Tag Archives: nature

Jun24

the red turtle.

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saw this beautiful film yesterday

very moving and mesmerizing

drawn in mostly soft colors 

it captures the subtleties of

 nature, man, balance, human connections, family,

impermanence, the circles that life takes

very simple lines and images

bamboo, trees, water, sky, people, animals, land

created by three studios in three countries

japan, england, belgium

does not require any translation

as there is no dialogue

except for one word

only lovely music

to take you through this

fairy tale, fantasy, fable, legend

 when you get to the end

the quietly powerful and touching final scenes

will draw you in

it was 81 minutes of

pure perfection in every frame.

—

“this film was simple and and elemental.

like a picture book that needs no words.”

– a.o. scott – new york times

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‘the red turtle’ premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 cannes film festival, where it won a grand jury award. the film was also nominated for the best animated feature film for the 89th academy awards.

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credits: studio ghibli, wild bunch studio, toho studio, sony pictures classics

Jun20

poetry is of so subtle a spirit, that in the pouring out of one language into another it will evaporate. -john denham

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water

Everything on the earth bristled,

the bramble pricked

and the green thread nibbled away,

the petal fell,

falling until the only flower was the falling itself.

Water is another matter,

has no direction but its own bright grace,

runs through all imaginable colors,

takes limpid lessons from stone,

and in those functionings plays out

the unrealized ambitions of the foam.

Pablo Neruda

 

—

killarney, ireland

Jun12

peony.

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one of my favorite places to hike can be found right in the center of ann arbor, a place where i always return, the nichols arboretum. it’s a lovely, quiet, sweeping park where there is natural beauty to be found in any season. one of the most stunning displays is the blooming of the peony garden. unlike any i have ever seen.

the nichols arboretum peony garden is the largest public collection of historic (pre-1950) herbaceous peony cultivars in north america. the university and botanical gardens are currently in the process of rebuilding this historic garden to be an internationally significant, scientifically-documented and culturally interpreted living reference collection.

the garden, open since 1927, boasts more than 270 historic varieties of peony, cultivated in the 19th and early 20th centuries. nearly 800 plants are arranged in 27 beds at the arboretum’s peony garden, drawing flower lovers from across the region when they bloom each spring.

  • note – early morning and evening are when the peony fragrances are best.

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“flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful;

they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”

-luther burbank

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The Peony Garden
a project of
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum