outdoor sculpture

The 2019 "Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay" show opened on Sunday. Once the sculptures were in place I headed to the park to see this year's creations.

Here is a bit of information on the show:

"This year's show is our twentieth show at Maudslay: the first was 1998, and we have taken two sabbatical years since, so this is our twentieth. The show has always been organized and run by the artists on a volunteer basis.

The show has never been juried - it's open to artists young and old from the Merrimack River area who are interested in creating site-specific sculpture outdoors. Artists range from experienced well-known sculptors, to children, to anyone inspired with an idea to build something. Many wonderful, beautiful, challenging sculptures have been created for the show, and we believe that the high quality of the work comes partly from the exploratory freedom the show offers."

Information on the 20th Sculpture at Maudslay show for Journalists & PR
written by Bert Snow

I suspect that I didn't find all of the sculptures. Some were spread across swaths of lawn; some were a bit more hidden.

It's hard to pick a favorite. For today I'll share some photos of "Recycled Fantasy Garden", created by Myra Suraci & Mia Thurlow. The main sculpture appears to be a dragon or serpent made out of recycled (large) water bottles and sporting a painted cardboard head. Its tongue is made of slices of cans, falling down into a birdbath full of discarded and colorful plastic.

Nearby I found a rabbit and a dog also created from recycled plastics.

If you're interested in seeing more of this year's creations, jump to the gallery outdoor sculpture at Maudslay :: 2019.

across the Merrimack

Standing at an open spot in Maudslay State Park, I looked across the Merrimack River.

searching for names

Sometimes I feel like the name of a flower is hovering just out of my grasp. This one was making me a little crazy - I thought I should know the name but it just wasn't coming to me.

A web search for flame shaped flowers sent me to Celosia. Looking a bit further I found that the name of this beauty is Celosia spicata. It is part of the Amaranth family.

happy bees

A visit to the gardens of Prescott Park yesterday surrounded me with bright flowers. The bees were busy, happily feeding on dahlias.

by the sea

I felt a need for a walk by the ocean this morning.

The tide was heading out when I set foot on Jenness State Beach leaving firm sand for walking. I shared the space with a few other people, with sea gulls and sanderlings too. As I walked I heard the calming sound of the ocean.

pink

As I walked into one of the 19th century gardens at Maudslay State Park yesterday I saw a bed of dahlias in bloom. It was a sea of pink!

deep color

A flower wears the color of the setting sun.

Cherokee Sunset (Rudbeckia hirta)

early apples

It's apple season!

Yesterday's farm stand stop made me very happy. In addition to the tomatoes, pickling cukes, and squash that I stopped for, there were bins of local apples. Today I had my first taste of this year's Zestar! crop, yummy!

The Zestar! is an apple that was developed by the University of Minnesota. It is described as "an early season apple with a crisp, juicy texture, and an exciting zesty flavor with a hint of brown sugar!".

dahlia delight

While some flowers are fading, dahlias remain in prime condition.

posing

A rabbit was sitting, eating, enjoying quiet.

It appears that I didn't scare him when I wandered outside with my camera. He decided to pose for me.