New project

Posted on January 6, 2010 by ruthek

The next book I make will be about Japanese Gardens, at least the ones I've visited. I'm still enchanted with the gardens. I would like to return to Japan and remain from October through April or May so I could see the gardens at the most interesting times. It probably won't happen, but working on another book lets me enjoy the photos and memories all over again. Here are three collages using some of the photos from Rikugien, the Tokyo garden where I met the origami lady. Most of these photos were not posted before.

I never took multiple Gigapan-like photos as I did in my backyard, so I can't make that kind of collage. Only the one immediately above comes anywhere close to it. I want to immerse you in my view of the garden. I don't think any of these are really successful; I'll keep trying.

Garden as art

Posted on November 1, 2009 by ruthek

There was a story this morning, on public radio, about Pearl Fryar of Bishopville, S.C., who has a topiary garden, pruning trees into amazing shapes. He compares pruning a tree to painting a picture.http://www.youtube.com/v/WfU2vzZrUho&hl=en&fs=1&

Some of the story mirrors ideas about Japanese gardens, but the results are totally different. "(H)e imagines what his elaborate topiaries will look like in a decade." Japanese gardeners begin with an idea of what each tree should look like and work toward that ideal, sometimes over generations. The Japanese are fortunate to have many people who will continue their tradition. Fryar, who will be 70 next month, is searching for someone to train, who will follow in his footsteps.

Pittsburgh and points west

Posted on August 31, 2009 by ruthek

I went downtown to the scene of my terrible accident and found it all changed. I had this terrible dislocated feeling: was I dreaming; did I dream my fall; how did they manage to totally change the area in slightly over a month? I know I didn't dream it. I have the bills to prove it: $50 copay for the ER, $25 copay for the plastic surgeon, badly scratched glasses for probably another $225, finally a notice that I will have a $100 copay for the ambulance. That's what motivated my trip downtown. I want to threaten to sue the city for their bumpy sidewalk. I wanted evidence of the bump. Alas, the sidewalk is completely torn up and now sits behind Jersey barriers and a wire fence. Here's a Google satellite photo showing the area where I fell. It's not an ordinary corner; I could not have mistaken it for another place. The red arrow marks the spot. I tripped on the red brick paving. I was heading toward the busway. You can't get there today. It's completely blocked off and a small sign directs you to another corner to get the bus.

On to better things–I'm still cleaning up the details from the Chicago trip. Finally looked at my photos; I'm not too happy. On my first weekend I stayed on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. That weekend was the air and water show. We could see it from the apartment. Sunday the weather wasn't very good, but Saturday was beautiful. There were lots of boats, many sailboats, anchored out in the lake around the harbor. The beach at North Avenue was so full I don't think another person could fit there. We didn't stay for the show but went down to the Art Institute. The first thing we saw was a 21st century lemonade stand: bottled water and cookies. I think the kids were doing a great business. We saw a wonderful show of gilded Japanese folding screens, then looked at the newly opened modern wing and walked on the connecting bridge to Millennium Park. Here is a marvelous fountain where children play. It reminds me of the Art Institute's famous Seurat: A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. This is Saturday on Michigan Avenue.

On Sunday we came back down to the Cultural Center where we attended an opening for several of my artists friends and saw a show of contemporary Chinese art.

Monday through Saturday we were up in Door County in a wonderful house on Lake Michigan. Our hostess, Anita, made us very much at home and always had wonderful things for us to look at while we ate all her great food. Here's one of her great table settings. Raja has more, and some wonderful pictures of our trip, including the Garden Door and the lake.

My photos of the Garden Door were mostly details: water drops on a spider web;

the lotus pond;

planting in old purses

I forgot what this is, but I like the look of it against the sky.

Sitting at that dining room table I spent lots of time looking at reflections. The water is behind me but there it is in the glass. On a day the waves were high it looked like the water was flowing around the trees.

On our last morning the lake was gray and dull; sad we were leav
ing.

Last day in Door County

Posted on August 21, 2009 by ruthek

We've had a wonderful time. Aside from my great book I haven't gotten much art work done, but have a few ideas for new projects. Yesterday, between showers, we discovered a beautiful garden called The Garden Door. I took some pictures. Then we returned today so the others could take photos. I was the only one with a camera yesterday.

I love watching the lake. It's almost hypnotic. It rained most of the day yesterday, and the lake kept changing colors. Also the wave patterns change and clouds are continually moving. No rain today, but lots of action on the lake. It really looks like the ocean.

Back to Chicago tomorrow to relatives and friends. I'll post pictures and more stories after I return to Pittsburgh.

Catching up

Posted on June 9, 2009 by ruthek

We took the red-eye back from San Francisco on Friday night, and I've done nothing but sleep or think about sleeping since then. I guess that's not entirely true, but it's Tuesday morning and I'm still not functioning properly. I'd like to go back to bed.

SF was fun. Unfortunately we seemed to be between new exhibits at the Asian Art Museum and the DeYoung. The best thing I saw was at the public library: an exhibit of drawings by Paul Madonna that appeared as All Over Coffee, in the SF Chronicle, over the past five years.

The library doesn't open until noon on Friday. Here are people pouring in as soon as the doors opened.

In a kind of nostalgia trip, on Thursday I took the Caltrain down to Palo Alto and Stanford. (Never thought of taking the train while we lived there.) We lived in Sunnyvale for two years, and Robin was born in the hospital on the Stanford campus. I did not go down to Sunnyvale, but I could see from the train some of the same type of houses we lived in were still in existence. These were built for returning GIs after WWII and sold for $10,000. I think you could get one for a thousand dollars down and a hundred a month for the mortgage. We rented; I don't remember how much we paid.

I went to see Asian art and the New Guinea Sculpture Garden at the Cantor Art Center. Robin arranged for the mother of a friend to meet me at the train so I had a companion for the afternoon. She was lovely.

I was most impressed with the sculpture garden. Ten artists were brought from Papua New Guinea to create sculpture in the garden. Some of the pieces resemble things I brought home when I visited Robin and Steve during the year he was doing field work there. I'll put up a PNG slide show soon.

Chicago, China and Japan

Posted on January 13, 2009 by ruthek

I am supposed to go to Chicago next month, and I'm actually thinking about not going. I love going to Chicago; I don't know what's wrong with me. I was planning to drive–the amount of snow on the ground there doesn't please me. I haven't bothered to find a place to stay. I suspect I won't go. I was supposed to meet Renee but she really doesn't need me. I'd love to see her, but…

I started working on my China book. Last year I used a 2 column format with miscellaneous stuff in the second column, like emails or information about the places I visited copied from various websites. I was never entirely happy with the result. I think it's confusing. This time I am putting the the info in a double column at the bottom of the page, in some instances, and just using separate pages where I want to include a lot. I don't know if it will be less confusing, but it's much easier to set up. I haven't done anything with emails or chats, yet. I'm including more pictures than I put in the blog. So far, I've only done the two days I was in Shanghai and I've got 31 pages.

I've also been doing lots of reading about Japanese gardens. I read a couple of these books before I went. They are much more meaningful now. Also, I found a book that explains most of what they do to the trees: Niwaki, by Jake Hobson. That's the best, yet.

I don't know how I'll handle Japan. I may do a separate garden book. Or maybe a book about trees and another about rocks. I got teased about not understanding that rock pictures were about music. In my mind rock pictures are about rocks.

Photos from the East Coast

Posted on September 1, 2008 by ruthek

When I first moved to Robin's house on August 15, Darcy followed me all evening, slept with me that night and the following morning, after I made the bed, she got in and made herself a nest.

I don't know what she had in mind but being taken to the dog sitter when we left on Saturday was not it. She's hardly paying any attention to me since I returned from New York.

Pictures from Philadelphia, particularly the Magic Garden on South Street are in a new album on the right. Here are people lining up to get in the door of the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts.

I wrote about it here.

Pictures from Hannah's Bat Mitzvah are in another album to the right.

Here are a few shots from the Henry Moore show at the botanical garden,

that's Renee, my favorite subject,

Falun Gong protesting across the street of the Chinese consulate,

one from Chinatown–I couldn't resist buying the rambutan–

and finally a little sunshine inside the Metropolitan Museum.

Cactus in Pittsburgh

Posted on July 24, 2008 by ruthek

Steve inherited this cactus from his father. He’s been tending it carefully for years, lovingly packing it when he moved it from New Jersey. It winters inside, summers outside, and gets watered when it rains in Arizona. About five or six years ago the cactus, amazingly, started to flower–one or two for one night, each. This year the cactus was so happy it grew six potential blossoms.

I took some of these pictures on Friday then waited for something to happen. There was a storm on Sunday and two of the blossoms broke off. Or maybe the plant couldn’t sustain all six of them. Tuesday night, always at night, the first blossom opened. Last night the others opened.

You can still see the first on at the back. It takes a day or two before it disappears.

Pictures from New York

Posted on April 26, 2008 by ruthek

From the family seder:

Steve (right) and brother, Michael

Steve and Charna

Seder table, celebrating spring

Michael couldn’t wait to eat

The Pope’s motorcade going up to Yonkers for a rally. I’ve never seen the FDR empty like that, although Renee says it happens fairly often for dignitaries coming into the city.

Rooftops from Renee’s window. There is a woman sunbathing on the dark roof on the left.

Fashion statement: one way to keep track of the kids.

There seemed to be an epidemic of these prison stripes.

The Japanese garden at the botanic garden in Brooklyn

Tortoise rocks in the garden

One of the wonderful cherry trees. Everything was blooming.

Yellow magnolia. Amazing tree

Home Again

Posted on November 14, 2007 by ruthek

I’m back from Japan; got in late last night after a 36 hour day. After more than six months of planning, my one month trip went very quickly. I’m feeling a little deflated; I can’t believe it’s over. I have a lot more to say and lots of pictures to post, as soon as I finish going through the mail to make sure my electricity won’t be shut off.

One of the things I missed in Japan was the beautiful fall color in the trees. Because of our changing climate most of the colors were late this year. But I woke up this morning to this scene in my back yard,
and just down the street I found more wonderful color.

100 Books Before I Die

Ruthe Karlin

Category Archives: Garden