Memorial Day

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow;

I am the softly falling snow.

 I am the gentle showers of rain;

I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush;

I am in the graceful rush

Of beautiful birds in circling flight,

I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,

I am in a quiet room.

I am the birds that sing,

I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there. I do not die.

Poem by Mary Frye, 1932.

 Photos of monuments were taken at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Wishing you a blessed Memorial Day.

Goodbye, Winter

As promised, more photos from Spring Grove.

On a beautiful, bright Saturday in March, it seemed Spring had finally come to stay.

After a long, hard winter, you could almost hear a sigh of relief from the land itself.

 The birds confirmed the departure of winter by coming back to build new nests.

Contented ducks glide lazily across the pond.

I must include, of course, one of my water abstracts.  I think the lines and patterns in this one are especially lovely.  Must be the ducks that did it!

Nature Imitates Jackson Pollock?

We had gorgeous weather on Saturday, so off to Spring Grove I went with my little camera. 

Bright red maple buds looked brilliant against the blue sky.  The overlapping layers of lines and spots reminded me of the action paintings of Jackson Pollock.

Galaxy by Jackson Pollock

These beautiful overlapping lines were formed by dead vines clinging to the bark of a very old tree.  I loved the warm, monochromatic coloring.

 No.1  by Jackson Pollock

Such order in the disorder of nature...

Such glorious disorder in the order. 

The Blue Poles  by Jackson Pollock

Was Pollock inspired by nature?  Nothing I've read about him ever mentioned that his work referenced the natural world in any way.  It is supposedly the quintessential "nonobjective" art.  But I wonder if it's even possible to disregard the "real world" when making a painting; isn't the content of our minds based on experience?  In that sense, then, there really isn't any "nonobjective" art.

How is it possible not to be inspired by this?

 

 Pollock worked in a barn in the country, so...

I rest my case.


To those who think that's all of my Spring Grove pictures, I would say,
Seriously?


No, there's more to come- stay tuned for the sequel!

Spring Grove

A couple of weeks ago, when it was still extremely cold (sometimes referred to by me as "butt-freezing cold"), we went to a place in Cincinnati called Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum.  It consists of 733 acres of land, 400 of which are meticulously landscaped, containing everything from ponds and fountains to historical buildings. I was pretty surprised to learn that it was founded in 1845, and that the study of plants  was one of its main purposes from the beginning.  There are 1,200 species of plants grown there, including many "champion" trees (largest in the state or nation), and many that are over 100 years old!  Who knew?  Anyway, here are a few photos I took when I was there.

 

One of the historical limestone buildings on the grounds.

I just love the lions with snow on their heads!

A grove of bald cypress Trees.

This beautiful chapel was built by a beer baron.  Apparently Cincinnati had 32 breweries in 1875!  Again, who knew?

A side view of the same building. I attempted to make this one look like a pen and ink drawing.

A champion chinquapin oak.

There are angels to greet you everywhere.

Adolf Strauch, Spring Grove's first horticulturist, wrote:  "There is a certain poetic enchantment… powerfully felt by the beholder… among shady groves of ancient trees, whose trunks are encircled by the garland of eternity, the ivy, and where tuneful birds enliven the stillness of secret solitude."  

It really is quite a beautiful place.  I can't wait to go back in the spring when everything is blooming!