1407. getting to the root of the matter

 

persistent waters

etching slowly at the roots

exposing them all 🦊❤️

Water and time are very effective at exposing the roots of things.  🦊❤️

1406. crossing over

 

beneath the big oak

her final heroic leap

hidden by a shroud 🦊❤️

The wrought iron fence around Morris Arboretum has claimed the lives of many deer over the years despite the arboretum’s attempts to mitigate the problem. There’s been improvement but it still happens.  Every time I see one impaled on the top spikes or suffocated from attempting to squeeze through the narrow space I experience a mixture of feelings ranging from sadness to anger.  Not a way for animals to die…🦊❤️

1405. bottlebrush buckeye

 

drawn into your lair

by your enchanting fragrance

bottlebrush buckeye 🦊❤️

Yesterday while walking on a trail segment I rarely haunt, I stopped and lingered in the amazing fragrance that surrounded me. It belonged to a bush named the “Bottlebrush Buckeye”.  The name is perfectly matched to its blossom’s shape. 🦊❤️

1404. subtle things

 

only faintly there

the snake’s slithering footprint

a line in the sand 🦊❤️

I think the key to discovering the subtle wonders around us is to stop looking so hard… instead just look. 🦊❤️

1403. waiting…

 

at the ocean’s edge

four little scotes stand and stare

waiting for momma 🦊❤️

We observed four little Black Scotes (I think) waddling aimlessly around on the beach. They went in circles. Squawked. Looked here.  Looked there.  Stared at the incoming waves.  As we walked on, we remembered the dead adult bird that we saw earlier in the area.  We took one last look from afar, turned and kept walking, hoping our fears were not true.  🦊❤️

1403. age

 

over one hundred

ring after ring after ring

i ponder my age 🦊❤️

I’m continuing to work on my latest Wissahickon Wonder landscape entitled “Showing Its Age”.  I developed a  bracket that allows me to rotate the 40”x30” canvas on my studio wall so that I can paint the over 100 growth rings with much less effort and frustration. I love mixing making art with my need to “invent” things. Painting age rings prompted me to ponder the years gone and the years ahead. Sobering. 🦊❤️

1402. plain and simple

 

some puzzle building

 “bill ding” in the center ring

fun… plain and simple 🦊❤️

On our weekend away we built puzzles.  We also played with an old wooden stacking toy named “Bill Ding”. The old wooden stacking toy is no longer being manufactured and used sets can be purchased for pretty high prices.  The round puzzle we started had us going in circles so we decided to call it quits, but not before Bill Ding performed in the puzzles ring (circus reference lol). Has anyone out there ever heard of “Bill Ding”? 🦊❤️