skip to main |
skip to sidebar
this week, my vacation, we visited big bambú, an installation by doug + mike starns, identical twins, atop the metropolitan museum of art in new york city. one can take a special tour through the bamboo structure, but cameras (or any hand-held items) are not allowed on the tour. however, one can walk underneath the structure and snap away. in this shot of the structure looking north you can see people within the structure taking a tour:
early morning cityscape looking south:
and looking west:
here's a photo from underneath a walkway. i was really frustrated i couldn't bring my camera up through the structure; it was photo-worthy!
a platform and walkway. the structure flexed a bit in places when i walked on it. it's almost entirely made of bamboo and nylon climber's rope. i saw only a few steel cables tethering the structure to the roof, and one or two cable ties.
another walkway. one walkway has a bench and they all have handrails. the walkways are uneven. one must wear sneakers (no sandals or flip flops allowed and no skirts, for obvious reasons!)
the lashings are beautiful...
here's a bamboo storage area. we visited during the work week, so the artists were there continuing to build the structure. the plan is to add a second level by the end of august. in fall, the structure will be dismantled, perhaps to be rebuilt elsewhere.
more lashings. what a lot of work to make this and more to take it down!
me, reflected by a mirrored roof on the north side of the structure. the installation is supposed to evoke a wave. for me, it is the "swiss family robinson" house oddly placed in an urban setting. others on the tour were moved by the seeming chaos within the rigid city. the starn's installation is a wonderful new york experience intensified by temporariness.
this summer is terrific for tomatoes, if not for people. i only planted one variety, brandywine, after being burned by late blight last year. ok, that was a mistake. however, all my friends are trying to give tomatoes away, so other varieties are not hard to come by. here's how the potager looks today:
the sunflowers had a tough start and are just beginning to bloom...
i've got a severe vine borer issue this summer and have tossed all the plants save this one, which has a nice sugar pumpkin. i've had to remove the borers from it's stem... i hope the plant can hang on for the rest of the summer.
passiflora today, with lantana in the background...
this year's bounty includes cucumbers, rainbow chard and string beans, in addition to tomatoes.
and so far the corn experiment looks promising!
gf has really gone downhill, just like a tabloid. but look at the shameless display this butterfly put on for me! it completely obscures its helenium 'mardi gras' perch...
obviously, the favorite libation is echinacea 'sundown'
can you hear? "nom, nom, nom..."
it let me get so close, i used the macro...
no dignity whatsoever... thanks for the show!
day lily 'bermuda queen'
lily 'scheherazade'
most of the peaches from the dwarf miller nurseries tree! quite tasty once they ripen, these are about the size of an apricot... i'm really glad i bought this little tree...
note to self: 6 japanese soyu cucumber plants are too many for my family! my neighbor is trying to make pickles from them... thanks...
typical daily harvest... note to self, too many beans this year also...
my tomatoes are about to ripen, how exciting after last year's blight. anyway, i took this seed pod photo for sophie munns and homage to the seed... it's a baptisia australis. these pods become like rattles once the seeds are mature. sohpie, do you have these in australia?
usually i harvest the 'champagne' currants around the 4th of july, but the heat this year caused early ripening, so i picked them tonight, ahead of a forecast storm.
i cleaned them...
this is maybe 3 quarts, and it took me 2 hours to pick and clean them to freeze. hopefully i'll be able to make jelly saturday morning, before a family party, so i can bring them.
last night, the brugmansia 'pink beauty' was blooming... last august it had over 20 flowers blooming at once!
earlier in the week, this doe let me within 10 feet for a photo (no telephoto lens here.) note the scar, and if you enlarge the photo you can see evidence that this doe probably has a fawn hiding somewhere. she is just across the street from my house, and i hope she stays there!
we do have less deer invading the gardens this year, so i haven't had to protect the day lilies.
the potager today. i have harvested lettuce, rainbow chard, peas, 2 carrots and green beans. you can see the corn coming up in the foreground.
early morning cityscape looking south:
and looking west:
here's a photo from underneath a walkway. i was really frustrated i couldn't bring my camera up through the structure; it was photo-worthy!
a platform and walkway. the structure flexed a bit in places when i walked on it. it's almost entirely made of bamboo and nylon climber's rope. i saw only a few steel cables tethering the structure to the roof, and one or two cable ties.
another walkway. one walkway has a bench and they all have handrails. the walkways are uneven. one must wear sneakers (no sandals or flip flops allowed and no skirts, for obvious reasons!)
the lashings are beautiful...
here's a bamboo storage area. we visited during the work week, so the artists were there continuing to build the structure. the plan is to add a second level by the end of august. in fall, the structure will be dismantled, perhaps to be rebuilt elsewhere.
more lashings. what a lot of work to make this and more to take it down!
me, reflected by a mirrored roof on the north side of the structure. the installation is supposed to evoke a wave. for me, it is the "swiss family robinson" house oddly placed in an urban setting. others on the tour were moved by the seeming chaos within the rigid city. the starn's installation is a wonderful new york experience intensified by temporariness.
