Poesía de otoño. (A little fall poetry.)
Cálido y frío. (Warm and cold.)
Unos claros. (Clearings.)
En capas. (Layered in.)
Above photo by Jason O’Connor
Dura. (Continues.)
Nuevo, conservado. (New, preserved.)
El camino. (The path.)
Finalmente, lo hicieron. (Eventually, they did.)
Liberado. (Released.)
Etéreo, flotando. (Ethereal, floating.)
Érase una vez…(Once upon a time…)
el Amarillo quiso al Azul. (Yellow loved Blue.)
Todo. (Everything.)
Posted in Albuquerque, Travels Near & Far | 2 Comments »
Color has returned to the May House landscape.
I waited awhile for it…sometimes patiently, sometimes pleading with the petals to unfold.
And then, while staring at one flower, another one blooms.
It seemed as though the apples reddened overnight, unbeknownst to me, and very-well-knownst to the red finches. They have been sharing with me, a few apples here and there.
The yellow roses are the sneakiest of all the flowers in the May House garden–and always a sweet surprise.
These friends have been enjoying making shooting stars.
Sometimes I imagine a world of blanket-sized rose petals that I get to sleep under, fragrant and sun-warmed.
All photographs by Anacelie Verde Claro © 2011
All water droplets created by the hose (though it has been raining here).
Posted in Garden | 2 Comments »
The place.
Lichen and petroglyphs.
Wildflowers.
Flowers with a view.
Mica and granite.
Quartz with mica flakes.
Moss and lichen.
Guardians of the mineral rocks.
Posted in Albuquerque, Travels Near & Far | 6 Comments »
“Water is a being.” That’s what a friend said. After that was said, I took these.
Posted in Travels Near & Far | 5 Comments »
This beautiful place I explored in Northern New Mexico was, to me, a vertical landscape.
At the time, I wasn’t aware of this–I didn’t even realize that I had my camera turned 90 degrees until later, when viewing all the photographs together. In the photos was the evidence: this landscape has been built from the top down, from mesa to hills to fields…all the way down to the footing of the homes of those who lived here hundreds of years ago.
And still further down.
Ladders and low clouds also lend a hand in verticality.
Exploring ruins may bring out the archaeologist in me, who sees things in cross-section.
I don’t like to fight with a door. I’ll frame what it’s framing.
Sometimes the camera just follows the contours.
And because I believe in balance, and because I love the panorama, the eyes may now sweep…
…and take in this luscious place.
© Anacelie Verde-Claro, 2011
Posted in Travels Near & Far | 2 Comments »
Nose kiss water
and mouth drink,
eye keep hold
of rippling sky
and ear tell us how low
the water sings,
throat be a river
and mind, world
of cascades,
move to your stillness.
–Poem & Photographs by Anacelie Verde-Claro © 2011
Posted in Poetry, Travels Near & Far | 4 Comments »
This is a special moment in May House history: a gate has been born and raised, in a matter of months. It is a great gate, with a sturdy foundation.
Here is a poem-sized corner of it.
This is also a special moment in The Friday Poet’s history: it has collaborated with another blog, OC Metal Solutions, to bring you dear readers a double-post on the gate’s making and installation! That means two unique perspectives, as well as many more photos. So please visit here to read more about the May House’s newest creation.
Steps to a Gate:
MATERIALS & TOOLS
Post diggers, wet saw, hose to make the wet saw wet,
wheelbarrow, cement, round steel, square steel, pry bar,
corrugated tin, cedar planks, trowels, levels,
a welder (machine), a welder (person), chop saw,
cell phone, screws with a funny tip,
brush and stain, sunscreen, water
1. X MARKS THE SPOT
The scoring.
2. JASON’S PART
The wet saw (aka saw with a hose).
3. MY PART
Concrete removal by pry bar.
4. JASON’S PART
Post digging.
5. MY PART
Transfer of dirt to backyard via wheelbarrow.
6. GATE POST SETTING & LEVELING
Many techniques and measures were used to set the posts straight, permanently straight, in the cement.
A. Modern-day levels.
B. The Ancient Egyptian technique of water leveling.
C. Another classic way: with string.
7. JASON’S PART
The troweling.
8. MY PART
The gate inscription.
9. JASON’S PART
Making a gate skeleton. It was a lot of welding: 5 panels, plus a walk-through gate. Go Jason!
10. MY (FAVORITE) PART
The cedar wood preparation. I used 3 things: exterior wood stain, brushes, and an inspiration photo from one of my favorite home magazines (published in Albuquerque!), called Su Casa.
Introducing, the wood. Before:
After:
11. WOOD, MEET STEEL.
The layout, cutting-to-size, and screwing-in of the boards into the gate panels. I held the board in place while Jason encouraged each screw through the wood, into the steel.
This is my favorite panel. By “accident” I laid out the boards in rainbow order.
The walk-through gate. It needs a handle and deadbolt.
Sabi’s new door, since his driveway is now closed in.
12. THE GATE, ALTOGETHER NOW.
It has been a stripe-y celebration.
Posted in Garden, In the Home | 4 Comments »
