Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged Blue Hills Reservation, landscape, Milton, nature, Parks, Photography, travel, water on April 10, 2011| 1 Comment »
In Fall 2009, Steve and I visited the Blue Hills Reservation, a state park covering 7,000 acres south of Boston. There we climbed an observation tower where I was able to snap these landscape shots, including one of Boston from afar. With the weather warming up, we ventured back there recently. Here are a few images from the day. No tower shots … yet. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, tagged Bangalore, childhood memories, ferrets, India, mongoose, nostalgia, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Rudyard Kipling, storytelling on April 6, 2011| 2 Comments »
You just never know where inspiration is gonna come from.
Have you noticed on the back of cars there are often decals indicating the make up of the family? White stick figures roughly indicating gender, age, etc. The usual line up is X number of parents, X number of children, and X number of cats and dogs. So the other day Steve and I are out driving. At a stop light, we see different decals on the car in front of us. They indicate the family is composed of two adults and their two ferrets. We knew they were ferrets because the word ferret had been applied to the car under the image of two long cat-like creatures. I wasn’t hugely surprised. Over the years I’ve made the acquaintance of a few New Englanders owning pet ferrets. What surprised me was hearing the following words said softly beside me, “I miss my mongoose.”
My only childhood experience of a mongoose was watching the animated version of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi on television with my younger brother when I was seven. As far as I know there were no mongoose in Virginia. But Steve, whose father served in the U.S. foreign service, spent several years of his childhood in India. And there, in a bungalow in Bangalore, he was allowed to add a pet mongoose to his menagerie that already included a Dachshund and Siamese cat. “The cat used to carry the mongoose around like a kitten, with a hold on the back of its neck. And the dog allowed the mongoose to pummel its stomach as they all settled down to sleep together. Quite clearly the mongoose was in charge.”
“Just imagine,” Steve adds with a smile, “A Dachshund, a mongoose, and a Siamese cat walk into a room. There’s a story there, don’t you think?” Undoubtedly, especially when you add in a towheaded little boy.
Animal images from http://www.fantom-xp.com/
Steve image by his father circa late 1950’s.
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged light, Photography, sunlight, whimsy on April 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Sometimes, when I have a lot of writing to do for clients, I give myself (and especially my lower back) a break by getting up, grabbing my camera, and following the light around the house.
The Pillow
The Plastic Tower
Behind the Curtain
The Sake Bottle
Posted in Inspiration, tagged East Boston, oceanscape, Photography, scenic, sunset on April 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged birds, Cambridge, Cedar Waxwing, Fresh Pond Reservation, nature, Photography on April 3, 2011| 2 Comments »
An unexpected Sunday sighting by Fresh Pond Reservation in Cambridge, MA, a Cedar Waxwing bird. When he wasn’t giving me attitude, he was feeding.
Posted in Books I Love, Inspiration, tagged art, hands, Patti Smith, Photography, Robert Mappelthorpre, whimsy on April 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a whimsical project inspired by the Robert Mappelthorpe images in Patti Smith’s memoir Just Kids. Interspersed throughout the book are images taken by Mapplethorpe of Patti, of himself, and of the two of them together. What stands out for me in each of the images, reproduced as black and white in the book, are their hands. Long-fingered, pale, thin hands. Willowy. I’ve always been drawn to hands, and so after completing the book, I decided to engage in a quick photo project with friends and coworkers today. Let me photograph your hands. Thankfully, they complied.
Dixie the Archaeologist
Meredith the Musician
Steve, the Physicist, Peeling an Orange
Steve Pollinating His Pepper Plant
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged flowers, leaves, Photography, seasons on March 30, 2011| 2 Comments »
Well, I’ve just learned we have more snow coming up here in New England. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a lovely flake as much as anybody, but I am ready for some green and warmth. To help tide me over until the seasons really do change, I’ve pulled the following photos from my archives. These were taken during a walk in a Cambridge park.
I whine but of course I know spring is here. During a recent walk in my neighborhood, just a few days ago, I saw plenty of things sprouting on trees and springing from the earth. Fragile but tough, I expect they’ll survive the snow.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged Boston, harbor, nostalgia, Photography, sailing, seaside on March 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »
With spring’s onset, I look forward to hikes in the woods and by the river, gardening and other earthy pursuits. Steve yearns to return to the water. I don’t share his passion for riding the waves but he sometimes lures me out there with the promise of unique photo opportunities. This photo was taken from Boston Harbor a few years ago. I’ll be curious to see what’s captured from the water this year!
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged art, Boston, Cambridge, graffiti, Photography, the Evolving Critic on March 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »
If you’re familiar with Boston, then you know there’s a bridge called the BU bridge. It spans the Charles River. On one side is Boston and the other Cambridge. One summer I crossed that bridge on foot, and then instead of continuing into a city center, I made my way down an embankment to see what lay at the base of the bridge. Well, I found all sorts of unexpected things including an immense flock of white geese and a Whitman-esque artist garbed in a straw hat and with a pipe in his mouth sitting in the dirt sketching them. Out of respect to the artist and a bit of fear of the geese, I steered clear of them and searched other areas near literal railroad tracks. There I found two items I will never forget: a beautiful golden chair chained to a tree, and a samurai warrior emblazoned on stone.
Given the transient nature of graffiti, I doubt the image is still there, but I remember standing admiring the skill of the man or woman who had created such a powerful image. And then I wondered if it was the same person who used the golden chair as a throne. Anyway … To be honest I’d forgotten about this adventure until a recent conversation with the author behind the blog, The Evolving Critic. He’s written a fascinating post about his adventures in Boston capturing the words and images to be found on the walls of the city. As he notes, whether or not its art is up for debate, but it is certainly a debate worth having. Read more here.
