My Autumn

I've been out and about taking photos and walking a bit.  There isn't a more beautiful time of year on Long Island than autumn.  The weather has been perfect the past two weeks and the colors are in high gear. 

    I have hundreds of photos and  I'm still experimenting with different photo programs.  Here I attempted to blur a photo to achieve an impressionist painting effect.  If you click on the photo, you can get a closer look at the effect.

   My poems keep flowing out of the photography and the walks.  I am working toward poems and images that compliment each other indirectly. Ideally, the relationship between the image and the poem is a subtle one. 

    Below is the actual photo, right out of the camera with no enhancements or changes.  The colors are so vivid.  It was a stunningly beautiful afternoon.

  My recovery from surgery is now complete and I can finally begin a real exercise program.  It is a bit discouraging to have lost so much ground in such a short time but - I begin again.  I will be posting- hopefully - about my progress in the future.

  My plan is a simple one.  I have to regain strength which I lost over the past several months.  My legs are weak and I can feel the weakness every time I walk up stairs or stand up.  I have a weight -lifting regimen I will be doing three times a week.  On the other days I will walk.  I am already able to walk a leisurely 2 miles so next I will concentrate on speeding up and then gradually increasing my mileage. Can't ask for better weather for walking!

Thought for today - Seize the Day! Or Carpe Diem as they used to say in the really olden days!

A Tree-Hugger Runs Amok

   Imagine living on an estate like the one pictured below.

   There are many such places on Long Island, complete with mansions (summer homes) built and landscaped for the wealthy tycoons of the late 19th century. Some of these fabulous estates, once owned by people with names like Vanderbilt, Marshall Field and August Belmont, have been  donated to the state of New York  and have become state parks, open to the public.

   One such place is the Bayard Cutting Arboretum on the South Shore of Long Island. The estate was built by William Bayard Cutting,  an avid horticulturist and collector of plants and trees, in 1887.   The landscape design for 'Westbrook,' as the  property was called,   was done  by  Frederick Law Olmstead, the landscape architect for New York City's Central Park.

   We spent a day there last weekend and it was a most peaceful and enjoyable experience.

   My favorite part of the day was walking underneath a massive weeping beech,  through a tunnel to a secret cave within the old tree's branches.   It was cool, dark and quiet and I felt a keen sense of kinship with the old tree.   The weeping hemlock was similar and seemed to welcome me into its embrace for a view of ancient gnarled trunk and branches.  The experience was a singular moment and I felt the presence of God.

 

Paths wind through about 300 acres

This old specimen has character

Idyllic places perfect for wandering 

A close-up of one of many evergreens in the Pinetum

This fading hydrangea is still lovely

A young egret poses for a photographer

Under the ancient weeping hemlock

The trunk of the weeping hemlock

Gingko leaves  

Butterfly garden

A stunning weeping beech

Under the branches of the beech

Path through the rhododendron garden

A place for quiet reflection

One of the old trees I wanted to hug!

Ferns decorate the floor of the woods

Mrs. Cutting's tea house stood on this site at one time

A bit of bird-house whimsy near the farm

The front lawn looks out onto the Connetquot  River

 


 Let's see, we had   perfect weather, a long walk with many   photo-ops,  lots of trees and flowers,  and a few truly sacred moments during the day.   What more could one ask for on a summer Sunday?

VISIT IF YOU CAN!!!

Hangin' With the Boy

   Fridays have become our day to fetch our grandson from nursery school and set off on an adventure before returning him to his mother later in the day.  It gives her some uninterrupted time and it gives us a chance to be young again, if only in spirit.  The body , not so much.

  All worries, aches and pains depart for a few hours when I get into three year old mode.  Henry is all about this instant in time.  With little concern about what happened last week or what might happen later, he is completely engrossed in the NOW.  His questions keep us hopping to stay one step ahead of him and it is especially wonderful to see again with new eyes, fresh to the world.

  He expressed the desire to "go to a museum,"  so we headed over to the Brooklyn Art Museum, a favorite haunt since his mom is an artist.  He was interested in the sculptures and was intrigued  with  how many different materials could be used for sculpting.  He liked the African masks and would have begun making one on the spot if someone had provided the materials.

  He showed us the "piano in a tree" sculpture, but was disappointed that the piano wasn't playing .  The last time he was there "it played by itself,"  he informed us.  Sure enough, the sign reported that the piano wasn't working.

  When we tired of indoor treasure hunting, we headed over to the Botanical Garden for some fresh air and flowers. Henry led us on a nature walk through the woodland garden, delighted that we let him decide which path to take when we came to a fork in the road.  He loves to sing and has recently been making up his own songs so our stroll through the garden was accompanied by his gentle rendition of his latest song.

  My  own children grew up too quickly, it is true.  Much as I wanted to remember each moment, they piled up on each other and then slipped into the misty past.  I waited a long time for a grandchild and now that he is here, I am recapturing some of those dim memories.

Today's Take-Away -  Find a little boy or girl to spend time with, revel in, and relive "childish" moments from the past while staying rooted right here in today.