One Score Years Ago

David Joseph Wilcox at Wigstock in Union Square, early 1990s. Scan from original slide, date unrecorded.


20 years ago, on January 22, 1996, my friend, David Joseph Wilcox, died from AIDS.

The last time I saw him was December 12, 1995. I wrote this on my return trip home on the F train back to Brooklyn from the East Village.

Field Trip: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, April 23, 2006

I thought I had previously blogged these photos, but I couldn't find the blog post. So I'm posting it where I can find it again!

[I would have preferred to back-date these photos to April 23, 2006, the date of the visit, but "new" Blogger doesn't seem to allow that.]

This is what we can look forward to in another six weeks or so in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Cherry Blossoms


Cormorant, Torii, and Hillside in the Japanese Garden



Magnolia Plaza


Spring Bulbs in the Annual Border of the Lily Pool Terrace







Tulips in the Annual Border of the Lily Pool Terrace


Euphorbia in the Mixed Perennial Border of the Lily Pool Terrace



Lilacs in the Mixed Perennial Border of the Lily Pool Terrace


Redbuds and Spring Bulbs in the Fragrance Garden

Woodfield Inn, Flat Rock, North Carolina

Photos of the exterior, grounds, and gardens of the historic Woodfield Inn [defunct] in Flat Rock, North Carolina. These photos are from October of last year and this past Saturday, when we threw a party for my parents's 50th Anniversary.

I could use some help from my gardening buddies in identifying the foliage, berries and plants. I'm not so good on woody plant identification.

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Flickr photo set

Prospect Park Lights: Park Circle

Today was opening day of Prospect Park in Lights, an installation of over a half-million LED lights at four entrances to Prospect Park. Park Circle is one of the four. It's the southwest entrance of the park, at the intersection of Coney Island Avenue and Parkside Avenue. The statues at the entrance are "The Horse Tamers."

See the lights at The Pergola.

The Daffodil Project: Grief & Gardening #5

Today I planted bulbs in the front yard, including daffodils I received through the Beverly Square West Neighborhood Association, which were donated through The Daffodil Project. With this act, our front yard becomes part of a living memorial to those murdered on September 11, 2001.

The Daffodil Project was originally created to commemorate September 11. ...
The Daffodil Project is made possible in part by the generosity of a Dutch bulb supplier, Hans van Waardenburg of B&K Flowerbulbs, who has pledged to donate 500,000 daffodil bulbs to the project each year as long as there are volunteers willing to plant them. More than 20,000 volunteers have responded to his challenge so far. And thanks to their efforts, nearly 3 million yellow daffodils bloomed in over 1,300 individual sites across the five boroughs in the spring of 2006.
- The Daffodil Project, New Yorkers for Parks

... This act of immense generosity has been coupled with that of Joseph Temeczko, a Minnesotan handyman who willed his entire life-savings of $1.4 million to New York City, $300K of which will pay for the shipping of these precious bulbs for the following 5 years. Temeczko, who is said to have been a Nazi prison camp survivor, entered the U.S. through Ellis Island and lived for a time in New York City where he worked at the Statue of Liberty. Following September 11th, 2001, he redirected his estate "to honor those who perished in the disaster." An avid gardener, himself, he loved to share his garden's harvest with others, and passed away only a month later while working in his own garden.
- My Community Hero: The Daffodil Project, Claudia Herrera Hudson

This Daffodil Project is distinct in that it involves no particular site. All public parks and community gardens are potential sites for the Daffodil Project. After 9/11, New Yorkers turned to their parks as a common ground where they could congregate, debate, memorialize, grieve, and find spiritual and physical renewal. The Daffodil Project is a lasting tribute to the people that died and the heroes that were born that day, it is a symbol of remembrance and rebirth in the heart of what is common ground for all of the citizens of New York: their public parks.
- The Daffodil Project, The Living Memorials Project

Here are some more photos of me in the act this afternoon, graciously taken by my neighbor, Jeff Tolbert. (Since this is my photographic debut on my own blog, I decided not to upload the flattering butt-crack photos.)

Related Posts

The Daffodil Project

Links

Plans for bequest made by Joseph Temeczko, Press Release, Parks, February 12, 2003