The Peace Bridge

 This photo dates back to 2019 (yes). It shows a view of Derry, Ireland from the Peace Bridge. More on these topics are available using Blogspot's search app, as most people know. Reposted today in hopes of more peace around the globe.

  

Wall texture

wall texture (from Pedralbes Monestery, Barcelona)

 

 

Toward Spring

 Happy Saint Patrick's Day ! On the way to Spring. New reading includes  Michel de Montaigne's essay "On the power of the imagination." Inspiring lots of thoughts on the German concept of Stimmung, meaning mood, in English. Perhaps this is a kind of poetic shifting of gears after my recent reading in Vincent van Gogh's letters. His favorite color apparently was yellow, an interesting one when it comes to mixing paint. Somewhat differently, moods can be mixed, But then much in human creation seems to depend on adding and subtracting. All the while, choosing........ Toward Spring !

Vincent Van Gogh's writing

 Continuing to  marvel over Vincent Van Gogh's descriptions of color in his paintings. As here, in an 1888 letter to his sister, Wil: "Right at the back, black cypresses against low white cottages with orange roofs--and a delicate green-blue strip of sky.... [N]ot one of the flowers has been properly drawn ... [and] they are only small dabs of color, red, yellow, orange, green, blue, violet, but the impression of all those colors next to one another is there--in the painting as in nature...." Painting with words! His writing brings out a lot about his theory of art, obviously.

Leaf shadows II

 Leaf shadows II - for autumnal enjoyment !

Nuria Valley

 Seeking cooler weather and a change of scene .... The photos show a growth of foxglove along one of the streams near the hotel and (2) spring water coming out of the mountain area.

Winter Ivy

 Winter ivy on a graffiti'd section of the wall on the bank of the Sègre River, Lleida. 

First posted, some may remember, on December 25, 2014. Happy Holidays to All !!

A view of the Segre

 El riu Sègre, a prop de la confluència Noguera-Pallaresa (principis d'octubre, caminant...)

Near the Noguera-Pallaresa confluence (on a walk in early October). Great memories of a sunny day, from today's cloud covered Barcelona........

 

 

Floating building

 

Summer inspires travel, as I was saying in relation to our recent trip to Vilanova i La Geltrú. But I also feel I should mention rising Covid numbers again.

However, some information that might be considered indirectly related to travel is available at the link below, regarding architecture and, more specifically, floating architecture or floating building. You may already know the term, but I think this is well worth a read.  

https://ecofriend.com/10-examples-sustainable-architecture-future.html

By the sea.....

 Longing to take a long walk along these shores, which is the plan for today. With the new rise in Covid figures we’re limiting activities of course. We’re permitted to be without masks in the open air inside cities now, but in Barcelona often keep the mask on out of habit. A bad sign? I hope not! In any case for today the sea awaits….

 

Seafields

 

An August 15, 2015 photo (below) titled Seafields, taken at the Giant’s Causeway, Ireland. That is the date it was first published on this blog. Once it becomes safe to do so I want to go back to this amazing place.

 Meanwhile, it is at least considered safe now for us to move around our own county (comarca). So new views of the Mediterranean coast will be possible again, something I’ve also greatly missed during these months. I’ve had my first vaccination dose with the Pfizer vaccine and I am scheduled for the second in May.

 Yesterday we walked up to the Park Güell, extending the tour to keep from arriving too early at the restaurant for lunch. We ended up walking more than 12 kilometers in the end. Happy to be in shape at least for slopes that aren’t very steep. Also something to be said, I think, for a gentle stroll on level ground…

Happy world poetry day

 May poetic creation in all its many forms continue to shine a light.

Glass vase in sunlight

 

 

 

Glass vase in sunlight

 

I can’t stop looking at the long stemmed rose we bought,

the petals so red against the green leaves.

Color studies, figs

 Plein air watercolor studies. Colors somewhat intense.....

Euryops pectinatus

 Walking in the Parc del Guinardó in Barcelona on Sunday morning. Great to see so many people out and enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. Everyone wearing protective masks of course. But how important it is to be able to meet up and walk around together!

Below is a picure of the flower referenced above. Unable to resist using only the Latin name...... In this age of easy dictionary & encyclopedia searches. Have an enjoyable week!

September

 And on the eve of this year's Diada, Catalonia's National Day.

Tomorrow we'll drive to Torrefarrera to celebrate with the whole family.

Home cooked lunch, conversation. No large demos are planed this year due to the pandemic.

Stay well, our watchword!

Wild Roof Journal

Many thanks to Wild Roof Journal for including my poem “ringing rocks” in their current issue. I hope you’ll look in, of course. There are also prose and visual art sections in WRJ. And lots to explore in previous issues, the ones that first got me interested.

So…. Repetitively, poetry, prose, visual art for anyone interested.

Pencil drawing (copy)

 In fact a copy of a copy of a copy, playing with the light. The first time I posted it, several years ago, it was much darker. fwiw ; - )

Textures (walking in the Pyrenees)

 A few "abstract" photos..... The wall masonry in the second shot is from a house we passed on our hike in Durro. The third shot, at closer range is of a rubble wall seen as we walked. The tree bark is from an old ash (I think)

color study