Weekend Cooking... Banana Cream Pie And Banana Pudding

 

"We must have pie, stress cannot exist in the presence of pie."

~David Mamet

Boston Marriage

One Banana

Yes, I'm back from the dead. Lordy have I been sick the last several days, but I am so much better now, and ready to seek out new recipes that make my mouth water! And in that this is a three day weekend, it's Memorial Day wouldn't this Banana Cream Pie, be great for a BBQ, potluck or just a day to yourself? I have taken certain days, settled down with the cats, and eaten a whole pie. There is no shame in that, so don't judge me! LOL! Anyhoo... I'm going to try this pie, if you do, let me know what you think about the recipe. 

Two Banana

Okay, I get it, eating a whole pie is a lot to take on, so maybe instead a creamy, dreamy serving of Banana pudding is more reasonable, and just as fun. When I went looking for more recipes featuring bananas, I found this one for, Banana Pudding, from the Magnolia Bakery, which was also featured in, The New York Times Cooking section. Perfect! What better recipe to try than this one? I have always dreamed of visiting there, ever since I saw it on, Sex In The City. I am a big fan of cupcakes, and theirs look fabulous, but their pudding is supposed to be equally fabulous! It's all about having a full New York City adventure, like visiting the Statue of Liberty, having lunch at Katz's Deli, and leaf peeping in Central Park. Well, that's my idea of an adventure anyway. I don't think that adventure is in my future, but having a little taste of New York definitely is! 

Happy Eating 

Enjoy your long weekend!

By the way, the Magnolia Bakery has nationwide shipping!    ;)

On A Warm Autumn Day

 

“I kick off sandals and feel the wet mud under my feet... I want to taste everything about Autumn when I am footloose.”

 
~Reena Doss,

  The Last Leaf Of Autumn: Barefoot and falling, infinity is a number that has none to end

 

Isn't that a gorgeous bird? I never get tired of photographing Sandhill Crane, especially while they are doing simple things, like just standing in the middle of a field, on a warm October day. I don't need big flyovers, although I love them, I just need a happy bird enjoying the day, to bring out the happy photographer in me. 

 

That's all.

 

 

Slip Knots

 

"It didn't matter that the scarves weren't even all that special or great or that I was making far too man to actually keep and had no idea what I was going to do with them. I didn't ever think that far. I thought only about the fact that for the moment I was working on something. I was creating something."

 

~Kathryn Vercillo

Crochet Saved My Life 

I have a new hobby, and I will say, straight up, I HATE SLIP KNOT'S GUTS! It took me forever to learn that simple starting point, but okay, I finally got it. Sheesh! Now I am on my way with my project, and I am using the lovely yarn color, Sunset, a variegated yarn, by Yarnspiritions. It reminds me of autumn. It has all the colors of a warm autumn sunset. I learned the first basic step today, making a chevron chain. Tomorrow I will learn to crochet back in the opposite direction of what I began. So, what am I making? Who the HELL knows. All I know is that I needed a new creative outlet, and I have always wanted to learn how to crochet, so it was a good fit. There is too much happening, and my nerves are absolutely frayed. I hate being on edge all the time. Trump has only been in office 4 months and I swear it seems like 4 years! Not to mention the goings on my real life. No misunderstand me, it's not all that bad. I can always turn off the TV, turn on a playlist, and start dancing, but there is always the threats of things we can't control. Shrug. Maybe the crocheting will give me the clear focus I need. Hope comes in many forms.

 

As of today he has been in office 93 days. 😟

 

NOTE: By the way, the colorful yarn you see above is not the yarn I mentioned in this post. That yarn is called, Hokey Pokey. Isn't cute?

 

 

 

 

Gladys And Friends On Ashby

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.

 It is the fundamental emotion that stands

 at the cradle of true are and true science."

~Albert Einstein

The World As I See It

Remember Gladys? Gladys and I go way back. We made friends back in 2014, while I was stopped in traffic on Ashby avenue, in Berkeley, California. I had just finished with a therapy appointment, and was on my way to do errands in the East Bay, when I looked over, and there she was! As I explained in the original post, I had probably passed her a thousand times, without ever realizing she was there! I just happened to be in the right place, at the right time to notice that tucked back from the road, ever so slightly, was this beautiful lady and some of her friends. Not doing much of anything, just waiting for a slightly sad, perhaps a bit lonely neurotic lady to stop in traffic long enough to notice her.

I don't think her name is actually Gladys, that's just what I call her. While I was studying her that day, that name just came to me, and we have been friends ever since. Eventually I took up politely waving when I passed her coming into or leaving town. I enjoyed doing that. It was a landmark in town that made me feel safe, and comfortable, even downright happy sometimes. She is a cool piece of art, watching over the road, and she is all the beauty and mystery that art should be.

There is some paper attached to the little building that she shares with her friends, but I have deliberately chosen to avoid reading it to see if her real name and story is there. I kind of like things as they are. She's a cool pal, and I like thinking of her that way. I miss Berkeley so much that it makes my heart hurt sometimes, but I look forward to seeing Gladys wherever I visit, and I know she will be right there when I come home. She continually inspires me to look a little deeper at all the places I photograph. What if there are more out there like her, and I simply missed them over the years? Nah... she's clearly an original, but I still find myself looking deeper into the big picture, and for that I am grateful to Gladys and her friends on Ashby, in Berkeley, California.

See you again soon, Gladys!

~Carly

September 14th, 2020

Stockton, California

 

A Bouquet Of Autumn Leaves

"Leaves grow old gracefully, being such joy in their last lingering days. How vibrant and bright is their final flurry of life."

~Karen Gibbs

I always said, if we ever renew our vows, I would carry a bouquet of autumn leaves, as opposed to the pink and white roses I carried on our wedding day. Don't get me wrong, the roses were amazing, and they were the color I always dreamed of carrying, but I have grown to love the colors of autumn so much, that I think I could do better now. I thought about that, as I photographed these leaves the other day. They had just fallen from the tree I was under, and at first glance they looked like a wedding bouquet to me. All the gorgeous colors of autumn, in one natural bouquet. The only thing I might add to them, would be to some crystals, and some pearled beads. Other than that, they seem, ready to me! 

#42 Leaf Of The Day

November 3rd, 2019

Sacramento, California

Nikon 

~Mood: Happy

~Me  :)

The Blues I See

"What if the blue I see is not the same color blue you see?"

~Neo Shamon

That blue California scrub jay simply took my breath away. It was sitting in a tree skeleton, in my neighbor's yard, just chirping away. There was a storm last Sunday, and it was another one of those kinds of storms that threatens to turn into a tornado on a whim. It never did, of course, but for a while it made things really interesting! Anyway, storms or not, I seem to be seeing a lot of blue. If not in the sky itself, then in things that fly in the sky. In this case the blue California scrub jay that is making a home in my yard. 

I guess it's a good thing I am finding some inspiration close to home, because my carpal tunnel has been really bad of late, so doing much with the camera is difficult. I can barely type this post, but I had to because it's good for me to make the effort of staying out of my shell, which is what I tend to do the moment autumn ends. Hibernation must end. I want to see the four seasons this year, and to do that, I must keep my creativity sharpened. So, there might be pictures posted here this week, but the words may be few. That's a good thing, I think, I will just let the pictures do the talking.

 There is a lot more blue to come this week!

 ~Mood: Happy

~Me

 

Falling

"Autumn is the hardest season. The leaves are falling, and they're falling like they are falling in love with the ground."

~Andrea Gibson

Depression. Unhappiness. Restlessness. Despair. Whatever you want to call it, I am feeling it. The past week feels like it has been six months long. An Election less than a week ago, should have me walking on cloud nine, instead I am barely able to catch my breath from the overwhelmingly sad events that occurred around it. Shootings, wildfires, devastation, and I am running on empty in my okay world. It feels selfish to feel as sad and tired as I do, when I know so many have lost their homes, and loved ones. But I do. I feel bad for feeling bad. Sometimes I don't know where my depression begins and ends, but I am learning to hide it when I can. I let it out here, because it feels safe to. I assume no one comes by, so it feels okay to just be honest. But it gets harder to admit that I feel like I am sinking more and more every day. Thank God I have my leaves, but after that, I am not so sure where my creativity will take me, or even if it will take me anywhere at all.

Shrug.

My prayers go out to those affected by the Camp Fire and the firestorm in Los Angeles. I pray for my friends and strangers, who are watching their lives change forever. I pray for all the families who lost loved ones in the Borderline massacre. I wouldn't wish the pain they are being forced to endure on anyone.

#50 Leaf Of The Day

November 10th 2018

Photographed October 21st 2018

Ione, California

~Mood: Sad/Tired

~Me

By Land And Sea + The Leaf Of The Day

"Above all, life for a photographer 

cannot be a matter of indifference."

~Robert Frank

Photography is my passion. I work hard at it. I love it, I breathe it. I want to be really good at it. I am at my happiest, when I have a camera in my hand, and I am discovering a new bird, or landscape I haven't seen before, or even a random slant of light or shadow. But I have been becoming indifferent inside, sometimes to life itself, with Donald Trump in office. It's affected every aspect of my life. Things I used to look forward to, are now pushed away by me, into a box of quiet darkness. 

If this mess ever ends, I would like to resume my life again. I fight the depression with all I have, but a lot of joy is simply gone. As we begin our vacation next week, Alan and I have a couple things planned that may provoke some feeling again. I take groups of photos like these, to try and stretch my creativity muscle, because I know that depression is treated using a number of different elements, and art is one of them. So I really am trying!

This group of photos are not my best work, they just aren't, but they are an attempt at moving away from the sadness, and toward happiness. There was a time when I would rather take photos than breathe, but with Trump in office, I feel like all my energy is gone. Just gone. And if this weeks news hasn't been horrific enough, later today we will be getting a "Presidential Tweet" that tests the Emergency Broadcast system. And we are given NO CHOICE! The call will come, whether we want to receive it or not!

 Yet another intrusion from Donald Trump.  

Will it ever end?

Altamont Pass

By The Pacific Ocean

If how I feel inside couple be summed up by a photo,

 it would be this one. Foggy. Dark. Quiet.

#12 Leaf Of The Day

October 3rd, 2018

Ione, California

~Mood: Quiet

~Me

 

A Strange Diner In A Strange Place

"There's safety in thinking in a diner. You can have your coffee or your milk shake, and you can go off into strange dark areas, and always come back to the safety of the diner."

~David Lynch

Catching The Big Fish Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity

After almost 2 years of living in Stockton, I am still getting used to the quirkiness that is the Central Valley! One of the biggest changes seems to be that there are more of these little diners and independent boutiques. Well, it makes sense, because there is a lot more room to work with! The Bay Area is pretty much filled up with Starbucks, McDonald's, Wendy's, and every restaurant and chain shopping outlets possible! And again, we have all that, but we have the choice of discovering delightful little options as well, and this is just one!

I haven't actually eaten here yet, it was closed the day I visited, but I will get to it eventually. I think it would be fun to try a photo series first, then I will go back and revisit them and do an actual review of the food, or shopping experience. I am still feeling emotionally overwhelmed, but I know picking up the camera gives me strength. It gives me consciousness and it gives me creativity, so I am going to work on that, as I make my way through the next six months or so. Anyway, while I am processing things, I don't want it to play a part in how I think about the experience of each place I photograph.

Does that make sense, or am I being too careful?

I don't know. We'll see.

Anyway, I am trying to breakaway from the self imposed isolation, and embrace my surroundings. There is a lot too see in the Central Valley, and good, bad or otherwise, this is my home, so I have to deal with it. I know I will probably not live in the Bay Area ever again, but it's certainly not too far to visit, when I just need a good dose of fast moving life. Lord I miss the sounds of the East Bay. The whirling sound of BART trains. Airplanes flying over. The sound of the Ethereal Musician playing his sax on warm afternoons. But I am getting used to the quiet, and it's okay too, but I have to say, whatever that monster is that roams the neighborhood at 2:30 am  makes me smile every single night, but because of the lovely sound of dogs barking! 

It Is What It Is.

It Is What It Is Diner 

24335 N Hwy 99

Acampo, California 95220

209-334-2233

 Mood: Hopeful

~Me

 

Beauty In The World... From The 2017 Archives

"I believe all photographers want to be remembered for their images. They reflect a piece of their soul."

~Christer Paul Flateau

I was tiptoeing through my photo archive, from earlier this year, and since I did very little blogging in 2017, I decided to chose a few photos that I liked, but didn't feel up to blogging about on the day they were taken, and highlight them now. It's less than a week until Thanksgiving, and it's going to be a busy time, so I think it's the right time to take a look backward, with thankfulness, rather than bitterness, about how the year has been with Trump in office.

I let a lot of my creativity slide, instead choosing to be scared, angry and depressed. It's hard to not feel all this things, when even experts in various fields, like the American Psychiatric Association, have felt a duty to warn the American people about the dangers of having Trump in the White House. That was unprecedented, and should be taken seriously, however, the powers that be don't seem interested in removing him from office, so we are all stuck in a situation we, as individuals, have NO WAY to fix. It feels like we are all on a roller-coaster, running completely out of control! That is not a fun feeling, at all!

So, now I find myself quoting the Serenity Prayer to myself. I got that chip when I successfully graduated from Adult Daycare, after my nervous breakdown in 2000. It was a long, hard, painful road, but I worked through some things, and I was managing stress and occasional bouts of depression pretty well, again, until the Electoral Collage put an unstable man in power. After all those years, I found myself feeling things I hadn't felt in years, but when I recognized how bad it had gotten, I sought help, and I am beginning to come out of my almost self-imposed darkness.

I don't think, at the time I took these photos, I fully appreciated the beauty in them. I was taking photos, at Alan's request, because he was worried about me, and thought it would be good for me to do something other than dwell on all the bad things happening in America. It wasn't healthy to watch CNN 24/7, because, as he pointed out, there was nothing I could do to stop anything Trump does while in office. I needed to "accept the things I couldn't change." And I have, or at least I am trying my best to do just that!

This next week, I know that he will be pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey, per White House tradition, but he will probably use his power to pardon a few other turkeys as well, if you get my drift. I see it coming, but there is nothing I can do, so at least I am aware, that there is a strong possibility regarding pardons, and can deal with it by picking up my camera, and searching for the beauty in life. Oh don't get me wrong, I will feel all those emotions that are perfectly reasonable to feel, but hopefully, I will be able to balance the feelings with some creativity. That's my hope anyway.

 So, lets look back at some beauty I didn't appreciate earlier this year, and we will go from there. I used some editing software on some of them, just to give you an idea what my imagination sees, rather then what the camera sees. Sometimes I see through an Impressionist filter in my creativity, and I try to bring that to my photographs, to let you get a better idea of how I see the world.

Golden Lamp

Carson City, Nevada

November 6th, 2017

(Soft Filter)

Purple Flower

Moss Beach, California

April 13th, 2017

(Impressionist Filter)

Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco, California

April 13th, 2017

(Soft Filter)

Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco, California

April 13th 2017

(Soft Filter)

#19 Leaf Of The Day

November 19th, 2017

Carson City, Nevada

Mood: Creative

~Me :)

Moon Phase Waxing Gibbous 71% Full

"Moonlight is sculpture, sunlight is a painting."

~Nathaniel Hawthorne 

Not a lot to talk about tonight. At least not a lot that I feel like talking about. I am working on some projects around the house, and doing some research into what we will be doing, and where we will be going, on vacation in a couple weeks. I know we have a date to go to a movie in Orinda... that is set in stone... but that's about all I am absolutely sure of. We will have four weeks, and I know I am ready to spend as much time with Alan as possible. He is so much fun, and we always have a good time together.

I think we will be doing some long car rides in search of leaves, and adventure in places we have never been to before. There might even be a new lighthouse or two to visit. We'll see. One thing I do know, I am looking forward to doing a lot of moon photography, weather permitting. Maybe some sunrise photography from Twin Peaks. There is so much I want to do, and so little time.

Picking up the camera again has been good for me. It clears all the head noise and puts me in a very nice state of mind. I need that right now, as the year moves along, and more Trump/American devastation unfolds, my heart seems to break daily, but I'm hanging on, thanks in part to my cameras, and the moon in the sky.

Like the moon tonight, I am about 71%.

Leaf Of The Day

September 30th 2017

Stockton, California

Mood: Quiet

~Me

Pre-Autumn Leaf #2

"In every change, in every falling leaf there is some pain, some beauty. And that's the way new leaves grow."

~Amit Ray

Another pre-autumn leaf. I really like this one. I haven't photographed many large leaves, but I think that might change this season, we'll see. I found it at a really cute fruit stand in Manteca, California, which already had some really beautiful, and impressive pumpkins for sale. It was a good outing, and a necessary one. I have become a bit of a recluse in the last couple years, or maybe agoraphobic, I am not really sure which, or if it's both. I think I touched a bit on that in a previous post. Shrug. It's just been a difficult time, but Alan is encouraging, patient and loving, so I am on the mend I think. He supports me in my photography, and he knows my creativity, and love for autumn in general, tends to get me thinking straight again. Yesterday was a good day. I think tomorrow will be too. I am hopeful anyway.

Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

Also Coming To A Tree Near You!

"If lightening is the anger of the gods,

 then the gods are concerned mostly about the trees."

~Lao Tzu

Well, last night was fun. Thunder. Lightening. And I had an amazing viewing spot for the whole thing... the comfort of my bed! Yep. I didn't have to get dressed, at 2:40 AM, and grab my camera, and head outdoors to get some pretty good shots of the light show, all I had to do was turn off I Love Lucy, pull the curtains aside, and hang my head upside down from the headboard!

Why upside down? Well, Alan was sleeping next to me, and wasn't hearing the thunder, as it was fairly quiet, for thunder, so I didn't want to get up, turn around and stand on the bed, when all I had to do, was position the camera a bit over my slightly upside down head. It was awkward, but more than worth it, and I am a happy camper because I haven't used my cameras much this year.

I am fighting the depression since Hillary lost. I was sad after that day in November, but the real depression and fear took hold in January when Trump took office. That's when the whole thing began to really hit me hard. REALLY HIT ME HARD. Since that time I have been vocal on Twitter, but my creativity has come and gone. My will to leave the house has bordered on agoraphobia. My life changed in ways I didn't think possible, but I am adjusting.

I have a lot of pictures of different home projects and our fur babies, but I am venturing out a little more, and I am hoping to do my leaf gallery this year. I drove for the first time in almost a year the other day, and that felt good. Baby steps. Leaves. Pumpkins. Cats. Lightening, Baby Steps and repeat. Autumn is coming. That's a good thing!

Central Valley Lightening Storm

Wednesday, September 13th 2017

2:40 AM

Stockton, California

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

My Desk... 2017 Edition

"My ideas usually come not at my desk writing,

but in the midst of living."

 

~Anais Nin

 

 My ideas come to me under many different circumstances. My artistic ideas happen, oddly enough, when I already have a camera in my hand. Some of my best creative ideas, happen on the spur of the moment. I can't even count the number of times that I have planned, down to the very last detail, a particular photo jaunt, only to find multiple other ideas and sparks of inspiration either along the way, or while photographing the original people, places or things that brought me to that destination.

 

My desk is where all the serious stuff occurs. I pay bills. I edit photos. I read the New York Times, Huffington Post, Time, The Hill, CNN, National Geographic. You get the idea. I Tweet sometimes from my desk, but most of the time I Tweet from my phone while on the go. My desk is also where I tend to fret. I fret about Trump. I fret about bills. I fret about owning a home. I never realized how stressful a mortgage is! Yes, I do some fretting there, but I also play some Wordbird there, and I enjoy my office as my girl cave, so all isn't lost.

 

Although as I look around my office, I wonder why in the world my office isn't finished yet! I have been here almost 18 months, and it still isn't finished. I haven't chosen a color for the walls, I haven't gotten my chair for reading. I always wanted a cozy chair for the corner of the room, to curl up in with Dylan and a book. I love his snuggles, and right now the couch does nicely, but one day I would like a chair for the office. All things in their time I guess.

 

It's hard owning a home. You worry about the roof. You worry about the mortgage payment. You worry about the jerk up the street who loves to turn the corner going like 80 miles per hour. I just know one day he will run through the front bedroom! You worry about aphids. You worry about buying earthquake insurance. YOU WORRY!

 

Buts it's nice to know, when you have a cold, and a fever of 103.3, that you are sick in your own home. Your bedroom is yours. Especially when you have bonded with the four walls and the roof like we have. Once you bond with a house it leads to worrying about all the responsibilities, but it's a little easier to take because it's home. A refuge from the angry, sad world. LOL. It's a lot, and I don't know that we will always be here, but Alan and I decided a long time ago, that if we couldn't make a go of it here, we would be adults and sell, and I am okay with that.

 

Mostly.

 

But for now we are making it all work. That man and I are unstoppable. He really is THE ONE. And with the fur babies, we are a family. And then there is Elvis, gone but never forgotten. He is in Alan's office, on his desk, in the perfect little box. Elvis always sat next his daddy when he was alive, so I know he would be happy to be next to Alan now. When all is said and done, we are a family, and we are at home no matter where we put a key in the door.

 

 But truly... I need to get my office finished!

 

 

Mood: Greatful

 

~Me :)