Yea May!

Seeing the the sky through an Oak leafing out through a Japanese Maple.

Being amused by the spring bloom on the Crabs seen through the Chicago Botanic Garden's summer parking lot sign.

Emerging Foliage

Everything rapidly greening now, but not when I took these ten days ago: Tri-colored Beech & BailTiger Sumac.

Art at The Armory: Ernesto Neto

Ah, the Arts in NYC! Wish I was in Manhattan to see Ernesto Neto's Installation at The Armory...

Meantime here's a memory from another terrific creation: Christo's February 2005 Orange Gates in Central Park. I had to live vicariously through my husband's photography & stories of the amazing comraderie he experienced while walking its course.

Olympia Mothers of Invention

I have never been to Olympia, Washington, but for many years I have appreciated two artists who live there: Nikki McClure & Stella Marrs. A friend from Washington State gave us a Nikki McClure calendar five years ago and now it's an annual ritual to purchase ours plus a few for new converts. Nikki McClure does not shy away from tough topics (see May "Witness" above), she has a real feel for nature and her graphic style always shows me a new perspective. As a postcard collector since I was 12, I have long had a stack of Stella Marrs' hip environmental postcards. The one below lists the top ten commercial fruits & veggies with the highest amounts of pesticide concentration and toxicity. Thanks to this postcard, I ONLY buy organic strawberries as they head the list.

Ostrya virginiana

I and the birds are really enjoying the difference a month
makes in the life cycle of this wonderful native tree.