O thou whose face hath felt the Winter’s wind,
Whose eye has seen the snow-clouds hung in mist,
And the black elm tops ‘mong the freezing stars,
To thee the spring will be a harvest-time.
O thou, whose only book has been the light
Of supreme darkness which thou feddest on
Night after night when Phoebus was away,
To thee the Spring shall be a triple morn.
O fret not after knowledge–I have none,
And yet my song comes native with the warmth.
O fret not after knowledge–I have none,
And yet the Evening listens. He who saddens
At thought of idleness cannot be idle,
And he’s awake who thinks himself asleep.

John Keats

I’m all weepy and feeling proud.

“On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.”

from President Obama’s inaugural speech

Andrew Wyeth died yesterday. Some criticized his paintings for being overly nostalgic and claimed he used the muted pallet as a gimmick but I’ve always liked the cold light and spareness in his works.

Images are from The Helga Pictures.

My Christmas flower from Linda and David. Almost time for the second stalk to bloom!

Photographs of British Algae by Anna Atkins from the New York Public Library.

Quick trip. Two days driving one day visiting. My favorite part of the drive was coming over the bridge friday evening and seeing the city. It was nothing but darkness and cars and water (intracostal waterway?) and then voila – New Orleans sparkling. Beautiful.

Everyone was friendly and between my guides I had a whirligig tour of a few different areas that seemed to blend seamlessly from affluent, charming, colorful and cozy to beaten. Would have been nice to have time to photograph and sketch. So much stunning architecture, tasty food, new to me flora and there’s a quirky feel to the collective interactions. Locals vs. tourists? I don’t know what it was. Not uncomfortable though.

Given more time I would have loved to attend Prospect.1 New Orleans which looks fantastic and takes place in different museums, historical buildings and such across the city. I’ll have to hitch back before January 18th.

Thanks to Kevin for letting me crash his moving weekend.