The Art Of Autumn...

"Every season has its art, 

and the art of autumn is to bewitch people."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

While I was down in the Bay Area running errands last week, I stopped into a couple of my favorite East Bay parks and did some photos of leaves, but I couldn't do as much photography as I wanted, so I brought home a bag of leaves to do as portraits, as opposed to the usual photographs of the leaves on the ground where they fall. I rather like what I was able to accomplish. I set the leaves, some individually, and some in clusters, photographed them at different angles, and with a soft filter of sun through the trees, and a shadowed corner of the overhang in the corner of the yard. 

As the weather has turned cold, and rainy, the leaves are finally displaying more color, and they are less dehydrated, so working with them is easier. It's also easier on my body, especially when my Fibromyalgia is raging. My friend Steven once counseled me on ideas for photography, when my pain was too great to go on big photo jaunts. I will never forget his advice... I miss my friend... very much... but I smile when I see a really beautiful leaf, or an especially lovely flower, Steven was so talented, and I will always be grateful for his advice and friendship, especially when it came to autumn photography! He was a talented, kind, helpful, gentle man.

 Steven helped me to become a much better photographer.

 Leaf Of The Day

December 4th 2015

Mood: Grateful

~Me :)

A Look Back At February 2015, RIP Leonard Nimoy, And DressGate

"The camera can capture thought in a way

 that's quite surprising and shocking. 

You can become very simple and minimal in your work

 and communicate a lot with just a finger

 or an eyebrow, or a look, or a glance."

~Leonard Nimoy

On Photography

It's the last day of February, which means it's time to take a look back at the month in photos, but before we do that, we must take a brief pause to remember Leonard Nimoy. I, like every other kid who remembers watching Star Trek on it's first voyage on our TVs, found a new way of looking at things around me, from Mr. Spock, the half human/half Vulcan, Science Officer of the USS Enterprise. Spock was stoic, and logical and he was rational. Almost completely devoid of emotion, he reminded us that leading with impulse, rather than logic, rarely ended well. As a little girl, I kinda wished Spock would have been my brother, and missed him, and the show terribly when it ended. My brother was in Vietnam at the time, and everything seemed so far away. I remembered watching Star Trek with my brother and sister before he left, and nothing was the same without him, but somehow watching our favorite SciFi show with my sister, after he left, made my brother feel closer. I guess it was because we all three agreed... Mr. Spock WAS THE SHOW!

 After Star Trek, I watched Leonard Nimoy in other rolls, and enjoyed each one, but missed him as Mr. Spock, and so did all my friends. So, when the Star Trek film franchise started in the 1980's, you can imagine how happy a whole generation was! Even when Spock was killed in the third movie, I didn't believe it, I knew someday he would return, and he did. I was right, a character like that never dies. It was so much fun seeing Spock in a lighter incarnation in, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, my favorite of the early movies, because it took everything less serious than the earlier movies, and the fact that is was set in San Francisco only made it that much more amazing! LOL. Spock was one of a kind, and so was Leonard Nimoy. As much as I loved him as Mr. Spock, he made so many other characters unforgettable, and he was the perfect choice to narrate another favorite show of mine, In Search Of..., after the death of Rod Serling. Oh my, I will miss Leonard Nimoy, but he did live long, and prospered.

Goodnight Mr. Spock.

And Now... A Look Back At February 2016

For a short month, it kinda felt like February

 was NEVER going to end!

LOL.

And now, let's talk about the question that has divided the Internet. 

Do you see #BlueAndBlack or #WhiteAndGold ?

I see Blue And Black

                                                  

#1 Blue Gossamer. #2 Blue Bird. #3 Dark Cobalt

Based On Color Samples From Behr Paint

How about you? What color combination do you see?

Okay, on to March...

Mood: Quiet 

~Me :)

My Memories Of Philip Seymour Hoffman

"One lives in the hope of becoming a memory."

~Antonia Porchia

Let me say upfront, my first hand memories of Philip Seymour Hoffman are but 30 seconds long... if that. But in that 30 seconds I formed an opinion of him that will last my lifetime. It was a good memory, and it is what I thought about immediately after learning the sad news Sunday afternoon of his passing. To my surprise, that brief encounter is still amazingly vivid to me.

In the summer of 2010, a casting call came out for extras to appear in a new movie being filmed at the Oakland Coliseum. I jumped at the chance, I mean I had been an extra in the film Angels In The Outfield, back in the 1990's, and therefore I was a serious, experienced actress! LOL. Nah, not so much, but it did sound like fun because I am one of those geeks who likes all the behind the scenes action, almost as much as the films themselves. The movie magic being made was the film Moneyball.

Anyway, in case you don't know, being on a set, waiting to film, is a lot like waiting for paint dry, especially when your big scene involves pretending to feel both awed and appalled at grown men hitting a ball. LOL. Both experiences as an extra were long days... 11 hours and 9 hours respectively. LOL. That makes for a long day, when filming 20 seconds worth of actual film time. The food we were promised, turned out to be bags of Chex Mix and mixed assorted candies. To keep us hydrated, we got our very own bottle of super cold water, and fruit punch! Damn, what more could a girl ask for?

It was a long day, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I had fun that day with a lot of different experiences, from the gorgeous setting sun, to the amazing people you meet who show up the participate in a little movie magic. I remember one man, a nice man don't get me wrong, who insisted on sitting next to me... right next to me... despite the availability of about 50 seats on either side of me. LOL. I felt claustrophobic at the time, but now as I sit here now, again, I wouldn't trade the experience for the world.

Around 10:30 in the evening, I was finally tired, and the novelty was wearing off, and the coliseum was cold, but I promised to stay, and I was determined to suck it up and find something positive to focus on, and then there it was, a reason to stay... Brad Pitt and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, on the field, doing what I think were nighttime camera spots. I watched them for about 30 or 40 minutes or so, then I saw two black SUVs drive onto the field at the far back of the field. One for Brad Pitt and one for Mr. Hoffman. 

The crowd went crazy. We had been there all day, doing what was expected of us, and finally we got to see the stars. Brad Pitt turned and waved for a couple seconds, he had a big smile on his face, then Philip Seymour Hoffman did. He smiled the biggest smile, took his official Oakland A's hat off in a small salute toward us, paused for a moment with that smile, bowed slightly, then got in the SUV and left the field. 

I was impressed. Not all celebrities take the time. They did. Brad Pitt and Phillip Seymour Hoffman did. I imagine they were tired. They're day was much more grueling than mine had been, but they still took the time to stop and say hello. I knew Brad Pitt's smile would be incredible, but I had no idea how warm and friendly Mr. Hoffman's would be. It was his smile that left the impression. I was cold, really cold, it gets that way in the Bay Area on summer evenings, but Mr. Hoffman's smile warmed me up inside. It was nice. 

I hadn't thought about that memory in a while, but on Sunday afternoon it all came flowing back, and with it, a deep sadness. I am sad because I will never have the chance to see that smile in person, ever again. Ever. That warm smile is gone. That hurts me more than I can say. I will also never be able to go to any more of his movies, or see him win an Oscar, or be able to appreciate any aspect of his immense talent. Ever. Again.

I hate Ever Again.

I really hate addiction. But I understand it. My life has been touched by addiction. Two close family members have battled that demon, and watching their struggle was painful. Unfortunately you can't take the battle over for them, they alone have face the demon. Some make it out alive... some don't. Phillip Seymour Hoffman didn't. I am selfishly angry at him. He had the world in the palm of his hand, a lovely family, a career a lot of young actors would love to have, friends, a comfortable roof over his head, but somehow he needed something else. Just one more thing. The drug.

I make no judgements here, I am just sad. That's all. Just sad. I will miss his talent. I will miss his smile. His kindness. I will miss him. But I am not alone. Broadway, film, television every corner of creativity will miss him. I was in the same space as he was, one evening in 2010, and I will always be warm inside, when I think of him, just because he smiled.

Forever.

Mood: Reflective

~Me :)