driftwood art

for years i have been fascinated with the random driftwood sculptures that appear along the west side highway in new york. they start around 125th street and seem to be spaced at random intervals until the the mid 70s....

...until today i always wondered who was the mastermind behind these varying piles of sticks, rocks and rope precariously balanced along the banks of the river......but this afternoon, as i drove down the highway i glanced over in time to see a silver haired man with a nice tan , black faded jeans and a burnt umber shirt walk over and add a piece to a sculpture.....

....dumbfounded that i had seen what i never thought i would see, i preceded to almost miss my exit - as i thought about who this man was, if he was really the creator of these natural beauties or was he just someone that felt compelled to add to someone else's genius.....

never will i know- for now i will wonder if i will ever see the mystery man again and maybe next time i will take to time to stop and be witness to the birth of a new artistic landmark that i has become a part of my new york commute....

for more info....check a story in ny times from 2005
INK, Driftwood as Art, by an unseen Hand

serenity of a spring drive

back in new york/new jersey area in time for the spring thaw.....

-today was a day to drive with the windows down
-enjoy the freedom of no winter coat
-relax in the sunshine beaming through my car window
-and wonder where i will end up next

over the rivers and through the mountains i go

today i left new jersey and headed for ohio for an upcoming shoot.....

my drive was nice- no rain, no clouds, sunny all day

i also had the great occassion to drive through (not over) 4 different mountains....kittanitty, blue, allegheny and toscarora on I-78. it was pretty amazing to be at the base of a mountain and look up before driving my little car through the tunnels that some crazy tunnel diggers/builders made!

my other interesting moment was seeing 5-6 amish boys walking home from somewhere. they were walking on a service road next to the highway decked out in their black suits, white shirts and 4 of the 5 of them were wearing black hats and the 5th one decided today was a good day for the straw hat. (maybe it is a sign that spring is coming)

knit one, purl one

yes...after much hesitation because of my awkwardness in using yarn and needles to create anything...the unthinkable has happened.....

i have learned to knit....mind you i have not claimed to have mastered the art....just learned the basics.....there will be no sweater knitting in the near future...still trying to perfect the scarf and making sure that my next one isn't as crooked and wonkey as the first one!

i can assure you all that know me personally- that somewhere in your future you will be the recipient of a fine crafted one of a kind scarf- so if there are color request...start sending them in now and maybe you will see it within the next decade or so

mr.cone

i am currently in upstate new jersey and apparently today is a day of celebration for the people in the area as it is the day that the "closed of the season" ice cream stores re-open

the humor exists in the fact that
...there is still mounds of snow in the parking lots
...lakes are still frozen enough for people to stand on them but yet there is enough open water that the swans are also returning
...the average temps this week are still somewhere around the 30 degree mark
...the line of people waiting to get there first taste of spring in a soft serve ice cream cone were still wearing down jackets, hats and the occassional pair of gloves

and yet the stand is open, people are buying and sitting down on the frigid wooden picnic benches and thinking of the heat of spring and summer that are on their way