Fillmore Glen

Sam and I took an early morning walk and hike through Fillmore Glen, which is South of Moravia.  It is one of the many beautiful gorges of the Fingerlakes region and is the most rustic of the local parks.  It has dense woods crowded in to a long, narrow gorge.  We did not walk far enough to see all of the falls because of a time constraint. It is definitely a site I would like to return to.

Named after the 13th President of the United States, Millard Fillmore (who was born nearby) the glen now bears his namesake. It was also the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in 1934-38, which did the construction during the Great Depression of the masonry found in the park. Here are some photos I took this morning during the walk.

Monet and the Botanic Garden

The New York Botanic Garden located in the Bronx is a gem for our state.  We traveled there last weekend to see the Monet simulation in the conservatory greenhouses and were pleased with how they were able to capture the essence of the Money gardens and pond. The conservatory itself is a treasure of many ecosystems and indigenous plants, which is a biology teacher's dream.  I used to seek that type of opportunity to photograph plants to show students the various adaptations found around the world.

We toured the greenhouse and then the lovely lotus and water lily pond. They had specimens that were very similar to those found in Monet's pond in Giverny, France.

After touring the inside displays, we took the tram tour of the gardens.  Nothing was in bloom at this time of year, but the gardens are still spectacular.  I do want to return in the spring to view azaleas and rhododendrons in bloom.

Scattered among the landscape were several sculptures by Spanish artist Manolo Valdés, that added artistic interest to the gardens.

Here are some of my photos taken on this trip.

Valdes sculpture

Monet garden

Monet garden

Sunflowers in Monet garden

Monet bridge and pond simulation

Conservatory and pond of lotus and water lilies

pond

Water lily

Water lily

Water lily

hungry Koi

Water lilies

Piture plants

Rose in garden

Sunflowers in Monet garden

Giant water lily pads

Library and sculpture

Sculpture

CSMA Marathon

The Community School of Music and Art in Ithaca has a month long Marathon as a fundraiser.  Several Ithaca artists have been given 4 running feet for an art display through a reviewed process.  Part of the Marathon is for the artist to provide some means of fund raising.

I chose to have a silent auction for my work.  There are seven framed pieces that can be the object of the silent auction. At the end of the auction, the winner gets to choose which of the seven pieces he/she would like to receive.

The theme for my wall is New York City "Scapes", with photos taken mostly this year during trips to Manhattan. There is also a canvas that I produced in 2010 after participating in a marketing program sponsored by NYFA in Brooklyn.

The following are the images that are hanging at CSMA this month, so if you are in Ithaca, please stop by to see the art and participate in the silent auction.

Times Square

"A Bridge in Brooklyn" taken from Brooklyn Park under the Manhattan Bridge

Chrysler Building which is Art Deco

Empire State Building taken from the top of a moving sight seeing bus

On the street where we stayed for 3 nights

Lower East Side

Manhattan

Horse drawn carriages with lots of protesters condemning their use