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Blogs by Lisa Adams
Again and again 2/22/2008 7:34:59 AM
I never tire of spring...imminent spring....ok, so not quite spring, but close. It is something about the light this time of year. It seems to intensify colors rather than wash them out like the harsher light of summer. When we designed spaces in architecture school, we had to pay close attention to the shadows cast by the various seasons. Ever since discovering how the play of light and shadow can affect every aspect of how a structure functions, I pay close attention to shadows cast by trees and plants on the ground. Shadows do, indeed, define the season.
The spaces we were designing intially were public spaces that made use of solid shade; partial shade (screened sort of); and completely open areas. Well hell, in California (southern) that's a no-brainer since 99% of the time it was nice outside; and a freak windstorm was unlikely. Being a bit of a rogue element in my class, however, I decided to incorporate an art gallery into my space. Upstart, I know. What can I say? Needless to say, I was blasted for incorporating actual, I don't know, ART into a public space...but I liked it and kept the model. So there. I still have it.
The pine tree needles and tree limbs were coated in a fine veil of ice this morning. I should photograph this because the beauty of it is truly breathtaking. With the rising sun as the backdrop, a myriad of colors shines through, all of them transparent. Sigh.
I am such a sucker for this stuff I could sit like the village idiot and stare at it all day just to watch the colors change. Imagine that: time away from television, movies, books, computers...just sit outside and space out. I like that idea. I am definitely going exploring into the hills this summer. I am convinced there are "things" to be found. You have to understand, Nebraska is one big state with not a whole lot of people in it. South Dakota is the same way. You could literally walk or drive for miles and never see another person.
I thought it might be fun to go walkabout from the pine ridge (where we live) to somewhere east. Where? How far? Who knows or cares - I know it would be a great adventure...but knowing me, the natural born spastic, I would run into the last living bear and get attacked or fall into a hole. No, really. Ok, so I won't go walkabout. But I will climb the hill a lot.
On that note, I'm going to go outside and smell the air - it smells like water and earth. It smells...like spring. Now all I need is a shady tree to lay under and sleep. Maybe in a couple of months....
