I grew up not far from Saratoga Springs, but it wasn't until long after I'd moved away that I visited Yaddo. I went there with my parents for a benefit concert by the Depasquale String Quartet, which was headed by my dad's best friend, Bill Depasquale. There was a young woman playing piano as well, some up-and-comer, but I don't remember her name.

Since it was a benefit, in Saratoga, in the middle of summer, there were a lot of hoity-toities there. I remember charming Marylou Whitney (as in Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney) by feeding paté to the cat. She thought that was adorable. I had no idea who she was at the time; my dad told me later.

That was the night of the Perseids meteor shower; I remember flashes of light, which I thought were camera flashes at first.

Yaddo is an artists' colony, and the only part of it normally open to the public is the rose garden. I have some pictures I took there years ago; I really should find them and scan them in. I have a nice one of the fountain.

I was reminded of all this by an article in the NY Times about a Yaddo exhibition at the New York Public Library, which mentions a lot of the famous writers and artists who have spent time there. I was disappointed that it didn't mention that Edgar Allan Poe was purported to have written "The Raven" there, though. That's pretty cool, don't you think?



Picture via http://www.saratoga.org/postcards/

There's a nifty article about crows on the NY Times site. It seems that they're able to recognize individual humans!

Crows and their relatives — among them ravens, magpies and jays — are renowned for their intelligence and for their ability to flourish in human-dominated landscapes. That ability may have to do with cross-species social skills. In the Seattle area, where rapid suburban growth has attracted a thriving crow population, researchers have found that the birds can recognize individual human faces.

Neat!

There's an illuminating article about Flickr in the NY Times this weekend. It seems that post-processing is the key to popularity there. Huh. And I thought it was good photography. *g*

It's about more than that (the article, I mean); it's about the democratization of photography due to the internet, and how the acceptance of what is fine art has been monopolized by an elite few in the past. Interesting stuff.

I don't pretend or aspire to make fine art; I just want to make good pictures that I like, and share them with friends who like them too.

*****

This afternoon is Beltane at the Barn, and I'll see a few of you there! Woo hoo, Beltane!

A friend sent me a link to an interesting article about the psychology of magic. It seems that we're wired to be believers!

Crikey, even Wiccans can be petty and stupid. As if we didn't get enough bad press from the fundies...

The NY Times has an article about Wicca, which is factual and accurate, if a bit bland. It does a good job of emphasising the 'not evil' bit, but doesn't really talk about what Wicca is all about. Still, I suppose it's a step in the right direction. :)

There's an amazingly balanced article in the Washington Post about a military chaplain who converted to Wicca. It's actually very well researched and factual! Will wonders never cease. *g*