Weekend Art Drop-Offs

Last weekend my husband and I walked around the trail at Victory Fields, a complex of sports fields and a small nature area that’s part of the system at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. The fields are used by all kinds of groups and at any time you can find soccer or lacrosse or field hockey games or practices here. Not to mention a busy set of tennis courts.

I recently mentioned this location in this post.

Anyway, here we were on both days this weekend. We were looking for a less-intense exercise session and this is a good place for it – the trail is gentle.

I left two puff people at this location, one each day. I set them in a small memorial garden in the center of the complex.

The path leads to the memorial area and then through the trees to playing fields. The area was the gift of the PW High School Class of 2010 and is dedicated to people associated with the school. As a note, the name is derived from the school’s nickname, the Colonials. This area figured in several Revolutionary War events, that’s where the nickname comes from.

On Saturday, I set this little guy on a rock.

On Sunday, we returned. The first little guy was gone. I set this second little guy on a bench.

Here are the two locations, blue arrow for the first one, yellow arrow for the second one.

We took a moment to look over the stones mentioning the names of the individuals commemorated in this garden. I think it is a nice thing to have here in the middle of life going on, a tiny bit of space for remembering people who were here. I don’t want to infringe on their memories by leaving something here, but just to be part of time passing on, as it does for all of us, and maybe for my part I can leave behind a smile?

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Very Recent Art Drop-Off

In fact, this art drop-off occurred only about a couple of hours ago. Nothing like getting the news out right away, what do you think?

I placed this small figurine at a bridge over the Pennypack Creek on the Pennypack Rail trail, where I walked a few miles this very beautiful morning. You see the trail and the bridge; the figurine is set at the base of the bridge to the right side, tucked back in the corner.

The trail is busy on the weekends, so…I think this little guy will make his presence known to someone who is looking for a figurine just like him pretty soon.

Art Drop-Offs – Late September and Early October

I’ve got a few art drop-offs to show you from the past week or so. Let’s go!

On September 28, I was in the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, running along Creek Road (as it calls itself – originally a road, it is now a trail with a variety of surfaces. Lovely to run along in all ways).

I set this tile along the trail.

Now, I wonder how long before anyone finds her. I’ve made a mental note to myself of the location (not far from the beaver pond) and I’ll look next time I am in the area.

On September 30, I was back on the Pennypack Rail Trail. I set this tile on one of the many birdhouses along the trail. I have to be careful when I attempt one of these locations – the ground drops off very steeply right off the trail and it’s easy to forget that, what with those lush weeds flourishing as they do.

Today, October 4, I was at the rail trail again, retracing some ground from the earlier drop-off and also going into a different section. I can report that the tile on the birdhouse is gone.

I left this odd 3D face item at an old control box right by the parking lot at Moredon Road.

What is it? I had made a clay animal figurine that I fired and was very unhappy with, so I broke it up and threw it away before glazing. I did like the head, though, and it broke apart in such a way that I could salvage this odd piece. I glazed it and fired it and now…it’s here, sitting in the middle of the shelf.

All right, that is it for now! I’m all caught up with reporting on drop-offs.

Happy Story Pink Geranium

You may remember my post about a transplanted geranium from a couple of weeks ago? To summarize, I removed a long stalk from an otherwise compact plant, a geranium that I had kept going for a couple of winters. Rather than throw out the stem, I set it in a glass of water, where it promptly grew roots.

Then I set it in a pot of soil and crossed my fingers. It thrived.

Now we come today. It is blooming. And it has new growth at its base.

And there will be more. Look at the unopened buds.

It struck me that this vibrant and very happy plant, one that is obviously enjoying its second life as not just a branch, but as a whole individual being, is a sight that in the normal course of events would never have been seen. Certainly the branch never thought it would strike out on its own, I am sure!

Usually I’d have just thrown out the cut-off branch. I’m not sure why I didn’t.  And maybe I would have even given up on the entire original geranium – after all, it was just a potted plant like millions of others and I could get another one next summer, one with a perfect shape. I certainly can’t take any credit for how things have turned out – all I did was stick it in the glass of water. Sunshine and water and soil and the geranium did the rest.

Sometimes a second chance, or a second life, is an unexpected roaring success, isn’t it? A redemption story. A discovery of unexpected talents! A renewed sense of hope and opportunity. It made me feel happy and cheered me up to see this flower take hold and flourish. It’s a small thing, but meaningful to me.

This is a lot of philosophizing for a geranium to carry. I will just go back to enjoying the sassy pink blooms and the bright green foliage, and make sure to water it and care for it.

 

Full Moon Walk 9/13/19

On Friday, September 13, my husband and I participated in another full moon walk at the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust. I’ll tell you right now, the “unlucky” date of Friday the 13th had no adverse effect on our walk. No falls, no difficulties, sprained ankles, bites, or ugly confrontations or visitations from the spirit world. Just an incredible otherworldly experience of the beauty of night falling in early autumn weather.

We met at the visitor’s center and about a little after 7 PM we set off.

It was still quite light. As we passed along the tall grasses in the meadow, a flight of dragonflies hovered over our heads. You can see the small specks in the photo, but that doesn’t convey the feeling of almost being a dragonfly yourself, standing in the midst of them and seeing them flit around against the sky.

The night was on the cloudy side. We wondered if we’d even see the moon. Our group assembled at the top of a hill looking across the large grassy meadow, arriving before moonrise. If you look at the photo closely, you can just see the faint light of the Bryn Athyn Cathedral above the trees – in the very middle of the picture.

 

We waited as the sky darkened. I did not think we’d see anything of the moon. Then, two girls, part of a family standing next to me, said they saw a glow at the horizon, a pinkish tint just showing out above the trees. We watched and waited.

Soon the glow strengthened and yes..it is the moon!

Our group fell quiet as we all watched the visible progress of the moon above the trees. It advance quickly and its pink-orange light reflected against the low clouds, with the cathedral’s light a friendly companion.

I zoomed in on the scene. Here you can see not only the cathedral’s light but the tower of Glencairn, the former home and now museum for the family who was instrumental in the cathedral’s construction.

But we were all looking at the glorious moon.

More quickly than I would have thought, the moon slipped up into the clouds and was gone. There was enough light for us to make a circuit of the field and enjoy the night scenery. We finished our walk and went home – I was still marveling at the magic of this sight. I had never seen the moon as it appeared in the sky in this way before. I will remember this sight.

 

Escaping? Or Just Looking For an Adventure?

I was walking through Glenside, PA, not long ago, near the library. Just wandering, really, though my stated purpose was to find cracked sidewalks to photo for an art project. (Yes, really…)

Anyway, I traveled through streets I have walked along for almost thirty years. I’m very at home in this area and I have layers upon layers of memories. I was thinking about what things have and have not changed as I crossed a small bridge over a water control canal.

This stream runs through our township (though this is the only “canal” section”) and according to the map is called the Tacony Creek although it’s also called the Tookany Creek and I can’t figure it out myself even after all this time. If you ask anyone what it is called, they will tell you Tookany.

Anyway. This little concreted section has been around a while. Here’s the plaque from the excavators who did the work of setting the course of this section of the creek.

I stopped to hang over the barrier and look down the waterway. Not much going on right now. Don’t let appearances fool you. There have been some serious floods in this area over the years and in fact, the township bought out some nearby properties because of flooding.

Anyway, I took a look around. My eye was caught by something orange to my right.

See it? Here is what it is.

A pumpkin that has decided to grow up with a water view. It has thrived on the creek side of the fence. Fantastic!

This walk jogged my memory a bit. I have done many, many artworks of my local neighborhood and the surrounding area over the years, most of them in collage (where my artistic focus was from about 2000 to 2010). Much of this work was representational; I took photos and then did the scene in papers that I painted myself in acrylics. In thinking about those years, I realize I created a visual diary, and I look at the images now (they exist for me in digital form only; I sold all of these pieces long ago) and so I have reminders of times past.

But that is another subject for some other time. I did remember that I thought I’d made a collage of this scene. I took a look through my records and yes, I did. Here it is, the collage done in 2003,  with the photo I took here in 2019.

September 2019.

November 2003. The piece is called “A Slice of November”.

Art Drop-Off 9/12/19 and Some Traveling Tiles

On September 12 I walked the Pennypack Rail Trail and passed in the vicinity of some recent drop-offs. Well, I made some changes along the way and also left a new tile. Let me bring you up to date.

First of all, remember this tile?

It was set on a rock ledge in a somewhat hidden location. I noticed a couple of days ago someone had picked it up, probably to look at it, and then returned it to a different spot, one even more obscure. I know I said that the tiles could be patient and wait, but I guess I couldn’t. I figured this tile needed more exposure. I want it to find a new home! So I set it on a bench right down the way.

I notice my feet had to get in the picture again. What is with those feet these days, they want so much attention!

I continued down the trail. In a similar location to the first tile, I had set this one – on a rock ledge.

I exchanged her for this tile – thinking that the face, being larger, would be more visible. You can see it is the same location – look at that spider web…

I took the small tile with me and set it at the base of the barrier at Moredon Road. I think this location gives great visibility to her.

All right. Now we’ll see what happens!

Happy Story Geranium

I like to grow geraniums in pots in the summer. We keep them on the front porch. When fall comes, I bring them inside and try to keep them going until the next summer. Sometimes this works and sometimes not. Geraniums tend to get leggy and eventually stop growing after few years, usually. Or they dry up and their leaves fall off. Or they just…stop.

I’ve got a bright pink one that came through the winter successfully, though, and I set it out on the porch. It was an odd-looking little guy, though, with a base of new leaves and one long swoopy thick stem.

Well, this year, once the base of leaves grew strong, I cut off the swoopy part. The revived plant is doing fine.

But, I decided to try something. I set the cut-off stem in a glass of water to see if roots would develop. Sure enough, some did – a lot of wispy white strands. One day it seemed like a good time to see if the swoopy section was serious about becoming its own geranium. I put it in a pot of soil. Pretty much just stuck it in there. Hoping.

These aren’t very good photos but I think you get the idea.

And look! There is a bud on this plant! I am so happy to see this happening. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this little geranium hangs in there and lives. I promise to do my best in taking care of it. I hope this possibility of a bloom means it wants to keep going. That’s how I’m seeing it.

Art Drop-Off 9/9/19

I left this tile along the Pennypack Rail Trail, in what we old-timers along the trail call the “new section” (it’s only been open 4 years or so as opposed to 7 or so for the “old” section). It’s a more wooded environment and most of it runs very close to the creek. There are several cuts through the rock that the trail passes through.

I set the tile in a ledge I’ve used before. It’s a little higher than my head. You can see the tile in place on the right.

I made quite a few face tiles like these and sold all but two. I’ve decided to let these be giveaway art. I like making them, and I like the look of them out here in this environment – I’ve gotten the idea to make more specifically for this location. A good winter plan!

 

Another Tiny World Flyover

Here are scenes from another ocean and its islands seen in August 2019.. Get into our mini plane and let’s fly over.

Look, a giant creature? Or is it some kind of train, maybe?

Zoom back and see it in context, this world. It is located as part of the approach to this bridge at the Pennypack Trail – the currently closed bridge at Fetters Mill Road.