies touch down!

Oh yes... one other thing, one of my pieces was on the front page of etsy yesterday. I was stoked!

http://cosmosmoon.etsy.com