Luminous beings are we

From the Schenectady Museum and Suits-Bueche Planetarium. The museum is in the midst of a transition from exhibits of local history (like the French and Indians burning the city) to showing off technology that our people helped invent. If you're in the area, stop by - it's sure to be different from your memory of it.

There are many interactive exhibits. This is a photoluminescent wall. Opposite, are bright lights on a timer. Push a button, the lights come on for something like 30 seconds, then turn off, leaving the room in complete darkness except for the soft glow of the wall.

If one stands close to the wall when the lights are on, one's shadow is captured. The closer one stands, the sharper the image. Slowly move an arm, and it becomes ghostly. Fun for kids and parents too. Hand-held, but the wobble in my arms only adds to the overall effect.

Modern sculpture

This artwork is on the grounds of the Schenectady Museum. If you drive here, go round the side overlooking the hill you drove up.

There's no name plate, no sign indicating the artist, the name or the year it was created. Very interesting.

It looks a bit like a large machine screw, truncated at both ends. It's resting on some gravel that's gradually being overtaken by the grass. It may have been painted once; maybe not.

It's a very appropriate symbol for what Schenectady has become. Industrial, but quiet, nature slowly reclaiming her own.