Saturday, November 26, 2016

San Francisco... A City. With Windows.

"A photograph can communicate a couple things... sometimes only one thing... very well. The more you try to say with your photograph, the greater the chance that you will say nothing at all."

~David duChemin
Within The Frame: The Journey Of Photographic Vision

It was Black Friday yesterday, so Alan and I took our annual trip into San Francisco! We didn't quite make it to Union Square, but we did spend some time wandering the city, looking at the holiday windows throughout the city all decked out for the season. A couple of the windows really caught my eye because of their style and panache, so I spent some time photographing them.
Sometimes it's not the add on it's own that appeals to me, it's how it looks in a window, framed by the edges of glass, that touches the me in one way or another. Like the one above!

I spotted it in the window of Salon DNA on Sutter street. It was dark, so I did the best I could to capture it in an unusual light. As it turns out it was a  good light for the conveying how it felt to view it. It was very pleasing to the eye, and I might try it again in the daylight sometime, but for now, I am happy with how it came out. San Francisco has some fabulous windows, and they are amazing to photograph by day or by night! 

 Leaf Of The Day
November 26th 2016

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Friday, November 25, 2016

On Black Friday... Seeking Successive Autumns

"Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love... that makes life and nature harmonize. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one's very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I was a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

~George Eliot
George Eliot's Life
As Related In Her Letters And Journals
Volume One
( Letter To Miss Lewis, October 1, 1841)

Another holiday has come and gone! It was a quiet and fun Thanksgiving in our home! Alan and I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Played with the cats, and bitched about politics, but even the bitching was more laughing then any genuine ire about the state of things in America! After that we made dinner and watched some movies. First Jaws, then The Shadow Of The Thin Man! Hows that for an eclectic mix of move genres? 

Tomorrow is an one of our favorite days... Black Friday! We usually sleep until we feel like getting up, then it's off to San Francisco to Union Square to people watch. There are always demonstrators. Shoppers clambering for that must have deal, and then there are the kids, who love the decorations and ice rink. There is something for everybody! It's just fun!

But if for whatever reason we don't make it there, we will usually come up with a great Plan B, because the point of the day is to not  lose a day together. It's about us. It's about enjoying every last minute we have together. You see, we have been married over 26 years now, and it seems like it has been a blink. You can't waste a moment. There will be plenty to bitch about in the coming weeks and months, for now, for the present, it's time to laugh! And love. And hopefully something beautiful will be seen along the way, like a purple flower in late autumn!                     

 Leaf Of The Day
November 25th 2016

Mood: Happy
 
~Me :)
 


 

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving... And A Prayer Shared

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget
 that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,
 but to live by them."

~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

A Prayer Of Thanksgiving Shared...

I am an imperfect person. This is a tough day to feel thankful, but still I know I have a lot to be thankful for. Friends who love me. Cats who love me. My health. My photography. The love of a wonderful man, who loves me in good times and bad. I have a roof over my head, and a turkey dinner waiting to be cooked.

 I can still feel compassion and empathy for others. 

I'm not boasting mind you, I am just grateful that no matter how bleak these times feel, or how dark the future seems, in the moment I know I am okay, and I am truly thankful, and blessed! So, for this one day, as I am taking days one at a time, thank you Lord for my life, and for the lessons you've allowed me to learn.

AMEN

I don't reflect on my faith very often on social media, but I do have faith and once in a while I just need to share the blessings I have been given.

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Leaf Of The Day
November 24th 2016

Mood: Thankful

~Me 

 

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Brown Sugar And Cinnamon

"It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust
 of brown sugar and cinnamon."

~Sarah Addison Allen
First Frost

I am going through my archives, looking for autumn leaves from past seasons that I didn't put into my Leaf Of The Day project because I always wish I have more time to post my favorite leaves, but let's face it, it's not possible to post every single beautiful leaf I come across. It's just not reasonable. So, here are a few I found in the archives that I never got around to posting. Each one reminded me of the day I was out with my camera, and how wonderful I always feel at the end of a really good day, photographing incredibly beautiful leaves.

Enjoy!


 Happiness!

Leaf Of The Day
November 23rd 2016




Mood: Quiet

~Me  

 

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Orange Crush

"When you are open to living and trust the process of life and ready to face all your fears, and not afraid to go astray with life, life definitely comes and talks to you, in its own language."

~Roshan Sharma

I spotted this sign while on vacation. I decided to photograph it because when I looked up and saw it, I realized to summed up exactly how I was feeling in that moment. Alan and I were on our way to Reno, when we decided to take a side trip up to Virginia City, Nevada. It's a cute little old west town, with lots of legends and even a purported haunted cemetery, so it sounded like fun to pay a visit. I had been there before, years ago, and we had a wonderful time just wandering the old wooden streets, and visiting the small shops. 

This visit was much different. The last time we were up there we were greeted with kindness and nods from store keepers and other folks just milling around, but this time there was a vibe that made me feel completely unwelcome, and uncomfortable. It wasn't just the almost wallpapering of Trump/Pence signs everywhere you looked, but it was the homemade signs, here and there, that made it clear if you weren't in favor of blatant HATE toward certain groups, then its best you move on!

It was heartbreaking. I love visiting interesting little towns and going on new adventures, and since it had been at least a decade since I had been there, I thought it would be fun to see what might be new. Unfortunately what I found that was new was an attitude of anger and US verses THEM. All I wanted to do was purchase some fudge from that cute little shop, take a few photos, and then leave, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't spend money in a town that was so hateful. I know you can't always know what folks personal politics are, but when it is this apparent I have NO intention of supporting it in any way.

On our way out of town, we pulled over to discuss what we might want to do next. Whether it had put such a dark cloud on the day that perhaps we were better off just driving back to California, or if we wanted to continue on to Reno anyway, when I looked up and spotted that sign. It hit me just how metaphoric it was for the sad and heavy feeling we were experiencing. For the last 18 months it has felt like a big orange crush on each and every day, since Donald Trump threw his hat/hair into the ring of politics. Every day, in some way, he has insinuated himself into life. 

He was no longer content to be an icon of pop culture reality star or subject of seedy New York gossip, instead he wanted to carve himself a place in political history. He took the chance of being laughed at, as long as he got at least as big a mention as Ross Perot. Instead as he jumped from one absurd statement to another he grew in popularity because to the casual observer he represented a new kind of politics Americans had never seen before "reality politics." Suddenly not only was democracy cool, it was understandable. He promised to shake up Washington. And that he did.

He won the American Idol vote.

And America will be crushed under the weight of the hate that is rising from this new democracy, unless America steps in line behind the hatred. Unless you are for "Us" and not "Them." I have NO plans to cave to hatred, but that doesn't mean that this will be easy. He hasn't even taken office, and I feel crushed by the cruelty, lies, and misogyny. I can't believe my fellow citizens handed the power of the world over to a man who can't stop flicking metaphorical rubber bands and his critics on Twitter! So, how will history remember this time? How will it remember Donald Trump?It can only be one of two outcomes I think. He will be known as the Great Orange Tyrant, so corrupt he was impeached under the weight of his misdeeds or the Great Orange Savior, applauded for his ability to bring us together in national unity. 





Opinions are always welcome! Feel free to leave me your thoughts. All I ask is that you are respectful.

Leaf Of The Day
November 22nd 2016


Mood: Quiet

~Me

 

Monday, November 21, 2016

A Life Lived In Frames

"Photography is a reality so subtle
 that it becomes more real than reality."

~Alfred Stieglitz

Christmas came a little early. Alan gave me the go ahead to purchase a new camera. Getting out to do some photography had been good for my soul this past month. I had forgotten how much better I feel when I can step out of my own thoughts, and into the natural and real world. There is beauty in the world, and I love being there to document it. There is also a lot of pain in the world right now, and I know I will be there for that too. It will, perhaps, be unavoidable at times. America is about to go through a troubling, dark time. We can hope for the best, but I think we should probably brace for the worst. But we will have time to speak about that later, for now here are the first few images I captured with the new camera...

The camera and I need to get to know each other. It will come with time. So far I am happy with the results. Both photos were taken on a rainy day, which plays with the lighting at bit, and as I was losing the light pretty quickly, the focusing was getting more and more difficult. All relationships take time, and commitment.



That was my life yesterday, lived in frames.

 Leaf Of The Day
November 21st 2016

Mood: Quiet

~Me

 

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Days In Heaven

"In Heaven it is always autumn"

~John Donne

Heaven definitely has autumn! Always autumn? Of that I am not so sure. I would think we would have all the seasons, if we had one. But maybe we get the best parts of all the seasons, you know? Summers would never be so hot that you couldn't think straight. Autumn would be all the colors that ever were! Colors that you had never seen before, all hanging off the branches of trees until time to give you a soft, warm, spider free blanket, on a cool, but not cold autumn day. 

Winter would have snowflakes that look soft, and cold on the autumn leaves, but they never get muddy and dirty, but they shine with diamond iridescence under the full autumn moon, so even nighttime can play along. Then spring comes, and behind each warm day are blossoms and leaves with just a hint of autumn remaining so that it all comes together at once.

 No day ever gets too hot, nor too cold, just beautiful with color everywhere! And there are of course cats. All the cats I have loved, running through the leaves, chasing butterflies for the purpose of play, just a game of catch and release. And there are vivid memories so that even in Heaven we can remember when we have had a perfect autumn day! 


Leaf Of The Day
November 20th 2016




Mood: Quiet

~Me :)