1345. “hello down there!”

 

way down the long hall

beyond the people and art

she says, “down here dan!” 🦊❤️

Whenever we go out and about, it is usually the case that Yulan wanders off in one direction and me in another. This usually results in me going on a search mission to find her.  Such was the case last Sunday as we visited an open studio day of local artists. It’s always fun… (mostly fun)! 🦊❤️

1344. accidental art

 

just paint on the floor

an accidental statement

worthy to be art 🦊❤️

We went to an open house day at a building where a number of local artists (some our friends) have their studios. As always, it was fun looking at the art, talking to the artists and buying some art from two of our artist friends.  The building itself is full of “accidental art statements” like paint on the walls, floors, ceilings and the artist’s clothing and shoes.  I caught Yulan photographing the same paint splattered floor section as I was.  We have a similar eye for art…. 🦊❤️

1343. exhibit’s final days

 

sitting quietly

eyes wandering frame to frame 

they look back at me 🦊❤️

As my exhibit will come to a close on this Tuesday, I took the time to go and just sit by myself and look and reflect. I felt a mixture of satisfaction, wonder, amazement and pride as I looked. I also felt a  sadness that it is drawing to an end and some paintings will be in new homes.   Over the course of the exhibit I made many visits. On most visits a man was sitting near the exhibit looking at his NY Times. We never spoke. He never looked up. Today he stood up and went from painting to painting and looked. I took a deep breath and asked, “What do you think of the paintings?”  He pause and said, “They’re interesting.” He started to walk away and he asked, “Are they yours?”  I said, “Yes.”  He simply turned and walked away. It felt good to say, “Yes”. 🦊❤️

1342. “v” for velvet underground

 

a young man’s t-shirt

it prompted talk of worhal’s

velvet underground 🦊❤️

We were finishing up a relaxing walk along the creek after picnicking on some sandwiches from Wawa. I saw a young man wearing a vintage Velvet Underground t-shirt. I asked Yulan if she ever heard their music. Told her that they were managed by Andy Worhal and we talked about his studio “The Factory” in NY. We consulted youtube and listened to a couple of Velvet Underground tunes  as we walked.  The big old stump with the ‘V” on top seemed like a good way to memorialize our Velvet Underground afternoon. 🦊❤️  

1341. bouquets

 

you are a stranger

in a place of unlike kinds

yet… you fit right in 🦊❤️

A bouquet of the same type of flowers is beautiful. A bouquet of all kinds of different flowers is beautiful.  It’s about flowers just getting together, not which kinds of flowers are getting together.  Enjoy the bouquet of your life.  🦊❤️

1340. balancing act

 

balancing it all

hot weather… cold weather… rain

as well as some fun 🦊❤️

My friend Dave sent me this photo of Tommy that he recently took. I think it says it all. 🦊❤️

1339. fast forward

 

one day tender shoots

and in a very few more

a teeming jungle 🦊❤️

Change seems to occur at warp speed during springtime. All of a sudden, tiny green specks erupt into all encompassing greenness. 🦊❤️

1338. martini matinee

 

it’s called a “dark knight”

‘spresso, kahlua, vodka

making the day bright 🦊❤️

Yulan and I did our regular early Sunday dinner at our fave restaurant “The Boot”. It was a big day because Yulan had her first Martini ever, mixed by one of our favorite staff, Tim.  It was called a “Dark Knight”. A  mixture of Espresso, Kahlua, Vodka, 3 espresso beans and a twist of lemon.    The playlist on Spotify was the best ever, the Phillies were on the TV and she loved the Martini to the very last drop.  The “Dark Knight” sure brightened the dreary damp day outside. 🦊❤️

1337. redbuds on earth day

 

those redbud blossoms

in front of a steel gray sky

a warm crackling fire 🦊❤️

Whenever I see Redbud trees blossoming I think of my good friend Patty and her son Kevin. I doubly think of  them because today is Earth Day and because Kevin was a great lover and protector of the earth. This post is for you both. 🦊❤️

1336. sunrise sunset

 

as the day runs out

his warm blanket of sunlight

creeps along to dusk 🦊❤️

The saying “The sun rises and sets over you.” came to mind as I watched Tommy lounging in the late afternoon as the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky.  The saying applies perfectly in Tommy’s case.  🦊❤️ 

1335. afterlives

 

old circles of age

gone and now replaced each year

with a new year’s life 🦊❤️

The amazing unbridled ability of nature to recreate life endlessly. 🦊❤️

1334. cat in a hat… goose in a tree

 

a new one on me

a goose standing in a tree

such a sight to see 🦊❤️

As I walked along I heard honking and my eyes were drawn to a nearby tree. There was a goose standing on a big old limb. “Why is there a goose in that tree?” was my immediate thought. Very few things have created such a sense of oddity for me as that goose in a tree. It was truly a first for me. 🦊❤️

1333. amazing if you think about it

 

filling up my ears

an avalanche of water

colliding with rocks 🦊❤️

I stood very still at the edge of a small but quickly moving stream.  I closed my eyes and allowed the sound of rushing water to enter my ears. I realized that what I was hearing could not be put adequately into words. So many sounds coming from momentary interactions between the formless water and the rocks and stones in their way.  Really quite amazing I thought.  🦊❤️

1332. dandelion days

 

‘tis the time of  year

green to yellow then to white

blowin’ in the wind 🦊❤️

The dandelion cycle is well underway. Imagine if each and every parachuted seed that becomes airborne would germinate and flourish…. dandelion tea, salad and wine would abound. 🦊❤️

1331. mr. spidee

 

meet mr. spidee

he greets all of the patients

and then wishes them good health 🦊❤️

Yesterday I had a medical appointment at a large, bustling center city university hospital complex. Im no longer a “city person” and medical visits are not my cup of tea. I must say however that the beauty and design of the complex, the general friendliness and helpfulness of the staff throughout the setting were very nice to encounter. What I especially liked and appreciated was Spidee the plastic spider that sat on a little plastic chair  on my intake worker Leonard’s desk. Spidee wished me a good visit… and it was.  🦊❤️

1330. fertile memories

 

in my younger days

we jump in gramps old red truck

to shovel manure 🦊❤️

As Yulan and I sauntered through the community garden early on Sunday morning looking at the early spring preparations of the plots, I saw a plastic bag  of manure.  It reminded me of my childhood days when my grandfather would pack me in his old red pickup truck to go out to various farms to shovel cow manure into the back of his truck for his garden.  It was not my favorite childhood task, but it is a wonderful memory of a time gone by. 🦊❤️ 

1329. saturday afternoon cooking memories

 

saturday mem’ries

julia childs and jacque pepin

then came bob villa 🦊❤️

I don’t have cable service so I bought a new TV to see if I could tune into more “over the air” channels to watch.  Well I am now happy to have many more channels including PBS. Yesterday for the first time in a long time I watched cooking shows all afternoon like I did many years ago. The cooking shows of yesteryears were followed by “This Old House” with Bob Vila. Even though Julia and Jacque and Bob are not doing their Saturday thing any longer, it was a pleasant day of watching yesterday. 🦊❤️

1328. touching

standing face to face

talking with mouth and with eyes

touch for emphasis 🦊❤️

I had the “Artist Talk” at my Cathedral Village “Top of the Staircase” exhibit this week. I really enjoyed the experience even though I was somewhat nervous.  As I looked at the photos of the night, I realized just how much  I use physical touch while talking with others. Can be a dicey thing to do these days but I’ll risk it. 🦊❤️

 

1327. standout

 

among these giants

you are but a little one

but… such a standout 🦊❤️

The most beautiful standouts are the people and things that shine not because they try to stand out. They rise above the crowd because of who they are and how they are naturally. They are outstanding standouts. 🦊❤️

1326. the quilt “timelines”

 

years came… and they went

going full circle once more

time now standing still 🦊❤️

Yesterday we viewed the “Quilt Elements 2024” exhibit at The Wayne Art Center.  It featured amazing quilts from artists across the country. My favorite was “Timelines” by Stephanie Shore from Maine. It is her representation of the year markings of a big tree that she walked past for many years. After it was cut down due its death, she came to realize that it was not just one tree, but many trees, as revealed by the age circles on the stump. I could look at it all day and be inspired by it. 🦊❤️

1325. “watch your step!”

 

such a rocky way

 be careful not to tumble

stairway to heaven 🦊❤️

Whether it’s salvation, enlightenment, recovery,  transcendence, or just a peaceful mind it is always one step at a time. The photograph speaks volumes. 🦊❤️

1324. has 4 letters and rhymes with “and”

 

her tablet in hand

“hello cowgirl in the sand”

neil young and his band 🦊❤️

Today’s post allowed me to discover that the only other four letter words in the English language that rhyme with “and” are “land” and “Rand” (as in Ayn Rand). Do you know any others?

🦊❤️

1323. final tribute

 

a muddy image

of a leaf that once flew high

next rain… will be gone 🦊❤️

We were doing our regular Sunday pre breakfast walk.  Spring was springing all around us.  There was so much to see, hear, smell and feel. Yet, what caught my eye and my camera was a muddy imprint of a leaf on the pavement. It had a profound significance and I felt it was my duty to memorialize it in my blog today before it met the next cleansing rain storm.  🦊❤️

1322. flowing

springs running hard

leaping far into the air

water finds its way 🦊❤️

The underground water world is furiously percolating to the surface this time of year. While it is a sign of life it is also takes its toll on the surrounding terrain.  It’s sort of like nosebleeds in the dry and cold months of the year. It’s a sure sign of life inside the body, but they take a toll in a number of ways.  🦊❤️  

 

1321. floating

 

on a little stream

two ducks floating and flirting

on this windy day 🦊❤️

I stood and watched two ducks in a very small stream. They appeared to be perfectly happy in their little body of water.  The blowing wind seemed to animate them here and there in a dance.  It was a very peaceful scene. 🦊❤️

1320. revisiting gram & gramps

 

number three thirteen

showing up time and again

hello gram and gramps 🦊❤️

I have written a number of post on the number 313 showing up throughout the day. It was my grandparent’s house address. 313 Pike Alley. Yesterday was a bumper crop day of it showing up. I believe it is my grandparents reaching out to say hello and to let me know they are watching over me.  I really appreciate their attention these days! Love you Gram and Gramps. 🦊❤️

1319. beginner’s mind

 

just a blank white screen

whatever shows up is new

a beginners mind 🦊❤️

As we entered our favorite local theater last night to see the movie “Ran”, a classic Japanese subtitled movie the theater was empty. I stopped and looked at all the empty seats and perfectly blank screen. I could not help thinking about the Buddhist concept of “Beginner’s Mind”. What a wonder thing it would be to experience not only new things, but maybe more importantly, our everyday routine things with an open and inquisitive mind as if it were the first time experiencing them. 🦊❤️  

1318. the blob?

 

gelatinous goo

glistens on the mossy branch

remember “the blob”? 🦊❤️

Who remembers the 1958 movie, “The Blob”? I do. As a second grader at the time the movie was super scary to me. Now… it would be just a walk in the park! 🦊❤️

1317. delightful decay

 

there for the looking

colors and textures and stripes

and the show is free 🦊❤️

When I was into urban photography I loved gazing at the images of decaying cities. My urban photography days are no more yet one of my favorite subjects in nature are the images of dead and decaying trees.  I believe this fascination with things in decay is the result growing up in the steel and coal region of Western Pennsylvania. As a little kid my favorite places were garbage dumps and junk yards. Some things never change. 🦊❤️

 

1316. satellites

 

how the morning sun

flips the switch on your brightness

you're her satellites 🦊❤️

Last Friday (Good Friday) I posted a photograph of these very blossoms in their earliest stage of budding.  It was so cool that yesterday (Easter Sunday) they fully opened and were gloriously illuminated by the sun. They became little satellites of the sun!!!! 🦊❤️