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Nature & Natural World

(Photograph by author)

Nature Creeps In

Recently, I looked up from writing at my desk and spotted a cardinal pecking at the dirt in my yard–a bold movement of color on the dark mulch and earth. The site captivated me.

Charles Burchfield, March Sunlight, 1926-1933. 
(Courtesy of Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University)

Charles Burchfield: Nature & the City

A Christmas or two ago, my wife gave me a copy of Blistering Visions: Charles E. Burchfield’s Sublime American Landscape, a catalog accompanying a 2016 exhibition commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Burchfield Penny Art Center in Buffalo, New York.

Bar Car Night in the Garden

Shortly before Christmas, my friend and I rode the train from Grand Central Station to the Bronx for an event at the New York Botanical Garden. On select weekend evenings throughout the holiday season, the Garden presents a festive program anchored by the popular Holiday Train Show—Bar Car Nights. Guests can enjoy performers, food trucks,…

Crossing the Empire State

Last week, a minor emergency prompted a last-minute change to an already postponed family visit to Western New York State. Not wanting to call off my long-awaited and now necessary trip, I purchased a round-trip ticket from New York to Rochester on Amtrak’s Empire Service line.

Jersey City Reservoir, Jersey City, NJ (Photograph by author)

No Need to Go Far

Several years ago, Melody Warnick wrote This is Where You Belong, a book urging readers to slow down and appreciate their lives right where they are. According to Warnick, your life isn’t waiting to begin in a distant city or a rural hamlet. Discover what makes your community, neighborhood, or city interesting. You might be…

Jean Leon Gerome Harris, George Washington Visiting Bartram's Gardens in 1787 (Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum)

Plants & America: A July 4th Reflection

Every summer, near the Fourth of July, I try to read a history of the American Revolution or a biography of a founding father. This period has long captivated my imagination: Enlightenment thinkers led a young nation discovering its identity.

BBG2

Trees Grow in Brooklyn

Last week, I ventured from my cozy nest in Jersey City to Brooklyn, the epicenter of the contemporary creative world in New York. I didn’t seek out live music, funky cafes, eclectic bookshops, or farm-to-table restaurants. I rode the subway to Brooklyn to enjoy nature. Yes, nature.

Bronx River

Oases in the City: Looking to One Future

While deep in my research at the New York Public Library on a undisclosed topic, I recently came across the 1923 edition of New York Walk Book, a hiking guide for the metropolitan area. The book provides itineraries, guides, and maps for both urban flaneurs and nature lovers.  This wonderful volume inflamed my imagination.

(Photograph by author)

The Passing of Winter

On the first day of spring last week, I stood in my small urban backyard and listened to hidden birds sing. Daffodil shoots peaked from beneath the soil. Yet, the wind still carried a chill touch.

Central Park Snow

A Quiet Moment (in New York?)

After a late winter snowstorm a week or so ago, I walked along Central Park and paused to admire the landscape art of Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. For a moment, the world seemed quiet and calm. I felt a closeness to nature and forgot the everyday thoughts and worries haunting my mind. Those…