capricious

while strolling thru an outdoor shopping mall in destin i caught sight of this young lady posing in the window of a shop. when we approached she skitted away from the window, giggling with her little friend. as we passed, she resumed her model pose. i eased back into her view and signaled with my camera "may i take your photo?" she gave a cute little shoulder shrug and nodded yes. many words pop into my mind when i see this photo -- capricious, carefree, whimsical, spontaneous, confident, bold, flirtatious. how about you? would you do this? how daring are you? what is the silliest extroverted thing you've ever done?

to the anonymous girl in the window -- you go, girl! keep that carefree, daring, fun-loving spirit alive for years and years to come! and, when you're 56, you can look back at your life and say i lived an abundantly rich life filled with laughter, creative independence and enough smiles to keep my spirit soaring!! spread your wings and fly!

unencumbered

back from vacation rested and a little bit tanned. we had a wonderfully relaxing time. i am bummed that most of the photos i took did not transfer over to my mac properly yesterday and i threw them away off the memory stick in my camera before i realized it. i'm saddened but taking it in stride.

we arrived at our rented condo in the early afternoon on saturday. we talked about going down to the beach for a stroll but i suggested we just take a little nap. the windows were open letting in a wonderful sea breeze. the sound of waves crashing and children playing welcomed me. streams of sunlight filtered thru the slatted wooden blinds as they can only do in a tropical setting. as i lay my head down on the pillow gone were the worries of meeting the next deadline. gone was the need to rush around and perform a household task. a feeling of total ease washed over me. and the word unencumbered popped into my mind. yes, i was unencumbered in a way one can only be while on vacation. and it was heaven.

worry washed away
as children played
sea gulls floated
in a gentle sway
surf crescendoed
a lullabye
sleep descended
gentle sigh

seeking

seeking sunshine
and a salty spray
peaceful moments
time to play

seeking laughter
and a sandy walk
lots of sea shells
time to talk

seeking solace
on a deserted shore
creative renewal
spirits soar

i'm on hiatus from blogging for a week or so.
i'll catch up with all of you then.

bunny house

oh, no -- my secret is out!!!! i'm NOT crafty at everything. i bought this bunny house kit for jenna for easter. friday morning she and i assembled it together. i pretty much sucked at it and jenna, well, jenna was too busy eating the candy decorations to really care how the house looked. the icing kept running and the candy house tiles kept sliding off onto the table. it sure didn't look like the picture on the box!


once i got my chance to hold baby ben while his mama took a shower, jenna was on her own to squirt the icing over every free area of the house. i was happy to see her express her creativity. little miss independent was a happy camper!


and, here's baby ben's adorable new tennies! he's such a sweet, sweet baby and nothing makes me happier than cuddling him and singing him a little lullaby!

busy week as i try to get things done at work so i can be on vacation next week. a sneak preview tomorrow of where we're going (again).

grandma's orange dish

this week's treasure chest features a somewhat mysterious item. i call it the orange dish; i believe that my daughter once inserted the word "ugly" into her description of it as in "why did you pick that ugly orange dish?" my mom has an assorted variety of dishes handed down to her from all sides of her family. a couple of years ago she put a few dozen pieces out and asked each of us girls to select a piece. as you know, i love orange so this was a natural pick for me.

i know that this dish belonged to my mom's grandma johnson. i never knew her and don't even know her name off the top of my head. i've tried to figure out what year she might have been born. mom was born in 1926 and her dad in 1904. his mom might have been born around 1884. how did she get this piece? was it a gift? did her husband buy it in a fancy emporium in the city and bring it home as a surprise? i wonder if her granddaughters oohed and aahed over it hoping that one day it might be theirs.




the dish is separated into two sections. and although both the dish and the lid are quite worn in places, it is in remarkably good shape. i love all the little crackles all over the finish. i wonder what great-great grandma johnson served in this dish. was it a daily vessel for serving vegetables or only brought out for special occasions?

almost all of the old family pieces have labels hand-written by my mom. this one says "belonged to joyce's gr johnson dish & lid". the only marking on this dish is the made in japan on the bottom. the little stacked feet on the bottom are adorable. i've never used this dish but it has a special place in my china cupboard. and, megan, ugly is in the eye of the beholder. maybe you'll get to inherit this piece one day. hee hee

shadow shot sunday #3

two heads are better than one

skeletal tree burned by the sun

whimsical play of shadow and light

sunny yellow cheerful sight

shadows chase us as we go

filigree leaves delicately grow

zip zag shapes a contrast make

line of trees not quite opaque

image broken into pieces

the lore of the west never ceases

ebony bench shaped like the moon

very tall man makes a balloon

cincinnati saturday

a few highly altered photos from our day trip to cincinnati where we visited the newport aquarium, walked the river walk and had dinner at montgomery inn. fun and relaxing day of sunshine and photography! because i know you're going to ask, the next to the last photo is the fin of a giant whale sculpture at the aquarium. i'm off to read before bed! tired and happy!

busy times

good friday has arrived and it couldn't have come at a better time. i'm worn out. this is the busy season at my work with new fashions being developed, line reviews at retailers, tons of new car seats to be photographed and lots of new packaging to be developed. i feel as if i'm meeting myself coming and going. so after a very long day at work it's so nice to hide away in my art room for a bit, puttering in photoshop and letting the creative juices flow. the above photo is of a flowering tree across the street. i love it's delicate, thin petals and the sparseness of the blooms on the limbs.



this quirky photo is of jenna, kyley and caysey holding onto the clothesline at my folks house. they are the cutest little models and so cooperative about posing for all my silly ideas!



mama and papa duck returned this week as they do each year, landing in the back yard and eventually making their way to the east side of the house. mama has taken up residence behind the asiatic day lillies where she will lay her eggs and be our constant neighbor for the next few weeks. someone at work asked me how i know that it is the exact same pair of ducks each year. i told him it's just my belief. how could it not be the same pair? they do the exact same ritual each year and she nests in the exact same spot. i actually find it rather romantic, don't you?


and finally, this is jenna digging for worms in the back yard. i'm not sure how the idea of digging with my bitty shovel came into her head but once it had she was all over grandpa like a wet blanket to get the shovel out for her. she was quite the trooper and dug way longer than any of us would have imagined she could. she was a bit dismayed when grandpa said they were moving the dirt across the yard to our flower bed. she didn't want to separate the worms in the wheelbarrow from their family in the dirt pile. grandpa reassured her that all the dirt was being moved so eventually they would all be together. she's such a dear heart and she never fails to make us laugh and smile at what she says.

time to jump in the shower and head to indiana. i'm taking megan, jenna and ben out to lunch and then visiting my parents. i bought a gingerbread-type bunny house for jenna and i to decorate together. what fun!

take care my friends and have a wonderful easter weekend!

a certain kind of light

there have been some lovely skies here in ohio lately. as many of you constant readers (i borrowed that from stephen king hee hee) know, my hubbie and leave the house very early each morning to carpool to work together. he drives and i look for interesting things to photograph. at the end of some very long days we repeat the process, headed northwest toward home. again, i am armed with my camera and a creative eye thirsting for something to capture.


it always amazes me how the sky can change so rapidly as the sun rises and sets. some days are mostly uneventful. others are simply stunning in their color, texture and vivid imagery.

there's a certain kind of light in the sky these days. as the sun starts shifting northward, the angle of its beams casts a whole new glow. that certain kind of light spins a certain kind of joy in my heart and my life. it harkens spring and birds twittering and the hope of gardening and late evening walks.



and with that joy and hope comes the knowledge that each day will be a bit longer and the opportunity for taking photos will grow as well.


so i take my camera with me everywhere i go. a gal just never knows what she may see out the window of a moving car.



and a gal certainly has the right to pull those quirky photos into photoshop and make them even quirkier!!

i was asked in an e-mail recently if i've given up my mixed media art. the writer of the e-mail said she missed seeing my work. i was so touched. i think i've been taking a bit of an artistic break. but i'll be back soon with some new pieces. i'm hankering to try something new with more painting and less paper collage. i have my creative eye on new subject matter as well. i'll be back, my friends, all in good time!

and last, thank you. thank you for reading. thank you for commenting. thank you for your kindness, humor and friendship. but, most of all, thank you for allowing me to feel that my creative passions are enjoyed by someone other than me. your presence in my life casts a certain kind of wonderful, fulfilling light as well.

shadow shot sunday #2

it was fun looking for shadows this week. or in some cases, staging a shadow in unusual places! above is my spring stems collection sitting in the sun in my living room. i loved the deep dramatic shadows being cast on the tv cabinet.



my granddaughter, jenna, and my nieces, caysey and kyley, at play on the driveway at my dad's house on saturday. it was a bit brisk but we couldn't resist a walk in the woods and the opportunity to snap a few fun photos!


my bicycle all ready to be ridden but on hold until my ribs finish healing. i am doing quite well and the pain has pretty much subsided as long as i don't lift anything heavy. being the independent sort, that has been a challenge. it is hard for me to ask for help when i needed car sets, etc. loaded into my car for a photoshoot. so, yes, i have lifted a few things i shouldn't have.



my co-worker eliizabeth played along on this one by walking thru the breezeway between our two buildings at work while i sat on the floor and shot photos. i kept looking at the beautiful sun squares and envisioning what shadows could be cast. elizabeth made the perfect model; thank you very much!



lunch at first watch seemed like a great time to try to cast my fork's shadow into my soup bowl. funky, eh?!!

that's it for today. click on the shadow shot sunday in my sidebar to go to heyharriet's blog to see all the shots she featured from last sunday -- one of mine is featured!!!

we had jenna overnight and then i cooked a big pan of lasagna for everyone for lunch. i'm quite worn out! off to the reading chair for some relaxing quiet time!