Polly Castor
My Watercolor Sketch of a Gorgeous Day
This is my favorite weather in my favorite season. I ran off to Huntington Park to soak it in and sketched this in my small watercolor journal. I usually work horizontally in this so working vertically was a fun change. (Above is a detail; below is the entire image and another detail…) I enjoyed the … Read more
New Poem by me: Coming up for Air
Coming up for Air Some people are water skiers through life skimming the surface, moving quickly along bumpily full of excitement and spray Some people are snorkelers independently languorous hovering between atmospheres Some people sit in the boat watching passively or driving others Some people are scuba divers, plumbing the depths in complete immersion we … Read more
Picture Books Are Important
I’m blown away by something I read in today’s New York Time (read it here) that states picture books are going out of vogue because parents are encouraging kids to move on to chapter books. How wrong! I have to give a pitch for picture books, because they are very important. They should be fully … Read more
Photos of Swiss Chard
The Swiss chard has done really well in the garden this year. We’ve eaten so much of it! It is beautiful, as you can see here.
Early Vibrant Vines
I screeched to a halt on a bike ride to take these photos. (Not bad for an iPhone, right?) These early vines are so vibrant and they are a precursor of things to come… I love the medley of colors!
Bert the Turtle
We love New Pond Farm (click here). This is their turtle, Bert. A fascinating creature as you can see…
Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Bisque
We’ve had a lot of tomatoes this season and this easy tomato bisque recipe is one of the yummiest ways to eat them! Heirloom Tomato Bisque 4 lbs heirloom tomatoes 6 cloves garlic 1 onion 2 fennel bulbs 2 large carrots 1/4 cup fresh oregano 1/4 cup fresh thyme handful of fresh basil leaves … Read more
I Made a Woven Pottery Basket
I’ve abandoned the wheel for a while and I’m having fun hand building. Making this basket was a hoot!
Newspaper Article by me: Progressing in Earth’s Preparatory School
I am a columnist for the Danbury News-Times Forum on Faith column. Here is my most recent article: Progressing in Earth’s Preparatory School The founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, asserted in her bestselling book Science and Health with Keys to the Scriptures, that “Earth’s preparatory school must be improved to the utmost.” She … Read more
Cascade Canyon Hike in the Tetons
This nine mile hike with my daughter will be remembered as one of my best days this year. After a string of bad weather it was perfectly gorgeous. I was finally hiking up in the mountains, cradled by them on every side. Bliss!
Inspiration Point
The hike to Inspiration Point overlooking Jenny Lake in Grand Tetons National Park is a classic one and we had a gorgeous day to do it. We also enjoyed painting the scene, complete with a moth that hung out on my finger for hours… Ah, bliss, mountains at last.
American Indian Beadwork
We entered Grand Tetons National Park in the rain so chose to explore the Indian Museum at Colter Bay. My daughter was very interested in the beadwork, and I took some photos to share with you here. It is amusing to note the thimbles used for decoration on a hatchet, and don’t miss the grizzly … Read more
Yellowstone Caldera
Yellowstone is in the mountains, but is not particularly mountainous, because it comprises mostly a caldera. If I had once known that term, I had forgotten it, but my thirteen year old knew it from last year’s Runkle Geography course (see here). In the map below, you can see the ring where the caldera is … Read more
Geysers and Thermal Pools
Above is the famous geyser, Old Faithful. Also you see here “mud holes,” the Opal Pool and the Grand Prismatic Spring. Near the bottom, there are a couple photos of how the landscape in general is percolating due to magma very close to the surface. Sometimes the steam makes visibility difficult! The yellow, orange and … Read more