Type A

Type A, a sculpture by Team Building (Align), 2010

This sculpture, comprised of two metal rings, is meant to cast 

one shadow on the day of the Summer Solstice.

This year, that will be June 20 at 23:09 GMT, 

which will be 7:09 p.m. DST, I think. 

I took these pictures at 1:26 p.m. and 1:27 p.m., 

respectively, and they look pretty well aligned to me.

What will be magically different just 

after 7 p.m. about seven weeks from now? 

Next year, the Solstice is to

be at 05:04 GMT on June 21.  Well, that translates 

to just after one o'clock in the morning here, 

so not much chance of the two rings casting 

an aligned shadow then, either.

Unless it's star or moon shadows.

Here, a man is walking his dog just outside

Aliens Plotting a Crop Circle.

If I were to lie in the circle naked at the appointed,

important time, will I find my self joyously

impregnated by Darryl the One-Eyed Monster

from the Planet Trojan? That's an event

that'd scare the magic out of all the 

woods faeries for miles around.

Makes their wings droop just thinking on it.

Another of the Bench Around the Lake
series by Jeppe Hein, 2010

These photos are among those I took last week 

during my visit to the Indianapolis Museum of Art 

and to the IMA's adjacent art park, 100 Acres.

No Half Way

Since early morning it's been so gloomy the street lights have been on all the damn day. The weather forecast was for "light rain" but there's not been much rain to speak of and the light from the lamp has seemed feeble, too. We can't seem to catch a break here. Either it's so hot and bright you need to apply a sunscreen just to look out the window, or the phrase "a few storms may be severe" has begun to seem like a friendly reminder on the order of "Oh, and don't forget your galoshes."

What happened to pleasant days, those times when you enjoyed time outdoors without returning exhausted? This spring has been like Washington politics - heated or frosty, stormy or downright sere, winds carrying dangerous shards of debris or a becalmed indifference. If I had to vote right now, it would be "none of the above" because I want moderate. I want warm days with gentle breezes, that middle of the road weather that Mother Nature seems to have forgotten. However, there's no lobbying Mother Nature; she has her own agenda.

If this has been our spring, what does summer have in store? Tuesday marks the Summer Solstice. The forecast is for rain. Of course.