Halloween Nightmare House

 On a street known for great Halloween displays, this one takes the...uh...fun size candy bar. Every spooky scenario, mysterious gathering or terrifying nightmare you dare to imagine is crammed onto this property. That car with the broken windshield is an old hearse with an open casket in back. Notice the license plate. The mourners at the porch funeral pay no heed to the goings-on in the rest of the yard. It’s creepy, scary and magnificent in every detail. But I would never go up on that porch alone at night.

Sea Oats

A beam of late afternoon light illuminated the grasses that spilled over onto the street. The ripening seed heads shivered in the breeze. Sea oats have gained popularity among those who want to replace a traditionally tidy garden with a more naturalized haven for birds and insects, perhaps even a mini-meadow. They remind me of the illustrations on my antique Thanksgiving postcards, which often include sheaves of wheat and other grains along with apples, grapes and pumpkins. This is a different bounty, intended to help sustain our winged friends.

 

Celiosa and Bumblebee

 The hot pinks and magentas of the celiosa drew me over to the rows of plants at the garden center.  In the afternoon sun, they lived up to their name, which comes from a Greek word for flame. A steady hum rose up as I stepped closer. Dozens of bumblebees and honeybees flew around and within the masses of blooms. I watched a bumblebee, the B-52 of the bee family, hover and then land on one especially promising specimen. Look carefully and you can see the pollen clinging to the bee. The bee was too busy to care about me.

Painting The Human Figure"

 A popular art fair sets up activity stations for kids. This year, one featured a man in a hazmat suit standing on a drop cloth while kids squirted paint onto brushes, spatulas or their hands. They smeared it on the man, who turned, stuck out legs or arms, and at one point suggested that other colors be added to the large splat of silver on his belly. Some kids thought carefully about the colors and their placement. Others just enjoyed the chance to smear paint on an adult. There are books titled "Painting the Human Figure." I doubt if this method is included in any of them.

"We Come In Peace"

 Huma Bhabha's monumental bronze sculpture stands near the steps to the Hirshhorn Museum’s Sculpture Garden. It's like an ancient totemic figure, worn by the ages, but also defaced by modern day graffiti. The woman staring at the figure resides on a gigantic scrim that covers the cylindrical facade of the Hirshhorn, which is under renovation. This is Nicholas Party's "Draw the Curtain," an 829 foot artwork-in-the-round. Stand in this particular spot and feel how these two beings, rooted in different ages and cultures, are linked, but also very alone, each in their own way.