Cherry Blossom Festival

First, at noon, we were treated to a performance by these enthusiastic student drummers, the Taiko Drums--and many were girls-- and then invited into the Wang Center to enjoy the festival

The Wang Center ar SUNY hosted this lovely event today to welcome spring. Drummers drummed, blossoms blossomed, silks rippled, and bonsai quietly showed off. There were theater performances, traditional candies, people in colorful clothing, head massaging tables of pottery, and much more. Here are some pix

Bonsai (too dark for good pix)

This garden (which is always here) with all its bamboo and levels and pool is an integral part of the building.

Nice place to have a bag lunch

Colorful kimonos

Some worn with panache

This is Horsehair design, very delicate

Wonderful simple pottery

For a 10-minute video click here and scroll down.

Through the rain

The Melville Library at SUNY Stony Brook greening up on a day of April showers, the bank sprinkled with daffodils. I took these pix yesterday from inside the Staller Center on an upper level.

(Sorry about the hiatus in posting. Guess I got lost in the labyrinth)

Labyrinth

Have you ever walked around a labyrinth? They are supposed to promote spiritual reflection and healing. This one lies within Avalon Park in Stony Brook and there is a pit in the middle where children love to hide. The fragmented figure on the boulder is a strong evocation of human striving. (I have to admit I did not take this picture. It is from the Park's website.) The labyrinth is just a few feet away from the spot where I took these autumn pictures.

There is an interesting article in Wikipedia on the Labyrinth in mythology and history.

Oh boy, the Hobbit is coming

She's the little one on the left. On April 21st we'll have a chance to see a cast of the skeleton of this ancient human called the Flores Hobbit at a symposium at Stony Brook University. Here's an account of the original find in 2003. And here's the Wiki article on Homo floresiensis.