sometimes i get out of sorts. call it grouchy. or grumpy. or mean old woman syndrome. regardless of what you call it, the cure is quite simple. i need to take some time for soul care. soul care can be anything that helps me decompress and feel creative. my favorite soul care includes my camera -- a relaxed amble around town snapping photos.

i was so out of sorts one evening last week that i could barely stand to be in the same room as myself. lol  so i hitched zoe to her leash, grabbed my nikon and headed out to enjoy what i call "around sunset".

i had no idea that i had captured a double reflection until i viewed the downloads the next day.  zoe is so patient during these creative ambles.

a long skinny mirror on the side of a truck at AutoCar was the canvas for this shot. 

Another AutoCar mirror shot. i love the glow.

zoe was hoping to go inside and see some people. she loves people. much more than me. lol

this walk was so therapeutic that i've adopted this mantra: do what you love. do it often.

how do you care for your soul? i'd love to hear from you.

happiness dwells here

she wakes to the sound of a motor purring softly at her side. radiating warmth and yawning widely the "motor" stretches out and then softly nudges to be petted. she stretches as well and gently scratches between the cat's ears. she hears the birds twittering madly in the trees and a lawn mower at work down the street. opening her eyes she senses the sunshine peeking thru the blinds. yay, she thinks, i can work outside but just a few more minutes of this blissful wakening. this quiet moment of gratitude for this much-dreamed of life that has come true.

with coffee on her mind, she arises and heads for the kitchen. cat meows and dances her between the legs sashay which translates to feed me, feed me now. a can of fancy feast turkey in gravy spoons its way into the red cat bowl. a few sprinkles of cat chow and she heads to the living room to open the mini blinds. satisfied with the luminous light filling the room and her life, she leisurely makes coffee.

she grabs her current read "and i shall find some peace there" by margaret roach and settles into her fave porch chair for caffeine and inspiration. this book is one of many that she has read recently about women leaving their corporate jobs to find happiness and fulfillment by simplifying their lives. she finds solace in their stories and affirmation that her quest is not completely insane.

a passing car diverts her attention to the bed of iris at the front of her house. planted by a long-gone previous tenant, she is delighted by the quantity and variety of irises that greeted her this spring. on a whim she grabs her nikon and heads out for an ab-lib photo session, her favorite kind. her heart soars as she sees the remains of last night's rain shower. millions of sparkling rain drops bling the flower bed. these are my diamonds, she thinks, my much-cherished gems. and she gathers them one by one, capturing each shiny droplet in eternal images of delight. and she knows that happiness dwells here just like she always knew it would.

chilly november morning

we were running errands yesterday morning when i said to bill can we run home and get my camera? the pear tree immediately above had caught my eye and i just had to photograph it. so we did and then being the wonderful trooper that he is, bill drove around for a while stopping when i spied something that caught my eye. it was windy and cold and overcast but my heart was singing with joy! looks like another cold, windy, overcast day today. a good day for soup and a movie. i'm voting for you've got mail!

in my mind's eye

in my mind's eye lives an image
of perfect symmetry
of radiant, sparkling color
in tranquil harmony

in my mind's eye lives an image
that sings a siren's song
illusive and intriguing
it plagues me all day long

in my mind's eye lives an image
that's become my current goal
i see it all around me
i feel it in my soul

altered expectations

i went off on my merry little vacation with high expectations for hot, sunny weather and hours of sunbathing and reading on the beach. i was headed to florida after all. the first day was great and exceeded all my expectations. the second day we woke to 42 degree weather and high winds. i was bummed. i had waited months and months for this get-away. how could it be so cold? and the wind on the beach was wicked. plus, the shells were practically non-existent.

so i let myself wallow in self-pity for a bit and then kicked myself in the patootey with an admonishment to make the best of it. so, we threw on sweat pants and heavy sweatshirts and spent the day on the beach anyway. i decided to practice my photography skills and once i forgot about the wind had a delightful time. and, who says shells have to be perfect and big? i concentrated on the tiny imperfect ones and came home with a treasure trove of nature's beauty.



bill was right there beside me taking some wonderful photos (all the photos featured in this post were taken by my wonderful hubbie) and diving into the surf for shells. brrr!!!

bill was also great about playing along when i wanted to take some artsy shot. once i sat not far from a flock of sea gulls and said ok when i'm ready flap your arms and holler so they fly. what fun it was to shoot, shoot, shoot as they flew away. the photo in my header above is one of the ones i took during this escapade.


of course we enjoyed talking to the few folks walking the beach. one older couple told us about some friends who were about to host their young grandkids at their condo. the grandpa went to wal-mart and bought two large bags of exotic shells. when the kids showed up the grandma would divert their attention while grandpa seeded the beach with all the exotic beauties. i loved this idea and it fueled the fire for my idea to talk about expectations and how we creatively alter them to keep our spirits up.



one thing that surprised me was how the sea gulls would turn and face the setting sun late in the afternoon. standing on one foot, each bird would seem to paying homage to the light and heat. there would at times be up to 40 or 50 birds in the flock and each would be in the same position on one foot.

it made me wonder if we shouldn't all do the same thing each afternoon. big bunches of us standing united, facing west and saying a prayer of thanks for another wonderful day. standing one one foot optional.


although i'm sure my hubbie would not admit it, he had expectations on this vacation of spending time alone with me away from my art room. his expectations were met. no alterations needed. we spent 24/7 together breathing in the sea air, riding our bikes and relaxing together. what he may not know is that i was composing blog posts in my head and envisioning works of beach-inspired art at least part of the time. he had 100% of my company but my mind was still brewing up all those creative thoughts.


so vacation taught me a few lessons about living and creating life rather than expecting life to hand me my expectations on a silver platter. and, it was so much richer for the lesson!!!

come, walk the beach with me

we're home from a delightful week at the beach . . rested and a tiny bit tan and full of energy! i'm busy in the art room finishing up a few pieces to deliver to the hotel gallery and also a couple of commissions. i missed my art so much but it was good to get our batteries recharged. more photos soon, stories and art to share!