Evil in Wooden Carvings

In earlier times, when printing presses were non-existant, and commoners illiterate,
the arts were essential as teaching tools.     Stained glass windows, marble sculptures,
bronze panels on baptistry doors were all vital sources of instruction and reflection.

Easter Sunday is one of the few Sundays in which it is possible to sit in the Great
Choir in Washington Cathedral.   While normally, the pageantry, the glorious organ
music and the stunning floral displays captivate my attention, I could not help but
note  that I was sitting next to the following armrest in my pew...

(Oh Dear!!!  Hope I'm not being given any divine message!! <LOL>)

On the side opposite, was an incredible wooden carving of a lion eating a serpent --
with Adolph Hitler's face!!  Not exactly an image of love and forgiveness....then again....
this was crafted at the time of WWII and one can certainly understand how
the carver saw Hitler as evil incarnate!

Ponder...

Frog versus Snake at Huntley Meadows,Virginia

I recently read David Carroll's "Swampwalker's Journal" for an Audubon class.   The artwork alone

should commend the book to those who are serious naturalists.   In this book, the author presents the observations he has made year after year while mapping the wetlands near his New Hampshire home.

When I read the book, I was struck by the following passage in which  Carroll recounts poking a snake on the nose with his walking stick after hearing the plaintive cry of an oversized frog:

"Two eerie calls, silence, then two more calls. The pattern continues. The repeated drawn out cries sound like the downscaled bleatings of a lamb...they seem to express the epitome of distress....Of all the possibilities that went through my mind as I searched for the source of these wails, I never imagined a frog.. The snake has one of the frog’s hind legs in his mouth, and winding backward, is dragging him up the slope... The frog continues to cry out. The snake coils and on coils, flexing his belly plates resolutely seeking traction in soft, plush haircap moss... I am not given to interfering with nature, but I find myself unable to walk away from the scene.....My human perception that no good can come of this for prey or predator moves me to gently tap the garter snake with my walking stick. The tenacious young hunter lets go of the frog’s hind leg. He curls back into the sweetfern and is gone.

The wood frogs nerve jarring expressions of distress fell on literal and figurative deaf ears in the case of the young garter snake. His was truly a voice  crying out in the wilderness. ... Neither protest nor imploration would seem to have a place in the natural world, yet their embodied evocations can be sensed in such dramatic existential voicings as the wood frog’s distress call.   It is hard for human perception, with its own evolution of cries, to ignore such an expression, even from the nonhuman world. One could well wonder about the possibility of plea in protest, and how far back they might go in the history of living forms... No band of wood frogs rushed in here. None ever will. And yet, in the face of an unfathomable unhearing, life cries out at times."  (pp.9-11)

Carroll,David M.; Swampwalker’s Journal: a wetlands year.  Houghton-Mifflin. New York,  1999  (It is available in paperback and on various e-readers)

This afternoon, I was faced with the exact same scenario. While every fiber ached for the suffering frog, I also realized that this is a setting in which nature must take its course.   The garter snake has as much right to its existence as the frog.  Like Carroll, I could not walk away...but unlike Carroll, I did not feel I had a right to intervene (and the barrier of the wooden boardwalk made that impossible anyway).

In this case, however, the snake seemed to realize, it truly had bitten off more than it could chew, and gradually the frog's leg was released -- whether it will be functional after such an encounter???  Of that, I am unsure.   Here then, is a photographic account of what happened.

Note, in this first picture, the snake has been well camouflaged in the remnants of last year's cattail fibers.

Note the leg is beginning to be released in this next shot.

The snake actually has to turn its head to let the lower foot out.

At this point the poor frog is really on stretch and I keep wondering whether it was able to get away.

I did not find out -- because the snake arched up as the reeds rustled, thus, the action shifted deeper into the cattail roots.    Some mysteries perhaps are better left unsolved.

Like Annie Dillard when she watched the frog become lifeless when a giant waterbug attacked it, I was stunned as this drama unfolded - but the naturalist within held firm to observe.  The compassionate part of the self hopes and prays for both frog and snake this evening...in their quest for survival.

Wet and Wild

I do carry a point and shoot with me...  (My camera of choice these days is the Panasonic DMC-ZS10. It is unobtrusive but has a wonderful Leica lens.)  

Yesterday I was reflecting on the creed of the Shutter Sisters. One of the tenets is: "I will allow for play and experimentation".   My car was in desperate need of a wash.  The moment was not lost on me!

"Wet and Wild"

I loved the sense of exhilaration, of freedom as the roller brush sudsed (sp?) up my car.

When the dryer came on, a different mood came over me and I remembered Salavador Dali's

"Rainy Day Taxi"at MOMA ...hopefully there are no snails on the windows of my car however!

Just a little fun on an April morning!  Enjoy!

Take me out to the ballgame!

The game had been iffy from the start.  (Indeed, one must question whether players can really perform at their best in 40 degree weather - whether at the end of March, or the beginning of November.   One has to be able to feel the ball to hold it,let alone throw it.)   Be that as it may, the downpours had given way to mere drizzle, and OPENING DAY proceeded as scheduled.

Now I confess to a certain amount of excitement when baseball season opens, for I grew up in Manhattan, and during the era of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris -- and their home run battles.
The Nats are not exactly at that caliber...yet...but hope springs eternal!

I had never been to opening day ceremonies before, but we arrived in time to see the Nats' lineup
stand awaiting the arrival of the color guard.   There is something a bit moving about seeing these
men take the field -- on an opening day -- just like the younger boys they once were -- hoping for a new start, a better season, hats off for something higher (than their astronomical salaries....).

Behind that lineup were the 5 armed forces generals who were to throw the opening pitches -- President Obama seems to show up only if the White Sox are in town! <LOL>

There was, however, another starting lineup - as impressive - and they stole the opening moments.

When I was younger, my grandfather used to fly a huge flag between two trees, this flag was so old that it only had 48 stars...and as children, we loved running under it and hiding behind it!   I have to say that seeing a huge flag unfurled like this - in person- is incredibly powerful.  TV cannot begin to capture just how large these field flags are!

The players took the field and The Atlanta Braves capitalized on an early lead.   We had men on base but just could not seem to get enough batting power to get them home. (sigh).


If the Nats got off to a sluggish start, alas, so did my beloved Teddy Roosevelt.

 For those of you who are not Nats fans (the majority of you!),  there is always a Presidents' race after the Fourth Inning and, poor Teddy has yet to win any of the races.  This year, his season began with a relay. Honest Abe pushed him over the top.  One might say, the race went to his head...

 After the race, there seemed to be a veritable "Who's Who" of mascots - from the Geiko Gecko
to Screech the Team Owl.   Those of you with sharp eyes may spot the Secret Service aide for our 4 Presidents...

We didn't have much hitting...we did have a few pitching changes...and some decent pitching.  This is a photo of one of our relief pitchers, who throws with incredible intensity despite needing near telescopes for glasses....

We also seemingly have a bright spot among our fielders.  Jayson Werth made his debut with a hit and also some stellar catches --he will be keeping the laundry crew quite busy.  I suspect he was looking up around him wondering how he landed here however....

Alas, when all was said and done...the bottom line went in favor of Atlanta...thankfully, it's a very long season...

Lego Architecture

Several weeks ago, I went to an unusual exhibit here in DC : “Lego Architecture: Towering Ambition” at the National Building Museum. The Museum itself is an architectural jewel that was designed in the late 1880‘s by U.S. Army General Montgomery C. Meigs to house diverse government agencies.   It is an edifice not often visited by native Washingtonians.  


The Great Hall is a huge space, but light and airy; a space that encourages visitors to consider their own scale -- relative to the colossal structure in which they are standing.  Within the hall,  is a wonderfully energetic interplay of light, space, columns and arches.

Surrounding the Great Hall are long hallways -- which have an orderly, and somewhat  military, feel.  

The LEGO exhibit itself features the work of Adam Reed Tucker.  Tucker trained formally to be an architect.  He lived in Chicago (which many consider to be the true birth place of modern architecture) when the events of September 11 changed his life.    He reportedly invested $150,000 in Legos (that's a LOT of Legos!!) and began to construct models of some of the world's most iconic modern buildings.

LEGOS allow building on a grand scale - far more than the ERECTOR sets of old!

The first table features a lone -- and eery --model of the one of the World Trade Centers:

I grew up in Manhattan.   Thus, I could not help but take note of the Empire State Building.

I realized just how dated the Empire State Building now seems-- and diminutive -- in terms of scale.  (Look at the Hancock Tower soaring above it on the same table!)

My favorite structure is one that has not been built because of the failing economy: the Chicago Spire.   I am in awe of the curves that Mr. Tucker achieved using only the traditional LEGO blocks!

I also really enjoyed the black (former) Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower).  There are many times when I have flown into the Windy City and have been amazed at how close that skyscraper seems relative to my flight!

There was a true simplicity to the exhibit room.  The beautiful blue and the light from the windows allowed visitors to focus on the models themselves...

With respect to the photography?  I am learning that bright colored clothing can be problematic when taking photos through windows (on planes for example)  or trying to capture surfaces that are highly reflective.  The black skyscraper models readily mirrored back my light blue fleece!

Having been inspired by the models viewed, children, of all ages, enter an adjoining room with tables and multicolored LEGOS to try their hand at creating their own modest 

structures.   Midlife, so many adults are weighed down in life that words such as"play","imagination" and "fun" sound like alien and menacing terms-- to be distrusted at all costs!   We can learn much from our children!   

First Day of Spring!

While I was out in Minnesota, I did have a chance to do a little sightseeing.   One of the places visited was a conservatory in a small zoological park.  You can imagine that northerners become snow-weary as winter wears on.   That does not mean life comes to a standstill!   

Far from it!  The Science Museum was hosting a fabulous exhibit on the treasures of Tutankhamen. There was also a major hockey tournament in progress (Duluth lost to Eden Prairie in triple overtime when the puck ricocheted off a player’s skate).   Still, with two feet of snow still on the ground, everyone was looking forward to spring’s arrival; the observatory, with its soothing warm humidity, was well-attended.   The first of the exhibits was a collection of ferns.  ( I love the size variations and the ways in which the patterns interlace.)

From there,  we went to the orchid collection, and tucked away, near a Victorian lamppost, was a Lady’s Slipper!

The standout, however, was a gorgeous Stargazer Lily with its explosion of color!

Last night, hopefully many of you had a chance to see the gorgeous orange disc of a moon as it slipped above the horizon.    Today, back home, our forsythia is ablaze!!   

Enjoy the season!

The Hoarfrost of Heaven

What is it about snow that brings such a wonderful interior silence? As I looked out towards the horizon, I almost felt as if I was beholding Earth’s shapely curves.  The photo was taken on the trip home from Minneapolis. I felt love/compassion/awe for the beautiful textures beneath me and am reminded of the poetic verses from Job 38:29-30

"From whose womb did the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to the hoarfrost of heaven?
The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is frozen." (NRSV)

One Word Project - continued

I suddenly realized that all of February passed without my having given the next clue to my word for the year!   For those of you new to this blog, the Shutter Sisters have initiated a challenge in which shutterbugs are encouraged to pick a word for the year which they would like to grow into and illustrate with monthly photos throughout the year....  

http://shuttersisters.com/owpabout


So....this is the second clue to my word.   Ponder!

"Tiger,Tiger burning bright"

(Taken at Animal Kingdom, Orlando)

TIGER, tiger, burning bright  

  In the forests of the night,  

  What immortal hand or eye  

  Could frame thy fearful symmetry?  

(William Blake)

Two years ago, I read a book that had me spellbound, if terrified.  My pulse quickened with every expedition as local villagers entered the jungle to harvest honey.  I held my breath as tigers silently stalked boats in the delta at twilight (and oh yes! they DO swim!!).   I imagined the kalash vipers waiting patiently for nighttime -- when they would slither into the homes, and beds, of their unassuming victims -- paralyzing them into eternal rest.  Yet despite all of the dangers recounted, part of my spirit longed to be with the author on her adventure!  

The book is Spell of the Tiger by Sy Montgomery.   The author is a naturalist who traveled during the 1990‘s to the Sundarbans, a tidal delta and mangrove swamp on the Bay of Bengal, up near the border with Bangladesh.  It is a region inhabited by a very aggressive group of tigers that actively prey upon humans while they fish, collect honey or chop wood.  In spite of the threat to their very lives, the locals revere the tiger.  The book details the myths, legends and worship of the people living in the Sundarbans even as it chronicles the predatory tactics of the tigers.

In my life, I, too, revere the tiger as a powerful symbol for those “places” in which I struggle with faith and/or fear.  I am reminded of the cautionary words of Russian Orthodox prelate, Anthony Bloom (from his book Beginning Prayer) words I read long,long ago:

To meet God means to enter into the ‘cave of a tiger’ –it is not a pussy cat you meet–it’s a tiger. The realm of God is dangerous. You must enter into it and not just seek information about it.”

As for the photo?

I have not been to the Sundarbans.   While I dream of a photo safari in India, I doubt that will ever happen given the increasing terrorism risks for Americans who dare to venture into that section of Asia.   Thus, this is an item on my “bucket list” that may remain unfulfilled.

To accentuate the fact that this magnificent beast inhabits the world of my dreams and imagination,  I have used a special technique called “post-crop vignetting”.   

Sadly, if more is not done to protect these wonderful animals, all we will know of them is what we see in our dreams, our books and our artwork:

(Taken at Animal Kingdom,Orlando)

(PS. Since Montgomery’s book was published, an even more powerful book has been written by John Vaillant, The Tiger: a True Story of Vengeance and Survival describing a powerful group of man-eating tigers in Siberia.  It was one of the nature books of the year for 2010.)

FETU 1993-2011

Two weeks ago, when I posted, I discussed how the film “Black Swan” challenged

me to incorporate my feelings into my photography and, to a certain extent, this blog.  Little in life challenges personal feelings as much as the death of a member of the family.   This week, my husband and I decided to put down our 17 year old cat, a beloved Siamese named FETU: the right thing to do -- and the right time -- but incredibly painful nonetheless.

        

Many have asked over the years why we chose such an odd name...FETU.  I was on active duty in Biloxi when we were hit by Hurricane Elena.   We found a Siamese cat wandering around in the debris and thought FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration) was a very Asian sounding name for a Siamese.   Seven years later, FEMA succumbed to a relapsing anemia.   Our son was devastated.   We wanted to get him another cat, but our lease clearly stated we could only have two cats, one named Schlitz and one named FEMA.   So we honored the letter of the law, if not its spirit; Andrew chose his new kitten and we named him FETU (FEMA the 2nd)

                                       

As a kitten,  FETU was initially snow white...with only a hint of color on his nose.   He had HUGE ears.   At times, I wondered if the wind might lift him away like the Flying Nun and carry him into the James River!  FETU was definitely not a show cat, he even had a snaggletooth, but what he lacked in looks, he trumped with personality!   The best compliment, and one he received frequently, is that even those who claimed they were confirmed cat haters, loved this cat!!    (He once disappeared for three days in Williamsburg...because the workers renovating a home nearby  loved him so much that they were feeding him and letting him stay in the home overnight!)

FETU had some wonderful idiosyncracies.   While he certainly loved chicken (and in later years we would treat him to fresh roasted chickens from the deli), his favorite delicacy was canteloupe!   He didn’t eat canteloupe, but if we made the mistake of putting the slices out on the table too early, we would come into the dining room... only to discover that he had licked everyone’s serving of melon completely dry!

FETU was not a big fan of toys except at Easter time.  He would ferret out the plastic Easter eggs from the baskets and chase them round and round on the floor and then bat them at our feet!

Finally, while we certainly gave him fresh water throughout the day, he far preferred drinking water from flower vases (and usually knocking over the vases to flood our rugs -- NOT an endearing habit!).

He loved the heat...even in the midst of summer... and since he was cross-eyed, and did not have the greatest balance in the world, he would give us some very nervous moments when he ventured out on the roof to sunbathe!

Despite the fact our son eventually headed off for college, FETU loved it when Andrew would come home and help him perform Richard Simmons' exercise routines or Steve Martin’s “King Tut”.   In the picture below, you may note a dogbone nametag...FETU lived with an Irish Setter and frankly behaved more like a dog at times, than like a cat!   He wore his Milkbone collar with true grace!

He accompanied my husband at the computer, frequently adding his own #$%^&* comments to the English papers being graded.   When FETU didn’t type his criticisms, he voiced them...and loudly...for Siamese are real talkers!!     He was a champion cuddler and would,no doubt, be on my  lap at this very minute if he could.


The house is silent and empty indeed - how we love and miss you! 

Rest in peace.

 "King Tut"

Dazzling Aerial Displays

(View of NYC Harbor taken in August 2011)

I have always loved flying.

To be sure, I relish the speed of take-offs and landings and I have never lost my sense of wanderlust, but over the years, I have learned to enjoy the aerial journeys as much as the final destinations!   America is so vast. I am as fascinated by the sinuous turns of the Mississippi as I am by the snow- topped craggy peaks of the Rockies!  I love the time warp as I fly on east-west flights.   I am mesmerized by the billowing thunderheads along the Gulf Coast and the dramatic lightning displays - especially at night!

As a child, I thought the villages beneath the plane were just for me - similar to the imaginary
villages and train displays set up at FAO Schwarz during the holidays in Manahattan!  Flying has never lost that magic;  thus,  I still ask for a window seat even though the use of cameras is now prohibited during takeoffs and landings,

Two years ago, my husband and I visited San Juan, Puerto Rico.  We were fortunate enough to
visit during an exhibit of spectacular aerial photography by the French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand.  Bertrand developed his passion for photography while living with the Maasai  in Africa and studying the behavior of lions from hot air balloons!   He would later photograph the work of Dian Fossey with the gorillas in Rwanda.

In 1994, UNESCO sponsored Bertrand to create an inventory of the world's most beautiful landscapes from helicopters and hot-air balloons. The book from this project, Earth from Above (‘la Terre vue du ciel’), sold over 3 million copies and was translated into 24 languages.  In 2000, his "Earth from Above"  exhibit was set up on numerous big posters.    This free exhibit travelled worldwide from Lyon to Montreal, to 110 cities,  and was visited by 120 million people.  This was the exhibit we saw in San Juan.

Bertrand's lens captures the stunning beauty of our planet and he is a passionate advocate for the preservation of our environment and global resources.  I encourage you to click or copy the following, if lengthy, link into your browsers to visit his virtual gallery (or just type his name into your browser and follow the links to his websites).  Enjoy a real master, with a unique view!

http://www.google.com/images?q=yann+arthus-bertrand&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=VuZiTce9BcbUgQeB_c2ZAg&ved=0CEUQsAQ&biw=980&bih=1208

(View of the Yucutan Coral Reefs taken January 2011)

Emotion and Photography

Yesterday I saw the dark film “Black Swan”.  It is an intense film, a study of beauty and darkness in the human soul.  The film is quite powerful, but it is also truly terrifying, as a young ballerina psychically unravels in her quest of perfection.  For those who have not seen the film, the chief choreographer of the New York City Ballet decides to produce  “Swan Lake” but with a novel twist: the ballerina must dance with the elegance and beauty of the pure white swan yet also embrace her darker, sensual and seductive side -- as the black swan.  In the end, the young ballerina dances the performance of a lifetime...but also commits suicide while doing so.   Only for the strongest of heart!

One of the key scenes in the film occurs when the choreographer, exasperated that his protege seems incapable of dancing with anything but her frigid,if perfect, technique says to her:

“Perfection is not just about control. It's also about letting go.” 

Photographers have to wrestle with conveying emotion in their photos.  There is a tendency to merely record whatever subject is at hand.  The photographer, who is also an artist, is aware of the emotions experienced and is willing to express those feelings in her art.

A good, and honest, friend of mine, recently chided me about a defensive remark I had made, described it as “prickly”.   The remark got under my skin < LOL>  but worked its way through this photo.  Thus this week’s offering?

   

PRICKLY

Postscript -- The friend with whom I saw this film reminded me of the scene in which the ballerina develops a prickly skin just before she grows black feathers.  No doubt, this had an effect on my decision to work with this photo!

Snowmageddon Revisited

I chose the above picture for this week’s post because it was exactly a year ago today that Washington DC was hit by a blizzard of truly epic proportions, nicknamed “Snowmageddon” by President Obama.

Washington was buried under over 2 feet of snow and basically shut down for several days.   One of the ironies of the moment was that the Winter Olympics were on the verge of opening near Vancouver, and that region was uncharacteristically snow-starved!

The city had an eery feel.  There were no flights in or out.

Roads were impassable as cars were buried within igloos of snow.    

Walking had a wonderfully muffled cadence.

This photograph, one of my favorites, was taken on the day between the two storms,

from behind our home.   I loved the view of the boathouses down towards the new Wilson Bridge.  The days was so clear that Washington Cathedral could be seen

clearly atop Mt St Alban.

We had a real nuisance storm over a week ago that now has the Federal government and other organizations rexamining their dismissal policies. More employees may be asked to shelter in place during future storms.  Now if only PEPCO and the other utilities would find ways

to keep the power functional...that problem is not likely to be fixed any time soon!


The picture below?  Our Irish Setter,Kyle, in his green winter coat, 
finally in a storm in which the snow was taller than he is!   
Enjoy!