He Was My Forever Friend

"And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet

 and the winds long to play with your hair."

~Khalil Gibran

The Prophet

"Close your eyes and turn your face into the wind."

Feel it sweep along your skin in an invisible ocean of exultation.

Suddenly, you know you are alive."

~Vera Nazarian

The Perpetual Calendar Of Inspiration

This is the last full day of autumn, and out of all the last few months, it was those windy days of October and late November I remember the most fondly. The sound of the leaves rolling across the yard, reminded me of my cat Elvis. He loved to play in the crunchy leaves of an old poplar tree we used to have. Oh my, the sound of him crunching those leaves, especially when he was outside late at night, was such a fun sound to me. He would stomp along for what seemed like forever.  He was so happy. And I remember how he seemed to enjoy the sound the wind chimes when they swayed in the breeze. Elvis was such a fun cat. He liked the smell of flowers, and he liked sounds and textures. I miss him... a lot. He was always by my side in the yard when I did my photos, and he became a big part of my autumn inspiration. He passed away in 2008, and you would think I would have gotten over him by now, but not a day goes by that I don't think of him. He was a beautiful cat, and a very kind soul, and fun to play with in autumn... or in any season really.

He was my forever friend.

"Faeries, come take me out of this dull world,

For I would ride with you upon the wind,

Run on the top of the disheveled tide,

And dance upon the mountains like a flame."

~W. B. Yeats

The Land Of Heart's Desire

Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Law Of The Infinite Mind

"Autumn, that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness, that season which has drawn from every poet, worthy of being read, some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling. She occupied her mind as much as possible in such musings and quotations."

~Jane Austen

Crunch... Crunch... Crunch...

"There is no season in all the year so beautiful, so radiant with glory, as the early autumn. There is no time when the human soul drinks in so fully the glory and beauty of nature. All objects of beauty are more beautiful while passing away from us. The closing up of a beautiful life... the fading of the holy stars in the dim light of morning... the ending of a quiet summer day and the passing away of the bright summer glory, are all more sweet and lovely as they are lost to us. The death-glow always beautifies anything that wears the trace of beauty ere it goes back to nothingness.

 We do not understand the secret of this principle, 

yet we know that it is some law of the infinite mind."

~The Northern Advocate

Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Autumn Before, Autumn After

"Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul... but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October."

~Peggy Toney Horton

The season is rapidly coming to a close, so I thought it would be fun to look back at how it began

And how it ended...

I love you autumn. You are beautiful and delicious in any light!

Sigh.

The Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

A Preview Of Spring And Happy Hanukkah!

"Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair... "

~Susan Polis Schutz

Can you believe all that color? I cam upon these gorgeous purple flowers, while photographing leaves at the Brazil Room in Tilden Park, here in Berkeley. I couldn't resist taking a photo. They were so vibrant, and so lovely, that they were distracting me from the leaves, which almost never happens. As seasons go, I find spring to be my least inspiring. It's such an easy season to find beauty, that there is nothing very challenging about it, but still, when I come across something as beautiful as this flower, especially on a cold, rainy, almost winter day, I begin to look forward to the possibilities of spring. 

It will be here soon enough.

:)

The Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

My Christmas Lights... Hendrix, Dylan And Joey

"If there were to be a universal sound depicting peace... I would surely vote for the purr."

~Barbara L. Diamond

Last year my boys made their very first video as dancing partners. It was our Christmas present to everyone who has still stuck by this blog through the years. Can you believe I have been photo blogging over 11 years now? Sheesh. I must have posted a couple thousand photos by now, if not more, and I am continuing to find inspiration everywhere. Anyway, I am thankful for all my visitors, but the ones who have been with me through all the political rantings, and silly stories of my misadventures,and especially those who loved me through the loss of Elvis... well.. I love you.

Know that!
 :)
So now, an encore performance of "Silent Night"
 by The Brothers Gordon!

Enjoy!

Be sure to comeback here on Christmas Eve to see this year's performance!

Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Art About Town: Orinda, California "Beholding" By Artist James Moore

"Beholding"

By James Moore

Orinda, California

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance."

~Aristotle

I love Public Art. But you already knew that. Well, you might know that if you have been reading me for a while, anyway, I don't know if I have quite explained the reason I search it out whenever possible. You see, it has been Public Art that has saved me, on occasion, and reinvigorated my creativity many times over. At times, while in a cold, wintry mood, when everything seemed like stick figure trees, I have found a piece of art like this one, and found the magic again, by studying the figure or the angle or even the color scheme. Public Art should never just be passed by... no that is a big mistake... Public Art should be looked at. Often. And should be contemplated. Public Art should be learned from. Often. But most importantly it should be enjoyed. As OFTEN as possible. 

Here is a challenge between you and I. The next time you see yourself passing a piece of Public Art stop and contemplate it's beauty. Really discover it's meaning. Then sometime in the next 24 hours or so take a picture, and tell me what you saw, and whether the Public Art piece inspired the photo. I would be really interested to see what you come up with. Also, tell me how the experience made you feel. Was it exciting? Was it dull. Did your mood improve? Share all the details with me! Chasing art is an amazing way to do away the cold wintry blues!

Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

Autumn Perfection...

"I am made for autumn. Summer and I have a fickle relationship, but everything about autumn is perfect to me. Wooly jumpers, Wellington boot, scarves, thin first, then thick, socks. The low slanting light, the crisp mornings, the chill in my fingers, those last warm sunny days before the rain and wind

Her moody hues and subdued palate punctuated

 every now and again by a 

brilliant orange, scarlet or copper goodbye.

 She is my true love."

~Alys Fowler

Last Friday held a few more scattered showers from the big storm that came through the Bay Area last Thursday. Venturing out Thursday was out of the question. It simply wasn't safe. So, Friday, while still rainy, it wasn't so rainy that we couldn't just enjoy the day. And enjoy we did! The trees, the leaves, the puffy white clouds... it was beautiful! The air in the park smelled so good, and the tiny raindrops on the tips of the leaves looked like tiny diamonds. It was breathtaking!

 "The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes

 from the summer cottons into its winter wools."

~Henry Beston

The Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)