Fun In The Sprinkler
A couple of young mothers brought their children to the park last week, on a very hot day. Park workers had set out sprinklers to water some of the very thirsty plants. The children ran in and out, under the arching cascade of drops, screaming with delight and the joy of being free to race around. The smallest boy was fascinated by the way the water ran through his toy truck. He studied the gush of water with the intensity of a physics professor on the cusp of a new breakthrough. And I am sure he was ready for his nap later.
Fence Shadows
Late in the afternoon on a hot summer day, I came across a schoolyard fence laced with children’s Post-It sized pieces of art. While the art was charming and colorful, it was the shadows on the sidewalk that really spoke to me. The shadow version was distilled down to lines and shapes. There was just enough interplay of order and disorder to keep me looking at the pattern. I re-photographed it in black and white–something that so often seems "right" in a city scene.
Ripening Figs
As a kid, my only experience with figs was as the gooey filling inside Fig Newtons. These days, they are offered at the farmers market, thanks in part to our warming climate. Fig trees grow in yards in my neighborhood. This one has been especially productive. While the fruits were still tiny green knobs, I spent some time wondering about how fig leaves became the modesty covering of choice in paintings of otherwise nude figures. Now I see the figs ripening a bit more each day and my thoughts turn to whether the homeowners will get to eat the figs before the hungry squirrels do.
Black-Eyed Susans
Yellow is the color that epitomizes this week, which has been searingly hot and sunny. More delicate flowers wilt and droop, but the sturdy black-eyed susans happily raise their faces to the sun. Their countenance mirrors the same bright shades of yellow that a child would choose to draw the sun. They are a good example of radial symmetry, although, if you look closely, not all of the blooms are perfectly symmetrical. I resisted the urge to pull out the tendril of bindweed that was curling up through the flowers. It’s such a graceful complement that it can remain for now.
Packing Material
Last week, we received delivery of a very heavy package, double boxed. The outer box was filled with these tent-like cardboard gizmos. They did their job, in spite of the box itself arriving somewhat mashed. Who invented them? This is the sort of project often assigned to industrial design students in college. We now have thousands of these little guys in the house, waiting to be recycled. Before that, I am contemplating saving a few. Taken apart, they have possibilities for stenciling, collaging or reconfiguring in some way. But I don’t need thousands.
July Means Fireworks
Independence Day may be over but opportunities to enjoy fireworks continue. The city of Alexandria celebrates its founding on the Saturday after the Fourth. Fire and police boats herd all the other boats into an area a safe distance from the barge filled with the fireworks. Eventually the sun goes down and the orchestra the 1812 Overture starts. As the cannons boom, the first fireworks shoot up into the sky, white, red, violet and gold. The colors reflect in the Potomac and fizzle down into the water. I just happened to snap one that never made it up into the air---a reminder that there is a reason why we watch the show from a distance!
A Meadow In The Yard
More people are ditching their lawns and opting for a meadow. As the seasons progress, short grasses and clover give way to taller plants. In this yard, coneflowers add pops of color. Queen Anne's lace sways in the too-hot breeze. Seed heads are forming and I know that birds are waiting to come and feast on them. Some neighbors may be taken aback to see a tidy green lawn disappear, but the birds, bees and butterflies are happier.
