Bare Bones And Grape Leaves

"Autumn is a cunning muse who steals by degrees my warmth and light. So distracted by her glorious painting of colors, I scarcely realize my losses until the last fiery leaf has fallen

 to the ground and the final pumpkin shrinks. 

Autumn departs with a cold kiss, leaving me to suffer the frigid grasp of winter in prolonged nightfall."

~Riche;;e E. Goodrich

Making Wishes

So much happened yesterday! December 1st, got off to a cold start. General Michael Flynn, pled GUILTY, to lying to the FBI and is promising to fully cooperate with Mueller's investigation. FULLY COOPERATE! That should have sent a cold chill up Trump's spine. If he had one. Jared Kushner should not get too comfortable either. Flynn has promised to testify regarding Kushner's interactions with the Russians as well. Burrr. Putin must be so proud! Apparently, like Trump, "he only picks the best people."

And so far, December 2nd is proving to be a different kind of chilling darkness, for others. Not where I live, but in the world in general. History will document the end of this autumn and events. And I think this coming winter will be remembered for it's bare bones. I am just going to try to make my way through it, with Alan and the boys, and fight on. At least I still have a heart. At least I have love. And I have photography.

 I am not sure what 2018 will bring for Alan and I,

 we will have to deal with that when it gets here. 

Hopefully there will be more warmth than cold.

Grape Leaves

Tilden Park 

Botanical Garden

Berkeley, California

#2 Leaf Of The Day

December 2nd, 2017

Berkeley, California

Mood: Quiet

~Me

Harvest Fruits

Autumn

The cheerful sundial;

it falls in the shadow

of they leaves.

There where your branches

brace themselves

against the gate of Heaven. 

~Kristian Goldmund Aurmann

While driving around Carson City last month, I saw a lot of amazing trees, and beautiful autumn leaves, some still on the trees, and some in big piles of harvest colors on the ground, but one of my favorite sights, was this apple, the very last one, still clinging to the tree. I'm pretty sure that if you touched it, even very gently, it would fall to the ground. Last year, I came across a deer in the same yard, eating the apples that had fallen, so I am pretty sure at some point after I left, that's exactly what happened again.

It's a nice thought that the beautiful, yummy apple, was enjoyed by a deer! They are such beautiful animals! It was the last apple of autumn for that tree, and every last bite would be enjoyed, not left to simply rot. I think next year, when I head to Nevada, to photograph the autumn leaves again, I hope I will get to see more deer, looking for apples to eat, from what's becoming one of my favorite trees of autumn to photograph!

I came across this persimmon tree, while leaf peeping in Knight's Ferry, California, in late October. It stopped me in my tracks! It was amazingly beautiful, and full of beautiful, ripe fruit! I have never eaten a persimmon, so I can't say if I like their taste or not, but when I was a little girl, my best friend and I used to sit under a neighbor's persimmon tree, and enjoy their scent. It was a great place to read books together, and play with puzzles, and our do our favorite thing of all, listen to all the fathers on the street, yell at their TVs, cheering on their favorite football teams, collage, and pro!

We laughed so hard at our dad's enthusiasm for football! Oh my, the fun we had all those autumns. We did this for about 5 years, and then he passed away, suddenly, in an accident the next February. He was hit by a car. It wasn't the drivers fault, he darted out into the street without looking. Our entire street changed, the other kids and rarely played together again. A part of us grew up very fast after he died, and I never sat under that tree again. I released the pain of losing my friend years ago, time heals, but now, when I smell ripe persimmons, I only have the best memories of my friend, and all the fun we had in those 5 autumns, under the beautiful tree, with the spicy, sweet scent.

#1 Leaf Of The Day

December 1st, 2017

Stockton, California

 Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Your Ultimate Art

Lake Tahoe, Nevada

November 9th, 2017

"East day is born with a sunrise

and ends in a sunset, the same way we

open our eyes to see the light, 

and close them to hear the dark.

You have no control over

how your story begins or ends.

But by now, you should know that

all things have an ending.

every spark returns to darkness.

Every sound returns to silence.

And ever flower returns to sleep with the earth.

The journey of the sun and the moon is predictable

But yours, is your ultimate ART."

~Suzy Kassem 

Heartwork

Yesterday was stressfull. Trump had his craziest day yet! It was so crazy, in so many directions, that I couldn't link to just one article to cover all the crazy! George W. Bush on his worst day wasn't as embarrassing, as Trump was yesterday. And Dick Cheney, wasn't as scary as Trump was yesterday! If we live to have a history, and you come across my blog one day, you will already know how cracy life was at this time in America. I am convinced on a daily basis that all that's going on, isn't real. It simply cannot be real. But it is real, and things just seem out of control. No, they don't seem... they are!

I haven't been out with the camera, since vacation ended. There just hasn't been time! Alan has been working overtime, and Dylan has been ill, and the Thanksgiving holiday has just come and gone, and that means Christmas is less than a month away, so I am getting everything ready for that, and yes, there are some other problems. Not between Alan and myself, but with our finances. But money comes and money goes. Right? It just is what it is.

But if it was just Trump that was weighing on me, and most of the folks on Twitter, it would be one thing, but add in all the real world problems, and it all becomes unbearable. And that is exactly what he wants! He wants to scare people into respecting him, but he doesn't realize is, is that he will never win anyone's respect, that he will only make folks dislike him, but they will also not want to be associated with you... at all! How many bullies have real friends, and how many just have toadies? And most clear thinking American's don't, like him, but somehow its the minority of non clear thinking Americans that are keeping him in power, at least for now. 

But, once again, history will record all this, and events yet to come. I can't write the ending of how this will all come out, and frankly that's a huge relief. Maybe I don't want to know. I think about Mueller arresting the entire Trump family, justice being done, and they are sent to a nice cell, somewhere, and they out live their lives like the criminals they appear to be. End of story. But days like yesterday, make me believe that we might end in a large, angry mushroom cloud of devastation, because Trump isn't the only crazy person on earth, there is also Kim Jong Un to be concerned about!

And again, I can't write the ending to how that will come out either. Nor do I want to. I don't really want to know. I just want to have my normal life back. I want a truly boring day where nothing happens. I want to... stop living in fear. The camera helps, and I am going to try to go out with it soon. Photography has always brought me such pleasure, and I always seem to do my best work when I am depressed, frightened, grieving or scared. I wonder why that is? Maybe art is where we should all go to, when life gets hard, even if it's only stick figures we draw. I've heard my whole life, "art heals" maybe it's really true. Maybe the poem above is right, maybe each day is "your ultimate art."

San Francisco, California

October 26th, 2017

 Each time I see a beautiful sunset or sunrise, I have to pinch myself because I can't believe that I'm awake and not dreaming."

~Anthony T. Hincks

#30 Leaf Of The Day

October 28th, 2017

Placerville, California

Mood: Sad

~Me

Can Every Day Be Rob Lowe Day?

Preston Castle Boys Reformatory

Ione, California

October 14th, 2017

 

"You need a break every once in a while  to enjoy the everyday

 and you need the every day

 to enjoy the break you take every once in a while."

~S. A. Tawks

Mule

Okay, well, this is how it went. Our vacation this year began on a sad note. Every single thing I had planned, fell apart a little before it officially began. I had several day trips to cities in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties, unfortunately, most of those areas were on fire! It was a sad event, not for us, but rather for the folks caught in path of the devastation. So, as disappointed as I felt about not being able to see some of the places I had looked forward to, that was really nothing, compared to what all those folks were going through. But as our vacation came closer, it became more and more apparent, we would need to make other plans.

We usually start our vacations in Orinda, California, at the Orinda Theater. The second Thursday of every month is free movie night, and each October they tend to show a Halloween themed movie, and this year it was A Nightmare On Elm Street. Neither Alan, or myself, had seen the film, so we thought it would be terrific to see it, for the first time together! Well, when it came time to go, we found out that the air quality in the Bay Area was so bad, the powers that be warned against going outside there, if you didn't have to, and because we both suffer from allergies, and breathing difficulties, we also had to cross that off the vacation plans.

On October 13th, our wedding anniversary, we got some take-out food and tried to plan our next course. Neither one of us knew what we wanted to do next. NO CLUE AT ALL. So, we decided to give it a couple days, and see what we could come up with, and that's where Rob Lowe comes into the story! One night I was up really late, looking for something spooky to watch on TV, when I came across a new show on the A&E network, The Lowe Files. I hadn't heard anything about it, so I decided to watch the first episode to see what it was like. As it turned out, the first episode was set out here in the Central Valley, at Preston Castle Boys Reformatory, in Ione, California.

The show is about Lowe and his two sons, traveling together, looking for ghosts, Wood apes, Bigfoot, and so on. Mostly it's about their spending time together, having little adventures, and enjoying being a family. The show is funny, heartwarming, fun, and at times it was fun to watch Rob Lowe get scared! The show doesn't take itself too seriously, like some of those shows do, which I find refreshing and I really hope there is a season two coming along next year! Check it out, it's truly worth watching!

But back to Rob Lowe Day. After we watched the first episode, we decided to follow in Rob's footsteps, and that all started at a donut shop in Galt, California! Now, this was big for me because I am a bit of a donut snob. I am definitely a Krispy Kreme girl. I like how light and airy they are, and they just melt in your mouth, so getting me to go to a different donut shop, especially in Galt, was, just a week earlier, quite the change of pace for me! Galt is a very small Central Valley town, with not much to see, other than a small amount of public art, some strip malls, and lots of farmland. In other words, it's like every other town in the Central Valley... rural. If you've seen one cow, you've seen them all... right? But Robe Lowe seemed to think the area was so pretty, it reminded him of England! Um... what, Rob Lowe? You can't be serious! But it made me curious, what did he see? And would it be possible to see it differently, like through his eyes?

 I didn't think there would ever come a day, when I would look forward to a visit to Galt to buy a donut, but it was part of the whole Rob Lowe adventure, so I played along, and to my delight, the donuts at the shop he visited, Happy Donuts, were pretty good! I had to admit that now, there was another donut shop, that I liked almost as much as Krispy Kreme! Alan loved that, because he has never been a fan of Krispy Kreme, so at least we now have a place we both enjoy! And he also enjoyed how giddy I was to go into the shop. I still don't know why I so weird about it, it's not like Rob would be there that day, but it was strange feeling to know I was standing where he stood, trying to pick out a donut!

After picking up the donuts, it was time to head to Preston Castle.We laughed along the drive, and I played the theme song to the Lowe Files, Don't Fear The Reaper, on my bluetooth, and of course the theme to St. Elmo's Fire, my favorite Rob Lowe movie. We talked about the show, and how one day we would love to go on a ghost hunt of our own, and just forgot about Trump, and the fires, and the other problems we are going through right now. We just had fun together, and it was just about the adventure. It's not like we expected to see a ghost, in the middle of the day or anything, but we did some speculating on what it would be like if we did!

When we arrived in Ione, we hit the downtown first, and as we drove into town, we saw witch, and yes, a tiny ghost, with a candy bucket, doing a little early Halloween celebrating or perhaps some Trick Or Treating! We laughed for a few moments about that, walked around the old gold rush town, and then headed up to the castle. It was closed, but it has a long driveway, and I was able to get some photos of the Gothic castle, and some trees, and I even got to photograph a new bird for my files that I hadn't photographed before! The beautiful Acorn Woodpecker. 

And then it was time to head back home. We still laughed most of the way back home, and debated the best Rob Lowe movie, we both have our favorites, and we watched several of his movies that night, and yes, ate our donuts. St. Elmo's Fire and Stephen King's The Stand. I loved him in both, but I still think I enjoyed him in St. Elmo's Fire the most. I don't know, maybe because it was made during the 80's and there were some things about it I could identify with.

Plus we are the same age as the Brat Pack, and I think it's a generational thing. Either way, because of Rob Lowe, we had the best day, that was truly a departure from all the cares of the world, that he and I tend to get caught up in. I really need to stop following politics, but I know I can't, and that's why our next vacation can't come soon enough! If things had been different, maybe I would have taken some sort of job relating to politics, or perhaps put my love of photography in the mix, maybe as a campaign photographer, shrug, If I could, I probably wouldn't change my life much, I like where I am, but I could do with less stress. So I will be looking forward to our next vacation coming around, and when it does, we will be celebrating Rob Lowe Day, October 14th, 2018!

 My Rob Lowe Day Album

October 14th, 2017

Central Valley Stonehenge

;)

Ghostly Stone Face

 Thank You, Rob Lowe, For Reminding Us...

 It's About The Adventure!

#29th Leaf Of The Day

November 29th, 2017

Cull Canyon Park

Mood: Happy
~Me :)

If Autumn Had A Schoolhouse

"Come, little leaves," said the leaves one day, "Come to the meadows with me and play. Put on your dresses of red and gold; For summer is past, and the days grow old."

~George Cooper

I spotted this little bench, one day when Alan and I were visiting Rainbow Orchards, in Apple Hill. For some reason, it kind of reminded me of where a spirit teacher would sit, if teaching a class about nature, but autumn specifically. I don't know why really, it's just the image that flashed in my head. I think it's probably just a place for the owners to sit, and relax, or take a little time to enjoy the amazing autumn scenery, and the spicy smell of fresh apple cider donuts, being made just a few feet away, at their bakery/kitchen. 

Believe, me there is nothing like the smell of cartons of fresh apples, being pressed, and filled with spices, of cinnamon, clove and brown sugar, all coming together, in a warn apple donut! But I couldn't shake the image of a spirit, or autumn soul, surrounded by autumn leaves, playing with them, and encourage them to shine, and show off their beautiful colors, until that day, when it's time to go home.If the picture at the top is an autumn leaf schoolhouse, then the pictures below are of the leaves running, and floating about the playground, waiting for the school bell!

#28th Leaf Of The Day

November 28th 2017

Apple Hill, Camino, California

 

Mood: Happy

~Me

The Autumn

"Great artists come and go; they are born and they die; but there is one exception who has been living for thousands of years and still continues creating new works, new beauties every year; 

The Autumn!"

~Mehmet Murat ildan

I was looking through old files, and came across my files of autumn leaves that never made it into any of my galleries. I skipped over them because of small errors, angles. Sometimes the lighting was an issue, there were many reasons I guess, but while looking at them last night, I thought I would let a few of them shine, even if they aren't just perfect! So, I hope you enjoy them, and if you want to leave any feedback, feel free to leave a comment!

 #27 Leaf Of The Day

November 27th, 2017

Stockton, California

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Winter Plumage

"In November, so birds move away and some birds stay. The air is full of good-byes and well-wishes.The birds who are leaving look very serious. No silly spring chirping now.They have long journeys and must watch where they are going. The staying birds are serious too, for cold times lie ahead. Hard times. All berries will be treasures."

~Cynthia Rylant

 In November

We went out for a ride yesterday, we were going to go to Berkeley, to Tilden Park, where the Carousel is. It's been a tradition for Alan and I for years! We always buy our ornaments for each other, the day after Thanksgiving, at the amazing Tilden Carousel! But this year we could barely make it through the Altamont Pass, it was packed with cars, and by the time we reached the Bay Area, it would be too late, so we decided to head back home, by way of Highway 4, which goes through Byron, California.

As we were driving along, I spotted a tree, just off the road, with an Egret on the very top of each branch! There was nowhere to park along the road, so I could get some photos, so we had to make a U-turn, and find a place to park, directly across the street from the tree, to photograph the birds. The tree had mostly Cattle Egrets resting on the branches, but there was one Snowy Egret, which just happens to be my favorite bird, unfortunately, by the time we got back, the Snowy Egret was gone, and all that remained was the Cattle Egrets, which was fine, because they were beautiful! And look, they already have their winter plumage on!

It's turned cold, and it was a tiny bit foggy yesterday! Rain is due for today, and it's a cold hard fact, the season has turned, quickly to the cold, bare bones of autumn, despite having over almost a month left before it's officially winter! The trees with crimson and cinnamon leaves, are becoming more difficult to find, and my body hurts. But, like a quote from a previous post reminds us, there is a little of October in November, and a little bit of November in December. All seasons, blend together, but it always feels like autumn get's less time to shine, than any of the other seasons do.

#26 Leaf Of The Day

November 26th 2017

Knight's Ferry, California

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Beautiful Sadness

'

"Autumn is the time of year when Mother Nature says,

 "Look how easy, how healthy, 

and how beautiful letting go can be.'"

~Toni Sorenson

I have the hardest time letting go! Letting go of places I have lived, pets and friends when they have passed on, ideas that never quite came to fruition, even restaurants that I have loved, that have eventually closed, and TV shows that get cancelled! You name it, I don't like to let go of it! Every single year, I have the same melancholy feeling from the day after Halloween, that stays with me until at least a couple months into winter! I go out and continue to look for leaves, until I photograph the very last one I find, because knowing it is the last one, makes it all the more lovely, even if it's less than perfect!

Obsession much? Perhaps, but it does something else for me, it gives me time outside with the camera, and it keeps me focused on life away from the things that scare me, like whatever the next scary thought our president has, that I have no control of! There is nothing I can do about his decisions. Nothing. So searching for leaves, gives me a nice respite from worrying. If I don't find autumn leaves in late December, it's okay, because I might find something completely unrelated to autumn, that will encourage or inspire me. So no worries!

I have depression. It's that simple, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Like I said a few posts back, it had been in remission for about 20 years, but it's back now, and it's been good for me to get out with the camera. I am going to do that as much as possible, but I wish autumn would hang on a little longer, because it brings some beauty to the sadness, and makes me a better photographer. I know when I accept that fact that autumn is gone for another year, I have done my best to capture it's beauty forever in my photos. All the life affirming beauty of autumn leaves, reminds me that there is an unmistakable beauty in letting go, and moving on. 

The end of autumn, gives me a beautiful sadness, 

but it's important keep moving forward. 

#25 Leaf Of The Day

November 25th, 2017

Apple Hill, Camino, California 

 Mood: Quiet

~Me

Happy Holidays

'Truley, Autumn is my season," the scarlet beast chorted. "Spring and Summer and Winter all begin with such late letters! But Autumn and Fall, I have loved best, because they are best to love."

~Catherynne M. Valente

The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland

 In A Ship Of Her Own Making 

Thanksgiving is over, and it's time for all the worlds of autumn to come together! Christmas really should be the last party of autumn, as it belongs to winter for only a few days! It's always seemed to be that autumn got cheated by that, but to me, it is an autumn holiday, no matter what the calendar says! I tend to have all my holiday shopping done by December 20th, so I can spend the last few days before the big day to relax, and enjoy the decorations, and all that goes with the holiday, like baking yummy things.

We tend to celebrate Christmas Eve, with more enthusiasm, than Christmas Day. We make special snacks, play board games, or card games, listen to music, and sometimes get silly singing! Not necessarily Christmas songs, as actually there are very few of those I can actually stand, but any song that makes us laugh and enjoy! Then on the day, we do what most families do, we open our gift bags, and have a good time watching the furry people play with their new catnip toys. We are an unconventional family to be sure, but I bet a lot of families have more going on than we do!

I was born Jewish, but raised Methodist. So, Alan and I honor both holidays. I imagine there are a lot of families like ours that celebrate both holidays, which is why I find it amusing that anyone would claim that there is a "War On Christmas!" All these people who claim Christmas has become, too commercialized, and that saying "Happy Holidays" somehow takes the focus off Jesus, are just more people trying to, literally, sell you a bill of goods." They want you to buy their books about the commercialism of Christmas, which is amusing, but also infuriating at the same time, because year after year, we have to hear about the same old, non-existent war, for the sole purpose of demanding religious conformity, and yes, getting rich off fear and hate! 

Sarah Palin, Bill O'Reilly and Donald Trump, among others, have now all sold products aimed at putting the Christmas back in Christmas! With the first two, it was all about selling books that declared that there was a war on Christmas, being waged by anyone wishing you, or anyone you know, a "Happy Holiday." Also, the whole holiday is one big shopping scheme, created by companies, to take the Jesus out of the season! So be good, for goodness sake, and yell at the next person wishing you a Happy Holiday, and be sure to by another book that explains how you can help, by not over shopping! Because nothing says noncommercial, like a $40 "MAGA" hat that says "Merry Christmas" on the back! Because, now, finally, with Trump in office, we can now say Merry Christmas again! Whew! What a relief!

I'll just be frank here... these people are full of shit!

Especially President "Anything For A Buck."

There. I said it.

Christmas is about as commercial, as you personally choose to let it be! If you want to go out and lavish your family with gifts, go for it! If you want to stay home, and make handmade pillows or blankets, great, have at it, but don't hide behind your "Christianity" as a way to rob anyone else of their religion, their manners, or their joy, or simply, their traditions, during what should be, the one time of year that we can really reach out to one another, in kindness, friendship, and best of all love. We have it in us, but sometimes we have so much noise going on around us, and so many people trying to tell us what to think, that we can't hear ourselves love. Let yourself feel the love in the words, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, because it's up to you to decide if you want to hear with ears of love, or ears of hate.

That. Is. On. You.

Here's a bit of advice... Don't Let Hate Win!

#24 Leaf Of The Day

November 24th, 2017

Knight's Ferry, California

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

 

Happy Thanksgiving

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude."

~A.A. Milne

Winnie-The-Pooh

I won't lie, it's been one HELL of a year! But that doesn't mean I have been left with an angry or bitter heart, far from it! I have a lot to be grateful for, and a lot of happiness with Alan and the boys! Life is full of uncertainties, but one thing remains fast and true, I am loved, and appreciated, and I might get scared from time to time, but fear does not fill my heart, gratitude does!

#23 Leaf Of The Day

November 23rd, 2017

Quincy, California

 Mood: Happy

~Me :)

 

The Thanksgiving Gift!

"Everyone enjoys being acknowledged and appreciated. Sometimes even the simplest act of gratitude can change someone's entire day. Take the time to recognize and value the people around you and appreciate those who make a difference in your lives."

~Roy T. Bennett

When someone asks me what I am most thankful for, my family comes to my mind first. I imagine that would be what most folks would say, but our family is Alan, myself, Hendrix, Dylan and Joe. Two humans, and three fuzzballs. Cats. We adopted Hendrix and Dylan in autumn of 2008, after we lost our cat Elvis, to Cancer. Joey was found on the Saturday, after Thanksgiving, in 2013. He was alone, dirty, injured, and it was pretty clear that if we didn't take him in, he wouldn't survive the weekend. Opening our hearts to this tiny lost cat, turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made!

From day one, he has a sweet kindness to him, and his intelligence is unbelievable! He has a funny way of "meeping" if he thinks he is in trouble, as if he is apologizing.When he is unsure about playing, or if wants to try something new, like sleeping on the end of the bed, he will meow in such a way, that it almost sounds like a question! "May I please?" Or "Is it okay if...?" Honestly, he is the best behaved cat I have personally ever known or owned. He seems to know that he was saved by Alan, taken into our home, and he knows we love him, and we always will!

He says THANK YOU to us, every day,

 in his own way, with snuggles and nom-noms. 

Nom-Noms are kisses, by the way. He loves kisses! 

Finding him on Thanksgiving weekend, in 2013,

 made it all the more special for us!

 So, at thanksgiving time, I always feel thankful, 

and grateful he came into our lives, and made it a much nicer place!

"If having a soul meas being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

~James Herriot

All Creatures Great And Small

#22 Leaf Of The Day

November 22nd, 2017

Knight's Ferry, California

Mood: Grateful
~Me :)