February 28, 2007 by OrientSee.

Where is Belle Isle Marsh? It’s in the foreground and that’s downtown Boston on the skyline about three and a half miles away. Logan Airport is less than a mile away to the left. Then there are three drumlins (glacial hills) that surround the marsh from behind and side to side. The bulk of it is in East Boston but sizable portions lie in Revere and Winthrop. To the far right and out of sight is Suffolk Downs Racetrack. It is a bit of human tainted wildness surrounded by people and their works. Sometimes it looks tatty when the litter is blowing about and the beer bottles are washing up on the shoreline. Mostly, you develop focus and learn to close out some of the uglies from your vision. It’s my favorite form of meditation, wandering in the marsh and just looking.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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February 27, 2007 by OrientSee.

Belle Isle Marsh has of course been around since the last glacier scoured this part of New England down to sea level. There’s evidence of people and their use of the land every where in the marsh. In the Revere corner, there are some concrete pilings which are all that remains of a radio tower installation that operated during WWII. The site is diked off from the rest of the marsh and at high tide must look like a swimming pool. Today the tide was draining and I stood on one of the pilings, I noticed the sun reflection in the water. It caught my eye because it looked like one of those magnificent pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope. This is the Marsh Galaxy.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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February 26, 2007 by OrientSee.

With all the freezing and thawing and with the sunlit and cloudy days, the snow out in the marsh has been transformed. There’s a crust but the surface has frozen crystals highlighting the sun and then the drift  bent as the snow slid down into a crevice. The tuft of marsh grass adds a bit of color. The surface is smooth to the touch as it curves over and down. It’s a very sensual sight and a pleasure to touch. Erotic Nature.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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February 25, 2007 by OrientSee.

A bright clear day with warming weather. The marsh was full of muted colors. I walked further out into the real marsh (spartina grass) than usual. It is winter and low tide. I wouldn’t go that far out in the spring or summer. There is too much going on in the grass. Anyways, the seductive curve of this razor clam caught my eye.  It has sweep and elegance. This is natural design at work. Still life with grass.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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February 24, 2007 by OrientSee.

Homeward Bound. The geese are fond of Suffolk Downs. There’s lots of grass and no one to bother them. There’s a small pond in the infield that the gulls and ducks are too intimidated to use any more. The track is a sort of Goose World Park. The geese are very noisy. A jarring experience is to be out walking the dog early in the morning when a flock rises for a morning flight. They can be quiet and fly very low.  If you’re unsuspecting on a quiet walk, the sound of two dozen wings can be very startling. With no warning something passes over your head and you flinch. The event is usually topped when one of the geese finally decides to honk just as they’ve passed by. The human guard hairs are definitely standing on end by then.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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February 23, 2007 by OrientSee.

I like to watch the moon during the day. No one seems to pay attention but yet there it is. Just as beautiful as it is in the middle of the night. I never noticed birds very much until one day, I saw some kind of bird with long legs wading in the marsh. It was white and quite striking. It couldn’t be an egret since this was East Boston and not Florida but I went and looked it up in a bird guide. It was a snowy egret and then I began to look around more. Seeing what’s there means being mindful. William James and the Buddha both agree that being mindful leads to right actions. I’ll not preach but being mindful does mean seeing beauty where you never saw it before. That makes my day.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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February 22, 2007 by OrientSee.

Flowing things have a signature whether it’s lava, frozen ice or water. Look at the side of a mountain and see the path that  erosion leaves on the face of the heights. You can look here at Revere Beach at low tide and see the water draining off the higher beach and it is the same track. A dull day and very little sunlight turn into a surprising black and white study. The camera and I are looking at the same thing but the vision is different.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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February 21, 2007 by OrientSee.

At high tide, the spartina grass is having a cold shampoo courtesy of the North Atlantic. The color and wave forms are elegant reminders that nature is often artful and seductive. It is not always about bright contrasting colors and lush jungle forms. Spare and sufficient to the moment make a stronger statement.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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February 20, 2007 by OrientSee.

A bright day and the temperature is up 30 degrees. The ice is melting. The ducks are asleep for their afternoon siesta (cardiologist recommended). The marsh is noisy with the planes passing overhead and the street traffic out on the road. Underneath the human noise is a gentle wind rush through the reeds and the wet splash of a duck landing in the water. It’s a strange place so close to people and the city and yet so far away in an instant. It’s a good place to walk and just look and listen.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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February 19, 2007 by OrientSee.

Besides Belle Isle Marsh, I also live next to Suffolk Downs. The track is iced over now and would make a great speed skating venue. It’s hard to get very close because of the fences and the security. However there are holes like this that provide a horse level view. You can see the grandstands in the distance and in the foreground is a quarter mile pole with its red stripes and golden ball on top. My usual perspective of the track is from walking the dog next to a chain link fence, listening to some of the most profane people (jockeys, male and female) on the planet Earth cursing a horse or another rider. They’ll also smile and wave to small children so they are not without redeeming qualities. I once got to listen to the best ever critique of movie stars on horses one morning. Riding horses is apparently not a skill that many actors possess.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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