March 31, 2011

the tether

"... it never occurred to her that she was looking for a tether.  she thought she was the one that sped things along, the one that sent things on their way, but there she was for the first time delivered."

excerpt from the postmistress by sarah blake

i read that passage thought about tethers and things that anchor us to our lives.  how somes we seek them and sometimes we seek to make ourselves loose of them.  and in searching for exactly the right balance to it all, we can feel adrift and without connection. 

there are times i feel adrift - floating along like this lone little dogwood.  and when i do, i go back to the touchstones of my life - my family, my friends, my job.  it is good to feel connected.  and in some ways, i think that blogging also provides a tether to the world.  we gather around this mutual campfire - warming our hands and our souls.  we circle the wagons up - keeping out the wolves, coyotes and other predators that seek to tear us down.  we pioneers and adventurers.

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today on my ipod:  time (hootie & the blowfish), long day (matchbox twenty), all over you (live), turpentine (brandi carlile), romeo and juliet (dire straits), doctor my eyes (jackson browne), i'm yours (jason mraz), surrounded (chantal kreviazuk), kitchen song (edwin mccain), running to stand still (u2), wantin' her again (ben kweller)

obsessions:  top chef, perfect mashed potatoes, reading

quote:  "a boo is louder than a cheer" - lance armstrong

March 27, 2011

reeling in the years











from top to bottom are shots from the same week of march for the last six years. in the first shot i have not yet decided that i wanted to persue photography - i knew i loved it, but this was taken with a now archaic kodak point and shoot.  because photographs were placed in our company's reports to the banks, the resolution was quite small.  i do remember this shot as it is one of the most beautiful sunset's i've seen from one of the most beautiful cities i've visited.  it's taken at the end of one of the piers on alaskan way in seattle, washington.  the restaurant was wonderful, the food was fantastic, and i loved it. 

the next shot i had just purchased my canon rebel xti.  i didn't know aperture from a hole in the ground and i shot mostly on "green mode."  the next year, i felt more comfortable with my camera - composition - and exploring photography.  i started classes towards a certificate and began to develop a sense of my style.  the next shot, i learned more about macro photography and though i don't shoot it a lot, i recognize the talent of people that do a lot of macro photography.  last year, i felt more comfortable with how my style had developed and worked a lot on staging shots.  this year, i feel another change coming...i'm not sure yet what it is....but it's coming. this is the first time i've laid my photographs year to year to year to year.....i like the exercise and hope i can continue to do this.

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obsessions this week - pinterest, dogwood trees, reading new authors (discovering new books)

stormy sunday playlist (also known as "today on my ipod") - you can sleep while i drive (melissa etheridge), she loves you (the beatles), peaceful easy feeling (the eagles), your winter (sister hazel), dock of the bay (otis redding), bubble toes (jack johnson), all i want is you (u2), i'm yours (jason mraz), come away with me (norah jones)

March 25, 2011

hey y'all - i'll tell you how this week has gotten behind ... monday i found out i had to go to nashville on tuesday.  tuesday i went to nashville -- i attended a meeting at the really cool 'vanderbilt center for better health'.  we worked until 8:00 p.m. and i barely noticed - that is a cool meeting.  we found this cool rum & satay bar (rumba) and i had the best mojito in the world.  back to the meeting on wednesday and then the long drive home.  thursday was in the office to catch up and then today was another all day training meeting. 

so...i hope you're having good weeks - i hope to catch up with you all this weekend.  i will say it is just gorgeous here - blooms have burst forth, trees are leafing out and even our grass needs cutting. 

okay - back to testing.....

March 20, 2011

the weekend in photographs

 ok, the first two are not from the weekend but from wednesday.  but i was so disappointed in my shots last night that i threw them into the mix.  obviously i'm not a night photographer or have much more to learn.



saturday








sunday

















March 18, 2011

catching up....

bits and pieces of the past few weeks as i haven't had time to play with these much.  hope you're having a great weekend.




















southern salon

thank you all for the warm thoughts and wishes.  you know, you complain about life from time to time and then something shows you that moments are perfect.  last night was one of those.  i've had a rough week, nothing bad, but i felt worn around the edges.  and then, last night on a whim i called a friend for dinner.  turns out she had a rough week too.  so we had a great little dinner and a drink and then wandered over for coffee.  then my sister called and i was invited with her to another friend's home for a st. patrick's day meal.

though i had eaten, davina makes you welcome with generous platters of food and beer, and loads of interesting company.  i sat on the porch with the ambient traffic sounds in the background.  people filling plates and eating corned brisket, cabbage and carrots.  beautiful scents wafted from candles and incense being burned and the temperature was perfect.  and the conversation was....well perfect.  and for those moments in time - life was rather, well again, perfect.  what didn't matter was work, or worries, or even that my back has been killing me.  i sat talking to two law clerks - one from new york and one from nigeria by the way of california.  we talked about what they had seen of the south and we talked about what needs to be seen to truly experience the south.  it makes me wish for a southern salon (not the hair kind) where people gather, talk, share, and laugh. 

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today on my ipod - please come to boston (dave loggins), i'm like a bird (nellie furtado), romeo and juliet (dire straits), tupelo honey (van morrison), fallin' and flyin' (jeff bridges), stuck in a moment (u2), i wonder (chris isaak), tiny dancer (elton john), world spins madly on (the weepies), ode to billy joe (bobbie gentry)

obsessions -  rosemary mint shampoo, my ipod, writing, reading books by sarah addison allen, dogwood blossoms

quote of the day - "most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine" - ralph waldo emerson