Wednesday, April 25, 2007
An unprecedented Day 3, Cherry Blossom Festival
The weather is a little cooler, so we're getting maybe another day of blossoms.
Not meaning to get all weepy and philosophical - well, OK, maybe a little - but at the same time that beautiful life is coming out in front of us, our dear small cat Olivia has cancer and will probably not be with us much longer. I'm not posting any pictures of Olivia, at least not right now.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Cherry Blossom Festival, Day 2
It was hot yesterday, so the difference between morning (left) and evening (right) is pretty amazing. What few bees there are remaining best hurry.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Cherry blossom festival Day 1
Our tree was not one of those that was fooled into blooming in the false spring of January, and with any luck we've had our windy rain for the month, so we're hopeful about good blossoms this year.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Worth getting up for
This is old news, no doubt, to painters and cinematographers, but there are some colors that exist only fleetingly, under certain conditions of light, background, air quality, etc.
For example, the color in the newly budding trees across the street, with very low angled dawn light against a dark cloud, in clear early spring air. Five minutes later it was totally different.
Sidenote: even committed as I am to not mucking about overmuch with physical reality, my first thought on seeing the picture was that it would be relatively easy for someone with Photoshop skills to get rid of those pesky power lines.
For example, the color in the newly budding trees across the street, with very low angled dawn light against a dark cloud, in clear early spring air. Five minutes later it was totally different. Sidenote: even committed as I am to not mucking about overmuch with physical reality, my first thought on seeing the picture was that it would be relatively easy for someone with Photoshop skills to get rid of those pesky power lines.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
April Showers my Aunt Fanny!
In describing with characteristic understatement the folly of a trip to the mountains of New Hampshire that an ailing Nathaniel Hawthorne took in May, 1864, 
Henry James observed ,"The northern New England spring is not the most genial season in the world."
Not that the southern New England spring is one happy romp through the daffodils and dandelions. Northern parts of the region got seriously dumped on earlier this week. We got enough of a dusting to make the roads slick and the spirit discouraged.
Plus, the Red Sox lost the season opener.
(For the curious, Hawthorne died on the trip, at the Pemigiwasset House in Plymouth - Room 9 to be precise. He was discovered by his buddy, former President Franklin Pierce, whose bright idea the trip was.)
Henry James observed ,"The northern New England spring is not the most genial season in the world." Not that the southern New England spring is one happy romp through the daffodils and dandelions. Northern parts of the region got seriously dumped on earlier this week. We got enough of a dusting to make the roads slick and the spirit discouraged.
Plus, the Red Sox lost the season opener.
(For the curious, Hawthorne died on the trip, at the Pemigiwasset House in Plymouth - Room 9 to be precise. He was discovered by his buddy, former President Franklin Pierce, whose bright idea the trip was.)
