1284. tune in, turn on, drop out (timothy leary)

 

each walk is a trip
tuning in and turning on
dropping out of sight 🦊❤️

As usual, we are walking along and I’m  saying something to Yulan and she is not there. I look around and there she is just looking at something or photographing something. Here she is after spotting a patch of beautiful red fungi. Magic mushrooms?? Every walk is an exercise in looking, finding and photographing.  🦊❤️

1283. come sit a spell

 

please come sit awhile
it has been such a long time
since you’ve come around 🦊❤️

I could not help but feel a little sad today when I saw this old chair that had been dispatched to a solitary spot deep in someone’s back yard. I imagined that it had sat through many fun and sad family times and now was out in the cold.  🦊❤️

1282. timeout for tea

perfectly happy
sitting in a “timeout” chair
all by my lonesome 🦊❤️ 

There was a time when filling every day with this, that and everything possible was my cup of tea.  Now I want to learn to just fill my cup more often with nice warm tea and sip it slowly on the sidelines. 🦊❤️

1281. a soft gaze

 

if you look too hard
you’ll see beyond the beauty
a soft gaze is best 🦊❤️

As I looked down from the bridge to enjoy the beautiful morning reflection of a tree in the shallow creek, I had the following experience.  The more intensely and closer I looked at the reflection, the more vivid the bottom of the shallow creek became, which interfered with me experiencing the beautiful tree reflection. Later that day we went to see a documentary film on Gustav Klimt’s iconic image, “The Kiss” (One of my favorites).  Many of the art professionals in the film analyzed the painting not only in terms of how it was painted but also very heavily focused on Klimt’s personality, his preoccupations, his alleged “failings” as a man as revealed in the work. While it was all interesting (I guess), it was another example of looking into the shallow creek and staring past the beautiful reflection of the tree. My conclusion, a “soft gaze” is often the best way to experience beauty as well as to observe and experience that which is not “beautiful”. 🦊❤️

1280. perfection’s other meaning

 

what is more perfect
than perfectly imperfect?
it’s all as it is… 🦊❤️

No matter how old I get, it takes a lot of work for me to accept the reality that people, places, things, situations, outcomes, etc., etc. are what they currently are.  Perfect does not have to mean “peachy keen” or “awesome” or even “ho hum”.  It can mean that “what is” has arrived perfectly at where it is right now… even the “bad” stuff. 🦊❤️

1279. up close… and personal

 

right before my eyes
just a mere few feet away
cooper’s hawk eyes me 🦊❤️

As I walked along I looked up and there it was. A big and beautiful Cooper’s Hawk less than 20 feet away from me perching on a branch about 10 feet off the ground. It lingered for quite awhile and we made eye contact a few times for sure. Luckily I had my camera in hand and was able to snap a few shots before it took off. I imagined it swooping down and grabbing my phone and taking off with it!  What a shot that would have made! 🦊❤️

1278. first impressions

 

looking down on you
i see galaxies in space
random… yet perfect 🦊❤️

I find that the first impressions that are created when I see something that catches my attention are usually the most exciting and creative. It is what is registered in my mind before I spend too much time overthinking and analyzing it into something that is mundane and uninteresting. I guess it’s like taking an inkblot test all day long! 🦊❤️

1277. aha

 

pondering meaning
a mind working overtime
finally the light goes on 🦊❤️

I love it when one of my post comes together in an unexpected way. I took this picture because the head in the window looked like good fodder for a post. I remember thinking at the time “I can edit the light fixture out of the photo later.” But lo and behold, as I pondered the shot, the light went on and it became the star of the post.” Life is like that… 🦊❤️

1276. the art of framing

a discerning eye
sizing up the perfect fit
to make art its best 🦊❤️

Yesterday we took one of Yulan’s origami creations to her longtime friend and framer Rachel Isaac. I was fascinated watching her eyeing up Yulan’s work to select some options to consider.  I could see the wheels turning and as usual… the perfect frame. In addition to fabulous “fair and square” framing Rachel is also an artist whose specialty is Botanical Collage using real flowers and other plants to create beautiful and enchanting works. Check her work out below. If you are local, her framing can’t be beat.   🦊❤️


Rachel’s Framing Studio Address:
Mill Studios #L1
123 Leverington Ave
Philadelphia,  Pa 19127
215-424-1479

1275. finishing touch

a heap of haiku
along with all the paintings
the cherry on top 🦊❤️

I decided only a week ago that I wanted to write a haiku for each of the paintings that will be in my upcoming exhibit at Cathedral Village. I intended to do that for my first two exhibits but did not get it done. Since my brain looks at the world throughout the day through “haiku eyes” it seemed like the absolutely right thing for my exhibit.  I think it will be a really nice addition to the show. 🦊❤️

 


1274. the seventh seal

 

what is life’s meaning?
god? no god? why? and why not?
asks ingmar bergman 🦊❤️

I rarely watched movies before meeting Yulan. As times go on I am having the pleasure of watching films from the now and from the past. While Ingmar Bergman is a name I have heard over and over from folks more “cultured” than me, I finally experienced my first film by Bergam on Saturday night.  Yulan is a “library nerd” and is capable of getting almost any film possible through her network of library resources.  We watch a movie every Saturday night at my place after our take out Chinese dinner.  Life is good. 🦊❤️

1273. tethered

 

head up in the clouds
yet tightly tethered to earth
3-2-1 lift off 🦊❤️

I have included the tall broadcasting towers in my area into a number of my paintings.  Yesterday I more closely examined the many cables that secure and stabilize these towering feats of engineering to the earth.   One take away - “The taller we build our towers  on earth, the more strings we have to attached to them to keep them upright”. 🦊❤️

1272. to live another day

 

under the shadows
three stripes of snow hanging on
to greet tonight’s fall 🦊❤️

Three stripes of snow shielded for days by the shadows of  the rails of a fence.  They are now reunited with last nights’s freshly fallen snow. A real lesson in resilience and hanging in there.  🦊❤️

1271. being soft

 

on such a cold night
my heart feel so good to know
that tommy’s toasty 🦊❤️


I am so grateful that Tommy has a temporary respite from harsh weather, especially in the winter months.  It’s such a double edged sword. Tommy is a creature of the outdoors and must maintain his territory and ability to remain vigilant and be resilient in all kinds of weather. We don’t want to make him soft, but after all he is 18+ years old. In the final analysis, it is us, his advocates and caretakers who are the soft ones. 🦊❤️

 

1270. cookies on ice

 

a very cool sight
cookie monster in the snow
chocolate chip ice cream 🦊❤️

On any given day, there is a treasure trove of quirky sightings that unfold before our eyes.  Some evoke a matter of fact, “Hey look at that!” Others cause a hearty, “Hahaha look at that would you!!!” In my case, a haiku of 5-7-5 is baked up.  Lol… “baked up”. Cookies!!!! 🦊❤️



1269. to my lovely valentine (and best audience)

 

to my valentine
she laughs at my goofiness
my best audience 🦊❤️

Today is Valentine’s Day and I am so happy that Yulan is my Valentine 🌹❤️. She is beautiful, talented, creative, mysterious, loving, generous, diligent and lots more.  And… she is my best audience because she laughs like no one else at my goofiness and my just being me.  Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! 🦊❤️


1268. learning to look from the master

 

see the red tailed hawk
perched atop the tall fir tree?
watching… just waiting 🦊❤️

The Red Tailed Hawk that patrols the territory near my apartment is a master at just sitting, waiting and looking. I wonder if he pays me any mind as I stop, stand and look at him every time I spot him? Watching him waiting and looking is teaching me how to be a better “stopper and looker” like him.  🦊❤️


1267. keeping the lightbulb lit

 

a moment at dawn
a lightbulb lit in my mind 
i can’t turn it off 🦊❤️

Yulan and I were wowed by a moment at dawn a couple of weeks ago. The instant I saw it, I knew it needed to be painted in my “do the best I can style”. You could say the idea just “dawned on me”. 🦊❤️

1266. flowing into the day

another day dawns
he stops and wonders, “what first?”
then goes with the flow 🦊❤️

I watch Tommy entering the day early Saturday morning.  
There are no doors for him to open. (Unless inside the nature center on bitter nights). Eats a little. Sits beside me a little for some petting. Walks down the steps, stops, heads for the small ravine in the woods to drink some spring water. Then whatever comes next… 🦊❤️ 
 

1265. my cup of tea

 


painting’s lots of fun
but planning the exhibit
is my cup of tea 🦊❤️

All of 23 painting are completed with frames built and installed for my upcoming show in March. Now I’m knee deep in figuring out how to arrange the exhibit on the walls and designing the labels and other written materials needed. I’m loving every minute of it. 🦊❤️


1264. i love the word patina

 

on the old stone wall
ivy climbs and green moss blooms 
living patinas 🦊❤️

I love the word “patina”. I use it whenever I can. Here is my latest effort. 🦊❤️

1263. making up stories

 

planter of thawed snow
a clay bird drops in to bathe
“chirp!! where is the soap?” 🦊❤️

As I was pumping gas, the glint of the sun reflecting off of water in a planter nearby caught my eye. In the puddle of  thawed snow was a clay model of a bird. I thought, “the water will be warm from the sun’s rays so its bath will be nice.” Another illustration of anything can prompt a haiku… 🦊❤️

1262. me and my ego

 

me and my ego
everywhere i look i’m there
where is the off switch? 🦊❤️

I was at Yulan’s as she was preparing to lead her Zoom Yoga class. I could not help standing in front of her camera to observe myself in her computer, TV and mirror through my cellphone screen.   I reflected on Ego… Then I continued to look at myself... 🦊❤️

1261. from yulan’s eyes

 

my sweet love has eyes
that see things that evade mine
i love her vision 🦊❤️

Yulan and I have shared a love of capturing life with the camera throughout our time together. Many of my best photographs are the result of Yulan saying, “Hey look at that!” During our regular Sunday morning pre breakfast walk she spotted the glorious shadow of a tree on the frosted grass in today’s post. I love her vision of life and her ability to see the things I miss along our travels.  🦊❤️

1260. kinetic artists


wakes intersecting
on a canvas of water
kinetic artists 🦊❤️

I love looking down at the creek from the stone bridge. Sometimes I pretend I’m a bird enjoying the bird’s eye view of life floating (sometimes raging) by. Every season has new creatures to observe. Soon the giant Carp fish will start swimming more freely as weather warms, and thoughts of childhood fishing for them back home will entertain me. Yesterday the water ballet of Geese and the ever interacting patterns of their wakes occupied my mind. 🦊❤️

1259. acceptance of reality

 

help me understand
why you bag your dog’s poop
and then leave the bag? 🦊❤️

I used to become upset whenever I encountered bags of doggie poop on the trails left by owners who took the time to clean up after their pooches.  I no longer get upset… but I would like to understand why…🦊❤️

1258. a haiku has risen

 

in the winter cold
the blessed mother stands watch
plants will resurrect 🦊❤️

My neighbor, a very devout person, has entrusted her now barren balcony garden to the care of The Blessed Mother. I pass it everyday and look at it and think, “That would make a great post and haiku.” A haiku finally arose. 🦊❤️

1257. blue heron #2

 

you gave me my shot
and in a flap… you took off
through the tangled brush 🦊❤️

How the Blue Heron sails gracefully through webs of limbs and branches never ceases to amaze me. It’s giant wings and trailing legs evading collision with them is mind boggling. 🦊❤️

1256. blue heron #1

 

you flew in so fast
then stood in the sloppy swamp
the perfect model 🦊❤️

I was walking along stuck in my own thoughts.  I felt, heard and saw something pass right over my head. And there it landed, only a few feet from me in a swampy area. My old friend the Blue Heron stood and looked my way. I just knew he would give a pose long enough to snap his amazing presence. And he did. Any occasion  that a Blue Heron comes into your presence is an occasion worth telling others about. So here is my first post on the Blue Heron. 🦊❤️