16 minute read
CLOSE QUARTERS
Hypnotized WWhether it is winter chill or love that is in the air, you are likely cuddled up a bit closer to someone special this month. Being physically close to those we love is an exceptionally important part of the human experience. It keeps us warm, helps us to feel valued, signals safety and trust, calms cardiovascular stress and increases compassionate response. In fact, a single, simple touch from another person can trigger the release of oxytocin — commonly referred to as the love hormone.
We often look for places that facilitate that physical propinquity. Intimate restaurants, movie theaters and even our own living room sofas all offer the closeness for which we long.
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There is a natural phenomenon in Arizona that not only provides proximity but also spectacular beauty. It is impossible to navigate our state’s slot canyons — which are aesthetically gorgeous — without having to huddle up with whoever accompanies you. Even if you visit them alone, you are surrounded by a sense of intimacy.
All of those aforementioned benefits of being physically close with those we love wash over us as a simple result of being hugged by the incredibly abstract canyon walls. It is just one of the many reasons that photographer Peter Coskun loves Arizona’s slot canyons.
“You are essentially going within some of the earth's veins that have been molded for millions of years by chaotic events to create some of the most beautiful spaces,” Coskun says. “Various contours within the canyon can feel human at times. In the tighter, confined spaces, you really begin to feel that intimacy within the canyon.”
Coskun skillfully captures on camera what it feels like to be deep in the heart of Arizona’s slot canyons, showcasing not only one of our state’s most beautifully abstract elements but also the incomparable intimacy that they naturally supply. May these images invigorate your imagination and make you feel more connected to the love that Mother Nature used to create the world around us.
I think by nature these very canyons are abstract as you can look up, down, side to side and still see something magical. When I look at my own slot canyon images, I see patterns, shapes, textures and light and how they all play together like an orchestra to create one masterpiece of sandstone. Peter Coskun
Fire Wave
Brimstone
The Opera Singer Your senses become heightened a bit as your eyes adjust to the darkness to reveal the rich colors of the sandstone and each sound is amplified by the rich acoustics within the canyon. The canyons are also significantly cooler as sometimes sunlight doesn't even reach the bottom of the canyon which can be felt against the sandstone walls. Peter Coskun
It is hard to go wrong with the canyons around Page, Arizona. There is a reason why the Lower and Upper Antelope canyons are as popular as they are. Lower Antelope Canyon may be the most photogenic canyon I have been in throughout the southwest. Peter Coskun
Compressed by Stone
Upper Antelope Canyon Arch
About the
Photographer
Prior to moving from Philidelphia to Phoenix at age 13, Peter Coskun assumed that Arizona was pretty much a flat, sandy, cactus-filled landscape.
“It quickly became apparent that this was not true,” he says. “In my junior year of high school, I took a photography class that had still used film. I learned how to develop my own photographs as well as the very basics of how to make a photograph — or so I thought.”
A few years later, Coskun purchased his own digital camera. Although he would take photos of just about everything, he was especially drawn to photographing nature and the landscapes that surrounded him.
“I began searching the web and reading photography books and finding photographers and artists who could inspire me,” he says. “The desire to travel and be outside with the camera became stronger and stronger. Eventually, I began going on a few short trips with friends to explore new places and it started to become a regular occurrence to be outside looking for something to photograph.”
During his first solo trip to the Eastern Sierra area of California in 2012, he discovered that photography was what he wanted to do in life and began embracing the journey on which it was taking him.
Coskun refers to each and every one of his photographs as a labor of love and passion into which he put his blood, sweat and tears. They represent experiences and moments in nature that he wishes to share with the world. He takes pride in the fact that many of his compositions are new or unique takes on either often photographed locations or new locations altogether.
“My camera has taken me to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the western United States, and I expect it will take me to every corner of the world to further my exploration,” Coskun says. “I am eager and excited to see where this journey in life will take me.”
pjcphotography.com Instagram: @petercoskunnaturephotography
Ready for Duty
Cave Creek Fire Station No. 1
Writer Joseph J. Airdo Photography by Carl Schultz
AAlthough we are still currently in the throes of winter, the weather will slowly but surely become warmer over the next few months. We will soon find ourselves trading in our sweaters, coats and boots for swimsuits, shorts and sandals. However, our dreams of pool parties and outdoor barbecues are almost sure to be suppressed by nightmares involving the many downsides of the spring and summer seasons — the re-emergence of rattlesnakes, the scorching sunburns and, of course, the increased risk of wildfires.
Having two back-to-back major wildfire events in our memory from May 2020, it is impossible to enter into the warmer seasons without some concern and trepidation. However, at the encouragement of neighboring jurisdictions to increase fire protection and services, the town of Cave Creek now has a new resource at its disposal to decrease both response times and the potential negative impact of emergencies.
Council members voted late last summer to obtain a property to be used as the town’s first fire station and, in December, entered into a long-term agreement with Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical to provide emergency services at the location.
Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical’s public information officer Brent Fenton says Cave Creek Fire Station No. 1 — which is located on the same site at which Rural Metro Fire used to operate — is staffed 24 hours a day,
365 days a year, with personnel who can respond to everything from fire emergencies and heart attacks to automobile accidents and nosebleeds.
“The value that is added to the town of Cave Creek is immense with this fire station because Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical is part of the Regional Automatic Aid System,” says Fenton, noting that the system is a consortium of governmental fire departments/districts joined by an inter-governmental agreement wherein the participants agree to operationally act as one entity for the purpose of improved fire, rescue and emergency medical services.
Fenton says that the system essentially erases jurisdictional boundaries and allows the closest unit to address an emergency without delay.
“Sometimes there are coincidental multiple incidents going on at the same time within the same area,” he explains. “So if that [area’s] fire truck is on a call, you are going to get the next closest fire truck — and that does not matter whether it is a Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical unit, a Phoenix unit or a Scottsdale unit. They are going to be called automatically.”
Fenton says that in addition to decreasing response times, the system also provides access to a technical rescue team, which can do everything from high-angle rescue, swift water rescue, helicopter rescue and more.
“We also have a hazmat team for any kind of natural gas leak or hazardous materials issue,” he adds.
Originally a carwash before being utilized by Rural Metro Fire, the building that is now home to Cave Creek Fire Station No. 1 was renovated to meet Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical’s standards.
“With that update comes a state-of-the-art dispatch system,” Fenton says.
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We are encouraging folks toward the end of February and the beginning of March to really get out there and start creating defensible space on their properties. Get on top of those weeds while they are green. Do not wait until they turn brown to start clearing them. Brent Fenton
The dispatch system not only allows individual crew members to control notifications in their room — a necessity should an ambulance at some point be added to the current fire engine, water tender and brush truck — but also features a gradual volume to prevent any heart attacks or other medical issues that one may experience from being jolted out of their sleep in the middle of the night.
Moreover, Cave Creek Fire Station No. 1 is staffed with seasoned firefighters who are very familiar with the area.
“The bulk of the Daisy Mountain Fire District is very similar to what you will see in Cave Creek as far as the wildland urban interface and it being a more rural community with homes placed throughout the desert,” Fenton says. “So we are very familiar with running calls there, fighting fires there and having to utilize water tenders because water supplies can be sparse in those areas. We are specifically trained to run calls and fight fires in those areas.”
In other words, Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical is plenty prepared to meet the needs of the Cave Creek community. However, it is counting on the Cave Creek community to do its part to minimize the potential for that need — especially in the way of wildfires.
“We are in the middle of a dry winter but we did have some rain that will create new growth,” Fenton says. “And there is still a lot of growth that is there that has not burned. Plus, we still have the issue with globe chamomile — which is a very invasive species.
“We are encouraging folks toward the end of February and the beginning of March to really get out there and start creating defensible space on their properties. Get
Fenton says that he has seen property owners far too often wait too long to begin their yardwork and inadvertently start a fire with their string trimmer or lawnmower.
“All it takes is one spark from a rock or something from the motors of those pieces of equipment to start a wildfire,” Fenton explains. “So do yourself a favor and get out there when the weather is nice.”
Property owners should clear debris a minimum of 30 feet away from all structures. Fenton says that 100 feet is ideal but acknowledges that that is not always possible — especially considering Arizona’s unique landscape and terrain.
Property owners should also trim any trees that may be near their structures, particularly those with branches above or touching the roof. This reduces the possibility of fire that is coming across the ground to be carried up into the canopy of the tree and spread to the roof of a structure.
And, as always, have a plan should an evacuation of the area be necessary.
Fenton says that the location of every fire station takes population density and call volume into consideration. He adds that Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical strives to respond to emergencies as quickly as possible.
“Less than 10 minutes is the goal but the average is between three and five minutes from calling 911 to some kind of fire apparatus showing up at your front door,” says Fenton, noting that another fire station is currently projected to open in 2024 on the west side of the town of Cave Creek near 24th Street and Cloud Road that will further decrease response times as the community continues to grow.
“We are very excited to be a part of the town of Cave Creek and to provide service to them. We are so appreciative to the town council and to the members of the community for all of their support. We received a very warm welcome from the community at the [Jan. 3] grand opening [of Cave Creek Station No. 1]. We feel very humbled and are very appreciative of everything that everyone has provided for us and all of the support that they have shown us.”
Cave Creek Fire Station No. 1 37042 N. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek daisymountainfire.org Facebook: @daisymtnfire Instagram: @daisymtnfire Twitter: @daisymtnfire
Hats Off to a Worthy Cause
Photo by Patrick O'Brien
Writer Shannon Severson
WWomen’s hats have played a starring role in high fashion for centuries. There’s nothing that completes an outfit or exudes confidence and personality more than a beautifully crafted chapeaux, many of which are works of art in themselves. This month, hats will also be synonymous with goodwill and the importance of supporting the local library.
Cave Creek resident Andrea Markowitz has collaborated with fellow library supporters Dianne Olson and Jo Gemmill and Desert Foothills Library adult program coordinator Ashley Ware to create a charity event worthy of a hat tip.
The English Rose Tea Room on Feb. 27 will host the elegant fundraiser — to benefit Desert Foothills Library — during which attendees may enjoy tea, cakes and a chance to take home one or more of 50 vintage hats.
“I am excited to share my [English Rose] Team Room with other guests who love their local library, love hats and of course love drinking tea,” Gemmill says. “I think it will be the perfect combination and a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.”
Markowitz is generously donating a selection of designer and one-of-a-kind hats from her late mother Florence’s extensive collection that spans several fashion eras from the 1950s to the early 2000s.
“My mother always wanted to look fashionable,”
Markowitz says. “Getting dressed, for her, was an expression of her artistic nature. I do believe that if she’d had the opportunity to pursue a career, it would’ve been fashion design or interior design.
“I remember she used to go shopping in New York and have her hats sent back to New Jersey. My brother and I would get so excited when she had on a new hat, new shoes, a new dress and a pocketbook. She loved to make people smile. If she made someone smile by looking nice, she was doing something good.”
Markowitz adds that reading was very important to her mother.
“My mom would be delighted to learn that her hats will benefit the library,” she says.
The fundraiser was initially set to take place back in March 2020 but organizers decided to postpone it as a precaution due to the pandemic. The delay has only created even more anticipation for the event, which Olson says was conceived out of Markowitz’s love for the library and desire for her mother’s hats to continue to be cherished.
“It was heartbreaking to have to postpone the event because it took Andrea a long time to ready herself to part with these symbols of her mother’s grace and beauty,” Olson adds. “What a shame it would have been to see these designer nuggets vanish without a legacy.”
Markowitz says the unexpected blessing of the delay was that it inspired the idea of using Gemmill’s
Photo by Carl Schultz
From left, Andrea Markowitz, Jo Gemmill and Dianne Olson prepare for an elegant fundraiser — to benefit Desert Foothills Library — during which attendees may enjoy tea, cakes and a chance to take home one or more of 50 vintage hats. Photo by Patrick O'Brien
Photo by Carl Schultz
English Rose Tea Room as the venue, the interior and patio of which were recently remodeled.
“We used the additional time to create an event that will be even more elegant and exciting than the original one we planned,” Markowitz says. “We realized this time around that the lovely ambiance of The English Rose Tea Room would be the perfect complement to the lovely hats.”
Since tea and hats make a perfect pair, Gemmill expects to see many of the hats again as they crown the heads of her teatime guests in the future.
Olson has a fondness for hats herself and vividly recalls her own mother’s trips to Dottie’s Chapeaux, the local hat shop in her hometown, to purchase hats that paired stylishly with her business suits.
Mr. John, a designer her mother favored — and whose clients included Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Vivien Leigh — is among the designers whose hats will be featured at the benefit. Another featured designer is Christine A. Moore, a milliner of the Kentucky Derby, Breeders’ Cup and many other prestigious races.
“Dressing was a sign of respect to the people around you,” Olson says. “I recall a tale of the Queen Mother during the war years in England, answering a question about why she dressed so elegantly when moving among the war-weary populace, stating that she would dress the same way for a visiting dignitary and that the citizens of the kingdom deserved just as much respect. Our moms never left the house without wearing their ‘respect.’”
For organizers and attendees, the connecting thread of support for Desert Foothills Library is the bow that ties it all together.
“Desert Foothills Library is so grounded in its significance to the community,” Olson says. “Who could not recognize its importance and sense of duty? Everyone is welcome to a free library card without the onus of taxation. “To a child, that card represents admission to the future. To adults, it is the promise of hours of relationship with real and imaginary situations or a nostalgic return to the wonders of one’s learning years.
“A delightful spot of tea while browsing through bonnets is a tangible joy while all the proceeds benefit our dear friend — our library.”
