The Brush Strokes Of Claude Monet And My Most Asked Question On AOL Journals

Claude Monet's "Water Lilies"
Legion Of Honor
San Francisco, California
October 2nd 2013

Every day I discover, more and more beautiful things. It's enough to drive one mad! I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it."

~Claude Monet



#1.
The question I used to get asked the most, regarding my blog in the old AOL Journal days was not really about my blog, so much as my screen name... OndineMonet. It's simple really, it's a combination of my favorite mythical creature, the mermaid, specifically, Ondine, and my favorite artist Claude Monet. I have been in love with Impressionist art since I was a small child, and one of my favorite teachers gave me some art books to look at and read. I love the soft pastel colors, and how almost all of the paintings looked just like places I would want to live.

 As a grown up I know that, in reality, nowhere looks like a Claude Monet painting, although sometimes we have sunsets here in the Bay Area that take my breath away, for the same reasons his paintings do. Monet is always on my mind when I take a photograph of a sunset, or of a beautiful garden or moving water.

 It is a real treat, and it fascinates me to think of what kind of photographer he might have been! But if he had been a photographer, instead of a painter, I wouldn't get to see his actual brush strokes. It's the one thing missing from photography, that small sense of the person on a different, more relate able level. By the way, the second most asked question about my blog was... What does Ellipsis mean?

#2.
Ellipsis
1 a: the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make construction grammatically complete.

b: a sudden leap from one topic to another.

2 a: marks or a mar ( as ... ) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause.

It would have been just about perfect if Monet had painted mermaids. LOL But not to worry, I still continue to look for them whenever I am out on the San Francisco Bay! :) And by the way, Ondine isn't just a mermaid, shes also a curse, oh and a medical condition! See, Ondine's Curse.



Mood: Inspired :)

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: Heads Or Tails?

"It gets you nowhere if the other person's tail is only just in sight for the second half of the coversation."

~Winnie the Pooh

RRC: Heads Or Tails

I choose Tails...

First, Lets Look At My Dragonfly (Tails) Collection...





 

 

 

 

A Mermaid, And Her Tail, Soak Up The Sun...

 

And From The Undersea World Comes Many A Tail...

NOTE: Yes, I know the Jellyfish don't actually sport tails, I just included them because they are pretty, and tentacles kinda look like tails... right? ;)







Tail Of The My Favorite Alarm Clock...



Tail Of A Furry Resident Of Golden Gate Park...



Cat Tails...

Dylan


And Elvis's Friend Ernie...



Two Friends Who Live In A Window In San Francisco...



And Now, How About My Favorite Faces...

Dylan (R) Hendrix (L)



Okay, you've seen my post for this round of RRC. Now, go see what the other Robins have chosen for their "Heads Or Tails" post. You can find the complete list of participants by visiting the official Round Robin blog by clicking the link at the top of the post. By the way, there is still time to join in. You will find all the information at the Round Robin blog!

~Me :)

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #141:Sand Sculptures And Mermaids

"Many do with opportunities as children do at the seashore; they fill their little hands with sand, and then let the grains fall through, one by one, till all are gone,"

-Thomas Jones









EMPS #141: SAND SCULPTURES OR MERMAIDS. NOW CLOSED!
Would any visit to the beach be complete without building a SAND SCULPTURE? :) This week, I would like to see not just the photographer in you, but the sculpture as well! Show me your best SAND SCULPTURE! Now, if you don't happen to live near the beach, or anything sandy at all, then you might choose the alternate choice of MERMAIDS. Feel free to go with your imagination, and think outside the box... or SAND SCULPTURE as the case may be!

Extra Credit: Sand under your feet or soft grass under your feet... which do you prefer? Tell us all about it!

Guidelines for Assignment Submissions...

1.The EMPS closes each Sunday evening at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do, and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Participation List for EMPS #140: Black and White Photography 09/05/2011

1. Hapzydeco
"The Itsy Bitsy Spider Crawled Up The Water Spout!" Scary beautiful! Nicely creative!

2. Freda
Beautiful flowers, always a good choice for this type of assignment!

3. Tina
Water and clouds and their simple movements.

4. Jama
Jama, who always makes me hungry, brings us a bowl of Sweet Black rice porridge. Jama, someday we must me and share some of our favorite foods with each other! :)

5. JR Cline
A nice round-up of different subjects. The first few make me go YIKES!

6. Karen
Tucson in Black and White. Photographing it in B/W gives it a cool quiet feel. Quite different. :)

Good job everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful turnout! I know this week's assignment is a bit of a challenge, but that's what this project is all about! Right? Please try your best to join us, and feel free to think outside the box to accomplish the assignment! See you next week, with a brand new Monday Photo Shoot assignment!

:)


-Carly

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #182: You're an Animal

"With the qualities of cleanliness, affection, patience, dignity, and courage that cats have, how many of us, I ask you, would be capable of becoming cats?"

-Fernand Mery

Weekend Assignment #182: Compare yourself to the animal whose best-known traits are most like your own personality. Note this isn't "what animal would you like to be?" but is instead "what animal is most like you?" Also, don't be too worried if your identification is not totally biologically exact; listing your similarities based on the general cultural impression of the animal is fine, too. We're not doing science here, after all, we're doing end of the month diversions.

Extra Credit: Would you want to own the animal you identify with?

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

I am experiencing a slight case of deja vu with this entry. We did a very similar Weekend Assignment last April. The assignment back then, had to do with being reincarnated and what animal we might come back as. This time, the spirit of the assignment is to describe the type of animal we feel we are most like. I am afraid I am going to have to go with pretty much the same answer I gave back then... the common house cat. :) And it's pretty much for the same reason. All my life I have been described as a cat, especially by the men in my life. Friends, boyfriends, even my husband, all ended up comparing me to a house cat. :) Alan even tells me that I sometimes sleep with my hand tucked under my chin, like our cat Elvis does with his paw. It's true, I do. LOL. I have picked up some of my cat's habits, but in all fairness, he has picked up some of mine as well. But that happens even with humans, we all pick up each other's habits and routines. Right? LOL.

Anyway, cats can be aloof, so can I. Cats can be persuasive, so can I. Cats like to nap, oh boy, so do I. LOL. Cats are somewhat finicky about what they eat, and so am I. Cats enjoy cuddling with the human they love, and so do I. So, while I tease a bit about being a mermaid in a former life, to the point I actually chose ONDINE as part of my screen name, I know I could never really be one, because, well, they aren't real. So, it's the common house cat for me. By the way, the kitty in the above photo is a friend of Elvis's. His name is Cinnamon. Doesn't he have the most gorgeous eyes? They are green... just like mine. :)

Extra Credit: Yes, I would, and do. I suppose Alan and I will always own cats. :)

-OndineMonet
"Cinnamon"
Berkeley, California
September 8, 2007
Morning