fourth Friday of the year

Another good day.  Trekked up-island to a horticultural conference put on by the Suffolk branch of the Cornell Cooperative Extension.  A varied and very informative day of speakers and presentations.  Reminds me I should get back to posts having to do with actual horticulture.  But alas, I've sat down and now according to the little lady it's bath time.

Freewrite Friday (not really)

It isn't that I haven't been writing a lot recently, because I have, but yet the freewrites inevitably involve names and places and people and you can't be so casual in this little town with stuff like that.  It frustrates me that I can't share all the stuff I am sorting through in my own mind in terms of life and work and making this new year even better than the last.  But what it really comes down to is that none of this is for the world to read.  I'm on a personal mission.  

Another Friday.  The second Friday of the year.

I stare out of the front door window a lot.  Or rather, I have been trying to stare out the front door window more often.

Back in mid December there was a great article in the New York Times that my mother tore out for me to read.  It was called "The Power of Concentration" and sure enough she was right, as I felt like it was almost written for me to read.  It spoke of the value of single-tasking in this crazy multi-tasking world that we have gotten ourselves so caught up in.  I won't do it justice so I won't try, I'll just post the link and hope that you read it.  ...because it is a very interesting read.

For months I had been saying to myself and others that I needed to write.  It was my way of saying that after all that happened in 2012 I needed time to reflect.  It wasn't that the year was bad, in sharp contrast it was probably one of the best years of my life, but there was no down time.  All of a sudden I was feeling spread so thin that I felt like everything was starting to suffer.  Or maybe a better way of putting it is to say that I was feeling that the quality of my work and the quality of life was lessening.  That scared me.  That scared me a lot, because this whole move was about making our quality of life better, not worse. 

I have to remember to get out of my own head sometimes, as I think we all do.  I need to stop and focus, even if it means focusing on nothing for a few minutes.  It is time to get re-centered.  Even on days like today when things don't go as well as I would have liked I have to remember to go for that run or surf, take advantage of the awesome gift of yoga my wife gifted me with, or in this case, write.  Every day we can learn and grow and move forward, that is if we are smart and conscientious enough to let ourselves. 

Oh yeah, that article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/opinion/sunday/the-power-of-concentration.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

return of the winter sky

Walking down Fifth Avenue after work, kicking off the long holiday weekend, it's a nice walk.

getting outta town!

leaving the city lights to dive into the darkness
headed west to Pennsylvania
loving the Verrazano at night

setting the day off vibe

I cashed in a vacation day at the last minute and am not feeling bad about it. I'm in the midst of a major shift within my career as a horticulturist and educator, switching my focus from formal gardening to woodland management. It's been six months in the making and I could not be more excited about the challenges ahead, but at the same time I am zapped. Needed a day to process it all, a day clear the mental slate and start fresh. The plan was to wake early and hit the beach but the Atlantic Ocean looked more like the Long Island Sound so plans have been modified. But still a day for self, and a great day it will be.

Years ago my oldest brother Tim gave me this LP, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires "Rock Steady - 67". ...from the Rock Steady days when the beats were heavy and the men really knew how to sing. This is Mr. Lee with "On the Beach", a killer tune to set the day off vibe.

my kind of Friday

...windows open for the first time, great breeze through the new place, home with tons of sun still in the sky, and realizing this is the start of nine days off, yup, my kind of Friday...
cheers,

it begins

We made it to late winter. The weather gave us a few freak days in the 60's and it did wonders for the psyche and for the garden. At the start of the week I uncovered some small barberry pinned down by the snow and ice. Today I looked underneath the line of rounded shrubs and found these guys. Galanthus are commonly called snowdrops and for good reason. As the last masses of snow finally melt and dissipate these fabulous little late winter bulbs waste no time reminding us that spring is just around the corner. Well, a month and two days but who's counting?!?

on the topic of big wave surfing

A friend was asking me about surfing the other day. I was covering a lot of the different aspects and movements of the sport, basic history, that sort of thing. I was describing how swells come into shore and the different ways a wave can break depending on the composition of the beach (reef, sand, etc.), the approach from the open ocean, and the ocean itself and how big it is. When we got to the topic of paddling and catching the wave I had to tell Diane about tow-in surfing. Terribly fearful of the ocean herself I described how one had to be towed by a jet ski onto the face of some of these waves because they were so large that no human could possibly paddle fast enough to get to the right point on the wave in the necessary time to actually catch the wave. I was tempted to hop on youtube and show her the following clips, but then I realized her amazed eyes were probably wide enough open as they were.

This first clip my friend Chris just posted on his facebook profile. It is a segment from the movie Riding Giants, which if you are in to surf films/documentaries is an absolute must see. Hell, even if you don't surf, if you think the ocean is an amazing place then this movie will speak to you. This is Laird Hamilton surfing Teahupoo in Tahiti.


Then once you see that then you have to watch Mike Parsons surf Jaws, another insane surf break.


Amazing, just amazing.

on the turntable: "The Dreaming Moon" by The Magnetic Fields, off the album Get Lost

morning commute, observations

080709

Dress Pants walks down the avenue to the train drinking his Red Bull. 6:42am. Long Blonde is not in black today like usual, but jeans and sunglasses, large back weekend bag. It's Friday for all but me. I wonder if anyone thinks of me as Crossword Boy. Young Suit and Beauty get on at Queensboro Plaza. Her dress is orange and silk with a white egret. Her strappy wedge shoes must be as uncomfortable as they look if she is carrying them. The flip flops she wears are neutral. I notice the spare inch in front of her painted toes, an inch behind her heal. I listen to Led Zeppelin on the headphones two times over, a tune called "That's the Way". Summer breeze blows through the planetrees, garbage collects around the projects as I cut through.

two accidents too many for one short walk home

This evening on the way home from work I was witness to two terrible accidents. Off the subway a few blocks a man was impatiently making a left turn when the light changed and struck an elderly woman crossing in the middle of the block. People began to swarm and I didn't actually see the details of the accident so I continued home. All along the way impatient people cut corners and made illegal moves, nearly causing scores of more accidents. Home safe, or so I thought. We had just sat on the couch and heard a wild series of bangs, louder and louder. Three cars collided at the nearest intersection to our home. One went right off the road and took out a light post and two mailboxes before stopping due to the impact with the wrought iron fence. My neighbors ran to help any way they could, others dialed 911. People held up began honking, and we began screaming back at them. "Don't you see there is an accident! Relax already!!" Even now, hours later people still honk and swerve and nearly kill each other because they have to get to where they're going right away! Funny, no one says, "I want to get to my death, right away!"

In this age of technology and a million distractions remember the importance of finding patience. It's stating the obvious, but remember, time takes time, and sometimes there is no point in rushing things because it doesn't make a difference. Obviously we have found in this instance that rushing time means you are actually/potentially throwing time away, throwing life away, carelessly and foolishly, like a lost life due to a car accident.

This is a live clip of Stereolab, one of my favorite bands of all time. "Cybele's Reverie" is off of Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Elektra, 1996). The band includes: Morgane Lhote (keyboards), Time Gan (guitar), Andy Ramsay (drums), Duncan Brown (bass), Mary Hansen and Laetitia Sadier (vocals).

RIP Mary Hansen (killed on her bicycle by a car, London, 2002)

excuses nothing, it's about quality of life

One of the trees you might be seeing around NYC in bloom is a saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana) a fabulous medium-sized tree with these big, showy blossoms in spring and great form the older they get.

I admit entirely that I am, in fact, a total plant geek. My friends and I will make each other laugh, joking in botanical latin and morphological terminology that doesn't make sense to most people. For example if you have ever come across a 16' dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') and had to chuckle to yourself, "yeah, that's a real dwarf!", then you know what I'm talking about, and I am happy to tell you you are a plant geek like me. And if you don't get it at all then definitely don't worry because ultimately it wasn't very funny to begin with. I guess it does kind of border on plant snobbiness though, doesn't it? And well, I guess I really am a plant snob too. But, for the same reason I devoted my career at this point to public horticulture I also started this blog because I want to help people get to know plant better. For thousands of years philosophers and scientists alike have seen how the presence of plants and horticulture betters humans quality of life. And who doesn't want a better quality of life. So you have a brown thumb, so did I once. It's like anything else in life, you work at it, you learn, you get better at it, your life is richer because you are using your mind and not letting it go to mush. You've killed a lot of plants? Yeah, well, bet I've killed more! You want to race? I wish I could convey to more people that you have to stop thinking about plants as they relate to you and think about them as plants, as part of nature, as part of a science with tons and tons of variables. This could dissuade the budding gardener, I understand that, but it can also make someone a damn smarter gardener really quickly. Because much of it is common sense, and over time just a deeper vocabulary and plant palette. Like painting a room good horticulture is a lot of prep followed by a few quick and smart swipes of the wrist. It is spring and it is amazing outside and you've got spring fever. That is awesome! So do I! Let's capitalize on it, let's get growing. But first, treat yourself to a bit of common sense. Think about your site and what you want to grow, then see if you can find plants suitable to the space. Do your homework. Just because a store has been selling tomato plants doesn't necessarily mean it is the right time to place them out in your gardens. Because you are excited to prune your trees doesn't mean they are excited to be pruned, especially this time of year when they have allocated all (ALL!) of their finite energy reserves towards leafing out, and NOT callusing tons of new cuts. Just because it is a tree and blooming and it is spring, that doesn't mean it's a cherry blossom! Just because it is a shrub and it is yellow and it is spring, that doesn't mean its a forsythia! Well, ok, it probably is a forsythia, but anyway...

The world of horticulture is vast and amazing and there are so many great plants out there to know and appreciate, so don't cheat yourself. And as i have said before, if you have a question about a plant or how to care for it, I would be glad to help you. If you want help IDing something, I would be happy to give it a shot. As a formally trained horticulurist with 10 years of experience we do know a thing or two, us plant geeks.

Email any photos or questions to arborboy@gmail.com and have a fabulous spring!
Best,
Alex

Korean chrysanthemums in Central Park

At the Conservatory Garden in Central Park (105th and 5th) the Korean mums in the French garden are beginning to bloom. The show is once again going to be amazing. Here is a little glimpse of what you might find among the thousands of blossoms bursting open as we speak. Take a 6 train to 103rd, go up to 105th, and left over to the park. Enjoy!

click for slightly larger image

(All ArborBoy photo and collage created and protected by Alex Feleppa and available for sale or lease in print form or web copy. If interested contact arborboy@gmail.com. Thanks for not stealing.)

platform sunrise 1 and 2

Friday email

I'm "working in the field" today. Discovered some new thrift shops coming back from a meeting at a garden in Whitestone, Queens. Psyched. No plans to go anywhere this weekend. A friend from college and his woman just moved to DC so they are coming up for Saturday and Sunday. Heather is a major Yankees fan and upon arriving east (from Colorado) I guess tickets were priority numero uno. Shame the season isn't going better for the bombers but they will be so psyched regardless. We're going to send them on the subway up to the Bronx from Astoria - it'll be awesome.

Anyway, I got lists. I should get to 'em. But taking a minute to zone on the couch is pretty dreamy. Dub LP on the turntable thumps heavy. Green bottle, Stella Artois. For now, once, chill.

Happy Labor Day Weekend.

On the stereo:

new music Friday

Well, new to me at least. One of the last times Juan, our musical engineer friend, came over he mentioned a few bands I had not yet heard of. We were talking beats, easy listening as in easy to listen to, indie, electronic, combining the two, and so on. The post-it sat on my desk for a bit but today I finally checked out Faded Paper Figures. And I must say, I can dig it. Can you dig it?!?
( ...and for those of you that instantly repeated the previous sentence a la The Warriors, I applaud you!)

Happy Friday! Give in to some "retail therapy" and treat yourself to some new tunes already.

On the stereo: Faded Paper Figures, Dynamo

notes from summer

I know this is the never ending question, but how is it that summer always goes so fast? It has been such a busy and wonderful last few weeks we've been having. I can't believe I haven't gotten a post up in so long. There are tons of pics I still have to get posted to flickr but I thought I would add a few quick notes this morning before heading to the office.
In late July we went east to the folks house to catch up with my brothers and Frosty and little miss Ea. Here she is discovering watermelon. She also figured out that cold bottles are fabulous for teething but "shhh", don't tell her dad that she prefers the good beer!Then as part of the A&K Summer Tour '08 we traveled south to another bit of ocean in Avalon, NJ, where we met up with Krissy's best friend from growing up. We had a few gloriously lazy days chilling at the beach and tossing back cold ones with the Deck family in their sweet little summer casa.


Below is what you get when you cross an ex-military man with a love of summer camping. Arguably one of the best kindling containers I've ever seen. ...makes me laugh every time.
Our summer camping trips with the Dunkle clan are always a good time. This year we trekked a short distance into PA for a long, relaxing weekend in the woods. Janaya, Krissy's niece, is now in her twos and there is nothing terrible about it. A bundle of energy she is. Here we are pre-breakfast and much time poolside.
Eventually we had to come back to the city and it was nice to be home. Back to the grind, back to the "Great Search '08" for those of you in the know. One afternoon I was able to get a sneak peak of a portion of the High Line I had never seen before. Among other things, like the insane storms that have been rolling through the city, I was able to see some killer graffiti for the first time. Now, I'm no street art aficionado, but I loved "on tha radar". Not to mention graffiti always makes me think of my friend Erika. I don't know why, I just think she has a good appreciation for it.
But then the biggest news for us came much more recently. Allow me to introduce the newest member of our family, Melvin Motorboat. Melvin was an abused kitty who Krissy discovered while working at ASPCA. Even though the case is still open, and he is not yet up for adoption, we have been allowed to foster Melvin at home until his arm is better and he's back on all fours again. Well, not that he's not trying, this little guy is a total bundle of energy and we already love him like a member of the family.
Why "Motorboat" you might ask? Sure enough this little guy is a purr machine. According to his file he scratched his previous owner and she decided to toss his ass, causing head trauma and a broken arm. Geez, how can people be so mean and stupid?!?! I mean, look at this, litte bit of terrific.

Chat with you all again shortly when I don't have to race off. Hope you are all enjoying your respective summers. Cheers,

"Half Harvest"

On the subway the iPod is on shuffle. Yet something chimes with my restlessness.

"But I'd rather feel the heat of August,
Than be sheltered and numb"

Michael Penn, March

where my eyes go

I don't know what it is about old dilapidated signs, but I sure do love them. Big old commercial signs hinting to by-gone eras and their products. If they involve painted brick even better. They send me into a total world of wonderment. I can enjoy getting stuck thinking about what the scene looked like back then, and how different from today. The gadgets and technology of the time, the employees and how they acted, the customers and how they were dressed. The combination of studying anthropology and art during college might explain some part of this funny fascination. Perhaps the fact my father was in advertising for well over 35 years. Who knows, following horticulture maybe I'll go into graphic design.

These glimpses into the past I found in downtown Newark, NJ. I had been going back and forth between New York and New Jersey judging a garden contest for the past two afternoons. (...and yes, there are plenty of gardens in Newark, wise guy). From the train station to the meeting point is the central stretch of downtown, a very busy Market Street. Along it are some great old arcades, facades, and other eye catchers. Only got two pics since I was striding at a steady clip to make it there before the start of the afternoon session. Still, I think they're great looking. I wonder if the salesmen at The Furniture King were some slick-suited and smiling fellows.

Rope Swing

Thinking about simpler times today. Before adulthood was in full swing, back when work was just a job and "career commitment" was barely even a thought. For example, the summer of 1996, living up in New Hampshire after freshman year in college. We'd impersonate Dartmouth students so we could borrow kayaks from the canoe club and take them out for an afternoon and evening on the river. I have no idea how long the rope swing had been there before we stumbled upon it, but 'Ski and I were so thrilled when we did. We took that first ride and were hooked. Living and working with my friends that summer was not alway easy, "Real World New Hampshire" as Chang called it, but there were some days that were amazing. Barely any ties, barely any belongings, just riding our borrowed kayaks to our own sacred space where we could still shout and play like the kids we were.

On the stereo: Guided by Voices, Bee Thousand

Casanova

I heard the voice of Errol Morris on the TV recently and was reminded of his killer High Life commercials from some years ago. You can go to errolmorris.com and click on commercials for all kinds of hyterical little clips. This one always cracks me up. The "would-be casanova".