Departed Monuments

 While the statues of Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Matthew Fontaine Murray and others have been removed and graffiti erased, there are blank and empty pedestals.

What will Monument Avenue in Richmond Virginia look like in the future?                                         Will this city, and others, be able to forge a new creative vision that unites its Black and white heritage in powerful and artful ways?

Robert E Lee Monument is Still There, November 2020

 As of November 2020, the Robert E Lee statue on Monument Avenue in Richmond is still up.

The base has been covered with graffiti, there is a continuous presence of BLM and it has become a gathering place for the curious and the  committed.

Its fate is uncertain.

November 2020 Flowers

 

Fall blooming Witch Hazel tree blooming happily in the November sun.

Mahonia, or Oregon Grape, also blooming happily.

On a different note, an inside arrangement of hothouse Lilies and Winterberry.

Thanksgiving 2020

 After lots of clearing and cleaning, we could actually see the living room floor.

A hearty meal to celebrate - the table had not yet been organized.

November 2020 Trees

 

Sweetgum, above,  and Red Oak, below, at Pennypack Environmental Restoration Trust.

The Beech above has  lost its top in a storm long ago.  This fall, it lost its leaves early.

Below, the White Oak to the left and Black Locust to the right are dance partners.

Even the Beeches with leaves of yellow to brown are glowing beautiful in the sun.

Landscape Politics

 

I hate to say that the politics of the owner can be guessed by the landscape, but....

There is a small yard sign by the tree at the left driveway entrance - Trump.

When elections come around, the yard signs provide an easy way to compare different landscape styles.

Dawn of a New Day

 

Lines on Election Day morning at a suburban Philadelphia polling place.

Gatherings along public streets to support counting the vote turned into joyous street parties about noon on Saturday after the election.

Fall 2020 Work on Meeting Landscape

 Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting Landscape Committee works together to support

Meeting use by the larger community, 

being a polling station for the election,

and also a space for contemplation and health.