TangledWings

Simply put Seattle is eye candy for the soul...

Well...I'm back...  My plane flew in last night and unfortunately I had to get up early this morning and head to work even though I am completely exhausted from all the Art Fest excitement...not to mention the mounds of laundry that needs to be washed.  I have so much to write about.  I probably have a month's worth of posts wrapped up in this one week.  I guess the best place to start is at the beginning.

The day before we were to check in for Art Fest I flew to Seattle where the amazing Kim...and she truly is amazing...I knew that before I spent a week with her and now I know it for sure...picked me up at the airport then drove me all over Seattle showing me some of her favorite shops (including Pike's Market) and some of the more fascinating things about Seattle (like the Space Needle).  The entire time I kept thinking, why don't I live here?  It's full of color and energy, culture and progress, change and artistry.  It's a place that is very alive.  And I love it.  And I want to move there.  Like tomorrow.  It's a photographer's dream and the ocean is just right there...right there.  And did I mention there are recycling bins everywhere making recycling so easy and accessible?  You can recycle right then and there as opposed to saving it in your garage, loading it up in your car, and driving it to the closest facility.  I knew I liked Seattle the first time I traveled there a year and a half ago and now I am sold.  I am totally and completely in love with the place.  All I can say is when I think about Seattle I let out a long heartfelt sigh.

I stayed that first night with Kim and her family and a friend of Kim's from Canada, Christina, who would also be going to Art Fest with us.  Kim's mother, an absolutely amazing cook, stuffed me with the most incredible food ever (the best deviled eggs I've ever tasted...I swear).  That night I slept long and hard which was just what I needed before my Art Fest adventure.  Flying in the day before is the way to go because I can't imagine trying to fly in and get to Art Fest both in the same day.  Way too much stress.  Needless to say I am so grateful Kim offered her home...and her car...and her mother's cooking...and her son's bed, to me.  It was nice to have a day to see Seattle and get settled in before heading to Port Townsend for Art Fest.

I have so many photos and stories to share.  I want to tell you about how Kim is an artist in every way, shape, and form, show you pictures of her studio and tell you about what an amazing, generous heart she has.  I want to tell you about my first ferry ride.  I want to make certain I don't forget any of the details.  I want to tell you about how charming and wonderful Port Townsend is.  I want to tell you what it was like to see Liz again and meet Kelly Rae (and her mother) for the first time as well as Bluepoppy, Misty Mawn, and Ali Edwards.  I want to tell you about how amazing Susan Wooldridge is and how her workshops truly blessed me and changed my life.  I want to tell you about Word Pools and Word Tickets.  I want to tell you about the beach...the sand, the tide, the seashells, the seagulls, the fallen tree trunks that make perfect benches.  I want to tell you about the soft rain and the way it feels when the sun shines on your face after a nice rain.  I want to share with you some synchronisities and tell you about ending the trip in Tacoma bonding with Liz and her very sweet husband John.  I want to tell you so much and I know I'm going to miss something but I'm going to do the best I can.

The Pink Ones are My Favorites...

proof of a life in transition=a photo post

My Ode to the Daisy {Part One}

My ode to that soft place often overlooked where color cradles color, where the embrace of life is most evident, where petals unfurl from the green of spring...

The Weird and The Random

It's been awhile since I've written a post of completely random thoughts.  I thought that would be a good choice on this MLK holiday...

• I have taken to collecting rusty, smashed bottle caps (see mosaic above).  When I take my daily walk (well, almost daily) I look for these squashed treasures, stuff them in the pocket of my sweatshirt, take them home, and add them to the glass canister I'm using to contain them.  I find they hold a rough, yet delicate, kind of beauty.  They're like little tin flowers, one side still slightly gleaming with color, the other side squished and rippled like petals pressed between the pages of a book.  And each one unique.  My favorites are the really, really flat and rusty ones.  These have become so delicate with wear that they truly are almost as delicate as dried petals and they tend to be rare finds because it takes just the right amount of moisture (not enough and it won't rust) and just the right amount of pressure (too much and it becomes embedded into the asphalt, unable to be pried free.)
• I have also started a second jar of miscellaneous objects I find on my walks, things that are interesting but that I don't want mixed in with my bottle caps--things like smashed batteries, broken cigarette lighters, smashed glasses, and unrecognizable scraps of metal.  T doesn't understand why I keep bringing these things home and depositing them into this large canister but I told him it's like this collage I'm creating in a jar, one that can easily shift and change simply by adding new objects or stirring up the objects I already have so that a new pattern, a new perspective, is created.
• I saw Atonement this weekend.  It left me with a hollow ache inside.
• At least once a day I check the world time feature on my cell phone because I like knowing at any given time exactly what time it is in Paris.
• As I type this it is 2:48 am in Paris.
• Bright and early tomorrow morning this year's Oscar nominations will be announced.  Oh the excitement!
• Speaking of possible Oscar nominees...have you seen the January 24th issue of Rolling Stone magazine.  Yeah...I think my exact words when I say it was 'holy god'...
• Today was a really good day, one of those days you hold in your hand and feel a peaceful sense of satisfaction.  I got a much needed haircut.  I made a new journal (it's not quite finished yet) and then I took myself to lunch at my favorite sandwich shop.  I spent most of my day at the sandwich shop where, after eating, I wrote for three straight hours...well maybe it was closer to 2 1/2 once you take time out for eating.  And I would have stayed longer except 1) I realized it was time to pick the B-Dog up from school and 2) the sandwich shop closes at 3:00.

Some of the latest...

Monday Mosaic and How I Spent My Weekend...which isn't all that interesting but oh well

• watched Arthur and the Invisibles at least 4 times with a sick child in my lap
• cleaned 3 nose bleeds...because that happens when he's sick
• washed 5 loads of laundry
• had a little helper assist me with sorting and matching socks, we were even able to find the missing half of many stragglers
• actually created in my art journal...a first in months
• pulled out the paint for the B-Dog...and then cleaned it all up...well, most of it...it's all still sitting on the kitchen table
• took a walk both Saturday and Sunday observing how beautiful the trees are and discovering if you stand under the yellowing leaves as the sun is setting it's like standing under a sky of gold
• a picnic at the park as a reward for good behavior at school
• chased a 4 year old around the playground only to discover he is much quicker than I...not to mention he has tons more energy...all this while he's supposed to be sick
• watched the movie Hoax with T...it was okay...interesting...not fabulous
• managed to dress myself Saturday but I don't think I ever managed to brush my hair
• took a nice Saturday afternoon nap
• spent hours cleaning and organizing the spare bedroom...and boy did it need it
• ignored the fact the bathroom is in desperate need of cleaning in favor of reading several chapters of Eat, Pray, Love which I've decided to read a second time after seeing Elizabeth Gilbert on Oprah
• purchased groceries to last until November 1 on under $9 because I'm that broke
• listened to the Foo Fighter's Skin and Bones...hmmm....at least once per day
• watched T clean most of the house...and felt guilty for only cleaning the spare bedroom...but it did need it...desperately
• enjoyed T's fabulous pasta...because I don't really cook much
• sat in my car at the park in the dark and journaled...yes, it's hard to see but I kind of like that about it
• finished editing the photos from this years family reunion...which was Labor Day weekend
• made several new banners for my blog until I finally had one that was okay...not completely happy with the size but I'm letting that go
• burned 2 dvd's full of images off my computer because my disk space was getting low
• realized there were about a dozen other things I needed to get done over the weekend that I just didn't get around to
• decided to let that go too...

Monday Mosaic and a tag from Mindy

This weekend I finally pulled my camera out of its bag after a week and a half in hibernation.  I haven't taken any pictures since my uncle's funeral and although I don't think I have been associating the lack of use with his death I really haven't felt much like photographing anything.  Plus my creativity right now seems to really want to find it's expression in words so I've put a lot of my energy into writing as opposed to picture taking.  But this weekend I strapped my camera around my neck and went for a two hour walk around the neighborhood (and by the way, alleys are much more interesting to photograph than streets and front yards).  Once home I pulled out the large sketchpad and created a makeshift seamless studio in the kitchen just to get in a little more camera time.  The above mosaic is just a handful of shots captured this weekend.

********************************************************************

I was very pleased to see Mindy's recent return to blogging.  Her blog and her sweet, honest words have always been an inspiration to me.  Today I discovered an e-mail from her letting me know she'd tagged me to play along on a meme.  I decided to take her bait because 1) well it's Mindy, 2) it's been awhile since I've posted a meme on this blog, and 3) it's about all I have energy for tonight.  So here is my list of 5 things I want to be when I grow up, because it's never too late to live your dreams!

when i grow up i dream of...

1. spending weeks, maybe even months, exploring Paris.  I traveled to Paris with my 9th grade French class years ago.  I was really too young to fully appreciate a trip of that magnitude.  But I've never forgotten it...and I often dream of Paris.  One day I'd like to return.  I'd like to spend my days exploring the back streets, the museums, the cemeteries, the cafes.  I'd like to write all day long and stroll through the moonlit streets at night...and then fall into bed exhausted from the sheet delight of it all.  Would you like to join me?
2. taking my son to see the ocean...and not the Gulf of Mexico...that doesn't count...I mean the Pacific or Atlantic ocean.  I saw the ocean for the first time with my grandparents when I was a child.  When I became a mother I knew one of the things I couldn't wait to do with my child was take him to see the ocean.  I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees so much water stretching as far as the eye can see.
3. being out of debt...no more credit card debt...no more school loans to pay off...i dream of being debt free.  It would feel so good to have that weight off my shoulders, to have some breathing room, and to live in that kind of sweet freedom.
4. bumping along the desert roads of New Mexico in a pick up, a little Lucinda Williams blaring, in dirty jeans, a worn t-shirt, and comfortable boots, my camera beside me on the seat, in search of interesting things to photograph.  I'd like to spend all weekend just roaming the desert looking for cemeteries, abandoned buildings, adobe houses, cactus flowers, and rusty things of all sorts and sizes.  I'd be a regular Georgia O'Keeffe...only with a camera instead of a paint brush.
5. writing my little heart out, getting everything that's stuck deep inside out on the page until there's nothing left and the only thing I can do is close my journal, put down my pen, and leave this life for the next one.

Usually with these tags I leave the tagging open and ask anyone to play along that would like too.  But tonight I think I'll actually tag 5 other lovely bloggers.  So I tag Stefanie Renee (one of my first blogging loves),  Erica (one of my favorite photographers, Jenica (one of my newest loves), CK Girl (one of my most loyal readers), and Kim (one of the bloggers I can't wait to finally meet at ArtFest in April).

A Food for the Soul Kind of Day

Do you ever need one of those mental health days.  You know, one of those days you skip out on work to do nothing other than things that make you feel alive and happy and satisfied?  Yeah, me too...

Yesterday I sent an e-mail to one of my very best friends/co-workers about a very interesting episode of Oprah that would be airing today (237 Reasons to Have Sex.)  I told her we were going to have to find someone to tivo it for us so we could watch it, learn from it, and maybe even take a few notes.  She suggested we forget having someone tivo it and the two of us just take the day off, spend time doing things we love and end our day watching Oprah.  At first I thought she was kidding.  Take off on such short notice?  What?  I've never done that before.  It wasn't until she sent me another e-mail letting me know she'd already put in her time-off request that I realized she wasn't kidding and that yes, we really were going to do this.  And we did.  And we loved it.  And we're seriously thinking we need to do something similar to this at least once a month.

Both of us were so excited about the prospect of a day together that neither one of us slept very long or very well last night.  We met for a leisurely morning spent on the patio of my favorite coffee shop--me drinking some kind of yummy jasmine tea, her drinking some kind of mocha something-or-another that was almost too pretty to drink.  After soaking in the cool morning air we explored a few shops we'd never visited before...finding several gorgeous articles of clothing we both want to purchase...some day.  Then there was fair food because well, as I mentioned yesterday the fair is here and it's only once a year so who can resist.  We worked our fair food off with more cutesy shop exploration.  Our day ended on my couch at 3:00 cst watching Oprah, a piece of key lime pie for each of us, laughing and talking about the issues the show brought up for us which I want to blog some more about once I've had a bit more time to think it all through.

It was wonderful.  It was perfect.  It was soul nourishing.  But you know, after a day like this one who wants to go back to work...ever...

Would you like to join us next month?...

Monday Mosaic--the County Fair edition

It always seems like a good idea at the time...the county fair that is.  I love the idea of eating greasy, calorie laden, heart attack causing, sinfully delicious fair food.  I love the idea of making memories with the ones I love.  I love the idea of a photo ops around every corner, surrounding you at every turn.  But it also always seems like we start arguing the minute we pull into the parking lot.  I get mad at T because he's a little bit too frugal for his own good.  T gets made at me for not being frugal enough.  And we both get mad at the B-Dog because he starts whining a mere 10 minutes after our arrival..."It's too hot.  I can't walk anymore.  Somebody needs to carry me.  I just can't make it any further."  Add to that the exorbitant cost of everything which leaves you feeling more than a little bit ripped off...and even more whining ("I need an ice cream.  Somebody please buy me an ice cream."--but who in god's name wants to pay 3 bucks for a simple soft serve cone you can get at McDonald's for under a dollar?), and well you have a pretty emotionally loaded afternoon.  I think at one point I completely lost it when the B-Dog, begging to be carried by someone, anyone, sat down on the pavement and refused to move and I promised him that if he didn't get up he would never eat ice cream again as long as he lived under my roof.  And I think I'm also guilty of swearing that next year when the county fair rolls around again I was leaving both of them at home and going by myself.  But then you get home and later in the day start recalling the moments when you weren't at each others throats and you actually did enjoy yourselves...and almost didn't mind paying an outrageous amount of money just to play a game in which you throw one single measley dart and a wall full of small, somewhat flaccid balloons.  And yes, even though you feel completely sick to your stomach because you haven't inhaled that much grease in one setting in a very, very long time...and your also a little sick at the thought of spending the equivalent of a week's worth of groceries in one afternoon, an afternoon in which you have absolutely nothing to show for it except slightly tighter jeans, you know that next year at this very same time you'll being doing the exact same thing--stuffing your face while arguing with your family members.  Maybe we have a short memory span.  Maybe we're gluttons for punishment.  Maybe we're hopeless romantics who swear this year will be different.  Whatever it is, it keeps us going back year after year after year.