It is amazing that when, after a hectic week, a rest on a park bench, an old park bench, changes every perspective and connects all the loose ends. There across the grass, a red Squirrel dances like every creature in Red Square.

The bushy tail and red pelt mark this squirrel for a good crash course in Soviet Realism! This image takes red to a whole new level. The dashing squirrel is cute. Our place on the bench is secured by a park of attractions and distractions.

The ordinary sheaves of wheat presented in the Moscow Subway corridors is a blend of secessionist art and the Kiev regional presentations. The subway stations were clean, aesthetically pleasing and functional. Sitting on the park bench I began to wonder why the rapid transit systems of North America are visual blights.

Speaking of ordinary! The back of the shirt-dress says it all. Is it possible that our individualism is more important than our collective great. Or is it simply that our tastes are so fickle that only with older images and older stories do we begin to recognize great. If we spent more time in contemplation on the park benches would we look after our homes, cars, streets, alleys, subways and selves? Recovery from narcissism is possible if the other is more important than the self. The Psalmist of number one may have it right when he acknowledges how blessed are those people who have moved beyond their greed.