A Luminous Halo

"Life is not a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged; life is a luminous halo, a semi-transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end." --Virginia Woolf

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Location: Springfield, Massachusetts, United States

Smith ’69, Purdue ’75. Anarchist; agnostic. Writer. Steward of the Pascal Emory house, an 1871 Second-Empire Victorian; of Sylvie, a 1974 Mercedes-Benz 450SL; and of Taz, a purebred Cockador who sets the standard for her breed. Happy enough for the present in Massachusetts, but always looking East.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Secret Gardens

Today was the opening of the 34th Annual Mattoon Street Arts Festival, right down the street from me. With the demise of WestFest, which was a similar undertaking in neighboring Westfield, Massachusetts, it's now the longest-running art festival in the area.

The festival is free, but there was a $5 charge for the "Secret Gardens of Mattoon Street" tour. I'd seen most of them, as I know the owners, but in order to support my local neighborhood organization, and because a friend of mine who is less familiar with Mattoon Street's "secrets" was interested in poking around, I took the tour.

Suburbanites marvelled at every climbing vine, every stone urn, potted geranium, mossy paving stone, billowy muslin curtain. I personally was partial to the Haitian drum art, and Donna to Mr. Lucky the beagle, which was a happy coincidence. Both were gracing the same garden, along with comfy chairs, and the owners were not averse to tourgoers sitting in them. Thanks, Maggie!

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