There is a surprising exotic bloom on the lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT, a place once frequented by the Lyme Art Colony and known today as America’s center of Impressionism. Dubbed the Anticipator by its sculptor, Matthew Geller, it combines bionic metal limbs with a Star Magnolia tree planted in … More Exotic Bloom a Biomechanical Hybrid
Henry James defines “Summer afternoon … Summer afternoon” as the “two most beautiful words in the English language.” That may be, but “Wildflowers and the sea” are a close second … if not first. Marsh mallows with loosestrife, photo by Mary O’Connor © 2013
Symbolically, Acacia trees represent immortality, innocence, initiation of life. Considered sacred by the ancient Hebrews, its wood was said to be used by Moses to build the Ark of Covenant. A thorny tree, it is believed to have been used to make the crown of Christ. On the Serengeti, where this photo was taken, it shelters the … More Serengeti Sunrise
“Take almost any path you please, and ten to one it carries you down in a dale, and leaves you there by a pool in the stream. There is magic in it.” – Herman Melville Photo by Mary O’Connor © 2013
One of the sky theater’s most popular performances is that of the rainbow. An optical phenomenon of refracted sun rays reflected in air borne droplets of water, rainbows tell us a storm is over, a clear day is ahead—or, for the wishful thinkers and idealists among us, that there is a pot of gold at its … More Big Screen Performance
Sanibel Island, Florida, with its 17+ miles of beaches ripe with coquinas and sand dollars, is a favorite shelling beach. So, too, are is the sand of San Jose Island, Texas, with its olive shells and wentletraps, lightning whelks and sundials, and of Silver Strand State Beach on Coronado Island, California, littered with silvery oyster shells, … More Treasured sculptures of the sea
The Chinese name for the peony is sho yu. It means, simply, most beautiful. The poet Sensei Ogui finds a lesson in its moment of lifetime: Peonies bloom on peony trees. A cat doesn’t become a chicken. Tulips are tulips, not roses. Why can’t we realize this true fact? That to be me is great. … More A Lesson from the Peony
Appreciate the splendor of nature. This is what Thoreau would have us do. Look up and around, he would tell us, look to the west, to the wild, to the hills to the fields. Studies by professors Rachel and Stephen Kaplan of the University of Michigan support his philosophy, telling us that all it takes is … More Twenty Minutes a Day
Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all. -Emily Dickinson Photo, flamingo feathers, by Mary O’Connor, © 2013
Said simply, these are ferns, one of over 12,000 species of this plant that adds loveliness throughout the world. As told by the Maori peoples of New Zealand, their story is one of healing and new beginnings, of peace, tranquility and spirituality. In ancient African symbology, they bring rain, luck, and prosperity. Through their unfolding, they … More In the language of folklore
