Neptune Holds Court on Capitol Hill, Nymph Downtown

Court of Neptune

Nymph and Fawn

For a long time every time I saw this lovely Court of Neptune fountain on Capital Hill it wasn't working, so I was delighted to pass by the other day and see the water spurting from the multiple spigots and dousing several giant bronze figures and fantastic creatures. This 1898 allegorical work consists of nymphs, and horses, turtles, conch shells and water snakes in a large semi-circular pool in front of the Library of Congress. On a hot day you just feel cool standing next to it. This amazing depiction of the force of water reminds me greatly of The Darlington Memorial Fountain that is downtown near Judiciary Square, in a small park next to the federal courthouse, DC. Described as a "Nymph and Fawn" and placed there in 1923, this gilded bronze life-style figure looks a lot like Diana of the Hunt. Who would have thought that scattered about in Washington DC are glorious naked figures representing beauty, thought and natural energy?

Winter Leaves But Wisdom Stays

On my way to work the other day I looked up and saw that there were still some maple leaves on some of the trees on the street on the way to my bus stop. With the miracle of my cell phone camera I snapped this photo as I so loved the sun shining through the yellow leaves against the dark branches and blue sky. It's at these moments that I realize how much I have been influenced by a poem I learned as a child. Here it is:
Time to Stop and Stare
What is this life if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep, or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
--  William Henry Davies 1871 - 1940

I remember learning this at age 7 when we had to memorize some poem for some English literature study we did while being home schooled. Of course, that was back when my mind was blotting paper soaking up new things avidly, not like it is now when the Random Access Memory program occasionally fails due to the  Information Uptake plugin software being "overloaded."   Or at least, that's how it now feels when I have to learn some new text -- it's just too hard to do. But at the least, all the words I've taken in, have had an effect and have lead me to action.  So it's just as well I read the Bible then or I'd probably be a real mess by now.