Indulging My Photo Addiction

lalala

2011-01-31T06:32:00.001-08:00

Sometimes accidents end up being my favorite things. Like this shot here in which I am attempting to track flight. That white blur at the bottom right is the heron in my last post.

What is not my favorite thing is the making of decisions. For example, I like both incarnations of this shot, all watercolored and impressionistic.

Which do you like, if either?

In flight

2011-01-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

The semester started today. My first class isn't until tomorrow evening, but I'm already overwhelmed. I think once I'm really into it and know what to expect from my schedule, I'll be just fine.

But at the moment, I want to flee a bit. You know...grab a buddy and fly away.

Like these guys.

Also, it's reassuring to know that scenes like this will always exist in this world whether I fail out of grad school or not. That's really not a bad world in which to live, you know?

Oiseaux des fantaisie

2011-01-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

Birds at Lake Mayer in Savannah.

There's something about this picture...I was thinking it was moody, but now it kind of reminds me of an illustration in a children's book. I'm not sure why, but it does.

Emotions

2011-01-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

Sad tree cries hearts. Is very sad.

Playing with effects

2010-12-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

You know, I'm really not a baby person. Really. But I have a LOT of recent Charlotte pics and I spent a couple of hours editing them instead of doing homework last night.

Anyway, so this is all about effects I love. I usually love really true, really saturated color in my pictures--that or a very clean, sharp black-and-whites.

Last night, I went a...different direction.

Okay, full disclosure. That one started as an accident. I was trying to color-correct for white in a shadowy shot and it blew out the rest of the picture instead. And for some reason, I loved it.

This next one was on purpose. I wanted sort of an overly dramatic, graphic, superhero shot that was still, you know, baby and fun.

This next one feels a bit vintage and dreamy to me. I kind of want to see what it looks like on canvas.

And finally, we have the mama. I like the sort of lost space of the majority of the shot. It's dreamy in a different way and I think it's fab.

That's me playing! What do you think?

Action Charlotte!

2010-12-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I like to amuse myself.

This is one of those times.

Make your own animation

Charlotte

2010-11-30T11:36:00.001-08:00

Please, behold the cuteness that is this child.

This is Charlotte Fay. She's my sort-of niece, the daughter of my best friend Amy and her husband Andy. She drools. A lot. Like, a lot, a lot.

Despite her moistness, she's pretty secure in her parents' love.

"Yeah, I know my dad digs me," she says.

Yep, she's pretty sweet, this one. I think she's a keeper.

Blaze of glory and all that

2010-10-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

I don't just love fall because it signals the cessation of summer's heat. Nor just because it's nostalgic, bringing to mind the start of the school year (and the actual start of school this year) and the memory of new clothes and new class kleenex boxes and new things to learn. I don't just love it because I know the apples are arriving and pumpkins and hayrides and all that goes with.

I love it because it's gloriously beautiful...far more so than my camera can ever capture.

My name is Katherine and I cannot live without beauty.

Brave Hands

2010-10-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

There was this exhibit at ArtPrize--pianos distributed about the city for anyone to play.

So Debbie did. Background here: Debbie played the piano growing up, but it dropped off when she grew up, as so often happens in our lives. A few years ago she sort of wandered into piano playing again...and discovered she was better than she'd ever been.

It's still not generally a public thing for her. But she couldn't resist the lure of these pianos just sitting out in the open all available and stuff.

She sat down and the sweet sounds of "Linus and Lucy," the classic Charlie Brown tune, floated out into the ArtPrize crowd.

When ArtPrize ended, the pianos were donated to schools and community groups in the area.

I really can't decide which of the last two pictures is my favorite. They're both lovely, I think.

2010-10-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I just like this picture.

In her shoes

2010-10-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now. I'm...not. Instead, I'm here, sharing a pair of shoes with you.

These are not my shoes, though I'd love to have a pair of my own. These shoes (and the feet inside them), belong to Brianne Celeste, a 14-year-old friend of mine. She and her shoes came along to ArtPrize when I visited Michigan a couple of weeks ago. Heavens, it seems longer than that.

I can't decide if the charm of the shoes rubbed off on their owner or if they've been imbued with her spirit. Whichever direction it went, there was just something about these shoes that stole every shot they were in.

They remind me of her, in a strange way: intelligent, bright-spirited, a little diffident, solidly supportive, and unexpected.

Kickin' shoes. Awesome owner.

Off to the races

2010-10-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

I moved to Kentucky, I started school, and suddenly, I DO things. Interesting things. Things I've always wanted to do, but somehow never have. Like going to the races.

No, I did not wear an extravagant black and white hat, nor scream at any horse to "move your bloomin' arse!"

I did, however, have a great time and get pictures I love. I call this one, "I'm on a horse."

I did not know this at the time, but the man in this photo is one of the anthropology professors in my department. He wields a mean parasol, too.

And this is one of my favorite pictures of all time. Cronies! Racing cronies! Bellybutton!

Orchards

2010-10-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

In today's world of supermarkets and packaged foods, I suspect most of us rarely think of phrases like, "the bounty of the harvest," or truly understand the both the glory AND the satisfaction of rolling amber waves of grain. I know it's not constantly on my mind.

I can't help being confronted by that frankly miraculous notion of harvest when I go to an orchard. Have you been? You are suddenly surrounded by the warm, rich scent of soil, overripe windfall apples, often the spiky smell of hay, and the intoxicating aroma of freshly pressed cider. The off-kilter globes of pumpkins tumble over each other, fighting with the leaves for the title of greatest reflector of the sun. The leaves that have already ceded the fight crackle underfoot, preparing to become the nourishment for the next growing season.

There truly is an abundance of health and deliciousness in the autumn, a gorgeous and fecund wonderfulness.

Speaking of deliciousness, may I recommend a cider slush float? Odd, but extremely pleasant. My adorable friend Katie models the happy experience.

Find an orchard near you. Buy a cup of hot spiced cider or peach turnover or just a bag of apples (and maybe caramel dip, too). Take your kids on a hayride. Pick your own pumpkins instead of buying them at the supermarket.

Rediscover the earth's bounty...and maybe give thanks a little early this year.

Leaf me alone!

2010-10-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

You may be noticing a theme lately.

They won't all be leaf shots, I swear.

Probably.

Oh, fall. I adore you.

Things on my shoe

2010-10-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

On Friday, an accidental and very small series emerged in my photography: "Things On My Shoe."

First, there was the butterfly at Robinette's.

(I think my foot looks kinda funky in that shot).

That was followed by the leaf at Pickerel Lake.

(Huh. My foot looks weird in a different way there).

That was all. I said it was a tiny series. A dyad, if you will. But it amused me.

You'll notice I'm trying to post more regularly. It helps that I'm actually taking pictures again. I can't guarantee an everyday post, but I will try to make it happen more often, for those of you who are interested. I have quite the backlog going, so I may as well. :)

ArtPrize!

2010-10-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you've been with me for...oh, a year or so, then you may remember last year's discussion of ArtPrize. Well, it's annual, though this is only the second. I'm so glad it did come back this year and even more, that I was able to come back to Grand Rapids to visit. And to take pictures, of course.

I haven't the time, space or inclination to show you all the shots I took, but I wanted to share a couple of my favorites (and there may be more tomorrow--we'll see).

At Rosa Parks Circle, there was a small pool with scads of steam rising from within to cascade up the hill behind it. And suddenly, there was a little girl cresting the hill, dramatically surrounded by the mist.

Okay, fine, she was playing. But it was still pretty cool. I rather wish she'd been wearing diaphanous scarves or even something post-apocalyptic...

On the face of the circle itself, right where one ice skates in the winter, there was a woman creating in chalk. She was surrounded by onlookers, primed to appreciate talent. However, ArtPrize was technically over. I have to wonder if perhaps she's out there all the time, crafting transient beauty for her own soul's edification and ArtPrize is just giving her a wonderful opportunity to share.

Hooray, art!

Sorry, Hols!

2010-10-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Autumn, everybody!

I'm home for the weekend, and my heart is full of joy.

A vagrant, a bum, a rail rider...

2010-08-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

My friend Holly is quite lovely. She's tall, elegant, usually well dressed, carries herself very nicely. Reminds me often of a curly-haired Anne Hathaway in many of her features and mannerisms.

She also has one of the most malleable faces ever. It's a wonderful thing to behold. Truly.

For example, there she's imitating a hobo.

No, no, don't try to make sense of it. Just enjoy...

Michaelmas

2010-08-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

Meet Michaelmas Monkey. In this picture, he's taken the passenger seat on my final move from Michigan to Kentucky. Please note his commitment to staying hydrated.

Michaelmas was a gift from dear friends as a mascot for my upcoming grad school adventure. At graduation from this particular program, I shall have a tiny sock monkey pinned to my gown. Finding out about this ritual caused several of my friends to take to calling this the "sock monkey school." Knowing my friends--heck, BEING my friends--you'll understand why they were rooting for it from then on.

When I pulled this charmingly goateed fellow out of his gift bag, it was love at first sight. And not too many minutes later, he told me his name. Don't laugh; a lot of my things name themselves. They just do, okay?!

Anyway, he said his name was Michaelmas. I thought that was a bit odd, but who am I to protest?

Today I looked up the term. I knew it was the feast of St. Michael and a colloquial name for a flower. But do you know what else it is? It's the fall term of a year of college. Yup. My monkey named himself for the adventure he represents...which I'll be undertaking in just two or three weeks.

This is why I let things name themselves.

You angel!

2010-06-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting you. My focus has necessarily gone elsewhere once my year was up. But I'd like to do better in future.

In the meantime, random picture.

There's a certain sorrow to stone angels that appeals to me.

I'm not sure what that says about me. It's probably best not to think to deeply about it.

Photosaurus Rex!

2010-06-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

(Holly, this is for you).

Photosaurus doesn't want you to miss this.

"Um...excuse me? Pardon me? I don't mean to be rude. But..."

"If you'll just take that exit there, you can drop in and say hi."

"In fact, if you'd like to take a picture or two with me, I'd be happy to oblige."

And so we did.

Smile for the camera!

New friends

2010-05-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

This is Frank.

Frank joined us in the middle of Indiana when we stopped to take four thousand pictures of the wind farm. Frank was surprisingly trainable, actually. I couldn't get my camera to focus on him at first and when I did, he crawled to the edge of the gear shaft. I scolded him ("No, Frank, I need you centered! You don't show up on the edge!") and herded him back to the top. Where he posed nicely for a couple of pictures to the amazement of Cindy and Jody. I never doubted, though. I had faith in Frank all along.

Then I thanked him and sent him on his sluggish way.

Frank, ladies and gentlemen.

Announcey things

2010-05-24T12:42:00.001-07:00

Yes, I promised you dinosaur pictures and art fair pictures and ice cream pictures, and I still mean to get to all of that. Really, really.

But there's a reason I decided not to post them last week as originally planned (and, really, you can't complain about getting a new Josh picture instead, can you?). A good reason.

The reason is that all of those pictures I was planning to post were from a recent trek to Kentucky. And while it was vacation and Cindy, Jody, and I did many super-fun things, the main reason for the trip wasn't vacation.

The main reason was to visit the city I'm moving to.

This fall I'll be starting grad school in Kentucky. I really needed to find a place to live and I had five days in which to do so. I did it in one, essentially. Found it, loved it, got it. So in a month, this cute little white house will be mine, all mine!

It's not huge, but it's tucked away by itself, it has a fireplace, and it's surrounded by trees. I'm a very happy camper, my friends.

I tell you this today because today I officially quit my job. Gave notice. Resigned.

If any of you own a moving truck, I'd be glad of your help. :)

Josh has an idea

2010-05-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

You know, all my fun Josh shots aren't solely my idea.

This afternoon, Josh realized that he was dressed exactly like one of our editors. Josh has admired said editor's style before--and today, he was therefore able to admire himself.

So we took a picture.

It's so, "I'm just like my big brother now!!!" isn't it? Right down to the lack of socks. I love how indulgent David looks.

It was a big day.

Random update

2010-05-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, my pretties, I've got SUCH pictures for you! Dinosaurs and art fairs and tasty treats and all sorts of fun. It will be so glorious!

Once I get home.

And am done with jury duty.

So next week sometime, I will have pictures galore!! Please don't give up on me yet.

Because I love you,

Me

Slides

2010-04-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

In my college photography class (lo, these many years ago), we learned how to develop our own black and white pictures. But everything color we sent out to a lab to be turned into slides.

That's how I discovered how much I LOVE slides. They're so honest. There's no image manipulation and no color change depending on paper or machine ink.

Earlier this week I pulled out a couple of my old slides and went super-meta, taking pictures of these tiny pictures.

Starring my friend Randy.

I love how dreamy this one is, held up against the woods so that the trees cast a green glow on the small scene.

There's a whole story in my head about that picture. It looks like he could just step out of the slide and into the continuing world of trees beyond.

This one I just like the graphic feel of it. The slide shot is a little blurry (not the original, mind you, just this new shot), but I don't mind. And I really like how he's caught in the circle of the lens.

Yes, I was going to take a hiatus from this blog. Then I decided that I'll just post when I feel like it, not when I don't.

So far, I've felt like it. :)

Whatever day I want it to be

2010-04-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

Leftover picture showing my camera progression. Click on the picture and look into the camera lens.

DAY! 3!6!5!

2010-04-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

I did it.

I DID IT!!!!

I've gone an entire year on this blog. Three hundred and sixty-five days! Honestly when I started this last year I thought I'd probably go two or three weeks and then the posts would start to slacken or I'd miss a day or two here or there and then a few days and then three weeks would go by without me remembering or taking any pictures. But for the most part, I've posted every single day (barring weekends, which I was never planning on, and vacations). I've accounted for and backtracked to each day like I was getting paid for it.

I thought my interest would dry up and I'd run out of creativity and get sick of taking pictures or that my itch to snap shots of the world around me would fade. I thought I'd have to resort to gimmicky themes just to force myself to get out there and take a picture of something, anything. But while I did have theme weeks and I did sometime take creative liberties, the itch never went away. My interest never dried up.

I thought I would regret my extravagant--by my standards, at least--purchase of a camera. I could have used the money to fix my car a little or to buy part of a couch. I have not regretted it once. If use determines value, this is one of the best purchases I've ever made in my life. I take pictures almost every day and, given that my output has consistently outstripped my space for posting, I'm pretty certain I would have even with this project.

I have, to date, 11 official followers, only half of whom I know in real life, and several others who swing by on a fairly regular basis. I have nearly 8200 views. I have a new blog friend who loves birch trees and beauty and silliness as much as I do. I have an account of my last year unlike any I've ever had before.

I had grandiose plans of an elaborate post with antique cameras and old slides and pictures and all sorts of stuff.

But when it came right down to it, that seemed like too much.

What I really want to say is:

Thanks to those of you who've been here since the beginning. Thanks for stopping by if this is your first time. Thanks to my friends and family who have encouraged me. Thanks for letting me take your picture and post it where the entire world can see it (even about 5.999 billion of them never will). Thanks for listening to me ramble on about leaves and trees and clouds and all that. Thanks for taking me interesting places.

Thanks for sticking by me.

I'm serious.

See?*

Most of all, thanks to my darling cousin Jen who gave me the idea for this Project 365 in the first place. You're the extra special awesomest and one of the most extravagantly creative people I know.

Hooray!!!!

*Special thanks to model Josh who went in for one of my schemes one last time. Please note that both poses were part of his creative process and in no way suggested by me. All I asked was that he hold the sign.

Day 364

2010-04-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Lilacs, my friends!

Lilacs.

That is all.

Day 363

2010-04-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all, you know I love books. Books are my friends. I am an adorer of books.

The Christmas of my 7th grade year (I believe--it was Wisconsin, anyway), my mom got me the complete Emily trilogy from L. M. Montgomery.

Okay, there's some background here you should know. Before we moved to Wisconsin, we lived in St. Louis. At some point during our time there, I discovered Anne of Green Gables. BEFORE I saw the PBS movie, mind you. And I loved it so much that I bought the rest of them, one by one, with my own money. Which often meant I showed up at B. Dalton with a baggie full of change I'd pulled from couch cushions, the sidewalk, and any other place I could find them. Books were somewhat cheaper then. Closer to $3 than $7.

I was so proud of those purchases and I devoured every book as I got it. Those were best beloved friends of mine.

Back to Wisconsin. I'd read all eight of the Anne series and reread and reread them tirelessly. And then in a Shopko in Oshkosh, I saw the most amazing thing: another series by L. M. Montgomery. A trilogy on a girl named Emily. I nearly cried right there in the store...I'm sure I squealed loudly. I told my mom I didn't want anything else for Christmas as long as I got those.

And I did.

I'm pretty sure I waited to eat Christmas lunch with the family before I sped to my room and opened the first book. But for the next day and a half or so, I didn't emerge from my room except to use the bathroom and be forced to eat by my mom (who, if I recall correctly, took pity on me and started bringing me sandwiches).

It was glorious!

During my weekend in Kansas City with the fam a couple of weeks ago, my cousins and I made a detour to a couple of bookstores. And that's where I found this:

This is the second book in the Emily series. It's far older than any copy I own, of course. Which is an enormous part of its charm.

Even these weren't the earliest incarnation of the books. Can you imagine a girl of the 1930s sitting down and falling in love with the same story I did over half a century later?

I wanted to take this home with me in the worst way. Unfortunately, it was priced at $40. So it stays in Mission, Kansas, up on the shelf in an obscure little used book store, waiting for someone to take it home.

I hope it will live with a little girl who will love it every bit as much as I still do.

Day 362

2010-04-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Tonya and I went shopping this weekend. We were searching for a shirt to match a very specific skirt she made from neckties. It's a pretty sweet skirt, but, as you can probably imagine, difficult to match given the wide variety of ties that make up the skirt.

We had much success, finding several shirts that will work, and one color that would work perfectly had we been able to find more than one shirt (too large) in that color.

But this isn't about the shopping. Oh, no. This is about Tonya's other creativeness.

She makes mustache necklaces.

Perfect for any hipster occasion! Or just any given Tuesday you feel like being more hirsute than usual.

Day 361

2010-04-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

In two days, my BFF will have been married for exactly one year!! And in about two months, she will have their first child.

It's all very strange and wonderful.

These shots are from that day a year ago. I have clearly upped the contrast to accomplish an iconic "bride applying lipgloss" silhouette that I love.

There's a horizontal version of the one below that I like even more, but Blogger reads it as vertical, curse it. So I make do.

Such a lovely bride, she was. And what a lovely couple they are. I love you both(or, I should say, all three of you)! May you have several decades of wedded bliss to come.

Day 360

2010-04-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

Day! Three! Sixty!

Crazy.

As I mentioned yesterday, we spent Saturday morning at Shawnee Indian Mission.

If you've never heard of it, look up the history. It's fascinating!

This building, one of the original dorm/office buildings, is now a private residence. I cannot decide if that would be unbelievably cool or really tiring to constantly have tourists at your door. Though except for school groups, I'd be willing to bet it's not a terribly popular spot. Which is a shame. We should connect to our history more!

Ahem. Sorry. Anyway, so you wander down that sidewalk up there and head across the little bridge and there's a covered wagon for your perusal. Granted, it's a little smaller than the big Conestogas many people had, but it gives you a fair idea of what it would be like to pack all your worldly goods into the back of a wagon and trek for months across the prairies.

A LOT of stuff got dumped along the way.

And there was no need for gas.

But there's a pump here anyway.

And for my greatest juxtapositional find, I give you: sparkly pink sunglasses on a pioneer homestead!!!

I swear I walked around a corner and just found them there.

Day 359

2010-04-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

You know what I'm thankful for? Among other things, of course. I'm grateful to come from a family that appreciates history.

Which explains the fact that on our day out on Saturday, we headed straight for the Shawnee Indian Mission and spent the morning there.

These buildings are original to the site, I believe. Or at least modeled closely on the originals.

That rather lovely brick building in the back IS original. It's one of the three remaining main buildings that were part of the mission/school. More pictures from the interior later, most likely.

And here, learning things, are Mom and Don.

Mom out and about, despite the wheelchair? Smiling (or in this case, squinting) into the sun? One of my very favorite things about the day.

If you get a moment, and you're this sort of person, mind taking the time to pray for her? The bone she broke back at the turn of the year isn't healing. They're talking bone grafts now. And replacing the other knee. Which they can't do until she can put weight on the broken leg. It's all kinds of fun!

I want more moments like this for her--only without the wheelchair.

Day 358

2010-04-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

They seemed to be doing a bit of remodeling at our KC hotel.

And that sign clearly didn't make the cut.

Always good advice.

Day 357

2010-04-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

One of the things I most enjoy about roadtripping is the ability to stop whenever the mood strikes. One of the things I most enjoy about roadtripping with my family (or friends, but this was a trip about family) is that they get it.

Somewhere in Missouri we stopped for gas. Just off the exit right across the street from the gas station was a fairground/farm museum.

Jen and I immediately pulled out our cameras to take pictures from the car and started planning to run across the street when the cars stopped.

Except that we didn't have to. Because Aunt Sandy knows us well. She just pulled over through the gate and said, "There you go. We'll pick you up on our way out."

Yay! Pictures!

Friendly engine in the distance.

The very colorful tractors lining the fence to draw people in managed to glow even on this cloudy day, even with their colors fading and flaking.

Even with the random skull.

Because really, what kind of farm museum would it be without the random skull on a tractor?

On the other side of the gate was a little train engine just big enough to fit one engineer in the cab. Off the back, note the train car, its interior retrofitted with bench seats all around the edges on which tourists can sit.

If you look in the background of this shot, you'll see the gas station that was the original point of the stop.

Somehow this shot looks really late 60's/early 70's to me.

After crawling all over the train, we headed back across the road and joined up with the group, about two hundred pictures richer and sated.

Thanks for indulging our photo addictions, Aunt Sandy!

Day 356

2010-04-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

Rest stop bits that amused me:

I know what it SAYS, but I think they may mean sand.

Cause that doesn't look salty. Maybe a mix?

Whatever the case, if you do hit black ice, maybe crash, manage to limp off the road to a convenient rest stop and need to call for, say, a firetruck for your engine fire or an ambulance for the arterial spray or gaping head wound...you may want to pick a different rest area.

911 doesn't work at this one.

Day 355

2010-04-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

Wait...what?

Day 355?

But that means I've only got ten days left in my year! *panicpanic* I'm not ready! I haven't taken all the pictures I want to! I don't have plans for a party celebrating my enormous achievement! I have a huge backlog I still need to post!! I...I...ahhh!

I need to calm down.

Ten days. Wow.

Okay, to celebrate, I'm going to share a couple of my favorite pictures from last weekend's road trip to Kansas City. We stopped at a number of rest areas and I kept wandering off to take pictures. And having to run for the car when everyone was ready to go (only steps behind my cousin Jen, who was also wandering far afield for pictures).

These are two of my favorite rest stop shots.

I can't get enough of the texture of this tulip. Every wrinkle and weft is so clear and lovely in the sunlight. Click on the picture to blow it up and get the full effect.

And then there's what may just be my favorite picture of the whole trip. Maybe. I don't know. I just love everything about it. I took a lot of shots I was very happy with, but this just makes my heart gladden somehow. It's so...cheery and morning light and hopeful and brave and ... you know, pretty.

I just realized both these shots got saved as daffodils. Which is quite obviously not true. Apparently yellow = daffodil is my new Pavlovian tic.

Day 354

2010-04-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

I love sharing things with people...rather, I love when people find something I share interesting.

Take tulip trees, for example. This particular tree is in the front yard of my cousin's house.

Until I posted last week, she had no idea what this gorgeousness was called. She also didn't know it was part of the magnolia family. A saucer magnolia, to be precise.

All she knew was that it was pretty and a sure sign of spring. And that I wouldn't have to sneak into the yard of a stranger to take pictures to my heart's content if I visited her.

Knowledge is power. And the ability not to trespass.

Day 353

2010-04-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

I probably won't get a chance to post tomorrow. Which means I won't be posting again until Monday.

In light of that, I'm giving you many pictures of daffodils to tide you over. Enjoy!

There now. Wasn't that nice?

Day 352

2010-04-14T11:27:00.001-07:00

The tulip trees are blooming!!

Every year I see them and think, "I should take a picture!" And every year, they're done blooming before I get around to sneaking into a stranger's yard to do so.

This year I snuck into a public garden instead. I did have to park illegally to do so, but not a single other car went by while I was there. So I didn't feel too guilty.

If I ever actually own my yard, I'm going to join the Arbor Day Foundation and get my ten free trees. I'll pick the flowering tree selection (at least during the first year) and hope that said collection includes at least one tulip tree in my zone (wait! No, the "Wild Bird Garden" package, because that does include a tulip tree!). And that a Japanese maple or two slip in the shipment accidentally.

Arbor Day isn't until the 30th of this month, but why not start celebrating now? It's only $10 for the year and you get trees!

Day 351

2010-04-13T05:53:00.001-07:00

I'm gazing out my window, staring into the blossoming trees as if searching for the meaning of life.

And perhaps I found it.

Naps. And giggling. The first from the squirrel, the second from me at how sacked out and utterly relaxed he was.

Here, I'll zoom in a bit. (And you can click on the picture to make it bigger for better detail).

His eyes were completely closed until right before I snapped the picture.

I have to say, given the option, I'd love to snooze cozied up among blossoms in the sun on a tree branch.

Day 350

2010-04-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

This post is for my best friend, because the flowers are dainty and pink-edged and ever so pretty.

It's a very girly tree.

Which makes it perfect for my dear friend. Enjoy!

Day 349

2010-04-13T05:43:00.001-07:00

You know what's bursting out just everywhere?

Forsythia!

Ain't it grand? And I don't even LIKE yellow all that much.

Though I was hankering for a cute yellow dress this morning.

Day 348

2010-04-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a gorgeous day! A day on which I was forced to go outside. A day on which my drive to go outside made me forget my propensity to sunburn. Oops.

There's a little (at least in comparison to the two to which I normally go) park not far from my house called Huff Park. About a third of it is dedicated to baseball fields, but the other two thirds is mainly a wetland. There are walking trails around the edges and dock trails that wind through the wetland itself (more on those later).

And there are cattails. Thousands and thousands of cattails.

Gorgeous, every last one of them.

Day 347

2010-04-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

"Excuse me, sir? Would you mind if we roost here for a bit?"

I'm going to miss my apartment when I go.

Day 346

2010-04-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love the contrast of sun-lit trees against a storm-gray sky. It's always a sight that takes my breath away, a moment of dramatic beauty that sets my soul alight.

Even if it never comes out quite as spectacular in pictures as it is in real life (or at least not in my pictures), I can't help trying.

Day 345

2010-04-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

Umm...swans!

I somehow forgot completely about the existence of this site during the latter half of this week.

Oops.

So yeah, swans! Aren't they neat?

There's another picture that is supposed to go with these, but Blogger insists on making it vertical when--for once--it's horizontal. Therefore, I shan't post it. That'll show Blogger!

Day 344

2010-04-06T10:55:00.001-07:00

Today was not sunny and bright. Today there was much severe weather. Today my cousin huddled in a basement an hour from here as the tornado sirens went off.

Such is the nature of spring, my friends. It is a mixed blessing.

I'd like to remind you of what it will be like when the sun returns once more.

Let's take a closer look at that bud, shall we?

Beautiful against the blue, blue sky. Charming also against the willow across the street adorned in its own new spring raiment.

Day 343

2010-04-05T13:28:00.001-07:00

Happy spring!!!!

Day 342

2010-04-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

This didn't turn out exactly as I was thinking...but I lurves it anyway.

I mean, tree. Moss. Blue sky. What's not to love?

Day 341

2010-04-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

I found a pinecone on the ground.

A very sandy, dirty pinecone.

I needed a picture and it didn't seem to mind modeling.

And then I put it back in the gutter from whence it came.

I'm like a flora photojournalist. "Behold, the plight of the common pinecone! Here it lies, dirty and torn, bereft of its health! Won't someone think of the pinecones?!" I bring it to your attention...and then I move on.

Because non-interference is the photojournalist's prime directive.

Day 340

2010-04-02T08:46:00.001-07:00

(Click on any picture to make it bigger).

I woke up this morning and perched on the side of my bed. My window was open, birds were singing, and the indescribably amazing scent of spring was swirling around.

Without quite meaning to, I burst into the doxology. It's one of the loveliest pieces of music I know--and it was exactly right for that moment.

It seemed appropriate for today's post on this very Good Friday. Sing along, won't you?

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host.

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen!

Day 339

2010-04-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

On the trail at Pickerel Lake, there are always choices. Little side trails down which you can wander off the main path. They curve back around to the big trail in the end, but in the meantime, they offer a tiny meander into something different.

I'm fond of one detour in particular. It wends through evergreens and emerges at a little inlet right at the lake's edge. You can walk right up to the water as it seeps out onto the ground. No definitive shoreline here--just a bunch of reeds tucked into the lake's pocket.

There are often ducks wending their way through the flora here, or, as there was on this day, a red-winged blackbird or two swinging on their fragile perches, vibrating the air with their call that thrills my heart and shouts, "Michigan!" to me somehow.

It never fails to surprise me, this little moment on the bend of the path.

The day of my walk with Adam, it surprised me again. I heard a splash and then I saw something I've never once seen before.

Oh. My. Word. A beaver!!!

Can you see him? Here, I'll zoom in a bit and bleach out the rest of the shot for you.

He didn't seem worried about us. Moved from reed tuffett to tuffett, at one point even sitting down to groom his pelt.

Go to the woods without expectation and see what you find. I'm willing to bet you'll find something to charm you.

Unless it's poison ivy. Don't find that.

Day 338

2010-03-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

Seen on my recent walk with Adam.

Does anyone else find this sign...I dunno...creepy? Like the beginning of a Stephen King story or something?

Yeah.

Day 337

2010-03-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday.

Yep.

Or at least it was when I took this picture.

I specifically took this shot because it was Tuesday. And Tuesdays just don't matter much. I needed a picture to post and I didn't feel like digging through my archives and I just didn't care. I was behind and so I just took a picture of side of the bookcase against my desk.

And then I didn't post yesterday after all.

BUT! Please note the lovely flower shot, courtesy of my cousin Jen and her penchant for sending her pictures as postcards. Thanks, Jen!

Day 336

2010-03-31T13:31:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever,

I'm up for jury duty!

My thought processes went like this over the last few days: Amused >> excited >> worried about scheduling conflicts >> fear that I'd end up on THAT trial.

You know the one--murder trial, jurors sequestered for weeks, defendant connected to nefarious characters who will do anything to be set free, like leaning on the members of the jury to declare "not guilty," and then, if that doesn't work, hunting down everyone involved in the trial after they get out of jail and killing them all horribly.

That's right--I went from amused to "My life will be a Lifetime movie or CSI episode!!"

My imagination knows no bounds. And unfortunately, it's very persuasive. My logic tends to believe every word.

Day 335

2010-03-31T13:28:00.001-07:00

We took a co-worker out for Thai on Monday. Luckily for me, they also had Chinese and Vietnamese food and I managed to find a nice chicken sate (or satay)with peanut sauce to go with my customary crab rangoon default main course.

And then: fortune cookies!

This is so, so, SO true.

It also quite often has gotten me in trouble.

Day 334

2010-03-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

I now owe you five posts. Here's the first.

In the continuing saga of "Sprouts On My Sill," I have good news.

Spruce sprouts!!!

Aren't those swirly cages fabulous? My sister used to have a pair of earrings like that...twisted gold cage with a peach colored bead inside.

Those twists are days ago. Now, they've popped the seed pod off the end and spun out from there. First they were windmills, as seen below (with the zinnias next to them--the tiniest zinnia died last weekend).

Now, they're umbrellas turned inside out by a fierce gale with all the fabric torn from the frame.

I don't have a picture of that.

Sorry.

mutter

2010-03-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'm having blogspot problems right now. I can't see any of my pictures! So I'm going to give it a day to rest and post for the weekend and today tomorrow. Unless this resolves in the next few hours and I remember.

I haven't forgotten you!

Day 333

2010-03-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

I like having a car in which I can eat lunch on sunny, but chilly, days.

I like rolling the windows down after the interior has baked in the sun for awhile, warming me up like a baked potato in a convection oven (or something that makes a more romantic image). I like trying to find the birds in the nearby trees by the doppler effects of their song.

Today, there was a cardinal.

This cardinal wasn't singing. Just flitting about, being all handsome.

Here, let me zoom in on that picture for you a bit more.

Look at his birdy feetses! Look at his knowing eye!

Lunch in the sunshine with friends.

Day 332

2010-03-25T06:54:00.001-07:00

I know you love me, blog readers.

How do I know?

It isn't from your comments. It isn't from the numbers that scroll by on my visitor counter. It isn't because I'm so convinced of my own lovableness (nothing could be further from the truth, in fact).

It's because I constantly post pictures like these. Pictures of tree seeds in the woods, of water arranged in streams or lakes, of the sky in all its infinite variety, of squirrels and turkeys, of cakes and bread.

I post pictures of branches and flowers and leaves and acorns and cats and cats and cats.

I post pictures and rambling stories of all the tiny bits of life that amuse or move me.

And you keep coming back.

Whether it's because you love me and therefore the things that I love, or because hope springs eternal and you believe that I'll someday have something interesting to post...whatever the reason, I thank you.

Day 331

2010-03-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

"A" is for Adam.

Adam is my friend.

He is intrepid and amused.

Adam learns about wood lore and tracking.

Adam puts his learning into practice.

"Yes," says Adam, checking a pawprint. "A beaver did pass this way!"

Adam is smart.

Day 330

2010-03-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

I was going to come in here all weepy and apologetic because I was SURE I posted yesterday but I didn't and I felt like a failure and slack and all that.

Then I realized that I only have 35 days left in this project. THIRTY-FIVE DAYS! And you know, for the vast majority of those days I've been right on time, very consistent--and more to the point, I'm still here and still going.

Actually, I feel pretty good about myself right now. So what if I forget to post occasionally? I still do it!

Yep, it's a good day for self-esteem today.

And on that note, Holly's making cloth! On a loom! From scratch!

All right, she didn't spin the thread herself, or card the wool, or shear the sheep. But look at the pretty she is accomplishing!

This thread will eventually become a scarf.

So pretty!

For a picture of what it looks like now (days after these pictures were taken), head to this post on Holly's blog.

Day 329

2010-03-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

It's Debbie's birthday!

This morning she emailed me and said, "Hey! Wanna go to lunch!" I, of course, was more than happy to do so. I like spending time with her, you see. Plus, birthday!

We had an awesome waitress. When we ordered, I asked if they did anything special for birthdays--Debbie's not shy like I am, you see. Twelve people singing to her? No problem!

But it's a little mom and pop kind of place. Not really a big "Balloons and Singing!" kind of place, so I wasn't really expecting anything.

Sara the waitress sat in the seat next to Debbie and sang "Happy Birthday" to her right there.

After that we certainly weren't expecting anything ELSE. Sara'd already gone above and beyond in a place that clearly doesn't usually do this sort of thing.

Then our food came. And right there on Debbie's olive burger:

A candle. And not just any candle! One that burns with green flame! Seriously, I did no color correction on this picture.

Sara got a couple of big tips. Because of her sheer awesomeness.

Make a wish, Debbie!

It's no firestorm, Matt. But it was pretty darn cool.

Happy birthday, dear Debbie! Happy birthday to you!

Day 328

2010-03-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

My friends have cute kids.

This is a random post for proof from the last few days.

Penn and I went to a movie on Saturday. He and I saw Astroboy while his parents saw Alice in Wonderland. Our movie got out first, so we had some time to kill. At one point I got out my camera (of course) and asked if I could take his picture. I said, "Smile!"

And I got this.

Yeah...

He gave me a couple of real smiles for the next couple, but I liked his fake smile here best. It's so...humoring the crazy lady so she doesn't kill him. Don't you think?

And then there's Cole and Asher. We went to Walmart on St. Patrick's Day (note their Protestant orange sweaters--with "Kiss me, I'm cute!" shirts underneath).

They're in stereo!

Day 327

2010-03-22T14:42:00.001-07:00

Every St. Patrick's Day my friend Debbie and I go out for dinner and celebrate. I can't quite remember when the tradition started but it's been at least six or seven years for sure.

We get each other cards. We embrace the wearing of the green (even though, yes, we're Protestants). We try to find a new place to sup.

This year our plans changed literally as I was driving to her house. I drove past a place that said, "Live music tonight!" on their marquee. And when I called for specifics, they told me there was already a band playing--and there were bagpipes coming up. Yeah, there was no debating. Bagpipes? Oh, yeah!

We got a table outside and, as it turns out, front row seats for the strolling Irish band.

And the food was delicious, too. From the bread

to my chicken etc. sandwich

to Debbie's steak.

And during the meal, the band played. Just for us.

I think the look on the guitarist's face there. She was saying to the guys, "Are you ready? You sure? Cause heeeere...we...GO!"

Now, I want to point out how well this picture illustrates Debbie's commitment to theatre. Because if you'll notice in the blow up below, there's not actually any food on that fork.

But it was important to demonstrate the enjoyment of music over dinner!

I love Debbie so. :)

This was one of our most fun St. Pat's celebrations ever. But there was one major disappointment.

The bagpipes never showed.

*sob*

Day 326

2010-03-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Adam and I went hiking on Tuesday evening. More pictures from that trip at some point (it's been a busy week! My picture backlog is huge!)

When we emerged from the woods, we said our goodbyes and got back into our respective cars to drive home.

I waved, got in, started my car...and realized there was a little piece of folded paper on my lap.

It was a fortune. From nowhere. I don't eat Chinese food and I don't even like fortune cookies. And yet, there it was, sitting on my leg as if it had fallen from the ceiling.

So, somewhat bemusedly, I opened it.

I can only hope that this inexplicable fortune knows something I don't. Unfortunately, I suspect the star of riches is shining on me only to taunt me that it has all the riches and silver and gold have I none.

And I still don't know where it came from.

Day 325

2010-03-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Do you remember a week or two back when I showed you my newly planted work windowsill? Day 316?

At some point Tuesday morning, I looked up and...

Sprouts!!!

Soon, those three (of the ten seeds I pressed into that soil) tiny green bits will be zinnias!

I also learned something: the germination of a zinnia seed is shorter than that of a spruce.

Either that or none of my spruce seeds took. One or the other.

So we'll see what further happens. This week has been the first sunny run they've had since the day I planted them, though, so that's bound to help. Right? Although the fact that it's two days later and I'm seeing neither spruce things or any more zinnias doesn't bode well.

Still! Sprouts! Tiny green lives on my windowsill!

Day 324

2010-03-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day is my favorite day of the year! I have no idea why, I just know I've loved it since I was a little kid. In fact, in second grade, Mom made me an Irish costume to wear to school that day.

I always wear green, even though I'm Protestant. And my friends and family send me cards as if it were Christmas.

Sometimes? Sometimes I get presents.

This wasn't specifically for me, but I'm claiming it as a present for my day nonetheless. I looked up from my desk and saw a sight to gladden my heart beyond the telling.

"That makes me so happy!" I told Josh. He was pleased.

And...just because it makes even happier, I give you my morning's fun.

Day 323

2010-03-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

Now what do you suppose these are for?

I know! I know!

My friend Holly is learning how to weave.

Her first lesson was last week and there is now a loom set up in her apartment. This is what she looks like as she's working.

Or so I suppose. I've not actually seen her weaving. The loom itself is pretty awesome, though. Pictures of that tomorrow!

Day 322

2010-03-16T07:04:00.000-07:00

After bowling on Saturday, Tonya and I went to a local Irish pub that was having live music all day long.

Here, the crowd is singing and clapping along. Or at least the woman in the lower left is.

It was a good time, though very smoky (I have since washed all the clothing I wore that day), loud, and dark. Walking out into the very overcast day was almost blinding.

Can you tell I'm not really used to going to bars?

The sheer amount of kelly green and Irish kitsch going on in this place was staggering. Not just beads and face tattoos and shirts. Giant hats. Grown men dressed as leprechauns, complete with fake red beards, stripey socks, and shillelaghs.

In this midst of all that was this man who looked as if he was just stopping for a pint of an evening at his local Tipperary pub.

This man made me happy.

Day 321

2010-03-16T06:49:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, Tonya and I went bowling and had ever so much fun!

We realized at some point that we were basically doing an hour and a half of squats on our left leg only. We did TRY bowling with our left hands. Turns out the rest of our bodies had absolutely no idea how to accomplish such a thing. There was much almost falling over.

When we were on, though, we were...well, still not that great. But that's neither here nor there.

See that blur in the lower right? With the bright orange blur swinging back? That's Tonya. Doesn't she look fast like the wind?

The picture is a lie!

And this, my friends, was my best game.

Please note that, while Tonya kept getting strikes, I still kept beating her.

Also note that anytime either of us got a gutter ball on the first frame, the scoring computer felt bad and awarded us an automatic two or three points. And the rest of the scoring was often just as whimsical.

Day 320

2010-03-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but one of my favorite things about bowling is the shoes.

I suppose that shouldn't really surprise me. One of my favorite things about life is the shoes.

Day 319

2010-03-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

WARNING: This is really long. But I couldn't help it. :)

There's something you don't know about me. Maybe.

I've been in love with ballet as far back as I can remember...and my earliest memory is at 18 months old. In all my dreaming of what I wanted to be when I grew up, "ballerina" was always either my main desire or, "...and a ballerina." Like, "A zookeeper and a ballerina," or "a famous writer and a ballerina," or "winner of the Nobel Prize in astrophysics...and a ballerina." Where other little girls collected and dreamed over horse stories I...well, okay, I had piles of those too. But books on ballet and dancers stacked up right alongside. I taught myself all the basic positions, propping up the books that showed them near a mirror or reflective window so that I could correct my stance until it was perfect. I would practice my turnout while my mother did errands, twisting my right foot to turn precisely the opposite direction of my left--something I still do without noticing when I'm standing in line. I was madly, deeply in love with Baryshnikov.

Unfortunately, we never had money for me to take ballet lessons. I never had a chance to don the traditional black leotard and pink tights. I never got to scuff and pound a pair of toe shoes against the floor or stuff them with gauze (to absorb the blood from burst blisters). And around about puberty when I was awarded the traditional Park genetic structure (i.e. hips and bust), I buried the dream. I was too tall, too curvy, and way too late in life to ever really be a dancer.

But I carry the memories and the love.

One of the most formative books was this one:

Maria Tallchief was my idol. Oh, I was fascinated by other dancers. But Maria Tallchief -- she was something more in my mind. She was both transcendent and possible. She was demonstrably a little girl at one point with a mother and father and little sister, growing up in the U.S. just like me. And yet, she was also an Indian princess! When they wanted her to change her name to sound more Russian (because all the best dancers were Russian--or sounded like it), this is what she said:

Bravery! Temerity! Beauty!

I wanted to be her so very badly.

Last night I went to see an Esther Williams movie, Million Dollar Mermaid, the biopic of Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman. And during her debut at the Hippodrome, guess who else was there?

Pavlova, one of my other favorites -- played by Maria Tallchief!!!

This sounds silly, but I've never seen her before in color! And I've certainly never heard her speak before!

I can't tell you how over the moon I was about this. I can't quite describe how wonderful this was, to see her, to actually be able to watch her dance. It was like I was that little girl again, packed full of dreams and wishing, meeting the embodiment of everything I wanted to be.

And it was amazing.

Day 318

2010-03-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

Many years ago, my sister had a poster of a gorilla lounging about. It said, "Sometimes I sits and thinks--and sometimes I just sits."

Today feels like a day for just sitting.

No thinking, just sprawling out somewhere, taking in whatever floats by: birdsong, breeze, semis rumbling down the highway, rain or blue skies, anything or nothing.

There's a bench I know of in the middle of a wetland that would be perfect.

Just disengage my brain and let the world exist without me taking part for a while.

I'd like that.

Day 317

2010-03-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

Sometimes there are distractions. In my case, rather often.

Josh was talking about wishing he could take a nap. I suggested under his desk, but he worried that people might see him.

I noticed Josh's coat locker. I noticed how narrow it was. 8 and a half inches wide, to be precise.

"Josh," I said to my 6'3" friend. "You could sleep in your locker." And then I said, "I would really like to see if you'd actually fit in there."

Josh is often willing to fall in with my more ridiculous suggestions.

So in he went, though he had to dislocate his hips to do so.

Let me take a second to really highlight the twisted position he's in by zooming in on his foot in the above shot. Note the angle in contrast to the direction in which his head is turned. (Unfortunately, you'll have to turn your own head for the zoom--or you could click on the above shot to see it bigger).

Josh is pleased with his near success. The only thing that wouldn't fit was his head.

I am pleased as well. And suddenly realizing I should really be plotting a whole slew of interesting things for Josh to do at work.

Day 316

2010-03-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

Last year I bought little $1 seed kits from Target.

Today, during my break time, I planted them.

Sometimes things take me a while.

You can't quite tell from this picture, but each pot is about two inches tall. The pot in the foreground will be several teeny spruce trees. The terra cotta pot in the back holds ten little zinnia seeds.

I'm hoping to get at least one sprout that lives to grow from each pot. I've never had much success growing things straight from the seed. I like to buy completed plants from the nursery so that they're already flowering and I have a much smaller chance of killing them dead.

Cross your fingers!

Day 315

2010-03-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

No matter what type of wetland this is, it seems neither pilots nor co-pilots are welcome.

Day 314

2010-03-08T06:43:00.001-08:00

When I bought my new glasses, I had no idea I would also be getting an evening clutch. A perfect little bag to take with me to formal events. Ah, but I did.

I look super swank carrying this around, let me tell you.

That's probably offset somewhat by the camera case I have dangling from the same wrist, though.

Day 313

2010-03-08T06:42:00.001-08:00

The happy couple in their first dance.

What you can't see from this shot is how utterly perfect her dress is. You can see how much they love each other, though.

Day 312

2010-03-08T06:15:00.000-08:00

I went to a wedding this weekend.

And there were candles.

What there was not, sadly for me, was any kind of good lighting for photos. Which you'll see coming up.

But it was a lovely wedding, nonetheless. :)

Argh!

2010-03-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

Dratnabit, I forgot to post again! And I have pictures, I do! Okay, I'm going to either try to post something for today tomorrow or I'll throw four up on Monday.

And I'm sorry. I'll try to be more on the ball from here on out.

Day 311

2010-03-04T13:01:00.001-08:00

This weekend I'm going to a wedding, so I'll try to have shots of, you know, not nature for you next week.

In the meantime, though, I'm indulging myself.

Pictures of winter marsh reeds!

I think I want this one as a poster. On my own wall. Does that make me vain?

Day 310

2010-03-03T12:00:00.001-08:00

I can't decide.

I like this shot in color because you can see how blue the sky in the water's reflection. And I think you get a better idea of how blazing the sun is even in its pale winter incarnation.

At the same time, I also really like it in black and white. It's closer to how I saw the scene on this day because I was pretty snow-blind by the time I took this shot. And I love how stark and patterny it is.

What do you think?

Day 309

2010-03-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

And I'm a day behind again. So sorry.

Okay, so I'm walking down the trail, just meandering, when a flash of color catches my eye. The sun was falling through the trees just right to make this bunch of dead leaves glow from within.

Wasted and forgotten, they've been hanging from this branch in the tangle of underbrush yards away from the trail. I'll bet no one has ever noticed them before as anything more than background blur for the picture of the woods as a whole. But the sun wanted me to see them.

Moments like these remind me that there even in the most unexpected places, beauty is waiting. That no matter how insignificant or passed over or lost in the crowd something is, it still has worth if we pay attention.

I don't know about you, but that's an encouraging thought for me on days like today when I feel like this bunch of dead leaves.

I am cheered by anthropomorphization.

Day 308

2010-03-01T12:08:00.001-08:00

Just one of my favorite pictures from a recent walk.

Day 307

2010-03-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

Last Friday Holly and I went to see Mysteries of the Great Lakes on IMAX. If you haven't seen it--and it's in your area--I recommend it. As Holly said, if you're from (or have ever lived in) the Great Lakes area, it kind of makes you homesick--even if you're already home.

It's really fascinating and reminds us why things like keeping Asian carp out of the lakes is important--without beating you in the head with propoganda.

After the show (and after getting politely kicked out by a theater worker), we went up into the viewing gallery. Where we saw the room! of! IMAX!!!

I've never seen this room before. I love how sleek and futuristic and storm troopery these machines look.

I also got a shot of the rare and elusive film loader guy. He's blurry because he in the process of vanishing, poor fellow.

Actually, he looked resigned. This clearly happens to him all the time. The perils of being kept in captivity when you should be roaming the film plains, free and wild.

Day 306

2010-03-01T11:50:00.001-08:00

Sad story:

Those flowers are from the first garden of my own I've ever really had. It was a garden of pots and plants on my balcony, but it was lovely and full of flowers and I kept everything alive until they stopped blooming or the frost killed them off, whichever came first.

These dainty, impossibly blue mini-delphs were some of my favorites. I brought a sprig or two to work to brighten my desk and they dried beautifully. So I kept them in a tiny pitcher vase I bought in Ireland as a reminder of that wonderful year. And so they were...until last week.

Last week Josh (he of the orange juice adventure below) was in my office. And for some reason unbeknowst to either of us, he decided to throw a pen. At my desk.

It hit the flowers.

The flowers shattered and scattered.

And I was sad.

Josh felt really bad.

So he made me a new blue flower.

He's also promised to try to stop throwing things in my office.

Day 305

2010-02-26T08:38:00.001-08:00

I've decided that 305 is a good day for filler.

Have some morning light, won't you?

Day 304

2010-02-25T10:35:00.001-08:00

In which my scarf strikes a jaunty pose:

All on its own, too! I just tossed it at the bush and it chose the positioning. I think it has a bright future in the modeling industry, no?

Day 303

2010-02-25T10:28:00.001-08:00

My poor readers! I've neglected you! I forgot to post yesterday! You must be so bereft!

Ahem. Raise your hand if you even noticed I missed a day?

*crickets*

Yeah, that's about what I thought. Still, I mean to make it up to you! I offer you another in my series of photographing the mundane.

And like the earlier photos I took to embrace this theme, I actually really like this one. I liked it the instant I saw it on the back of my camera. It's just a cord to an old printer coiled on the floor in the sunshine...and yet it somehow looks dreamy and soft to me.

Day 302

2010-02-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

The sun is shining through my office window and I feel like purring.

Rather like this.

Day 301

2010-02-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

I was lounging about in my bed, awake, but not yet ready to emerge from beneath the covers. Staring at the ceiling, daydreaming, letting my mind wander from place to place, rehashing the last dream I remember...you know, being lazy on a Sunday morning.

And then...wait. What the...? Did I just hear a turkey?

I flung the covers back and hurried to the window.

Not just A turkey, dear reader, but a whole flock.

Things like this are precisely why I bought a camera.

Check out the two tom turkeys, tails unfurled!

After a few minutes, they slid down the hill into the woods beyond, one by one, the dominant tom bringing up the rear.

And then they were gone, leaving only their tracks behind.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my apartment?

Day 300

2010-02-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny. There was much rejoicing. *waves flag*

No, really, there was. I popped up, showered, and headed off for Huff Park in order to go happily snowblind wandering the wetland trails. And I did so.

But first I got breakfast. And a shot that made me happy.

Pictures of the park later this week!

Day 299

2010-02-22T06:12:00.001-08:00

Sometimes Josh's afternoon boredom and my constant quest for amusement have brilliant results.

Take Friday. I had an orange on my desk that Josh felt compelled to throw about when he stopped by to visit. Every time. For the three days it had been sitting there. Friday he decided to use it to play handball--which didn't go so well. We chatted about its relative squishiness--and that's when I had the idea. "We should make orange juice!" I said.

We took the poor abused orange to the kitchen. Where Josh insisted that he could squeeze it until the skin burst and get orange juice that way. So he squeezed.

It was a mighty effort. Can you see the strain? Note the bi-colored flesh of squeezing. Take heed of the blur from his shaking muscles.

Unfortunately, the orange did not yield.

At least, it didn't burst. It merely absorbed the power--and the shape of Josh's fingers.

I was able to persuade him to let me slice the brave fruit in half. "We can use your strength as a juicer," I said.

Strength it took, as you can tell.

Squeeze, Josh, squeeze!!!

That may be my favorite picture ever. And every time I look at it, I start laughing again.

Please, take a closer look at his face, especially his eyes. Where are you looking, Josh?! Left eye, me; right eye, way off yonder.

In the end, we got about four tablespoons of orange juice. I added more water and ended up with a surprisingly refreshing drink.

Experiment: success!! Amusement: if the hysterical laughter throughout the process was any indication, also success!!

I wonder what else I could bring in for juicing...?

Day 298

2010-02-19T10:35:00.001-08:00

Today I had no picture. And I despaired.

Then I found myself on The Pioneer Woman's website, reading a post about Stephen Shore, a rather famous photographer who celebrated capturing the banal. And I thought, "Hey, I'm surrounded by that!"

The sun was shining through my office window and I looked at the corner of my desk and saw my shot.

I played with it, trying to see if I'd like the contrast of black and white.

Hmmm...I believe I prefer the color version.

I love the negative space here; it makes the light the focus, rather than the objects receiving it.

And with this shot, I think I like the black and white more.

Then there's this shot. The final capture of the session. I don't know what it is about it, but I find this utterly charming.

Somehow my attempt to capture utter banality turned into a few shots I really love.

Day 297

2010-02-18T11:14:00.001-08:00

I was running a fever last night. Nearly 102 degrees. It came out of nowhere, giving me mad chills, achy joints, exhaustion and the inability to sleep.

And by this morning, it had broken and left me with nothing to remember it by but a really annoying headache. Can anyone explain this to me?

Why, what's this?

Thirst begone! An archaic spell with which to quench a parched throat? How can this be? Is the condesation a clue?

This, my friends, is a Shamrock Shake.

It's all that really sounded good for a meal after last night. And I am very pleased to report that when I asked the disembodied voice over the speaker if they had shamrock shakes, she caroled, "Absolutely! We're Shamrockin'!!"

And that's when I became known at my local McDonald's as "The Whoo-hooer."

It was a proud moment.

Day 296

2010-02-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

I'm not normally a sweets person. We've discussed that. But I think hazelnut chocolate is one of the best. tastes. ever.

I was originally going to use this shot

but it felt a little intimidating. A little too, "Nutella's gonna get you!"

I decided on this shot instead.

More subtle, more delicious, less...looming.

And then I thought, "Hey, how 'bout both?" Because you can never have too much Nutella. Unless you're Amy--then even a little taste is too much.

Sorry, Ame.

Day 295

2010-02-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to try another still life for a few days now. Unfortunately, I wasted all the natural light I could have gotten over the weekend. So I shot this about an hour ago under the sickly flourescent glow of my office lights. It turned out...okay.

When the farmer's market opens again, though, WATCH OUT! Still life shots every day!

Nah, who am I kidding? I'll be roaming around outside for more endless tree and flower shots. You'll be grateful if I give you a still life here and there.

Maybe I should look into leading a more interesting life...