Sunday, July 24, 2011

NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY

A week behind the rest of the Muggles, but I finally caught up with the last Harry Potter installment.  The critics were right.  This was the grande finale, eliciting the most nuanced performances from the cast (young and old).

I left the theater in a reflective mood, feeling as one does at the close of some ephemeral pleasure -- like reaching the end of a terrific book, or series of them.  I've enjoyed the journey J.K. Rowling paved for all childlike souls, and the accompanying films drove home the sense of growing up and leaving childhood behind forever (and I left mine so long ago).


Sun setting over the hills
Taken from the car on the way to San Francisco

Sun behind the hills
Taken from the car on the way to San Francisco



Robert Frost may have been referring to the Fall from Eden here, but it applies equally well to fleeting moments:

So dawn goes down to day,
Nothing Gold can stay.

Seeking a pick-me-up, I wandered into one of our favorite bookshops in Santa Cruz,



across from the sculpture of the old man playing the Saw, a corner frequented by musicians and affectionately adorned with flowers by locals

Old Man playing the Saw
downtown Santa Cruz, CA

and was fired up again!  My mind is now engulfed in "The Tragedy of Arthur's" deadpan wit and humorous homage to the Bard of Avon.  And, if there's another series of delights I want to embark on, I realize I have yet to finish the entire Shakespeare canon.  (This project could take decades since I first encountered the Bard at 12 years old, when my parents handed me his Book of Sonnets for my birthday.)


So at the risk of second-rate philosophizing, we keep on searching.  It doesn't need to end.  Possibilities are endless.

I was telling a friend's young daughter about the photo below, if you look closely, those lights are really fairies dancing under water.

Sunlight flickering in the water
Pond in Sunnyvale, CA


All photos: The Foolish Aesthete


26 comments:

  1. Ah the perks of being in California and taking awesome pictures like those of the hill.. Yay to harry potter.. I too felt satisfied but sad a piece of my childhood ended..

    All the best, Angel

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  2. Thank You I enjoyed this journey with you today. Love those fairies under the water. Xxxx

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  3. Gorgeous, enchanting post, and stunning photos!

    xox

    p.s. i can see the fairies!

    xox

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  4. I was so sad at the end of Harry potter! I love Santa Cruz! I went for the first time this year and the entire boardwalk was closed for the holiday. I want to make a trip back, but it reminded me a lot of Coney Island!
    www.theidea-generator.com

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  5. I remember when I left the movie theater after watching the movie: I told Luisa, "I think I just officially grew up and left my childhood behind"

    I literally grew up with these films and books (first novel I ever read) and the ending was bittersweet. I'm going to miss waiting for another installment to come out.

    wwww.mylittlemusicbox.sopranina.com

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  6. BEautiful photos! I love how the water sparkles!

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  7. beautiful photos..the last one being absolutely enchanting!

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  8. WOW,amazing shots!!!Love them all,thanks for sharing!
    http://chiccastyle.blogspot.com/

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  9. I think I am officially the last muggle who has not already seen the final Harry Potter film! I am glad it lives up to its expectations, though! What beautiful photos of the sunset!

    Hope you had a great weekend! :)
    -j
    sorelle in style

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  10. Wonderful combination of beautiful photos, poetry, and reference to bookshops and Shakespeare. It's like a list of ingredients for the perfect day.

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  11. Look like im missing out on harry potter. Haven't watched the last few of them. :(

    cute blogg :)
    fall-e-n.blogspot.com

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  12. Lovely photos!! Seeing pictures of books makes me want to buy more, even though I already have a ton I haven't read!! It's an addiction. haha

    xox Courtney Michele
    Breakfast in Wonderland

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  13. Some great shots.. beautiful sunset ones
    Lee x

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  14. Beautiful shots

    pinklemonincrystal.blogspot.com

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  15. cute pics...

    Love,
    www.chicksinfeathers.co.cc

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  16. These pictures are beautiful!!!! Love that statue!!!
    I didn't see Harry Potter yet :-((
    xx
    http://dontcallmefashionblogger.blogspot.com

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  17. lovely pictures. i'm seeing harry potter today, so excited! i've heard only good things about it

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  18. I still haven't made it but am so looking forward to the last installment. Loved reading the books and watching the films... As you say, it's the end of an era.

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  19. how amazing is that golden sunset

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  20. Beautiful pictures, love the last one!

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  21. I love the last photo ! amazing pictures

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  22. All good things must come to an end, some end like Harry Potter, some end like LOST.. (yea, thats right JJ Abrams, still seeking an apology for that lighthouse, frozen wheel, walt....) I loved harry potter! i hope that JK rowling comes out with more stuff...
    such amazing pictures you have captured! those are really fairies dancing under the water btw..
    * I believe in Fairies, I do, I do*
    hugs
    Nelly
    www.massacredmascara.blogspot.com

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  23. Nothing more beautiful than a sunset!!

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Dear Fellow Aesthetes, I love hearing your thoughts. I think the other readers find them valuable too! Much love xxx

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