T.

Sitting in the lobby at the Park Plaza Hotel,
Boston, a pot of coffee at my side (as well
as my lovely fiance [accent aigu on that last 'e'])
baby-grand piano cranking out the automated tunes.
Coffee in late afternoon makes me ridiculously
cheerful.

We visited the Ware Collection of Blaschka Models
of Glass Plants at Harvard Museum of Natural
History. (See photo above.)
A room filled with display cases
of delicated reproductions of flowers, grasses,
tress branches, commissioned in 1885, created
by father and son Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka
of Germany, exclusively for this museum.
Seventy-five percent of the collection
was completed in five years;
upon the death of the father, the son continued
for another four decades. These are
life-size models, complete with root systems,
and with magnified crosscuts of each plant's
reproduction system. Absolutely stunning.
Everyone was gasping at the intricacy
of each stem, petal, root. The Blaschka's
are quoted as saying that there was not
much artistry involved, just attention
to detail, and use of their jewelry-making
skills. This is a MUST SEE if you are in
the Boston area. I've never seen anything
even remotely resembling this.

Rain today, and without relief
from humidity. Hot rain.
Sandal-splashing through puddles
and it feels good.