Tuesday, November 29, 2011

fall into winter




a few leaves hold on, but their brethren have lost their grip and have fallen to earth, honey colored still, golden still but faded and their fate is unknown except before them other have disappeared from on high to the ground, to earth to mother earth and what remains is the structure of the trees, their twists and turns, their circles and their aspirations to heights that will never be reached or if attained will be but a moment, a gasp in time. but if man leaves the trees alone, then more will follow if guided by the hand of agriculture, the art of sustenance and of growth

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

a cherry tree that blooms in winter, sometimes


I have posted pictures of this tree previously (located in Tenafly Commons near the pond and next the monstrous skate board "park"), but the unexpected blossoms in late November testify to its heroic efforts in the face adversity. most of the tree was barren, its leaves had dropped except for a few tiny orange daubs, leaves that were like silent bells moving int he wind. This tree may not last through the winter. With care and pruning it might have a chance, but growths have appeared on one limb and others are certain to follow. Of course with careful tendering the tree might still have many years but that is unlikely. So we will lose this miraculous tree; Tenafly (New Jersey 07670) does not have another one like it. And all the other cherry trees are dying too, except for a few new ones. They are not hardy stock and their life span will be brief; perhaps ten years at best. But the tree with the blossoms that appear even in winter when snow strikes is a wonder. Too bad no one else appears to notice or to care.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

contemporary architecture: do we want to live in these



houses?
assuming that you read books voraciously and them as 3D objects, where do the book cases go?

one rose after the storm



what remains?

an ephemeral phenomenon: shaping light

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: a splendid idea





thinking right. considering the viewer who really does want to see what is on display in a vitirine. Bravo

Early Christian, Byzantine
what a magnifying glass can reveal

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

a yellow leaf smote the driver



As the driver went north on Park Avenue, a bright yellow leaf fell onto the car's hood. The driver was returning from a visit to a physician and felt the leaf. How strange. It smote her chest but it was on the hood that the brightness fell and it was swept away by the car's motion, yet strangely it was felt as a blow to her left chest and the pain caused tears to run down her cheek.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

holding hands

nature writes nature. nature draws nature

Telephone Wires Above Ground, Telephone Wires Below Ground


Manhattan, NYC, Broadway, 109th Street looking north
Tenafly, New Jersey, looking east, November 1, 2011

storms, wind storms, hurricanes, lightning, and almost all meteorological phenomena almost invariably cause power failures in the suburbs. no heat and no light for days (still counting in Bergen County since the 31 October, 2011 storm. yet the power companies, the utilities, rake in huge profits. too costly they argue to place the lines underground. but we are living in the 21st century, yet our streets in the suburbs and in rural areas resemble the nineteenth century. why are so many European countries, for instance The Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, to name only a few, free of these anachronisms? why should customers pay the incredibly high rates charged for power services when the grids always fail, the lines collapse, the posts keel over. it is time for a change and that change should be now.

Dread