Last year around this time I posted a photo of a butterfly I found being eaten by a wasp. At the time I thought it was symbolic of the seasonal change and days growing shorter and darker earlier. In retrospect, it could have been an omen for the apocalyptic year we are having. This year, I’ve only spotted lively, fluttering butterflies. Hopefully they are a sign that next year will be better.
Last week I posted a poem I entered into an International Peace Day themed contest (you can vote for it here!) I mentioned in that post that my poem was partially inspired by a walk through a cemetery adjacent to a nature park. The cemetery was Evergreen Cemetery, right next to Evergreen Park. Evergreen Park is small, but serene, and one of its paths joins the walkways in the cemetery. This may sound strange, but I actually like walking through cemeteries. When I was in grade school, I went on numerous field trips to the old graveyards in my small Massachusetts hometown. We noted the years and months during which people died, identified life spans by looking at the dates on head stones and then coming up with averages, and noted who was buried with family, and who was not. My favorite part was taking rubbings of the artwork on the headstones, and looking up the symbolism of different images later. All of this was an effort to teach us how history is studied, the …
The bald face of this mountain and the brilliant foliage in the foreground are both the product of the same destructive force.
I spotted this moth resting on my window screen last weekend, and found the pattern on its wings mesmerizing.
I miss going out to eat at restaurants that have special flourishes like unusual marinades and craft cocktails, so I’m trying to create some of my own.
This summer for me has been more about looking inward then exploring new places like I usually do. Not exactly by choice, but I’m trying to make the best of it, like everyone else. During my daily walks I’ve tried to redirect myself from anxious trouts by keeping my eye out for interesting insects and other critters. I’m literally trying to appreciate the little things by looking for interesting colors and patterns. Here are some of the highlights.
The sun is setting a little earlier every day. This is one of my favorite time of year, when the signs of fall’s arrival are just starting to show.
I absolutely love exploring historical sites, and out of all of the ones I’ve visited, Eastern State Penitentiary is one of my favorites. It’s a massive prison on the edge of Philadelphia, well known for famous prisoners, brazen escape attempts, and ghost stories. It’s a fascinating place to visit, maintained as a “preserved ruin” that has been left largely in the same state as when it was closed and abandoned, with a few cells restored to their original state. Eastern State was the first penitentiary in the world, holding each prisoner in solitary confinement in order to inspire penitence, or strong regret. It opened in 1829, and featured an imposing exterior designed to inspire a foreboding fear. The inside of the prison was quite different, with running water, flushing toilets, and architecture that resembles a church. As time went on, the prison began to function as a more traditional prison, housing inmates together until it was closed in 1971 It was reopened to the public for historical tours in 1994 after being discovered by Steve Buscemi. …
I spotted these mushrooms on an early morning walk after a rainstorm. Can’t you picture a fairy perching on one?
A blood vessel configuration at Discovery Place in Charlotte, NC. This model was created by injected the vessels with a special polymer. The surrounding tissue was then removed, leaving behind an delicate, eerie map of the blood vessels in a human head.
