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"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air."
-Eric Sloane
It was cold and rainy here yesterday, so I decided to spend the day looking into my archives to see what I did in autumns past. Here are some of my favorites. I am thinking about reviving my photo gallery blog, Ellipsis... Vignettes Legeres D' Ambiant (Ambient Light Vignettes). I don't know, we'll see. For now I have the following photos, hope you enjoy the look back with me.
Old Sacramento, November 22nd, 2006
Golden Gate Park, October 9th, 2007
Tilden Park, September 21st, 2007
Pacific Grove, October 18th, 2007
Cambria, California October 12th, 2006
Bodega Bay, California, September 26th, 2007
Golden Gate Park, October 9th, 2007
The top photo was taken at Susan's Spot, Cisco Grove Gould Park, Placer County California, October 22nd, 2009
-Carly
When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin' when I hold you
Don't you know I feel the same
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain
-Guns N Roses, November Rain
I love walking in autumn, you can experience the most delightful things, completely unique to the season. Animals, leaves of every imaginable shade and hue falling silently to the damp earth. Mist. Shadows that make you think you are being followed by a phantom. And to make it all come together, the air is filled with the scent of the first lighting of fireplaces, and the sound of birds seeking shelter from the coming storm. I love autumn.
Is there anything better then a long, deep soft kiss on a cool autumn day?
;)
-Carly
"It's not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory."
-W. Edwards Deming
Forgive me, I am feel introspective today.
I am a silly girl... well... woman. LOL. I haven't been a "girl" for a while now... but anyway... I live for autumn, yet I resist change at all cost! LOL. It's so strange, autumn is all about change. It exists to teach us that change is not only inevitable, but something that shouldn't be feared or resisted because change brings renewed growth if you just have a little patience. I bubble with excitement each September as the leaves on the trees transition from shades of healthy green, to the earthy reds, yellows, deep purples and browns, yet I rarely allow myself to think too long about what it all really means. Change.
It seems that everything changes too fast. But then again, is there any other way to move on but one day, no, one minute at a time? Time. Something else I will never understand. One day I am petting Elvis and putting his little chef's hat on him as we write up the menu for Thanksgiving dinner, and the next I am missing him to the point I am sobbing... and he has already been gone over a year! I miss him. I miss his little habits. I miss his insisting that there should only be 4 plastic bottles per recycle bag. I miss his kisses first thing in the morning, and I miss his whiskers, which he would rub on my knees as I sat typing at the computer. That was change I could have done without, and yet I love my two little boys Dylan and Hendrix so deeply, I wonder how I ever lived without them. Does that make sense?
I have had other changes in my life recently, changes which are a little less profound. I am probably the last person on the Internet to finally get a Twitter account. LOL. Yes, I am now a TWIT. LOL. I don't know... I guess I shy away from new things on the net because I don't really want to be found by folks I would rather not know any more. Does that sound mean? It's not that I hold any bad feelings, it's just that why reopen doors that aren't good for you?
I signed up for Facebook earlier this year, and it's kind of fun, but again I tend to keep myself in a small space by not adding every single person who asks me to. I don't know why, I am just not comfortable with adding the whole universe to my list of "friends." I was pleasantly surprised to get some invitations from some of my buddies from the old AOL days. Hi again Vince, Robbie and Amy. :) You guys always make me smile. But when I went to hit the "find friends" feature one day, someones profile came up that I haven't spoken to in at least 3 years... and it was difficult.
It's not that we parted company on bad terms, we didn't, we just didn't part as friends. Sigh. Sometimes there is a strange sort of limbo in relationships, and yes, it gets to me sometimes. I had forgotten this person was even in my Internet address book, and then POP there they were. I could have sent an invitation to be a friend on Facebook but why? 3 years seems like a long time, too long methinks. After all, I did the best I could to deal with the change presented to me at the time, and did a really good job of adapting, so why go back? Still, it's November and I always think about Mr. November when the leaves change.
Enough said.
Sometimes I wonder if there is such a thing as Internet Claustrophobia? I really like keeping my Internet life small, and yet I LOVE getting comments and seeing that my "Followers" list is up to 41! LOL. It's not a lot of folks, but I am happy to see each one that's there. I even get excited when I see "anonymous" has been by. Hi Anonymous! LOL. I sometimes click on the "next blog" feature and visit new folks just to say hello, that's how I met Suzanne, and yet I shy away from really getting to know people. I have some really strong walls built, and I can't help but wonder... why? When you add it all up it doesn't really equal claustrophobia, but it does have name, I am just not sure what it is.
Is it because it's easier to be lonely in a crowd? Is it because I don't want to get close to too many people because ultimately change will happen? I still miss my friend Pam. She died too young. So did my friend Frank. They were there when I really needed a friend, and now they are gone. I think about both of them during the holidays, and I miss them, but I am glad I got the chance to be on the path with them, if only for a little while. Sometimes I wish I could get an IM from Frank just one more time, asking to borrow some peanut butter. LOL. That guy!
At least I can see the next really big change coming. In today's news I read about AOL cutting back it's entire workforce by 1/3. That's big! I wonder how much longer it will even be in business? I haven't been a paying AOL customer for over 6 months, but I still log into it every morning because I prefer the way it looks to my current ISP Comcast. AOL always did have a nice look about it, but looks just aren't enough, so I finally made the big move, years later then I should have, and yet I have kept my email account, and still use it as my main contact information. LOL. Sing it with my now...
You put your left foot in,
you pull your left foot out,
you put your left foot in and you shake it all about.
You do the hokey poky and you turn yourself around,
that's what it's all about.
LOL.
One day AOL will be gone too.
Stuff happens.
Change happens.
But for now...
I am over here and here and here... and I am doing fine.
AOL Offers Buyouts To 2,500 A Third Of It's Workforce.
-Carly
"The View From Mt Tamalpias"
Mt Tamalpais, Marin County, California
"Research has proven: Trains do not run on time, but on electricity."-LoesjeEMPS #64: TRAINS NOW CLOSED!WooooWoooo! All aboard! Grab your cameras and photograph TRAINS. As always, the type of TRAIN is entirely up to you. Thomas The Tank, or an old Western Pacific railroad car, it's all good! An abandoned railway station works, as does a modern subway. Anything relating to TRAINS will do nicely.Extra Credit: Show me a conductor or engineer along with your TRAIN photos!**PLEASE READ**This Monday Photo Shoot assignment closes next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. That means you have nearly a week to get your photo, upload it to your website, blog or journal, and come back here with the direct link back to it. Please remember, the link you leave must be a link which is specific to this week's photo shoot assignment. Please double check the link you leave, as that is the one I will be adding to the Linking List next Monday. It is your responsibility to make sure the information you leave is correct. Also, please link back to this entry, so other folks will be able to find the assignment and play along. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at Ondinemonet@aol.com.Linking List for EMPS #63: Downtown. 11/09/09NOW CLOSED!1. Suzanne2. Shari3. Mike
4. Karen
Thanks so much for your continued participation. See you next week with an all new photography assignment!-Carly
"Nothing says holidays like a cheese log."
-Ellen DeGeneres
Weekend Assignment #292: Halloween is behind us, Thanksgiving ahead, and Christmas advertising has begun. So how about it? When do the holidays begin for you? Do you avoid thinking about Christmas and Hanukkah until after Thanksgiving, or is any time after Halloween okay? Is it time for Christmas lights in your neighborhood, and do the neighbors agree with you? How about Christmas music? When does that become okay, if ever?
Extra Credit: Have you bought any holiday presents yet? If not, when do you think you'll start?
-Karen, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin.
Holidays begin for us all the way back in May. You see, there is a small rodeo parade here in the East Bay, which is held every Mother's Day weekend, and it is kinda the unofficial kick-off of summer, or at least it is for us. Two weeks later comes Memorial Day, and then my birthday and well, you get the idea. We don't really stop celebrating until January 1st. But if we are talking about the holidays... holidays... then I would have to say, they begin with Halloween.
That is when I get into our storage room and get out all the autumn/winter decorations. I get all of it out at the same time, because it just makes more sense then to lift the boxes over and over every month. Autumn is just one big celebration with Christmas and Hanukkah only barely official winter holidays. I love it. Life is too short to not put up colored lights. Tee Hee. And this year seem especially festive, as all the towns have put up the "Happy Holidays" banners. It's been really cold, so it's really all coming together nicely.
Extra Credit: No, no gift shopping yet. I think gift giving going to be a little sparse this Christmas, which is ok, I am at the age when I have everything I want. Although I am eyeing a "Monster in A Bag" for the boys. They will need something to keep them occupied during the rainy season this winter.
-Carly
