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 :)

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 :)

 

 

What Is The Name Of Your Dream?

"What is the name of your dream? A lovely wooden cottage in the middle of a forest? Or walking in an endless autumn path? What is the name of your dream? Don't give a name, always give a list! Fill yourself with dreams because dream is the path to reality!"

~Mehmet Murat ildean

I love earth tones. My living room is decorated in browns and orange and rust colors, with a splash of deep blue here and there to catch the eye, and that is what happened when I saw these blue/purple flowers. I found myself almost fixated. That gorgeous color, bursting from some deep brown, crumbled leaves, made the whole scene come alive, and made me hungry for Blueberry Cobbler, which just might have to be the next autumn yumminess I make! I love baking in autumn! Oh well, lets face it, I love everything in autumn! There I go again... drooling over autumn! LOL. To me, autumn and all that comes with it, are just one long dream state, and I would give anything if I could just go on sleeping.

Leaf of The Day

November 18th 2015

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Nature's Peace

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."

~John Muir

A few more photos from this month. I wish there had been more rain in January, but I am not complaining about how gorgeous everything is. A bad mood stands no chance at all!

 

 

 

 See What I Mean? :)

Mood: Happy :)

~Me