field work
when i was driving to staunton the day before yesterday i was able to put my newly acquired knowledge of paulownia and catalpa trees to the test. it was a clear morning, which not only allowed me to cross the mountain without fearing for my life, but also allowed me the opportunity to compare paulownias and catalpas. let me tell you, there is a notable difference. i am not sure if i have actually ever noticed a catalpa tree prior to my inquiry. the pale white clusters of small flowers blend so well into the foliage of the catalpa and other trees forming a billowy, cloud-like screen along the road. the paulownias on the other hand are very distinct, with large clusters of large purple flowers that seem to be projected upward and away from the branch of the tree. the paulownias are just starting to leaf out and so still cut a striking figure along the roadside with just big purple blooms to show off.i really wish i lived in staunton, or as dominic calls it, stauntonia. sure there may not be a whole heck of a lot of stuff to do but the housing stock is amazing.
yesterday on a record buying adventure we scored a ton of good stuff. i am most exited about finding a copy of a series of sneaks on elektra - completist dork that i am. holy cow is that hard to come by, and significantly different from the merge re-release.
i have been meaning to post about britt's (or maybe it's jim's) apparent interest in italian futurism, but haven't. the cover of a series of sneaks featuring balla's auto per tutti being the band's first of many references to it. perhaps when i meet britt i'll impress him with an inquiry.
my hubby found four or five early world music recordings, two from the explorer series on nonesuch which he is currently collecting. we also found a few great 45s from athens bands and one from a norfolk band that he knew. i love that records function as entertainment and historical records and mementos. i wish i had grabbed that copy of too much pressure by the selecter, which reminds me of a long time ago when i was into 60s and 70s ska. maybe it will still be there when we return.
we also discovered a great bookstore called chop suey books. i went in search of photography books by bernd & hilla becher. they had already sold their copies, but i did buy a bio of frederick law olmsted by witold rybczynski. i am now currently reading three books - said bio, hip: the history, and moby dick. i spent most of today reading the bio, which pleases me. there are few other ways i would like to spend my time.
it is sunday evening and i am really looking forward to watching deadwood tonight on home box office. it's a great show and, perhaps, my current favorite.
posted by bls @ 5:20 PM
4 Comments:
ah yes, crossing the mountain - such fun! i must have done so at least 1500 times over the past 3 years, and thank god i've only really been in danger from the occasional adventurous deer. but the fog is nasty fo'sho.
stauntonia is mostly an outkast reference. i figure if they can do it with atlanta...
how is the elektra series of sneaks different? other than the lafitte songs? artwork? sequencing?
Where did you do that record shopping?
plan 9 richmond has the vinyl goodies!
Maybe it was the leaves that had you comparing the two trees. The paulownia tree and the catalpa have similar leaves and are both known to have dense foliage. One can easily be mistaken for the other from afar.
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