Things I Found After the Hurricane

I was feeling intensely restless after Hurricane Irene passed through. There was no subway and the winds were just too wild for cycling. So I took a walk. To my delight, one of those faux antique shepherd's crook street lights was damaged by the storm.

I had no idea of the treasures the neighborhood had to offer on foot. The speed of a bicycle or a car does not do it justice.

There was the pair of carousel horses in front of neighboring homes.

To my surprise, I found that moss does grow in Bushwick...

Although technically I was in Bed Sty when I found the moss.

I met a cat that looked like Coco wearing a sunburst mask.

She was also a bit slimmer, truth be told.

There was some of my favorite sheeting that seems a bit synthetic and frays like a hippie's scarf. It was pearly white and fluttering in the wind.

I wondered if the seed for my visitor flower came from here.

This poster left me questions; was it a failed silk screen slapped up in disgust? Did the artist intend to leave the mouth empty? Who is behind those eyes? Who or what is conk?

Wrapping things up was a little bit more moss creating patterns on the cheap wood and brownstone.

Flooding Leads to Moss

I guess New York begrudged my vacation because the night we came back, six inches of rain fell causing our bedroom to flood in the middle of the night. The carpet went back out on the patio, protected by a sun protector tent (hah!), since the rain continued to fall for about a week. I nearly despaired for the carpet which smelled like a wet dog. However the sun finally returned for a few days and we dried out the carpet. On view is the underside, it did not fade and no longer smells bad.
 

The garden plants were thriving from all the rain.
 

A stray flowering plant dropped its seeds in the garden and sent up some blooms.
 

The lavender in my planter was overcome by the constant damp. I decided this would be a good place to experiment with some moss again. I had to go back to my old neighborhood to find any. Bushwick streets do not favor moss. I found an abundance in Fort Greene and tucked it into the planter. If the moss thrives, I will start experimenting with moss painting.


 There should be plenty of rain this weekend with the hurricane coming so the moss should be happy. We had our pipes snaked out so hopefully there will be no more midnight flooding dramas. 

The end of summer is hanging heavy on my spirit. The young son is in my hair until the start of school. It may be a week or so until I can get back to work. I am looking for a good wall to put up another plant installation on the street.

Nature Takes Another Bicycle (Vacation)

Every once in a while an abandoned bicycle is offered to nature.  This one was on Second Avenue in the East Village where the greenery does not usually wander. These vines were quite intrepid. The summer torpor has descended and everything is slowing down.

 

Last Friday there was a big rainstorm. We were flooded downstairs and it reached the rug. Luckily we had the patio furniture to drape the rug over. The days after the storm were hot and dry. The cats frolicked in the woolen caves.

I am going away for a week. The plants are holding their own. A couple have found homes. The others, after wilting a little from the initial heat, have come back strong and green. They are really tough plants.

I will probably bring back pictures from my travels.