My Tiny Tropical Vacation

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Alexandrine Parakeet, originally uploaded by mplawner.

So yesterday, as i was walking through the Boston Public Gardens on my lunch break, as usual, I saw something very unusual. And it made me happy.

For those of you who don’t know the Gardens, they’re beautiful. A big, leafy, lovely park, with a giant sculptured pond in the middle, complete with boats that look like Big Swans (powered by what looks like bicycle pedals). There are giant weeping willows, most of which have to be hundreds of years old, there are fountains and statues (one statue is dedicated to ether!), and plants grouped in colors and textures that are nothing short of luscious. But my favorite aspect of the park is that it’s teeming with creatures. It’s very refreshing to have a little haven of wildlife in the center of a big city. There are ducks and swans in the pond, Canadian Geese, squirrels, dogs, sometimes rabbits, and all sorts of other little birds including robins, sparrows, crows, pidgeons. But I saw something there yesterday that amazed me.

I was walking over the bridge in the center of the park and approached a large, lush patch of purple/blue/pink plants. At that moment, I noticed a bit of bright color on the grass next to the patch of flowers…that appeared to be moving. At first I thought it might be a discarded candy bar wrapper moving in the wind, but upon closer inspection, it was a parakeet! Just a wild, happy little parakeet, hanging out with all the little sparrows, pecking the ground in search of a snack.

I’ve never seen a wild parakeet—I’ve never seen one outside of a pet store, or a birdcage. Parakeets are that one animal that every single pet store has in common. And I guess I always thought they were kind of boring. Always tons of them in a glass cage on the ground filled with cedar chips or and newspaper shreds, they just seemed boring and unexotic. However, when I saw one of them on the grass, in a more natural habitat, the blue and yellow colors of the plumage transformed into something that was really captivating! It was like I was in paradise, if only for a moment, until it flew away.

Yup.

Sam Beam’s Beard

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iw01, originally uploaded by heartonastick.

is awesome.

plus his voice is fuzzy like a teddy bear.

iron & Wine=cozy.

also:

NEW GRANDADDY out tomorrow! YAY YAY YAY YAY!

-

Yup.

Ansel Adams at the Boston MFA

So, today I went to the Ansel Adams show at the MFA.

And all I can say is, “wow”.

I went in expecting to see some pretty black and white photographs, and left feeling like I needed to sell everything I own and move to the Grand Tetons or just some where in Yosemite.

AA is one of those artists about whom I’ve heard many accolades and whom I’ve always admired from a distance, but I’ve never really examined his work.

The photographs are amazing. Beyond description. The best I’ve ever seen. And esp. the ones of the national parks, of El Capitan and New Mexico are just….majestic.

If you EVER get a chance to see an Ansel Adams show, you must go. You will be awestruck and inspired.

And maybe leave feeling like you should join the Sierra Club.

Yup.

A Little Tribute to Edward Gorey

i was walking through my new neighborhood the other night with my roomie christine. i absolutely love the area; it’s populated by curvy, hidden streets and weird old brownstone houses, no two alike. i wanted to show christine this one house where there was a plot of grassy land on a street called kilsyth that was otherwise crowded with houses. the lot was empty, except for a large dog run, or cage, or what have you, where two beautiful boxers live. the land is a bit hilly, which lends it a sort of neat old quality. we decided that the plot of land must belong to the people in the house next to it, who could have easily sold the land for .5 million , but instead they keep it for their dogs. we thought this was funny. i was musing about this to myself, then i said, “yes, they’re the Hounds of Kilsyth Road”. she laughed and said that it sounded so “edward-goreyish.” i agreed, and realized that it’s fun to come up with little titles for places that sound like edward gorey stories. and especially easy when you live in the nooks and crannies of new england. so, here are three that i’ve come up with for my little neighbhorhood:

The Hounds of Kilsyth Road
The Pink Door atop of Ayr
The Quivering Lambsear Thicket at Strathmore Inn

whee! i can find hours upon hours of nerdy fun writing these!

now, it’s your turn!

what’ve you got?
don’t be shy, i know you love edward gorey!

Yup.