RMW Ramblings

  Orpheus  Ὀρφεύς   O ver the summer the ice cream truck visiting Carpenter's Point announced its presence by playing a few bars of "Turkey in the Straw."  (Its competitor, theme "The Entertainer,"  was absent this year.)  "Turkey in the Straw" reminded me of my years in the late 1950s as a member of the Orpheus Club of Wilmington, a men's chorale group that went back decades.  The memory inspired me to paint a bust of Orpheus himself coming partially to life and singing.

  Fall Colors Ginkgos The Golden Path; fallen ginkgo leaves on Greenhill Avenue.  The ginkgos are a remnant of when this block was part of the Gibraltar estate.

  Fall Color Sweetgums   About 50 years ago I planted three sweetgum trees along our 18th St curb line.  Several years later neighbors across the street also planted sweetgums.  Now we have brilliant fall color at the top of the street, along with falling leaves and gumballs.  Adding to the sweetgum color above is a neighbor's dogwood. In the painting below, neighbors and the city's sweeper/vac machine are addressing the debris.

  Fall Color  Dogwoods Fall color season is here!  We have dogwoods and sweetgums which have bold autumn color, and lines of ginkgos are along several streets in our Highlands neighborhood.  Here are some dogwoods framing Mount Salem.  The sweetgums and ginkgos are coming along. And another view of a dogwood along with fall color vines and ferns...

  Baby Bubbles Here I picture a little girl discovering the joy of bubble blowing.  My monogram signature is in a bubble.

  Eye of the Eagle Over the Brooklyn Bridge This painting was done as a present for our grandson and his new bride as a wedding present.  They live in Brooklyn with employers in Manhattan which we view here over the bridge.

  Cathartis Watching the birds, up close it's easier to spot and identify the smaller song birds.  In the sky the larger raptors and scavengers are easier to spot and identify.   Over the water we follow the ospreys and eagles.  But looking back landward we more often see circling turkey vultures ( cathartis mura) , usually several at a time.  Here is one of mine, with a heraldic glyph.   The bald eagle is not really bald, but has a head with white feathers.  The turkey vulture is truly bald, devoid of feathers, the better to bury his head in messy carrion, hence its red fleshy head.