Sunsets and moonrises
Though too few in number, we have experienced some spectacular sunsets. A few days ago, one particular sunset displayed for us constant changes in color and luminance. Every moment a new set of colors and shades emerged. Pinks, blues, reds, oranges. In the front of the horizon, behind us, on the side. It was one […]
Chilled expectations
It is the end of perhaps the most harsh February that I have had the displeasure to experience in recent memory. The worst was the winter of 1996 where nearly 120 inches of snow dropped in the Danbury, CT, region. But this winter is right up there with relentless blizzards coming one after another. Now […]
A (relatively) cold winter to bicycle and bird watch
We fled the North nearly three weeks ago to embrace the warmth of the South, in particular the Florida Keys, but like many snowbirds have discovered that we need to crowd together to stay warm rather than luxuriate alone in a humid, warm climate. Don’t get me wrong, mid-60 degree temperatures (during the day) beats […]
Southern comfort
Now that we have been in Florida for a week, my wife and I have thoroughly thawed out and started to brown up. In driving from the Northern portion of the state to the Florida Keys, the changes in vegetation were much more subtle than what we experienced on the earlier parts of our drive […]
Off to the beach
A recent cartoon in the New Yorker reminded me that the beach is usually not for gardening. You are surrounded by nature, but your reactions are muted by a type of voyeurism that says look but don’t touch. You are surprised by the lush inhabitants that flourish, grow and display themselves unambiguously for all to […]
Getting that good old-fashioned karma
Even though I read every guide book I can lay my hands on, when ever I travel I always discover a surprise. On this trip, my surprise is the result of a conversation with my good friend M.R. Rangaswami, who has one foot in the high-tech world and the other in a green one. As […]
Flora from Kauai
View Full Album One of the things that is great about going to a place like Kauai is that there is never an absence of life. You can’t swing a dead chicken or rooster (the Island’s birds) without hitting some fantastic looking flower or plant. Every breadth that you inhale is full of life-affirming scents […]
I like to watch: Gardenless on the Garden Isle
After a season of wet, fungus-rich weather, my past week in Kauai has been nothing short of a blessing. Morning walks on the beach, beautiful sunrises and -sets, rain only in the evening for brief, short periods. Paradise. But after a while I feel restless. Like something important is missing. As we were walking one […]
To market, to market
One of the sweetest trips of summer are my weekly sojourns to the local farmer’s market. Here the bounty of the season is on display and the biggest problem I have is to select how much should I buy verses harvest from my garden. I always have the same approach: I carefully walk around the […]
Flying brown, going green
Taking certain things for granted can be very dangerous as it is all to easy to forget what we really hold dear. It wasn’t until my third airport of the day that I finally noticed that these aviation parking lots are devoid of vegetation or natural life save for scrub growth around the runways or […]