Sunday, October 28, 2018

Jailbird Skeletons

Halloween decorations used to consist of pumpkins carved into jack-o-lanterns and a cardboard black cat hung on the front door. Now you can go to the store and buy a life-sized plastic skeleton. It's fun to see what people do with them. This house has one of my favorite neighborhood tableaux. Dressed in traditional prisoner togs, the skeletons gather around an arrangement of orange lights that really does look like flames after the sun goes down. Their friend, skateboarding down the porch railing, is a holdover from last year. The row of skulls on the porch is a nice touch. It’s all in the little details...

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Bicycling In Amsterdam

We relish the spectacular sunny days of autumn, when the trees are dressed in bright colors, but let’s face it, autumn has its share of gloomy, chilly, damp days. Residents of Amsterdam are used to this. A sunny day can suddenly turn into a torrential rainstorm. Bicyclists find themselves pedaling through sleet, as clouds sweep in off the North Sea. Being a less hardy soul, I clutch my umbrella and stand on the bridge admiring the shining bricks, the more saturated colors of the trees and the texture of raindrops in the canal. They pedal on, intent on their destinations.

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Tardis Little Library

Our neighborhood is home to several "Little Libraries" where people can choose or leave books My favorite is in the shape of a Tardis, Doctor Who's vehicle that takes the Time Lord through time and space. The thirteenth Doctor has just debuted and this time (finally!) we have a woman, Jodie Whittaker, playing the part. The perennial joke about the Tardis is that it's much, much bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. The books in this little Tardis share that same quality. They are little packages that can take you on big adventures or lead to big thoughts, big plans, big dreams.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Saint Michel Metro, Paris

Last week we enjoyed hearing about a friend's wonderful trip to Paris. I thought about our visit there some years ago. The weather was almost too fine to spend indoors. We searched out spectacular art nouveau landmarks and enjoyed everyday life out on the streets and plazas. A very kind man who worked in a camera shop near our hotel told me that I "must experience Paris in black and white." He was right. This is a lesson I have taken to heart in big cities everywhere. Distracting colors disappear, Lines and shapes take precedence. Sepia, instead of black and white can imply a sense of age. That is how I captured the Place Saint Michel one morning as the light transformed the Metro entrance into something magical.