Spring in (the West Garden at Dia) Beacon

Spring is great just about everywhere, but there's something about spring in Beacon that is particularly magical. The less positive part of me would say that it's because Beacon, being a former industrial city that has fallen on hard times more than once in its life, has its fair share of nondescript buildings and houses with vinyl siding and chain link and vinyl fences, and in the winter - especially after the Christmas decorations have come down (giant blow-up santas notwithstanding) and the snow has melted - it can get to looking pretty grim. J. and I, like many other urban transplants, were drawn to the fact that Beacon still has a "gritty" side, that it hasn't been completely gentrified and cleaned up. But I admit that sometimes we get a little wistful as we drive through our boring, gentrified, cleaned-up neighbor, Cold Spring (no blow-up decorations allowed, and certainly no rusting cars on blocks in the back yard). Snobby, yes, but I'm not going to try to pretend in my own blog that Beacon's all rosy all the time. Still, "it's home," and for most of the year Beacon is beautiful and even when it's not, it's got enough other great things to make us want to stay. 

But back to spring. A friend said she thinks of this as the "bridal season," not because it's when lots of women get married but because so many trees and shrubs look like they are wearing gowns - all chiffon and tulle and lace in varying shades of pink and white, completely fluffy and froufy and over-the-top. 

At Dia:Beacon this weekend, the cherry trees in Robert Irwin's West Garden were in full knock-your-socks off blooming splendor. I entered the garden on Friday just as a gust of wind blew through, whipping pink blossoms off the trees which then fluttered down like parade confetti. People seemed truly happy as they walked around, sat on the benches, smiled, took pictures, and listened to the Louise Lawler sound piece. And walking around inside the museum, you could spot who'd been in the garden by the tell-tale pink petals in their hair. We're not allowed to take pictures inside the museum, but outside is fair game, so here are a few shots from my visit this weekend. 

I wish I had time to just wander around the city taking pictures, but as a landscape designer, this is also my busiest time of year (in fact, I shouldn't even be writing this post!) and so for the time being, these images will have to suffice.