Life's Challenges And Red Gates

 
 

"Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional."

~Roger Crawford

 In two weeks I will be hosting the Round Robin Challenges once again! I haven't been a host of the photo challenge in a long time, the last time was actually for the subject of "Express A Feeling" on August 15th, 2010, which seems like forever ago, but was really less than 3 years ago. It seems longer somehow. Time is a strange thing sometimes, because it doesn't seem like my friend, and fellow Round Robin host, Steven, has been gone from the challenges, and our lives, for very long at all. Sometimes I feel like he will be back from vacation at any time to resume hosting again. In one of the last conversations we had, he told me that he would be back in no time at all, because he enjoyed sharing his photography too much to stay away for too long.

Time went by, emails and phone calls went unanswered, and I assumed that he had made the decision to jump off the net due to... well... whatever drives people to disengage from cyber relationships and pursuits. Some get jobs designing websites, and get sick to death of being on the Internet day and night. Some get busy with the day to day drama of being human, and boy can I understand that! Sometimes life is like a sitcom, which is fun, but when it's more like a drama... it can be downright exhausting! The last time I spoke to Steven he was still grieving the loss of his beloved cat, and I could more than understand how that can affect one emotionally, as it had been less than a year earlier that my cat Elvis had passed away. It was an event that I still have not fully recovered from even now. I find myself thinking about Elvis daily, despite my attempts at not doing so.

Karen, who is also a co-host, and original founding member of the challenges, lost her dog Tuffy during the same time frame. There was a lot of loss all interconnected. It was a lot, and it helped me to know that my two friends understood when I needed a bit of time to catch my breath. We all understood for each other... we all had our moments... we all needed the occasional step back from the challenges life was dealing. So sitting here right now, a part of the Round Robin Challenges again, for the specific reason of giving Karen time off to deal with not just the loss of another pet, her dog Pepper, but indeed a full plate of challenges ranging from personal, to employment to commitments made to her church.

Life. It has it's challenges.

"Don't give up! It's not over. The universe is balanced. Every set-back bears with it the seeds of a come-back."
~Steve Maraboli

I wasn't sure why I chose the subject of the current RRC: Gateways, to start things off. I went into my archives, and came up with a list of photos that had been previously posted, but not in the context of a photo challenge. The red gate photo is one of my favorites from 2012. It was taken on August 17th, in San Francisco, and graces the downstairs of the apartment on 20th street that Woody Allen used for his upcoming film, Blue Jasmine. My eyes were drawn to the gate immediately upon arriving at the film sight. It is a brilliant splash of color in an otherwise unremarkable street corner. Unremarkable until you look closer at the street and it's quirky splashes of color and life. A closer look at the street will reveal a lot of stories, from the dog walker I saw two days in a row, at the exact same time, with the exact same number of dogs, who stared down at a book he was reading as he walked along 20th street, never looking up to notice the movie being filmed, to the beautiful, medium sized admiral butterfly that alighted on a white gate, nearly directly across the street from the red gate that I found so fascinating!

 

Now I think I understand. Gateways lead us to the other side of barriers don't they? They let us walk away from pain on one side, into healing on the other. Life is full of gateways or bridges, although I think when a bridge is involved there is a lot more work involved. You know, the gate is a much quicker transition, but the bridge has tolls, and it's generally a longer journey beginning to end. Walking through a gate comes after the trip over the bridge. Of course I am probably over-thinking things again. Sometimes a gate is just a gate... right? But when I consider the whole picture, I can see some parallels. Sure. Anyway, life presents us with challenges, and it's up to us how we face them.

I like to face them with my camera, when at all possible.

That's why I take it everywhere I go.

Everywhere!

LOL.

The doctor's office. The DMV. Film sets. Grocery Stores. IKEA. Parks. Lunch. Bridges.

Anyway, in a couple weeks, on Saturday, March 23rd, I will be once again hosting the Round Robin Challenges, and if you would like to join us, you are most welcome! It's an easy enough challenge, and I would be very pleased to see how you might tackle it! So please consider playing along! If things go well, I might even consider reopening the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot. I miss it very much sometimes. I think I have finally closed the gate on the things that made me so tired.

Round Robin Challenge: Gates
Saturday, March 23rd 2013

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Weekend Assignmnet #235: Button Up

"It's not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something."

-Leo Buscaglia

Weekend Assignment #236: Design a button ( a badge, a pin...). It can say anything you like as long as it's clean and not defamatory. Or maybe you prefer a photo button. You can just describe it if you like, or tell us what it says - or you can actually create the complete design.

Extra Credit: Have you ever designed a button or other apparel before now?

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

Two things that mean a lot to me are coming up very soon, so I kinda got excited about this Weekend Assignment. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and of course with the election in November, it's a good time to remind folks to get out and vote on election day. Although, given the recent events with the on again, off again, she says bailout, he says relief package machinations, I think folks will be going to the polls in great numbers this election to make their feelings known. Oh well, I made the effort anyway. I never really know if my little voice is heard, but at least I know I put it out there, so I can feel good about that.

It disturbs me that we spend so little on cancer research, and yet money can always be found to fund this idiotic war in Iraq. Cancer is a very real threat to us, attacking someone new every day, and yet very little is being accomplished to get a comprehensive health care package together so that more folks will be able to afford the tests that can save their lives. Diabetes is on the rise, to an alarming rate, and because there are so few subtle symptoms to it, people are walking around not even realizing they have diabetes. So, here are the buttons I would distribute if I could, they are messages that ask folks to take some personal interest in the world, themselves, and those they love.




Extra Credit: Nope, I haven't designed any badges or buttons before, but I do design some graphics for my sidebar from time to time. Especially to bring awareness to certain causes and charities I feel particularly passionate about.

-Carly
"October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month"

Weekend Assignment #231: Candidates With A Difference

"When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday... no matter what happened on Tuesday."

-Stephen Colbert, referring to President George W. Bush

Weekend Assignment #231: Over the years we've had a number of oddball candidates for public office, from cartoon characters to a live pig, from comedians to TV stars to an ex-wrestler. But it's only in recent years that a candidate who doesn't fit the usual profile can run for office and actually expect to win. Who is the most unusual political candidate you have ever supported, either seriously or in just?

Extra Credit: Present politicians excepted, have you ever regretted voting for a candidate, in light of later events?

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

I guess this my weekend for politics! LOL. See my entry from yesterday! Although as we get closer and closer to the election in November, I expect I will be spending my weekends sharing my political observations. I hope the thought of that doesn't make you run and hide in fear, because I am not always serious when it comes to politics, I can find the humor from time to time, so you never know... maybe I can make you smile.

Anyway, onto the assignment Karen asked us to do. All my life I have been democrat. My first crush in life was on Hubert Humphrey. LOL. SIGH. There was just something about that man. In my teens I admired Jimmy Carter very much, and I still feel that he wasn't given enough time in office to accomplish his goals. As an ex-president, he has been an even greater man, and I still admire him and his work for Habitat For Humanity. I didn't get excited by too many others, until I saw Bill Clinton on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, and I remember Johnny Carson saying that night that we should, "Keep watching Governor Clinton, because one day, he will be president." Johnny was right. I consider him the best president in my lifetime. I know, I know, he is a bit randy... so what? His policies were sound, people could afford to live their lives and he left office with a surplus, not to mention the fact that, while he was in office, we were a happy nation. What could be wrong with that?

But the people I just spoke of were in the mainstream of politics. Karen wants us to discuss the unusual politicians we supported. I was a bit stumped by that request. I haven't ever really gone for the novelty candidates. Although, I was once really intrigued by an episode of Maude I saw as a child were Maude, sick to death with politics as usual, decided to launch a one woman campaign to get Henry Fonda elected to the presidency. Mr. Fonda declined to run, but the thought stuck in my mind that politicians weren't a different species, they were human beings and not really larger then their celebrity. I have since rethought that, lol, and at times I am indeed convinced that they are different species, otherwise how could they do the things they do. Oh, not the affairs, or the scandals, but rather allowing, and sometimes causing the suffering they do, in the name of love.

I thought and thought about the assignment. Had I ever, EVER, considered and alternative to the same old, same old? Then it hit me! How could I have forgotten? Earlier this year, we got a chance, albeit a slim one, that Steven Colbert could have been our other choice in the field of primary candidates. He applied to the Democratic party, and was promptly turned down because he wasn't a seriously viable candidate. I think he also applied to the Republican party, but I don't remember what became of that.

His candidacy didn't last long, but while it was alive, I kept my fingers crossed. And why the hell not? Wouldn't that have been a nice strong statement to send to Washington D.C.? I swear, after the piss poor showing of the democrats and the lunatics some people refer to as the Bush Administration, I was ready for intelligence, and humor again. And intelligent humor for that matter. Google "Stephen Colbert For President" and see what you find. I wasn't alone in the idea of having a really different choice to vote for! So, to answer the question for the assignment, Stephen Colbert is the most unusual candidate I have ever supported, if only for a few weeks anyway. :) I like that man!

Extra Credit: Arnold Schwarzenegger! What the HELL was I thinking trusting that republican? Well, we Californians are like that, we look for talent, and promise, and if it happens to be in the form of a republican, we will listen. I am rethinking that philosophy. I can admit when I have made a mistake, and voting for Schwarzenegger is certainly it! The thing is, considering many of his policies, he leans away from traditional republican ideals. Sometimes I think he might be a democrat at heart, and it simply hasn't occurred to him!

-OndineMonet

Monday Photo Shoot #35: Two "D" Words And An Announcement

"An idea is a point of departure and no more. As soon as you elaborate on it, it becomes transformed by thought."

-Pablo Picasso

New Monday Photo Shoot #35: Departure of Destruction. Photograph a departure of some sort, people walking away, a train pulling out of a station, a graduation, whatever - or evidence of destruction. If your photos combine the two somehow, that's even better!

Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

About The Train...

I chose the picture you see above, because Karen always seemed to enjoy it. She has given me a lot of positive feedback over the years about my photos, and it was always so appreciated. I remembered you liked that photo Karen, so that one is especially for you! :)

About The Monday Photo Shoot...

As you probably read over on Karen's blog, Outpost Mavarin, as of next Monday, September 1st, I will be taking over the Monday Photo Shoot. The MPS has been a big part of my blogging life since our Blogfather, John Scalzi, debuted the project back in March of 2004. I was very sad when he left AOL at the end of last year, because I had appreciated the effort he put into both the MPS and the Weekend Assignments. Both memes allowed me to step out of my own comfort zone, and do an assignment that I more then likely wouldn't have tackled all on my own. Sometimes I needed to step out of my own box, and challenge myself. That's what a challenge is supposed to do... right?

I was relived, and very pleased, when Scalzi personally handed the reins of the MPS to Karen. She did a great job with it over the last 8 months, with some really good, strong assignments. I always enjoyed the weeks I played under Karen's direction very much, I wish I could have played more weeks, but unfortunately sometimes things just got in my way. Life has been hectic in our little cottage, and I am sorry if I wasn't as supportive as I could have been, because I really thought she did an excellent job with it. But I do understand the feeling of burnout that she mentions. Blogging can do that to you, and every once in a while, it is a good idea to take a step back and reassess your priorities.

So, when she asked me a couple weeks ago if I was still interested in taking over the MPS I said "YES!" See, I think it will be a good project for me right now. We are coming into the autumn and winter months, where I always feel at my most creative. The problem is, I know that getting out with the camera will be a bit more challenging this year due to my recent diagnosis of degenerative arthritis in my right knee. Doing the MPS will help me center my own creativity, and give it a finer focus. I did a lot of thinking about it, and I talked to Alan, and I really think it will be a nice way to keep my creativity going strong.

I have some fresh ideas for the MPS, and I think they will be ones you will enjoy a lot, but over all it will still be about a group of friends and fellow bloggers chasing away the Monday blues, by sharing their love of photography with one another. If you want to play along, well that would be just wonderful, but if you are busy, or uninspired by a topic I choose, or just plain don't wanna play along... lol... that's fine too. No worries. We all get busy, we all have those days when things just don't seem to fit. It happens. When I get that way, I pick up my camera, but that's just me.

Anyway, I want to thank John Scalzi, for creating the MPS, and Karen, for all her hard work and effort with it, since he handed it over to her last January. Without the two of you, Monday would have just been Monday, with you, Monday became a photographic adventure! I promise to try my best with this project, and make it a fun and creative outlet for everyone. So, I will see you next Monday, and hopefully for many more Monday's to come!

Always, Carly :)

New Monday Photo Shoot: Tell Tail Photos

"Don't be content with being average. Average is as close to the bottom as it as to the top."

-Unknown

New Monday Photo Shoot #32: Show us a tail. It can be part of your pet, or the back of an airplane, or something more esoteric. If it's called a tail, it counts.

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

I don't know, that might be more of a bottom then a tail, but in any case, I still find it hysterical! I had the best time that day, photographing the swans at the Palace Of Fine Arts in San Francisco. I took that photo in 2005, but it remains in a folder on my desktop, which I call, "My Favorite Days." All the photos in the file are my original photos, which left me with a strong emotion of some kind when I took them. I have serious photos, and happy photos, and like the one above, some of the photos are just plain silly. I like it when I am out with the camera, and I have no preconceived idea or notion of what I am looking for, and then suddenly a moment will present itself. That makes for a good day with the camera.

-OndineMonet
"Bottom's Up"
Palace Of Fine Arts
San Francisco, California
May 31st, 2005
Afternoon

Monday Photo Shoot #29: Black is the Color

"Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions."

-Pablo Picasso

New Monday Photo Shoot #29: Photograph something in black. That's it. The absence of color. It's actually a little tricky, because black things tend to appear gray or dark blue or really dark brown, or reflect other colors.

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

Meet the Black Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio Polyxenes). Lovely it is, especially when you consider that the underside of the wings of this butterfly are so colorful. But that is always the nice surprise with butterflies, the fact that their markings on the front and back are so varied, it's as if they are wearing a two layers of clothing. :)

Here we have an unusual orchid. The black orchid is a fairly rare plant according to what I have read about them, so as you can imagine, I was thrilled to be able to see one in full bloom at the Conservatory of Flowers this past spring! You can read a little information about them here.

-OndineMonet

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Conservatory Of Flowers, GGP, San Francisco

Spring, 2008

New Monday Photo Shoot: #27: Strange And Silly Signs

"For business reasons, I must preserve the outward signs of sanity."

-Mark Twain

New Monday Photo Shoot #27: Show us a sign that's unusual in some way - even if you have to fake it!

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

"It was ordained at the beginning of the world that certain signs should prefigure certain events."

-Marcus Tullius Cicero

I have showed you all these photos before at some point, but I think they are interesting, and amusing enough to be seen again. :) The photographed the first sign here in the East Bay, many years ago. At first glance it might appear like just another sign, but if you really look at it, you see the obvious problem. I titled the photo, "No Way Out" because if you drive up the hill of that one way street, you can't legally drive back down! LOL. Hysterical! It still makes me laugh to this day!




How many times have you been given a choice as to whether you want to venture down the road to HELL?!




.99 Cents Stores, Open 8AM to 9PM, 9 Days A Week! 9 Days A Week? Where do they get the extra 2 Days? LOL.



-OndineMonet
"No Way Out"
Hayward, California
2002

New Monday Photo Shoot# 24: Candles Or Something Like Them

"Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished."

-Michael Strassfeld

New Monday Photo Shoot #24: Nearly everyone has candles, for one purpose or another. Photograph one or more candles - real or otherwise.

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

I love this candle, it is my favorite. Alan gave it to me... oh... about... 25 years ago or so. Long before we were dating. It was a friendship gift for Valentine's Day. It is one of those little items I call a treasure. I have a fear of fire, but I ask Alan to light some from time to time around the house, you know, to set a mood. LOL. This candle, however, sits on my desk at all times. I love just looking at it. It provides a different kind of light for me. :)

-OndineMonet
Little Kitty Candle
Berkeley, California
June 21, 2008
Morning

Weekend Assignment #220: Beautiful

"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

Weekend Assignment #220: Tell us about one person, place or thing you find particularly beautiful and why it affects you in this way. If you can demonstrate its beauty with photos, great but as always, the primary emphasis for the Weekend Assignment is words.

Extra Credit: Does something threaten to disturb or destroy that beauty?

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

There is so much to love about the Bay Area, and if you have been reading me for any length of time, you know I love nearly everything about it, but one thing in particular stands out as most important to me, when I think about it's beauty, and that is the amazing California coastline. I love the beaches, and the lighthouses that grace the coast, with equal passion. Since I got my current digital camera, in 2005, I have been as far north as Point Arena, and as far south as Santa Barbara, and on each little trek, I was swept off my feet by the beautiful coastal scenery.

The beauty of sunsets along the coast, always stop me in my tracks, but equally stunning to me are all the wildflowers that grow along the cliffs that look out over the Pacific. It would be difficult to narrow it all down to my favorite time of day, or a particular season, when I am out along the coast taking pictures, the different times of day and seasons make it look almost magical to me, no matter when I am there to see it. I suppose it all just speaks to my inner mermaid, but I always feel at home when I am near the ocean.

Sunset in Santa Barbara, California

Spring in Pacific Grove, California

Late Afternoon in January, Moss Beach, California

Summer in Monterey, California

February in Pacifica, California

October in Richardson Bay, Sausalito, California

October in Pescadero, California

Spring in Santa Cruz, California

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_8

:) You should come and see it for yourself. You would love it! It's... BEAUTIFUL!

Extra Credit: As a matter of fact, there are a number of environmental hazards to the California coastline. Not the least of which was the oil spill from the container ship, Cosco Buson, in San Francisco Bay last year. You can read news coverage about it here, and you can read my blog entries, which includes some photos, here and here. Just this past week, oil from the Cosco Buson washed ashore in Point Reyes, which is a few miles north of the Golden Gate. According to experts, we will more then likely be seeing residual oil from the spill washing up along the coast for many years. :(

-OndineMonet
"Dusk In Moss Beach"
Moss Beach California
2008

New Monday Photo Shoot # 24: Plastics!

"There is so much plastic in this culture that vinyl leopard skin is becoming an endangered synthetic."

-Lily Tomlin

New Monday Photo Shoot #24: Show us something made of plastic. If it's unusual in some way, so much the better.

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

When I read what this week's photo shoot topic was, I immediately looked around my desk for PLASTIC objects. To my dismay, I have already featured most of the items on my desk in previous entries. My blood glucose kit is almost exclusively PLASTIC, with the exception of the needle used for the lancets. But what a bummer as a photo subject. I have a PLASTIC bottle of Magic Bubbles on my desk, that could be used, but I kinda had that in mind for an upcoming update entry about Elvis. I have tons of pens, and pins, but nah... BORING! Hmmm... do I own anything PLASTIC that might be considered unusual? I probably do, but nothing was coming to my mind. With my inspiration standing in the blank position, I decided to break for lunch.

As I put the fixings for my noontime meal on a lovely PLASTIC floral tray, it hit me. An idea, not the tray. I realized that most of my Monday lunch was PLASTIC. I was eating a lovely, healthy salad, in a new PLASTIC salad/dessert dish I purchased a couple months ago. As a side dish to my lunch, I was going to have a Motts Strawberry Applesauce, which is served in a lovely PLASTIC container. LOL. Not included in the photo, but which also figured into my PLASTIC lunch were, a fork with a blue PLASTIC handle and PLASTIC bottle of Ocean Spray Cranberry juice. :) So, when you consider that I do check my blood before and after I eat, I would say that 90% of my lunchtime experience today was PLASTIC! I am not really sure if that is a good thing, or a bad thing! LOL. I do know I enjoyed the still life PLASTIC photo shoot experience. :)

"I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They're beautiful. Everybody is plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic."

-Andy Warhol

-OndineMonet
"Plastic Still Life At Lunch"
Berkeley, California
June 8th, 2008
Afternoon

Weekend Assignment #219: Preferred Transportation

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking."

-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Weekend Assignment #219: What is your favorite form of transportation, and why? You can choose any means of traveling by land, sea or air, with just one catch: it has to currently exist in the real world, or have existed in the past. No TARDIS, no Star Trek transporter, no flying DeLoreans, all right?

Extra Credit: What's the most unusual form of transportation you've ever taken?

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

I smiled when I saw this week's Weekend Assignment, because just this past week, Alan and I finally bought ourselves the bikes we have been looking at, and now I get to show them off! It was a good week. There is a lot to share, and I will over the next few days, so stay tuned for that. I want to keep on topic here.

Last week, George Bush sent us some stimulation, lol, so Alan and I sat down and decided where it should go. Elvis came first, and he is now taken care of. We don't have too many other needs, except for the same ones everyone does. When all was said and done, there was more then enough left over for this investment in recreation, health and just plain fun. :)

It was a hoot getting up on a bike, after having not ridden one for almost 25 years! I have a slight case of saddle sore, lol, but the legs feel great and the soul feels like dancing! I had forgotten how much fun it was to peddle along, just letting my thoughts run wild. And of course there is the added bonus of how exercise lowers my blood glucose levels. We have gone riding here in the hills, everyday this past week, and we will be going again today. I am looking forward to it. :)

An old flame told me about a year ago, that when I was a youngin' of about 22 or so, I looked really good on my bike. I didn't learn to drive until I was 23, so up until then, the bike, and walking, was how I made my way around. :) I was surprised that my old flame still had that thought in his mind. I know darned well that driving a car has made me a somewhat lazy girl, and as a result, things simply aren't where they used to be.

I love driving. I love going to far off places and seeing new things, but because there is a trade-off, driving has done very little for my legs and rear end. LOL. Thankfully, over the years, I haven't gone too far down hill too fast. :) I am ok for almost 46, but with the bike, I think I will soon be DARN GREAT for 46! The bike will be good for me, but I do have to say, I still love my car, Lilith, and she will always be my favorite way to see my world, so above you see my two great loves for traveling adventures near, and far. Lilith and Lil Lilith.

Gas prices are what they are, but it doesn't mean I have to give up having photo adventures, I just had to allow myself to try a new way of looking at things. And besides, the bike makes much more sense for doing errands around town. There is never enough parking in downtown Berkeley. In that it is a college town, you see bicycles everywhere. It just makes a lot more sense in this economy. I imagine a lot of folks will be considering a bike for at least some of their transportation.

Extra Credit: I once flew from Washington D.C. to Lynchburg, Virginia, in a Piedmont commuter plane, that had 4 propellers and made a lot of noise as it flew up and down between the 6 stops in-between! I know traveling by airplane isn't exactly new, but the propeller thing was definitely new to me! Loud and slightly scary. LOL. Sometime I will write about that whole adventure. Stay Tuned!

-OndineMonet
"My Two Rides"
Berkeley, California
June 6th, 2008
Late Afternoon

Weekend Assignment #216: Fire!

"Remember in elementary school you were told that in case of fire you have to line up quietly in a single file, from smallest to tallest? What is the logic in that? What, do tall people burn slower?"

-Warren Hutcherson

Weekend Assignment# 216: Tell us a story or anecdote that involves fire in some way. It can be a forest fire, a house fire, a campfire, logs in the fireplace, or even a lit match, a tale of comfort or destruction. Whatever comes to mind, if it's interesting and fire plays a role, we want to read about it!

Extra Credit: Is the area where you live subject to dangerous wildfires?

Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

In September of 2007, two fires were burning here in the Bay Area, that kept the skies lit up for days. The Lick fire and the Acre Coe Park fire. The smoke was heavy, turning the sky an eerie shade of orange, as in the above photo, and there was that smell... I hate the smell of smoke. It brings back the terror I felt as a child, watching my father run in and out of a neighbor's house, which had become fully engulfed in flames.

It happened a little while after midnight, on hot night in the summer of 1965. I was only 3 at the time, but you never forget seeing the only father you have, run into a scene so scary. As a result of what I saw that night, nearly 43 years ago, I have experienced a life long paralysing fear of fire. I have never even lit a match. If I want to put some romantic candles out... Alan lights them for us. Maybe someday I will conquer my fear, then again, maybe not. The Berkeley firestorm of 1991 was another experience with fire I would rather not speak about. It served as reminder in my adulthood that fire commands a respect like no other fear can. Enough said.

Extra Credit: Yes, California is prone to forest fires, and this year we are at a higher alert then in most years, due to the lack of runoff from the Sierra. :(

Note: The photo in this entry hasn't been retouched. That's how it looked outside at 6:10 PM on September 6th, 2007. Click the photo to view it in a larger size.

-OndineMonet
"The Glow"
September 6th, 2007
Early Evening

New Monday Photo Shoot #20: Busy Lives

"You sometimes see a woman who would have made a Joan of Arc in another century and climate, threshing herself to pieces over all the mean worry of housekeeping."

-Rudyard Kipling

New Monday Photo Shoot #20: You're busy. I'm busy. Everyone's busy. (Well, almost everyone.) Show us a photo the represents one of the demands upon your time.

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

Sigh. I wasn't going to do the Monday Photo Shoot this week, but because I am wanting to send some support Karen's way, I gave it a go. I enjoy the Monday Photo Shoots, I have for as long as they have been in existence. I participated in nearly every single one offered up by the Blogfather, John Scalzi, and I have played along nearly every week since Karen inherited the meme. Truth is, there have been weeks when I decided to sit it out, and there have been various reasons for doing so. I usually post one entry per day, but lately, I have been occasionally taking Wednesday's off from posting, making it fewer days per week online. Sometimes I have other things I want to write about, other then photography. Alan is home now between Monday afternoon and Thursday mornings. That is his scheduled weekend, so things can get busy. With what you ask? What's got me so busy that I can't find the time to participate in the Monday Photo Shoot?

Well, to answer your question... LIFE! REAL LIFE! UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL LIFE! Housecleaning, spending time together, going out in the world for a little camera time, I have a garden in full swing, and the newest demand on our time, taking care of Elvis, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Feline Lymphoma to be exact. There hasn't been a week, in the past 6 weeks, where Elvis hasn't had at least one appointment with Dr. B. or his staff. I choose to share about the positive time we are spending together, because there is a great deal of it, but there is a lot of negative time as well. For the most part, I would rather not share about that time. That's my business. I will share, however, that one of the new symptoms Elvis is dealing with is the urge to pull his fur out in large tufts. Sigh. I am cleaning it up all the time. Enough said, but add into the mix the same problems everyone else is facing... hell... just making it to the next paycheck... and you spell busy, stressful times.

Karen has indicated that this might, perhaps, be the last Monday Photo Shoot. Personally, I wish she would continue with it. She is doing a good job with it, but ultimately the decision lies solely with her. The thing is, the summer months are coming up, and people will be spending more time outdoors. I can think of a lot of reasons why both readership on blogs, and participation in memes will be down. My readership always falls in the warmer months, and then picks back up in autumn and winter. I think sometimes you have to ride out the slumps, and focus on when things will pick back up. I know how difficult it is, when you spend the time to come up with an idea for a challenge or spend a great deal of time on an article entry, only to have it seemed to be overlooked or ignored. It can hurt. We have all had it happen.

Tap, tap... is this thing on? :(

I had an excellent piece of advice given to me one time, when I was ready to retire all together from blogging, and I would like to pass it along now... "Don't let your ego get in the way." Meaning, you can't take it personally, when your hit counter hits the skids, or your comment or participation levels numbers drop. There are seasons to these things. I have been blogging nearly 5 years now, and I only have a few regular readers who have stuck with me that long. Duane, Steven, and Nancy to name some off the top of my head. I still hear from some folks, but not as often as I used to. On the other hand, I have some new pals which I made since the big break with AOL, who have been with me for at least a couple years now, such as Suzanne, and newer friends like Vicki and Martha. To my delight, I continue to be visited by new folks like Mike, who I met recently by way of the Monday Photo Shoots and Weekend Assignments. He writes a wonderful blog, if you haven't been reading him, you should be. I am glad I began looking at things in a different, less negative perspective, because look at all the fun that has happened since. :)

I am writing this entry from the heart. I wish only the best for Karen. But I want to tell her, with love, to take the hurt feelings, or resentment, or whatever the negativity is, out of the equation. Post a Monday Photo Shoot you are comfortable with, and if no one plays... so what? It is NOT a reflection on you. Not at all. Try approaching the project from the perspective of something to have fun with, and don't force expectations on yourself that you have no control over. All you can do is put the project out there, and hope for the best, but you have to keep in mind, you have very little control on whether someone gets sick and can't play, or life gets busy, or they aren't inspired by the topic, or, or.

Anyway, that is my two cents for what it's worth.

Now, about the rose. It is one of my busy stressful success stories. It is from my garden, which you will see a little more to tomorrow in the entry for the Round Robin Challenge. My garden keeps me busy, chasing aphids, and researching how to prune the flowers, and natural pest control, and planning for new rose varieties. A lot goes into gardening, it's work, but when you get a lovely rose like this one, after really working hard for it, you feel a great deal of accomplishment. :)

-OndineMonet
"The Pink Rose"
Berkeley, California
May 16th, 2008
Afternoon

Karen's Weekend Assignment #214: Fresh Starts

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions, that change your life forever."

-Keri Russell

Weekend Assignment #214: Sooner or later, pretty much everyone makes one or more major changes in their lives, sometimes several at once. We leave home, go off to college, get married, get divorced, change jobs, have kids, move to another house or another state, etc, etc. These things can be very stressful, but we do them in the hope of being better off in some way. Tell us of one change you voluntarily made in your life at some point, that worked out really well.

Extra Credit: Tell us of a little tiny change that also went well!

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

It's funny that this subject came up for a Weekend Assignment at this particular time, because it crossed my mind last night to write a little about it. Today, May 2nd, is the 7th anniversary of when we moved into the little cottage we live in now. I love this place, it is more then just the roof over my head... it's the LOVE SHACK! LOL. We moved in here, during a really turbulent time in our lives and in our marriage, but we found this place set back from the road, up here in the hills, and from our first night here, we have been happy, safe, and did I mention happy? :) It has some really charming quirks to it, including a huge backyard that one can get lost in. Three seasons out of the year, we will get nightly visitors to our yard, in the form of opossums. A very misunderstood creature if ever there was one. And on most summer days, you can close your eyes and hear the Ethereal Musician playing his saxophone off in the distance.

In the seven years we have lived here, we have never been able to figure out which direction the music is coming from. He is a great, mysterious force that plays music on the breeze, and so many times he has sent me into a daydream, that gave me the peace I needed inside to face whatever hurtful thing that might have been present. One of these times was in the late afternoon of 9/11/2001, when there were suddenly no airplanes in the air, and no children playing joyfully out in the yard, and everything had taken on an eerie silence, as we all sat paralysed in front of our TV's waiting to see if more devastation would take place. At one point I got up to let Elvis out to play in the yard, and when I opened the back door, I could hear the Ethereal Musician playing America on his sax. It was one of those profound moments you don't forget. The sight of the sun setting on that day, and the sound of the music being played somewhere off in the distance. So sad, so sweet. The fresh start we made by moving into this little place, was the best fresh start I ever made.

Extra Credit: One recent change was from using the One Touch Ultra 2 meter, to the One Touch Mini. I use the Ultra 2 when I am at home, and the mini when I am out with the camera. It has been kinda nice to take the sleeker little meter with me, and it fits well in my camera bag. And besides, it's color is a fashionable PINK GLOW!

-OndineMonet
"I Want Pluto To Be A Planet Again"
January 4th, 2007
Berkeley, California
Afternoon

Weekend Assignment #213: Book Boosters

"A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy."

-Edward P. Morgan

Weekend Assignment #213: While it may be difficult to choose your favorite book of all time, there's probably a certain genre or category of books you prefer over other kinds. Do you love a mystery, or would you rather read about dragons? Are you thirsty for a good vampire take, or is science fiction more your style? Do you mostly stick with the classics, or look for the latest spy novel? Are you a biography buff? Do you like to read about real-world politics, science, history or sports, or would you rather escape the real world with a good romance? Tell us! And while you're at it, tell us your second favorite category of books.

Extra Credit: Do you ever loan out books to friends or family?

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

I love to read, always have. I have so many books that I can read over and over. A few of those titles, I keep on my desk at all times, so if I need a quick getaway I can just take it down, open their well worn covers and dance off into another existence. I have wondered over the years, what would I have done, if I had never fallen in love with reading?

John Scalzi, had touched on the subject of reading, and what our favorite books are, many, many times, but I never tire of it because I am always finding a good read, and it is fun to share. I don't know why I don't write about my love of books more often on Ellipsis, I guess I am too busy complaining about Bush, or fascinated by the current political landscape, or distracted by whatever has chosen to flutter past my camera. My friend Suzanne sent me an invitation to join Shelfari a while back, and I did, but have done little about it since then. I don't know why. Just haven't. So, how about I give you a proper look into my favorite reads...

Silent Snow By Steve Thayer

I can't say enough about this book! I discovered it in the autumn of 2000. Probably my worst year ever! I was completely inside myself, and alone, except for my lovely books. Alan saw it at Barnes and Noble and bought it for me as a gift. It had me at the first sentence. "It always rains when a child dies." Now don't let that sentence put you off. This is not a sad book, it's a masterfully written book that blends the true life history of the Lindbergh kidnapping case, with a modern day story full of suspense and vivid storytelling.

You will find yourself actually feeling cold, while reading a particular description of a trek through the snow to catch the bad guy. You will feel like you are right there with the protagonist, as he races against time. It's one of the best edge-of-your-seat stories I have read to date. I cannot believe it hasn't been made into a movie! Of course, that might be a good thing, books don't always translate well to the big screen. Take my advice, if you are looking for a great read, I promise you will enjoy this book!

Here is a glimpse of what you will find on the book shelf in my office. I highly recommend all of these books!

Humor meets biography with Steven Colbert's
"I am America And So Can You"

My first diabetic cookbook. Delicious and Yummy.

A vivid story of love and fantasy, which will appeal to the witch in all of us!

I LOVE the Idiot's guides. I own 10 or 15, ranging in subjects from living with Fibromyalgia to the guide to Windows' Vista!

I pocket guide to Impressionist art. I take it quite often along with me when I go out with my camera.

Ok, ok, but what can I say? Cats Rule! Right Steven?

As it says on my sidebar, "I can sit in the autumn sun, and read Neil Simon plays all day long!"

My favorite novel

I love humor in storytelling.

This is a MUST have. Whether you are a diabetic watching your blood glucose numbers, or someone just wanting a healthier lifestyle, you should be informed about the decisions you make regarding the foods you choose to fuel you body with! Educate yourselves... live a good life!

Extra Credit: I don't think I break up my reading choices in terms of favorite genres, so to pick my second favorite would be impossible. I think for the purpose of the assignment however, I will say that Horror is would most likely fit into the category of second choice, as I seem to have less of that type of book then all my others. An excellent book from the Horror category would have to be, "Horror Show" by Greg Kihn. That's right, the rocker and Bay Area Disc Jockey can write too! LOL. I loved that book, and I also enjoyed "Big Rock Beat" also by Kihn. Impressive reading, that blends good genuine humor, with scary, scary stuff! Read it!

"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."

-P.J. O'Rourke

-OndineMonet

New Monday Photo Shoot #17: Fur Sure

"Life is an endless struggle, full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like."

-Unknown

New Monday Photo Shoot #17: Photograph something furry or fuzzy, whether it's a textured fabric, an animal (real or otherwise), a beard, a piece of fruit, or something else. All I ask is that the photograph concentrate on whatever it is that's furry or fuzzy, and ignore other features (such as eyes and noses) as much as possible.

-Karen Funk Blocker, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

Is it hair? Is it fuzz? Is it fur? Whatever it is on the butterfly, it's very soft when it brushes past you, and I found out quite by accident, that butterflies don't mind very much if you very gently touch their mane, if you do so with the utmost respect. :) Have you ever combed the long, well managed hair of a beautiful woman? Was she a Painted Lady? Could she be described as a Cosmopolitan woman? Was she as sweet and beautiful as this Vanessa?

;) WINK!

Note: Please click on the photo to see it in a larger version.

-OndineMonet
Vanessa cardui (American Painted Lady Butterfly)
Conservatory Of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
April 23, 2008
Afternoon

Karen's Weekend Assignment #212: Celebrate Poetry Month

"Poetry is when an emotion has found the thought and the thought has found words."

-Robert Frost

Weekend Assignment #212: It's National Poetry Month in the United States, but poetry itself is a worldwide phenomenon, existing in many styles. Lets celebrate the form. How? By writing a poem of course! It can be silly or serious, haiku, limerick, rhymed verse, blank verse, free verse, two lines long, or fifty, or anything in between. All I ask is that it be a new, original poem, not something you wrote in high school and trot out occasionally.

Extra Credit: Do you have a favorite poet?

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

I looked through my archives to find some photographs to go with my poems. I like using the two together when at all possible. I think I like what I came up with. :)

New Hope (Haiku)



Alone With The Sea
The Day Slips Into A Dream
A Night Light Brings Hope

Seaside Flowers (Haiku)

Golden Flowers Bloom
As Painted Watercolors
On My Mind's Canvas

Spice Drops (Haiku)

Leaves Of Autumn Spice
Sweetly Brushes The Cool Earth
Cinnamon And Clove

Four Seasons (Haiku)

She Moves Through Seasons
Winter Spring Summer and Autumn
Now Showing Her Age

Pop! (Haiku)

Big Bubblegum Walls
Different Colors And Tastes
It's Art For Art's Sake


Extra Credit: I really love poetry, but I don't know if I have an absolute favorite. If I had to choose, I suppose I would go with John Keats, but I also enjoy Dr. Maya Angelou and Emily Dickinson.

-OndineMonet
Pigeon Point Lighthouse
Pescadero, California
October, 2007
Late Afternoon