Let's Color

The Let's Colour Project is a worldwide initiative to transform grey spaces with colorful paint. A mission to spread color all over the world. Not a bad idea.  The video clip is joyous. [NOTE: Music is "Go Do", by Jónsi (of Sigur Rós)].

Beach Foam

Waves rolling in at high tide on the beach at Wildwood State Park in Wading River, NY. [NOTE: I shot this while stalling before getting in the water because it felt so cold].

Rattan Bundles

A pan through the back of the truck that we used in the field last year in central Vietnam (see Pressing Plectocomiopsis). The bundles are filled with rattan specimens. Fifteen of these collections have been found to be new species to science (thx, Andrew). [Note: The background music is what the driver had playing (continually) on the radio. The red box of "Choco-Pies" belonged to Andrew].

Miao Girl

Portrait of a Miao girl in full ceremonial dress from the village of Lang De (see Welcome and Fixing an Earring) in Guizhou, China.

The Birds

The clouds of swifts (Apodidae, Apus apus) in Suffolk County last week were so dense that I pulled over to film them. They were, apparently, feeding on insects that were coming off the agricultural fields.  Very strange, and a lot of Hitchcock references peppered the conversation as we watched the swarm. [NOTE: Turn up the volume so that you can hear my son's comment at the end of clip].

Hinge Plate

Hinge plate of a large, red-lacquer door on one of the imperial buildings at the Forbidden City (see Forbidden City) in Beijing, China. Talk about attention to detail.

Red-bellied Piranha

The red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) is really a beautiful fish. Unfortunately, it has sharp teeth and eats meat, and, as a result, there is a lot of hype that goes with this fish. I never actually had any problem with piranhas when I lived in the Peruvian Amazon (see Camu-camu and Umberto Pacaya). Never so much as a nibble from them, but I ate fried piranha for lunch on numerous occasions at Jenaro Herrera (see Jenaro Herrera). [NOTE: Piranha is tasty, but it's really hard to eat because of all the little bones. Image from Atlantis Marine World].

Bulb

The wonderful promise of bulbs.  You plant them in the early Fall, forget about them, and are greeted by a delicious floral surprise in the Spring.  I spent Labor day planting dozens of yellow, King Alfred type daffodils (Narcissus spp.) all over the front yard. Now, if I can just forget about them and be surprised.

Shark Dive

Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, Long Island has many wonderful exhibits and is a fun place to spend the morning.  I was particularly taken by the Shark Dive (shown above), where for $155 you can put on a wet suit and scuba tanks, get in a metal cage, and be lowered into the aquarium's 120,000 gallon shark tank. I passed on this opportunity, but took some footage of what it looks like from the outside. [NOTE: Only $140 for members].  

One Bright Pearl

Beach stone, Suffolk County, Long Island, NY

"One bright pearl is able to express Reality without naming it, and we can recognize this pearl as its name. One bright pearl communicates directly through all time; being through all the past unexhausted, it arrives through all the present. While there is a body now, a mind now, they are one bright pearl. That stalk of grass, this tree, is not a stalk of grass, is not a tree; the mountains and rivers of this world are not the mountains and rivers of this world. They are one bright pearl".

Eihei Dōgen
Ikka Myōju, Shōbōgenzō, 1238

[NOTE: Spent the last three days camping/reflecting on the north shore of Long Island, NY. A lot of bright pearls].