…nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind.
—William Wordsworth, An Ode, Intimations of Immortality
The English poet William Wordsworth had a concept that he called “spots of time.” These are small, memorable events that occur mainly outdoors and in touch with nature. According to Wordsworth these spots have lasting quality and are capable of “lifting us up when we are fallen.”
One way that Wordsworth marked this occurrence was in the titling of his work. Tintern Abbey for example, is subtitled On revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a tour, July 13, 1798. This specificity nails down the time and place of the event as something memorable and worthy. All works of art can follow this form. Recording a personal connection or inspirational detail gives added value to both an observation and a creative act. Source.
Below photos made in the U.S. span 2.5 months after evacuation from Kathmandu due to the ongoing global pandemic.
May 18. Kate, neighbor of 2 years in Kathmandu, and Kiran play at an Istanbul Airport art installation as we go our separate ways.
May 20. Family outing at Cypress Point Park near the Tampa airport during LGBTQ pride week. Gran dons a new hat as a pride paradegoer grabs some shade.
A walk in the park.
May 23. Off the Ox Bow Trail at Little Manatee River State Park, Wimauma, FL.
May 24. Apollo Beach Park & Recreation Center.
June 4. Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, Ft. Myers, FL.
You learn that if you sit down in the woods and wait, something happens. —Henry David Thoreau
June 5. Showing off a 7 foot nurse shark caught at Bokeelia Fishing Pier on the north side of Pine Island while staying in Cape Coral, FL.
Will return one day for “MangoMania”, Pine Island’s Tropical Fruit Fair held annually in the summer.
Continuing a day of exciting animal action, a green iguana sits waiting for us at the edge of the canal upon our return home.
June 6. We are fortunate to be in town for Kajol’s graduation from LECOM medical school, Bradenton Area Convention Center, Palmetto, FL.
With Navinkaka.
June 12. Universal Islands of Adventure with Nitaya, Nikki, Nes, and Nita while visiting JJ and family for the 1st time.
“Velocicoaster” had just been open a week and closed when we finally decided to ride it 😞.
June 13. Sisters, Orlando, FL.
June 14. Liam entertains Kiran while waiting for him to finish dinner at Gran’s so they can play FIFA.
June 15. Exit 358, Ocala, FL.
June 15. Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q, Kingsland, GA.
June 16. Knucklehead’s Bait & Tackle, St. Marys, GA.
19th century sugarmill, McIntosh Sugarmill Park.
Ruins bid us to surrender our strivings and our fantasies of perfection and fulfilment. They remind us that we cannot defy time and that we are merely the playthings of forces of destruction which can at best be kept at bay but never vanquished. We may enjoy local victories, perhaps claim a few years in which we are able to impose a degree of order upon the chaos, but ultimately all will slop back into a primeval soup. If this prospect has the power to console us, it is perhaps because the greater part of our anxieties stems from an exaggerated sense of the importance of our own projects and concerns. We are tortured by our ideals and by a punishingly high-minded sense of the gravity of what we are doing. —Alain de Botton, Status Anxiety
June 17. Dungeness Mansion on Cumberland Island National Seashore last inhabited by the Carnegie’s in 1958.
Navigating the delicate sand dune fabric filled with dead, standing live oaks known as “boneyard trees”.
Continuing down the Dungeness Beach Trail.
One of the best places to look for shark teeth on the island is the main road. The roads are graded with sand that has been dredged out of the sound. Lots of shell fragments and fossilized shark teeth get pulled up and now sit waiting to be found by visitors with a keen eye.
June 18. Pitstop in Savannah to check out the waterfront.
June 19. South Carolina Aquarium with Dean and Cathy, Charleston, SC.
Harrington family chatting and playing at Patriots Point after river cruise on Cooper River for Cathy’s and Syd’s birthdays. The USS Yorktown CV-10, a WWII aircraft carrier hangs in the background.
June 20. Harrington family reunion continues on James Island, Charleston, SC.
June 22. Leaf collection on the Universal Trail at Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville, TN.
Walking the River Trail along the Tennessee River with our gracious host Rachel.
June 24. Kiran catching young Fowler’s toads at Ribbonwalk Nature Preserve with Jacob and Mikaela, Charlotte, NC.
Fireside chat, Davidson, NC.
June 25. Just Dance-ing.
June 26. With Uncle Mike, Ass Clown, Cornelius, NC.
June 27. Pancake breakfast.
Slowly making our way out the door for dinner.
June 29. Lunch with the Rouhizad’s at the Fickle Pickle, Roswell, GA.
Satchel’s, Gainesville, FL.
July 1. Favorite restaurant hasn’t changed a bit in 15 years. Open every day for lunch and dinner except: “Chopstix will be closed from July 4 thru Aug. 2. We will reopen on Tuesday, Aug 3, at 11am. This will allow our staff to have their annual vacation! Stay safe! Thank you! Chopstix is now closed on Sundays. Chopstix will be CLOSED 3-4 pm Monday-Saturday. Chopstix will be closing @ 9pm this evening. Thank you!!”
Owl butterfly sits for portrait in the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida.
July 4. Anna Maria North Shore with the Bronson-Watkinses.
July 6. 4 turtles.
July 7. Hurricane Elsa turns up treasure after passing by.
July 8.
Waiting for an easy meal from fisherman at the city pier.
Jessica finds an olive snail – her favorite type of shell.
July 9.
July 11. Friends: the reunion, Wesley Chapel, FL.
July 12. House puja, Newberry, FL.
July 15. Summer return to Little Manatee River State Park – not as pleasant.
July 17. Nature boy on Lookout Point Trail at Weedon Island Preserve, St. Petersburg, FL.
July 19. Winding down for the night in East Ybor City, FL. Our flight to Bangkok was delayed a 2nd time giving us another 2.5 weeks in FL.
July 21. Dinner with Carla and Mia at Armature Works, Tampa, FL.
July 22. Dragon ballz.
July 23. Alexander Gadegaard Shah, recent alumni of Lincoln School Nepal, represents his country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games. He won his qualifying heat and recorded a personal best despite not making the cut.
July 24. Watching the Orlando Pride play on my birthday at Exploria Stadium. Ad astra!
Patel fam from Gainesville come to celebrate!
July 25. Lil 500 Go-Karts, Fern Park, FL, near my dad’s old stomping grounds at the Fern Park Motel.
July 26. Backcountry solo kayaking at sunset, Hernando, FL.
Cheese and Cracker.
July 27. Rainbow Springs State Park with Zo.
Buddies: Live oaks with resurrection ferns and Spanish moss alongside palms adorn the walkways.
Headspring.
Riding the Rainbow River.
A young anhinga keeps us company before taking us fishing downriver.
July 29. Last few days in the U.S. for a while, EG Simmons Park, Ruskin, FL.
August 5. South Korea v. Turkiye, Seoul, South Korea.
August 10. Quarantine: Day 4, Bangkok, Thailand.
August 12. Unstructured meshes. Quarantine: Day 6.