This was one of those mornings That I believed I was having car problems and so I took both the bus and the metro to work and arrived early. This meant that I still had time on my hands before I showed up at work. Here I was in the Cleveland Park N.W. neighborhood on a sunny, bright morning and what was I to do?
Look at the tiny, fragile sweep of the " new growth " or tiny green orbed pearls - it's a loose-spread string of green pearls here of the grape vine that will grow and fatten and get more pregnant with each day ( so many close-clustered/ sister'ed fecund and early pregnancies all in one bunch ). They will also become more beautiful and retain and display so much more life and sheen and shine and luster as they grow and that is always fun to observe as well ...
I am glad to have this photo ...
I got my coffee and croissant I think inside the Firehood Bakery four or so store-fronts down from Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits where I manage the wine department and headed outside to the enclosed grape-arbored/trellised courtyard/garden ( it used to be owned by Aroma Italian restaurant for many years ) and looked for a place to sit. I was of course very interested to see where the vines and the grapes were in their development as this point?
I immediately recognized some of my customers and went over to say " hello " before finding a place to sit. I saw my friend here with her sunglasses above sitting down and chatting with her male friend or colleague? I can't remember just now as it is Sunday afternoon here at my home in northern Virginia at 2:12 PM on January 24th, 2010.
I found these pictures at the store as I was looking for some inspiration to add here on my chatart blog spot and these certainly fit the bill in a large way once that saw them. They work as art on so many levels. Nature's as well as man and women' art. It took artistic vision to create this grape-trellised courtyard that continues to charm and delight to this day - even now in January 2010 when it is very chilly and cold. You can enjoy it but just not as long as the cold creeps under and into and between layers of clothing now as we are still largely bundled-up to combat and keep it at bay now ...
But this spring in 2009 we did not have to worry about any of that.
I love this photo above and it may be the single best one that I took next to the shadow of the grape vines on the stone ground of the courtyard with the multi-colored gray, green, black and purple - all shiny as if oiled feathers on the pigeon. To quote Bert of Sesame Street ( he sure would be proud of me here ) : " Doing the uh-uh pigeon ! ... ".
It's great to see first the head of brown hair and the sunglasses up close and then to realize that in each of the two dark-tinted sunglasses that the Canon camera and I have captured two completely different views out back here in this grape-trellised courtyard of the Firehook Bakery. It's amazing ; I really enjoy enlarging this picture here on my screen to better see what has indeed been captured. It's sort of like capturing the bugs hundreds of years ago in what becomes this amazing amber that women all over the world wear. My mother taught me about amber and like here I have grown to love it ...
Hello Linda, it sure is nice to see you here with your friend enjoying some outdoor time away from home and away from work ...
The lush canopy of these grape vines growing strong and wild and so lushly green and verdant is such an inspiration made even more dramatic and spectacular with the blue skies behind as well as the bright sun and all of it's shine, too ...
I love this smile and I also really enjoy the reflections here as well in the dark frames of the sunglasses. It's not as dramatic or as visible : but they both reflect the other side of the courtyard on this sunny, bright, blue-skied morning in Cleveland Park N.W. in Washington D.C.
This bright whitened sun and the white clouds almost form into the shape of the croissant that i held in my hand and would soon enjoy ...
These wispy white clouds above on a baby-blue sky framed by the lovely cut edges of the grape-vine's green leaves both in dark silhouette as well as some lighter green as well as some reds and yellows in the center of the leaf ( visible as the sunshine filters a bit through ) is pretty wonderful, too ...
Look how many people have gathered out back to drink their coffee, eat their croissants, muffins, bagles, cookies, etc ... and just enjoy starting their days in such a relaxed and friendly way as they chat and listen and breathe deeply-in all of this splendor ...
Sunshine, whitened-out blue skies, dark brown old vines and new vine-growth all make a great close-up of living patchwork here ...
The vine's " new " growth and the leaves here with a splendid blue sky, sun and all it's glorious shine as well as puffy-wispy white cloud islands moving ever so slowly across the blue is pretty unbelievable and yet so appreciated and welcome here in D.C. ...
Old brown, matted, brick and mortar white serve as a perfect reflector to all the amazing and wild and vigorous green folliage and growth of these vines as their really young grape clusters begin to form as opague, matted and tiny dull dark green orbs ( sometimes greener and more bright, depending on the sunshine as it hits and bathes them or not ). It's fun to observe.
Sunshine and shadows and shade and one pigeon close to me and my feet and that I quickly framed and snapped and shot as to preserve this moment as it looked for food on these large pieces of dull gray cut stone outside ...
Sun and shade and green and faded dull red bricks as well as sunglasses and reflections within as well as baseball caps, running shorts and someone on their cellphone ... all part of today's world here back in April or May of 2009? I don't remember which month this was exactly ...
Nice, enjoy these photos and do go to the Firehook Bakery here on Connecticut Avenue N.W. across from the Uptown movie theatre here on Washington D.C. Buy whatever you want and then escape outside for a few brief moments of warmth and wonder and relaxation outside in this largely unknown, hidden grape-trellised courtyard. It's wonderful way to enjoy some coffee and other threats and to get away from the hustle and the bustle of life in a city - in this case, in our nation's vibrant and busy capitol ... TONY
P.S. : I have more pictures that I may add soon. In the meantime enjoy these. Cheers ... Happy New Year
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