hatch / seek

L - Nikon / T - phone

You may wonder what THIS is all about. T called today with an idea for her new 3D project. She wanted to create a sculpture out of a book (have you ever seen Su Blackwell's work?). So we brainstormed awhile over the phone - hatched up some ideas like we used to do when she was home and had an art project. We're a good team. It's ok that I suggested some things isn't it? She wanted to create a nest out of the pages of the book - I'll leave the rest a mystery. So since I had easy access to scrap paper and an xacto knife at work I did a little test and sent her a phone picture of how it might work. Meanwhile she was shopping for used books. / i'm pretty excited about the new 3D project. my idea is to do a sculpture using the pages of an old book. so i went to the habitat for humanity trift store to seek out some interesting books. $4.28 got me the books i thought i could use.

tickled pink

solo post - L

I was happy to see the sun today and I believe the flowering plants were as well. Shown here is one of my viburnum's and a wild azalea.

singing / spring?

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.” - Henry Van Dyke
Seems ever since the "first day of Spring" it has been rainy and chilly - today only a high near 50 and the low is almost reaching freezing. But tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny and 70. I believe Mark Twain said, “In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” Well I don't know about 136 different kinds but there sure has been a wide range here in Atlanta. Tonight I finished my ring - makes me want to sing. Ok, sorry that was bad. But I am excited to have a finished product that I can wear and feel sort of proud of. Now that I see it photographed I can tell that I need to do some more polishing but if you knew how much trouble I had getting this together you would understand my excitement. Has anyone ever done soldering? It can be pretty tricky. / the buds of spring are supposed to mean warmth and good weather, right? i don't know about that.. because while i was collecting leaves for my 3D design project today my hands were nearly freezing off! four days of rain and cold weather.. i hope the temperature will decide to rise soon.

9:30am / 9:30pm

solo post - L

This morning it was raining, again - but that was fine because I had a few indoor projects I wanted to get done. I needed to paint the cabinet that my dad built for me. It's a great cabinet that's going to hold vases and candles that aren't used every day and need a place to hide. I have to try to match the trim as best I can so I picked up some swatches at Lowes - Rain Cloud, Tempered Sage, Fisherman's Net, Shoreline Haze, Sprig of Ivy... aren't those some great names? The one that matched perfectly was named "Epic". (T will get a kick out of that - she likes to use that word). It's a National Trust for Historic Preservation paint which is fitting since my home is a classic Williamsburg, styled after the Bracken House. Anyway, I primed the cabinet and then went out in the pouring rain to get my Epic paint. The cabinet looks great and I love having a designated place to store all those odd vases and candles. / Tonight from 8:30 - 9:30 was Earth Hour . Did you turn off all your lights, have candlelight dinners or a soothing bath by candlelight? I didn't plan anything exciting because I almost forgot and a candlelight dinner by yourself isn't so much fun anyway. I gathered as many candles as I could (hey now they were all in one place in my new cabinet, how nice). It was a hodgepodge of candles but oh well - lights were out and it was sort of relaxing. I took my shower by candlelight and then had coffee and cake by candlelight. I'm generally very conscious of the lights I'm burning but it wouldn't be a bad idea to do this every night. Not only does it save energy, it forces us to relax for a little while.

luminescent / reflecting

L - today / T - one year ago today

I don't have much for tonight. I went outside in the misty rain after I got home - hoping to get some good spring photos. In the evening light the white blossoms seem to become luminescent. This was the only image I was pleased with and it was taken from inside. I have to say I'm ready for the sun to shine again. T didn't send me anything tonight so when she doesn't send a photo for the day I generally go back in iphoto to the exact day last year and pick a photo of hers to go with mine. / This photo was taken in her bedroom. We were in her room - me sitting on her bed and her at her closet going through the items she would need for the prom the next night and discussing what tomorrow would bring. We didn't make much of the prom like many people do - planning several weeks in advance for fancy parties and such. The night before we were still trying to decide which shoes and what necklace she was going to wear with the dress we had gotten just a few days before. When most girls plan to get together with large groups of friends and have fancy parties at their parent's enormous house and take the traditional photos of the group lined up the spiral staircase and out by the poolside or amongst the dogwoods and azaleas and then ride off in limos to go to the dance - we had other plans. And we were excited about them... In some ways it seems like so long ago and then in others it seems just yesterday. Tonight I give you just a shadow - a hint - of a story - I'll tell you the rest in my Monday Memories with PlanetM

wet day / wet paint

L - iphone / T- Nikon D40x

I have no words to speak of tonight but I'm pretty excited about the pair of photos we have. When I got to work this morning, coming in from the rain, I looked down at the chair that I had dropped my things on and realized wow that's a lot of color (and I don't usually wear bright colors) - so I took a picture. But that was all I had for today - an assortment of bright objects. Then when T sent me her photo this afternoon I said to myself, "no way!" I was thrilled to see all those bright colored inks we bought for her when she was home on break, and to see the project she has been working on too - the green circles mimicing the very inside of my raincoat. I wish you could see my full umbrella - it's the rainbow colors of her ink boxes; my purse almost like a palette of paints. It's all a very colorful part of this rainy gray day / i was glad it was raining today - i have so much work to do and if the sun had been out i would be tempted to play. i've labored long on this "illuminated manuscript" assignment and finally i'm ready to put color to my pen and ink drawing. i love getting out fresh new art supplies - new brushes, new colors, even a new palette.

dripping / draping

L - coolpix 990 / T- phone pic

I took this photo when I got home. It's a drippy, rainy day and a little chilly too, but see these dogwoods - they're loving the rain and they will be bursting in their white glory come Easter. I'm always amazed at how, no matter when Easter falls, the dogwoods always seem to be in full bloom in time for Easter. / Taylor sent this photo late tonight but she didn't send any words to tell about it. I know that it is some sort of installation at her art building and it looks very interesting - I'd love to know more about it. It took me a minute to figure out what it was exactly. If you can't tell from the small photo, those are pieces of clothing all connected in some fashion - draping off of the second story. Maybe she'll tell us about it later.

a common thing / dandelion

L - iphone / T - taken by a friend

“The miracles of nature do not seem miracles because they are so common. If no one had ever seen a flower, even a dandelion would be the most startling event in the world.”

On the way home I shot this photo while waiting at a red light - common right? Even though it's a weed, don't you think the dandelion is a most startling event? - it starts out sundrop yellow and then turns into a delicate white puff-ball over night - each seed, a tiny little parachute that we wish on and blow to the wind hoping every dream will come true. just a random thought.
Anyway, on the way home, I had the windows open and it was warm and light outside. It's so nice driving home from work in the daylight. I didn't get off work until 7 tonight, yet it was still light enough to sit outside on my deck with a cup of tea when I got home. My Yogi tea tab said, "whatever you are doing is the most beautiful thing" and it was. I was 8 pm , 69º and I was walking around the yard noticing how much the buds had opened up just since the weekend - each day I see more growth and beauty. Tonight I saw that my wild azaleas are almost in full bloom, the dogwoods are opening, the doublefile viburnum is loaded with buds, the oak leaf hydrangeas have really put out a lot of new growth since last year, even the one little peony has it's bud. The peony is the biggest, showiest flower in the yard and it blossoms from the tiniest plant in our yard. The plant dies back to the ground in the autumn and then, seemily, magically appears and produces one flower about 6" in diameter. This is a miracle, and there is nothing common about it. Isn't this time of year exciting in the garden? / my friend peter needed my help with one of his friend's photography assignments, so of course i was quick to say yes. when they arrived i was given a sharpie and told to write "i am ___." i usually need time to think of things like this! i didn't like being put on the spot, so we started chatting about other things when peter and i remembered our plans to make cupcakes. i had it – "i am an excellent baker" was promptly written neatly on my hand. it was beautiful outside, i sat in the grass, picked a dandelion and stuck it in my hair. she said that i looked pretty the way i was so she just started shooting. i don't even think the writing on my hand showed in most of the photos. i'm not sure exactly how she used these images, but i was glad to be of assistance and hope people are that kind to me when i need them to be in my photos!

drying / dried

solo post - L Nikon coolpix 990

Taylor took her camera back to school with her so I am back to using my old (1996) Nikon 990. It's a great camera - I won it back when it was one of the best digital cameras made. But I was getting rather fond of using the D40x and especially with the 200mm lens.
This weekend we had perfect spring weather - cool breezes and warm sun. I enjoyed the time outside working in the yard. I dug a hole to plant a butterfly bush, I raked old leaves away from the gardenia and hydrangea plants and pulled old dried stalks away from the flowers down by the creek, and best of all enjoyed reading in the hammock. But even when the weather is nice outside, inside chores have to be done too. I couldn't bear to break away from the sunlight so I stood in the kitchen window light, hand washing dishes instead of simply putting then in the dishwasher.
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

happy / spring

L - Nikon D40x 200mm / T - Nikon D40x

The naked earth is warm with Spring,
And with green grass and bursting trees
Leans to the sun's kiss glorying,
And quivers in the sunny breeze.
~Julian Grenfell

I'm so happy to have a blossoming red bud tree this spring. I love the smooth black, zigzag branches and the way the flowers sprout right off the bare stems. / bradford pears are pretty in the spring but has anyone ever noticed they smell really bad? ...and we have a lot of them here on campus. i happy for warm (not hot) weather - picnics in the grass will be happening soon.

nature's treasures

solo post - L Nikon D40x 200mm please click to see larger - it's an amazing nest

I really enjoy blogging - it didn't take long for me to fall in love with it because I have met so many inspirational, talented and amazing women here. Relyn is one of those women. She is one the most beautiful, sincere, and compassionate ladies I've ever met - a gifted school teacher, a loving wife and devoted mother. Please visit Relyn - you will feel so welcomed there with the soothing music playing and there will be a cup of tea waiting for you. I really felt honored to be invited to write a guest post on her blog. She asked me to write on a passion of mine so I chose to write about a passion T and I share together - Hunting for treasures.

2 weeks ago when T was home on spring break, we were doing a little spring cleaning and maintenance in the yard and found this beautiful bird's nest in our little red maple tree. This is one of the prettiest nests I've ever found - it's got several different types of feathers in it, delicate twisty twigs, pinestraw and some sort of strips of transparent plastic - almost like clear easter basket grass. I'm not sure where these strips came from but it adds sparkle to this home.

permission / permitted?

solo post by T Nikon D40x, 30mm sigma lens click photo to see more detail

when i was home on spring break, mom and i went paris on ponce, a bohemian warehouse filled with a very eclectic mix of stuff. i was shooting in the second room - a little wary of the owner ( you never really know if they mind). i thought about asking him if i could photograph this mannequin when he walked in and said, "you a photographer?" I said "yes...", sort of hesitantly and he said, "great, take all the photos you want. have fun. you can try on hats and we have boas and... have you been here before?" we said, "no" and he proceeded to take us to another room - la maison rouge. here we found what looked like a new orleans style jazz club - they hold private parties here. he left us and said "have fun!" so we did. it was nice not having to worry about getting in trouble for taking pictures. / "house for sale". that's what the sign said, so we figured we could look - we might want to buy it, so we can just take a few photos from the outside can't we? this was the most amazing house i've ever seen. the windows started literally at the floor and went almost to the ceiling. we looked inside to the left on the front porch and saw a room with beautiful, dark wood - possibly a library with a little fireplace with green tile and on the right side of the porch was the room i'm showing you above. both rooms had elaborately painted ceilings. i really wanted to get in that house but of course we knew better. i took a couple photos through the glass and we left. later we read about it online. a 1883 victorian - marked most elegant country home in middle georgia. to the right of the fireplace above was an area that had some weird textured paper on the ceiling - found out that was rare gold-washed grotto paper said to be the largest example remaining in the US. this house had extensive fire damage in 2001 and has been sitting every since. it's so sad.

unattended / neglected

This candytuft was completely unattended throughout the winter and even with the neglect it continues to shine. It's white flowers sparkle against the finely textured, deep-green leaves and woody stems. I love the way it spills over the edges of the planter. I like these type of plants that flourish without much attention - I don't have much of a green thumb. / mom know's how to find some cool places around town. somehow she found out that there is a former mansion that had been neglected but still stands on part of the emory campus. it's called the candler mansion and was the residence of the former coca-cola tycoon, asa candler. we thought it was stange that there were no "no trespassing" signs anywhere - but i guess it was assumed since it's on the emory campus. how does this happen that such an amazing structure just sits neglected? i read that it was built in 1916 - i can just imagine how beautiful it must have been back in it's glory. anyway we explored a little bit - there was easy access to one small structure that was off the side of the house and there was a abandoned greenhouse as well. there was this huge thing hanging in there that i was a little freaked out about - i thought it was a wasp nest. i would like to go back - seems i always get a great idea after i leave.
"Every human life is made to fit some place, and there is a place for every life. The lives and the places are made for each other that they may serve the purposes of the God who made them." - asa candler

we're not hiding

I have missed blogging. But I haven't been hiding on purpose - my daughter has been home on Spring Break for a full week and we have had a blast - too busy to blog. We've gone on photo adventures, shopped and eaten at nice restaurants by day and each night, instead of my usual blogging, I was spending time with her - watching our favorite TV shows together, like old times, or renting movies she's been wanting to see.
Speaking of... we watched one the other night that left us questioning. Has anyone else seen "Mister Lonely"? We both said it was the craziest movie we had ever seen but yet so interesting. On our drive to take photos one day we talked about the film, trying to figure out what seemed to be a lot of color symbolism. Again like old times - we love watching a movie and then talking about it together - trying to analyze it.
Harmony Korine (I wasn't familiar with him) directed this movie about a group of people frustrated with reality, a mixed bag of impersonators, living together in a commune, there is also an interesting subplot with flying nuns. It's full of existential ideas - not giving you answers but making you to ponder the value and nature of existence. You'll just have to see it. It has a nice soundtrack and is very colorful to watch. At first we were like, "what??" but then after talking about it, we want to see it again. / this week has been a nice change of pace and i've really enjoyed being back home. i have missed the photo adventures mom and i used to go on (not to mention the camera that she commandeered and still has). we went to paris on ponce, which we had heard a lot about, and had a great time looking around in all the themed rooms. i've also become reaquainted with the art of watching movies - something i don't get to do much at school since we're without a tv in our room. mister lonely was a strange one, mixing seemingly unrelated plots, weird color symbolism, and even stranger/creepier characters. but it had diego luna in it, so it was alright. haha

climb up / spring ahead

solo post - L iphone pic / Nikon D40x

I've been needing to incorporate more exercise in to my daily life. T and I used to do a lot of activities together such as tennis, biking and hiking and now without her here my activity level has really gone down. But I was thinking... I have 18 flights of steps available to me every day - so my goal is to work up to climbing all 18 flights every single day at least once. Right now I start my climb at the 12th floor. I'll add more flights as it becomes easier. / And don't forget to spring ahead. Daylight "shifting" is this Sunday. I do enjoy the longer daylight hours. Hey, maybe that will motivate me to do a little more exercise in the evening - like walking around the block (a good, hilly 1 mile walk) or better yet finding a tennis partner.
What is your daily exercise routine? Do you get more motivated to exercise in the spring?

dogwood / doodle

As many of you know I am taking a metalsmithing class, in an earlier post I shared with you the beginning stages of this little box with the dogwood blossom graphic. I have always liked what it represents - new life. Well the box is almost complete - Sunday I should be able to finish up the final sanding and polishing of it. I have to say I'm pretty pleased with it even though I have no idea I will use it for - it's very tiny. The instructor called it a "tooth fairy" box, but I obviously won't be needing it for that purpose. Any ideas what I could use it for? / a little doodle. "amor vincit omnia" was the theme for the painting "triumph of bacchus and ariadne".  and it means love conquers all, so i've been scribbling it everywhere (no i'm not a freshman in highschool) and drew it in my sketchbook. i scanned it and colored it in photoshop. just for fun.

2 inches / 7 inches

I wanted snow all winter long... I can cheat and get at least 2 post out of the snow photos can't I? Our snow didn't amount to a whole lot - maybe 2 inches - but I sure did enjoy it's beauty while it lasted. T was so afraid that they wouldn't get any in Athens but they did. Wish I had that day over again.  I would have driven up earlier in the day to take her the camera. (I've had her camera since November and I've gotten pretty attached to it), and we would have gone on grand photo adventures in the snow - she would take epic photos and then our toes and hands  would be so cold that we would walk to a warm and cozy little coffee shop, thaw and talk, then go out for more. Oh well. / sure wished i'd had the camera. we got 7 inches of snow here and classes canceled on Monday - i was so happy, but i was wanting the camera. 7 inches is a lot of snow but in addition to the fun (everybody was out making snow angels, having snow ball fights, building snowpeople) it caused a lot of havoc. trees were falling down everywhere - a lot of people were without power. a huge branch fell from a tree in front of our dorm and the power went out for 2 hours (strange only on the 4th floor, my floor). i don't even have a flash light, so i drew by candlelight - a fake candle that mom gave me, we can't have real candles you know. it was all exciting. i was glad i was at school instead of home.

SnOw cold / SnOw happy

The weather people kept saying it would snow but I just wasn't believing it - it had been raining really hard and steady all night and all morning and was well above freezing. But just as they predicted it began snowing around noon and snowed so thick and pretty for about 4 hours or so. I've been wanting snow all winter long - March really came in with a bang. I didn't really get any good photos and this one that I got of the cardinal all puffed up trying to stay warm was completely by chance. I was talking on the phone to T and looked out the window and saw this beautiful cardinal - he was really voicing his complaint, or confusion, about the weather. This one shot made my day. There's not much prettier than a bright red cardinal in the snow. / waking up to a call from my dad saying that it was snowing in atlanta was not the best alarm clock. athens was still soggy and dreary from the mere rain the night before. my roommate and i trekked to the dining hall and battled sleet as we left. on the way home mom also called me telling me of their good fortune (way to rub it in!). but about thirty minutes later it started snowing outside good ol' morris! it's been steadily snowing ever since. my computer faces the window towards the street and it's been amazing to see the transformation of a scene we see every day. my friend chris decided to pay a visit and pelted my window with snowballs, beckoning me to let him in downstairs. three intense snow fights, two cups of tea, and a snowman later.. it's still snowing! maybe they'll cancel school, haha.

update: classes canceled tomorrow. yes!