It's the Small Things that Matter - Macro Photography

Wednesday Thoughts

Earth Day

Earth day came and went while most of the US were under some sort of “shelter in place” order. I remember last year they closed off parts of Broadway and had a bunch of sustainable groups that gave out freebies, or had you sign up for various things. I think the same part of Broadway is closed today, but for very different reasons. It’s nice to have a day that celebrates the marvels of this earth, but I of course like to marvel about our earth every day.

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Documenting the smaller things on earth

Ever since I moved from Alaska my camera has been getting less and less attention. By now it is a bit outdated and I have been thinking that I should get a new one for several years now, just like I have been thinking that I should get a tattoo. None of that has happened, yet. At one point I got really into macro photography, because there is no better way to see natures magical world than to drop down on your knees and get close to the tiniest parts of this ecosystem. I am the type of person that will do just that and don’t think about the consequences, i.e dirty knees, until afterwards. I can easily get sucked in to the details, maybe that is why I am a lab manager.

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Now when I look through all my photos I want to get back, back into photography again, but the lack of the nature I want to depict is nowhere to be found in this urban place. There are details here too of course, just not so obvious, or maybe that is the whole point. You have to search for it and train your eye for a different environment. Either way, one can dream about the nature that used to surround me at least.

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When all of this is over - A day in New York

“Hey, tonight if you think about it
Remembering all the times that you pointed out
Say, the glass is clear but all this fear
Starts a-leaving a mark
Your idle hands are all that stands
From your time in the dark
But it’s still alright”

— Nathaniel Rateliff

Wednesday Thoughts on a Thursday

May 7 2020

We are standing by the window that faces the street. The same street that used to have a lot of traffic back in the day, and cars that were constantly honking because it was going to slow. About as slow as we think it’s going inside now. There aren’t that many cars, or buses, that drive by now and even the sirens have stopped. Every now and then I lean my head too much towards the window and my forehead leave marks on the window, that window we cleaned not too long ago. Maybe that is why I constantly bump into it, it’s so clean that I can’t even see it’s there, or is it because I am so curious about what is going on further down the street? It’s Happy Hour and this is where we end up for that now, becuase there isn’t that much else to do. It’s even a sentence we found ourselves saying more than once, Do you want to come and stand by the window with me and see what’s going on out there? This is where we talk about the day that passed, what we accomplished, or didn’t accomplish, and what we read or listened to news wise. But even the news is something we turn off or scroll past if it sounds or looks too heavy. Because who wants to listen to how this America is breaking down right in front of you.

The days go by, very slowly but still fast. It’s already May and we spent all of April in here, or not all but that is what it feels like. We live in an area that some people would describe as “a little rough around the edges” and the atmosphere feels different out there now. I feel the same way I did when we just moved here. I don’t really have anything to complain about, being inside, because I have a job that is willing to pay me working from home. It’s probably not the same for a large number of people around here. If you thought people were struggling before this, just imagine what they do now.

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The other day I spent more than a hour searching for face masks. Not the one that contains cucumber and not the N95 either. Those masks are reserved for the people on the front line, and rightfully so. If you went on Amazon back in March all PPE including hand sanitizer and bleach were reserved for the front line. We had everything we needed back then, but now we need these face masks, the light version. The type of face mask that is sewn by workers who used to make bags or clothes or everything in between. It’s not meant to protect me from the virus, but it’s probably better than nothing as long as it doesn’t get wet. It’s meant to protect others from me if I would ever carry the virus without being sick. Just think about that, we now live in a world where I can say I spend an hour ordering face masks.

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It’s Thursday, and on Thursdays people on the other side of the Atlantic (read Sweden) eat yellow pea soup, and so do we. With pancake. I’ve been thinking a lot about Swedes and Sweden lately. We went there last summer, the first summer in almost ten years and maybe that is why. I don’t really want to live in Sweden because this is where my home is now. But it’s the Swedish songs and artists that are constantly echoing in my head nowadays.

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A walk Through Central Park - NYC

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A Stroll through Central Park

The Weekly long Walk

We take weekly long walks here and they usually end up in one of the larger parks. We have only been venturing out once a week, but I am starting to second guess that descion now, since it’s starting to get to us. Technically you are only “supposed” to go out when you have to, which is why we have kept it at about once a week. It takes about 15-20 minutes for us to get to any of the larger parks around us, so that is also another reason why we don’t do it that frequently. 1.6 million people live in Manhattan, so even though all the tourists are gone, you can imagine what it would look like if everyone tried to get to the parks at the same time.

The Loch

We usually start at the north end of Central Park and walk behind the ice skating rink/swimming pool, and there the Loch starts which is one of my favorite trails in the park. That ice skating rink just melted after the city shut down in March, and unfortunately the swimming pools in the city will be closed this summer. I know it is for the best, but I feel sad for all the kids (and adults) that wont have a place to cool off this summer. The Loch attracts a lot of birders, or people in general who want to get away from the larger crowds. We encountered a group of enthusiastic birders and photographers when we walked by, they had spotted a Virginia Rail. We quickly passed that group of people and continued our long walk. You can go in all different directions from the Loch, of course, and we tend to move towards the west side of the park. To the east you can continue to the Conservatory garden which always have many pretty flowers. There is a small avenue with many benches along both sides there, and public restrooms. You can continue on the Loch until you pop up right by a waterfall (the second waterfall you can see on this walk) and the Pool (the name of the big pond). If you continue straight south though, you’ll reach the tennis court and additional public restrooms.

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Cherry Blossoms around the Jackie Kenedy’s Reservoir

We finally arrived by Jackie Kennedy’s Reservoir, and all the cherry blossoms. The Okame cherry trees were blooming already in March (a month early) and they are long gone now. The cherry trees that are blooming now are mainly the Kwanzan, and a couple of Yoshinos are still going strong. Naturally we walk south on the west side of the reservoir, and when we go north we walk along the east side. The northern part of the park is pretty empty now, although everything is relative. The reservoir on the other hand is crowded, like always, and so even now. I mean everything is relative, and I thought it was crowded based on the fact that we technically are not suppose to congregate. I guess my photos are showing the less crowded parts, since that is where we try to walk.

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I like the turtle pond and also the Belvedere castle which will guide you towards the Ramble, my second favorite trail in the park. Right behind the castle is also where one of the weather stations in Manhattan sits, if you are into that jam. I really like the architecture of the Belvedere castle. It sits on the top of a hill and you can view the upper east side from here. I have never ever seen the castle so empty, I mean there is a pandemic out there but still. Quite the contrast from the number of people we saw around the reservoir.

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The Ramble and Bow Bridge

We continued south, walking along the Ramble which has a ton of different small trails. Eventually you pop out right by the Bow Bridge that will take you over to the Bethesda Terrace. Even though the area around the reservoir was busy, the area around the bow bridge was surprisingly empty. If you have ever been to the Bow Bridge, have you ever seen it empty? An old man was sitting on the other side of the bridge playing some sad songs on his accordion, we gave him some money before continuing. I could see another old man feeding the ducks in the Lake to the west. So many lonely old souls around here.

Bethesda Terrace and the Fountain

It was almost empty by the Bethesda Terrace and the Fountain too. Already in 1868 people were able to enjoy the views of the terrace and the fountain, designed by Olmstedt and Vaux. My favorite part is right underneath the terrace, all the beautiful colors there are amazing. Some small groups of people were sitting with face-masks talking to each other, complaining about people who are not keeping their distance or just about life in general. They were all wondering when this is going to end, and shared information about businesses that are closing and they were all wondering who would still be there when this is all over. You hear random people strike up a conversation, because we are all in this together, and people are getting lonely.

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As we walked north again the number of people increased and that uncomfortable feeling arose again, or was that because we were walking by the field hospital, or because 2 hours had passed and more people were out and about? I wonder what it will feel like once everything opens up again. Will we always be scared of being too close to one another or will we forget about how all of this was after a few months. Maybe we should start to go on daily walks, but then again, doesn’t that defeat the purpose in some way? People are starting to move around more, and especially now when the weather is getting nicer I wonder how this will all play out. They are talking about opening up larger streets to make room for more people, but my guess is that more people will still wanna go to the park. I mean who wouldn’t want to sit in the grass on a blanket in Central Park right now? Just like we could do before this pandemic.

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