Winter evening

winter evening, originally uploaded by jahansell.

It's been way too cold to go outside and take pictures - below zero, most mornings for the last week. Today it's a balmy 18 degrees! We've had snow upon snow, everything is just lovely!

treehouse in the city

treehouse, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Not Sharon - no, I took a day trip to the city and walked from train station to meeting to library to theater, including through Madison Square park, which always has something interesting going on. This month, there are a bunch of treehouses, by Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata. According to the park's website the tree houses are "a crystallization of Kawamata’s interest in the architecture of shelter and of the insertion of private objects into public spaces as a method of renegotiating the meaning of both."

Brilliant yellow

yellow, originally uploaded by jahansell.

My neighbor painted his house last summer - "the yellow house at the corner " makes a good landmark and now it's brighter than ever.

Snow sports

snowshoeing, originally uploaded by jahansell.

Last night, my amazing daughter and husband went skiing in what seemed like the dead of night - it was 6 when they left and nearly 10 when they got home, glowing and delighted. It was the first outing of the season - at last, after illness, rain, scheduling problems and every other obstacle had kept them away from the slopes. My husband had bought his first ever pair of skis, and said they rode like a dream, but he still couldn't keep up with my nearly-10-year-old daughter, who, on her rented pair, just flies down the mountain.

My neighbor, Paul, has another winter sport - snowshoeing, which he was doing as I happened to be walking by.

Kate M. sent me a perfect poem to go with yesterday's picture (and the whole year, I think!) - Thanks, Kate!

"Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay

Happy New Year - Daily / Yearly Theme!

yellow tree, originally uploaded by jahansell.

I'm not an official member of the Daily Photo Family anymore since I don't post regularly, but I want to join the New Year's Day fun anyway.

I was pleased, looking back over this year's posts, how many candidates I had for best photo - I had stopped posting in part because I thought that the pictures were getting weaker - or I was repeating myself. But I love this tree (so much so that I made it the cover of a calendar I made to benefit the Sharon Historical Society - if you want one give them a call!) and it also relates to the discussion we've been having here recently about the shopping district. Commenters made the point that, while the plaza isn't anything wonderful, its creation is what has saved the green from commercial development. This tree is right in the middle of Upper Main, opposite the green at the center entrance off West Main. My 6 year old daughter made the definitive statement about it on the day we took this picture - walking among the leaves she said, "it's like walking through sunshine!"

Happy New Year, everyone - may 2009 bring peace!

(By the way, here's one more candidate for best, or happiest, photo of the year!)