Close to the gates a spacious garden lies,
From the storms defended and inclement skies;
Four Acres was allotted space and ground,
Fenc'd with a green enclosure all around.
Tall thriving threes confessed the fruitful mold:
the reddening apple ripens to gold,
Here the blue fig with luscious juice overflows,
With deeper red the pomegranate glows,
The branch here bends beneath the weighty pear,
And verdan olives flourish round the year.
-Homer, Odyssey, circa 850 B.C. Alexander Pope translation
I was a little tired today, so I decided to do some still life photography of the harvesting fruits and vegetables that are in our garden. I will show more of them throughout autumn, but for now, I have the first ripe pear of the season. Sigh. That first bite of a chilled pear is always a late summer event for me. The air is cooling, and sometimes in the early evening, as the sun is just beginning to set, my whole body feels more alive then ever, even when I am tired...all it takes is a little breeze up from the bay, and that first bite of a fresh, buttery, juicy pear to remind me why life is so great this time of year. Soon, the garden will be alive with autumn color and scent. It's life at my fingertips. Still life.
-OndineMonet
"Still Life Pear"
Berkeley, California
September 2nd, 2006
Early Evening
