Sometimes They Do Come Back :)

"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say."

-Anais Nin

Recently, I got a nice surprise in my email box. It was an email from my pal Duane. It had been over a year since he took some time off from the Internet, and while one of the last things he told me was that he would be back when he could, it just seemed more like forever had gone by, rather then just a year. I had missed his friendship, and his sense of humor. I missed all the feedback he gave me about my photography, and the encouragement he gave me to say what was on my mind, by writing on my blog. He is a good friend, and he is an amazing writer. I first discovered his writing, when we were both blogging on AOL. At that time he had the journal, "Progressive Musings." It was one of best political blogs I have read, in the four years I have been blogging. At times funny, at times dead serious, he touched on the topics that were timely, with a strong blend of straight facts, and relevant opinion. I missed his writing very much.

But now he is back, and he is blogging at, "Life the Universe and Everything," where he still shares his signature astute political observations, but also his love of music, history, trivia, sports, family life, and photography. His current blog is a nice blend of all those subjects, that he takes on so well. I am never bored there, in fact, I always come away feeling just a little smarter. LOL. I hope you will drop by and welcome him back, or if you haven't had the opportunity to know him through one of his older blogs, or when he was a team member of The Blue Voice, maybe you will spend a little time this weekend, reading his new blog and getting to know him. I promise you will be glad you did. Welcome back Duane, I hope you will be with us for a long, long time. :)

Always, Carly

"Hovden Cannery"
Monterey, California
September 6th, 2007
Late Afternoon

Facing The Lizard

Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worms sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For charm of powerful trouble,
Like hell-broth boil and bubble,
Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

-Shakespeare, Macbeth

This lizard, is one of many I saw yesterday. He wasn't the biggest, or the scariest. The scariest was the size of a good baking potato, and hissed and clicked his tongue at me. YIKES! JUST YIKES! As you know, I am a girly-girl. I wear perfume, and lace. I like clothes that are comfy but stylish, and I rarely look forward to things that scare me. LOL. But in an effort to learn about what to fear and what not to fear, I decided yesterday was a good time to explore the Botanic Garden in Tilden, just a little more. There is a section of the garden devoted to the natural plants of the desert region on California. The sun was out, it was a fairly warm day, and I thought it would be a good time to see what might be afoot. Spiders, dragonflies, butterflies, even the occasional mountain critter could have crossed my path. But would they? Well, yes, all of those things appeared as I hiked along, but when the potato sized lizard decided to hiss and click at me, I decided that I was through being brave for one day. LOL. I would say my pace exiting the garden could be described as "moderate to immediate." LOL.

I kept thinking about a friend of ours, who once described taking her pants off, on the side of the road, on Hecker Pass, because a good sized lizard ran up her pant leg, as she was changing a flat tire on her car. Off came her pants, out came the lizard, it was as simple as that. Yep, I could see myself stripping, should the same fate befall me, but would that really be fair to the general public? Because I am pretty sure that a fair amount of shrieking and screaming would be accompanying my stripping, I am quite sure it would more than likely scare a year's growth out of the plant life. But tell me, what's a girl to do?

Well, here is what I have decided. I love walking through that garden, because for all my silly girlishness, I really do love trees, and leaves, and critters, so I have resigned myself to do some research this winter, if not sooner, and find out if I really need to be fearing this lizard. And if I find out it's perfectly safe to be around this one, is there one I better be aware of? A little knowledge goes a long way sometimes. After all, if I hadn't faced my fear of opossums, I never would have discovered what magnificent animals they really are. When I exited the park today, I checked my blood sugar, and it was 193 mg/dl, and that was after a light lunch and moderate exercise. 40 minutes later my reading was 131 mg/dl. That means it was the pure stress of the lizard encounter that sent my blood sugar up. How silly is that?

I am learning that stress is the number one reason that my blood sugar levels rise. I have been testing at different times of day, before and after meals, when I take different medications, after I eat different varieties of food, before and after exercising, and when I have been under stress. I have even found, thinking about certain people can be a factor in either raising or lowering my blood sugar. Because of all that testing, I am now understanding my diabetes so much better. Before I actually left the park, I decided to face the lizard, and take his mug shot, so I could identify him later, and tonight I did just that, I didn't wait for winter. What I found is that he is a Western Fence Lizard (swifts or bluebellies) Sceloporus occidentialis. There is no need to fear him, in fact, he comes from the most common type of lizards in California. Whew! It is safe to go back into the park! Now, if I can just get up the courage to research that icky spider I spider I saw yesterday, towing away a Volkswagen, I will once again be a much brave warrior girl! Somehow, I think that might have to wait until winter. LOL.

-OndineMonet
"Facing The Lizard"
Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
September 27th, 2007
Afternoon

A Day In Bodega Bay

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes."

-Jawaharlal Nehru

Yesterday, Alan and I decided to take a ride along the coast, north, to Bodega Bay. I love it up there this time of year, everything is so beautiful, and there is a great variety of birds to be found. I haven't spent nearly enough time birding this year, so I am planning to take a couple days in October, just to look for birds. Alan is taking nearly the whole month off, so we will have lots of time together, but we have way more planned to do then I know we will actually get to. We are adventure seekers, so I guess part of this year's vacation adventure, will be to find out how much we actually get done. LOL. We'll see. Stay Tuned. :)

"If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

-Vincent Van Gogh

"Everybody needs beauty, as well as bread, places to play in, and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."

-John Muir

"For every beauty, there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth, there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love, there is a heart somewhere to receive it."

-Ivan Panin

California Quail

"Beauty is not in the face, beauty is in the heart."

-Kahlil Gibran

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in ever fair sky, in every flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Turkey Vulture

"A soul that sees beauty, may sometimes have to walk alone."

-Johann von Goeth


-OndineMonet
Bodega Bay, California
September 26th, 2007
Afternoon

A Mid-Week Movie Moment #1:Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Etta Place: Do you know what you're doing?

Butch Cassidy: Theoretically



Paul Newman, Katherine Ross, Robert Redford

I thought it might be fun to do something different. I like sharing about myself on Ellipsis, but I think after 4 + years of blogging, and many a meme, you have probably learned almost everything there is to know about me. So, with the colder weather coming up, and my almost certain in ability to get outdoors with the camera, I thought I would add a new feature to my blog, the "Mid-Week Movie Moment." There are so many films I have enjoyed over the years, but sometimes, it's single vignettes in a film which strike a cord with me, and YouTube has made it a lot easier to share with you those moments from the cinema, which have touched me in some way. It's a way of getting to know me even better, while enjoying some really good movie clips. I hope you will give me some feedback on both the new feature, and the film I highlight. Like the film? Hate the film? Sing out and tell me what you think. It could be fun to get a dialog about movies going. Is there anything more fun then watching a great old movie, on a rainy Saturday or Sunday, and then sharing about it with a friend? If you have a movie you want to recommend, tell me about it in the comment thread.



Harry Longabaugh aka Sundance Kid and Etta Place

The first movie clip I have, is from the 1969 film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. While I am not usually a fan of old westerns, I have always enjoyed this one. I think it had amazing casting with both Robert Redford and Paul Newman, not to mention the lovely Katherine Ross. I wish there had been more to learn and know about her character, Etta Place, but the truth is, Etta Place was a bit of a mystery. Some accounts have her as a school teacher, while others claim she was a prostitute. If she were alive today, in the age of the Internet, this surely wouldn't have been the case. What is known however, is she apparently had a relationship with both Butch Cassidy, and the Sundance Kid, and for whatever reason, both men had some sort of agreement to share her. Either as a friend or a lover.There isn't a single account of a conflict of jealously haven occurred between the three, which I find amazing. I have to wonder, was the male/female dynamic just that much more simple back then?



The Wild Bunch

The clip I chose is dialog free, but it is certainly one of the sexiest vignettes in film. It is of the bike ride Butch and Etta share, the morning after she reunites with her lover, Sundance. It's the early morning autumn lighting, the innocent picking of an apple from a tree, and the lighthearted fun of a bike ride, which blends with the obvious chemistry between the two, and then culminates into pure romance. No words needed. But really, true romance rarely needs words, you just know. Sigh. :) Watch it and see, and then leave me a comment. Tell me, do you think this is one of the best romantic moments in film?

-OndineMonet

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Red Eye!

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."

-Ansel Adams

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Show off a recent picture that is chock full of red eye. Because there's nothing more amusing than light reflecting off retinas, making folks and animals look like demon spawn! Admit it, sometimes it just gives you a giggle. For the purposes of this photo shoot, other reflective eye colors work too, so if you've got green or yellow glowing eyes (or some other color), bring 'em on.

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

You know, I don't have one single red eye photo in my digital files? I have a nifty little camera that all but eliminates that problem for me, but I do get the occasional "green eye" photo, especially when photographing my young man, Elvis. He has such gorgeous green eyes, and they are quite reflective at times, mostly when he is upset, or when his allergies are acting up. The picture I used for this entry was just a bad photo all the way around. I moved just as I was taking the photo, see, a spider dropped down on me just as I snapped the photo. Funny for Elvis, not so much for me. LOL. Actually, I laughed too, and then we finished taking his Christmas portrait. It's a good thing that the three of us all have a good sense of humor, we need it. :) And despite the bad photo, isn't he a cute elf? Doesn't he just put you in the Christmas spirit?

-OndineMonet
"My Elf"
Berkeley, California
December 2006
Late Evening

Autumnal Equinox

"Change is a measure of time and in the autumn, time seems speeded up. What was is not and never again will be; what is, is change."

-Edwin Way Teale

I am a little tired. The rain and cold air we had this weekend, has sent me back into somewhat of a hibernation. This is my first autumn with both Fibromyalgia and Diabetes. I can see it will be quite a challenge finding the balance. My energy is low, but I am all kinds of inspired with the camera, so, as always, I am choosing my activities carefully. I have a trip to Sacramento planned for midweek, which will be good for me, as the weather is expected to be warmer by then. I am even looking forward to the 2 hour car ride. :) But until then, I am taking things easy, so here is a new haiku. I have had the words floating in my imagination for a couple days. Autumn always makes me introspective, and sometimes wistful. What's a girl to do?

Autumnal Equinox
by Carly Gordon

Leaves begin to fall
As long days become long nights
In dreams you remain

-OndineMonet
Botanic Garden
Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
September, 2007
Late Afternoon

Delicious Autumn

"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."

-Elizabeth Lawrence

It's finally, officially, here. Autumn. Sigh. I have been walking in Tilden Park the last few weeks, to both clear my mind, and capture little signs that autumn was indeed on it's way. It has been gorgeous. I am a strange girl, I can feel all the tension drain from my body, just by spotting the first of new autumn leaves. The red maple is putting on a beautiful show, but I can tell the other trees will soon be following it's example. :) It was rainy yesterday, and the temperatures felt more like winter, then the last day of summer, but I had to smile, because that is what autumn does best, it gives us glances at all the best examples of each season. I love the smell of the air after it rains, it is absolutely intoxicating to me. The blend of cedar, and eucalyptus, and pine, had my head swimming. Is there anything like playing in a big pile of autumn leaves? Ahhhhhhh... life. :)

"Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower"

-Albert Camus

-OndineMonet
"Delicious Autumn"
Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
September, 2007
Afternoon

Summer Mosaic

"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it."

-Russel Baker

It's the last few hours of summer, and so I thought it might be nice to take a look back at what I saw with the camera. This summer was quite a painting of mixed blessings for me, both in regards to what I photographed, and the events in my life. Like any other season, it brought me a kaleidoscope of colors which went together to match my moods. It's funny how the events in your life, tend to shape your creativity, or at least play to it. I went through a rough moment or two, right after the first of the year, and during that time I wasn't feeling terribly inspired with my photography, and I think it probably showed. But little by little as the year progressed, I began to move on, and I think I am just about back to feeling normal again. I owe a lot to this past summer, in terms of breaking me out of what ever spell I had been under. The season was mild in terms of temperature, so it was lovely, and gentle, and it kind of took me in. I love the seasons, each of them brings me such happiness in their own way, especially when I am out with my camera, and there is some good light for discovery and healing. :)

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time."

-John Lubbock

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."

-Henry James

-OndineMonet
Summer Retrospective
Bay Area
Summer, 2007