Moments.

My friend picks up a cookie and the bottle of sprinkles. The sky is bright blue behind her, and the pink and purple of the candy and her nail polish make a cute color combo. Suddenly, I have an idea.

"Emily, I'm going to ask you to do something weird . . . " I say as I stand up to fetch my camera. "Keep sprinkling that cookie."

"Okay. . ." she laughs as I kneel and start taking some shots.

Soon, we're both laughing.

"Alright, thanks," I say as I stand up. "Wanna see the photo?"

A photographer, whose name I simply cannot recall right now, said that "Photography is the art of moments."

I really couldn't agree more. =)

Love,
M

Beautiful North

My family spent the last few days visiting friends, at their lovely place a few hours north of here. I've never experienced so much in three day's time, and it was all fascinating. To put it simply, a lot happened.

These are of the cabin we stayed in. It's a rustic, vintage-y place, built in the 40's and filled with odd and ends and books and beds. And so very cozy.

The bed that my sister and I shared the first night. It's built into the wall in the loft, the wall is all windows looking into the forest. I love it!

The lake is spectacular . . . clear, mostly cold, and deep. Wednesday night, I managed to swim across it!

And the fishing's alright, too, much to my brother's contentment.

We went to the nearby state park for some adventures . . .

Lack of a swimsuit didn't stop our little pal from playing in the river!

It was the perfect day - warm, sunny. Perfect for us tourists! *snicker* We ran all over the trails, gawked at the tallest trees, climbed the fire tower (100 feet is higher than it sounds!), and snacked on candy bars.

My friend took me to the county fair that evening. It was small, unlike the two fairs I usually go to, and I loved the environment.

The horse talent show was really fun to watch. I'd never seen a drill team prior to that night, believe it or not! And this pony was very cute - very perky and happy to show off.

I want a horse of my own. Badly.

The midway was definitely a highlight for me - the few rides we went on were splendid, and the evening light paired with the neon light was wonderful.

Quick question: Am I the only one who is heavily reminded of Charlotte's Web when at a county fair?

As for food . . . well, I'm just gonna say that mint malts, lemonade, and cheese curds are as good as it gets.

That night, my friend and I spent the night in the library above one of the workshops.

We started in on "Much Ado About Nothing". Much laughter ensued, and not only because we were bushed!



Isn't it lovely? Don't you want to become a hermit and live there?

It was an altogether amazing trip. I wish everyone could experience one like it! I also wish I had my camera present when the seventy bagels we made came out of the oven. ;)

But the most amazing thing that happened while we were there? We met a new friend - and he met the world. My mom puts it way better than I could . . . this baby's birth is proof that prayer works, and that God loves life.

I can't wait to get back there. Good friends, beautiful places, and so much to see and do.
Thanks for reading, much love,
M

The Aura, or, Summer's Still Here

Summer. Summer.

It's speeding by. By today, the aura is definitely here: the End Of Summer aura.

The weather has stopped being beastly (humid and hot) and has started being amicable (sunny 70's-80's). Need I say more? :)

Last night, after the weekly church softball game, I sat on the car's bumper and studied the sunset, inhaled the scented air, and thought about how perfect God created summer to be. It's lovely.

Today, while playing tennis with my brother and a new friend, the sky was blazing blue and the sun was beating down. It was beautiful and fun, and - here it comes - very summer.

This is the summer I've never been readier for. Winter was hard and long, and the arrival of warmth and sun and greenery was balm.

It's a strange to have dreams come to a close that was always coming.

School starts in less than month. Within that month, I still have a lot of summer traditions to pull off: one more week at camp, camping with my family, day trip to Lake Superior, slumber party with my pals . . .

Sunday afternoon: Ivanhoe, Atlas Shrugged, and berries. Heaven on earth, I believe!

. . . oh, and I want to keep reading.

The other day, I cracked my algebra book and tried my hand at a few problems. After the pangs of treachery wore off, I found that I liked dealing with that topic of the fall/winter months. I can't wait for school to start . . . you'll probably be hearing more on that topic in the next few weeks.

The dilemma: Think/plan/dream wildly about the tantalizing future, or soak up/dwell in/simply exist in the very lovely present?

Both, maybe?

Powerlines, trees, and stoplights.

It was a golden evening.

After heavy rains and thunderstorms all day, the sky cleared and we had light.

Rich, golden light.

It was a glorious sunset. I stood in the driveway, camera in hand and mind moving fast, watching the sky change light and color in a mind-blowing, beautiful pattern.

The powerlines, trees, and stoplights that plague even slightly urban places were between me and the sky, but I looked on.
And inevitably, I started wishing to be at a place without any of those powerlines, trees, or stoplights.

I wanted a place where there weren't herds of cars driving by, without some of the drivers casting curious stares my way.

Imagine a field with no trees, a hilltop higher than any streetlight, or a lake with no shores. Wide, open spaces.

But I considered the traffic a little more, and I came to a conclusion:
I don't mind lookers-on after all.
Or powerlines, or trees, or stoplights.

The clouds were incredible. I don't know how many shades of grey and gold are possible, but I am sure that most of them were up in those clouds.

I was still thinking, in the back of my mind, about that abandoned hilltop and deserted, powerline-less, tree-less, stoplight-less field . . .

. . . but sunsets like this one aren't hindered.

And I'm going to

watch them

photograph them

and utterly enjoy them . . .

. . . no matter where I happen to be.

~

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
~Jeremiah 29:11
~

Summer's Soundtrack

Okay, today is the third consecutive gorgeous day of the Spring. It's so warm, sunny, and green out there. I have transitioned from resigned furry boots to tentative flip flops to joyous bare feet. Friends, Summer's back!

And of course there's music to compliment this utterly delightful change. Here's a *very small* sampling of my favorite summer tracks. . . .

Chopin is my hero. Currently, this is my favorite prelude of his.



Why, yes, I selected the video that features a b&w photo of a very solemn composer. :) Rimsky-Korsakov is so good for reading with. I love the adventure his music is infused with.



Okay. If Chopin is my hero, Debussy is my inspiration. Clair de Lune is special to me. I love playing it, listening to it....everything. I love its flawless key changes and fluid chords. I should stop gushing.
~
So those are my classical tracks. Other favorites that are perfect for golden summer evenings . . .


Ahh...I was introduced to this duo last summer and have enjoyed them since. I love listening to this piece on bright afternoons. And any other time of day. :)


I saved the best for last! This is the song that puts my summer ideals to music. I. love. George. Winston.
~~~~
There are so many other songs that I love for this time of year. What do you listen to in the summer?

Looking Backwards

Q: What do digital files and good wine have in common?
A: Absolutely nothing.

Okay, my mom didn't think it was funny either.

Since I got into photography a couple of years ago, it's been common to unload the memory stick onto the computer hard drive. Well, after a couple years of rather steady uploads, things get boggy on the computer. So I've been ruthlessly and poignantly going through the accumulated files, deleting a lot, but keeping plenty, too. I have been learning that:
~Digital files do not improve with age. (See above riddle.)
~I take a lot of incredibly useless photos.
~Movie files don't have to be 1080p to be huge.
~It's perfectly okay to delete stuff. It's even delightfully fulfilling! Keep positive and think of all the better photos you'll have room for. :)

A lot of memories come surging back with each folder I cull. Here are some of them, not quite in chronological order.

June 2009: Camping up North. This pretty trail is at one of my favorite state parks.

June 2009: Sunny summer evenings in the backyard.


July 2009: FLOWERS. There are--were--scores and scores of flower shots on the hard drive. I had fun taking them, but . . . most of them were positively mediocre. I was okay with sending most to the recycle bin, but there were some I had to keep. One of the interesting facets to this operation has been to see the evolution of my photographic eye and taste.

October 2009: Aftermath of a morning rainstorm. This photo is one of my favorite finds of the deletion sprees.


April 2010: Successful library visit! Love those. :)


April 2010: Springtime sunset from my deck.


April 2009: Trip to the state capitol to show our conservative colors at a Tea Party! There were so many amusing banners that evening. They ranged from witty to angry to sardonic . . . most of them were likable. :) I am not sure who made this one.


March 2010: Spontaneous trip to the art museum with my brother. Mmm, that was such a fun day. He needed to find a painting to write a paper on for art class, and we scoured every section looking for the right one.
~~~~
There are a lot more, but I'll stop here. It's been great to take photos and document memories over the last few years . . . nostalgia reigns today!

Love,
Margaret

Beautiful Summer

This summer, I....

...majorly loved the sky after some magnificent storms.
...had some delightful times with my wonderful friends.


...wrote. Not as much as I had hoped to, but I wrote, and that's all that matters, right? And I really like some of it. *grin*


...enjoyed some homemade ice cream. Thank you Dad!


... had a wonderful stint with fireworks.

...went camping! My summer is never complete without at least a weekend of roughing it.



Although these photos describe my summer very well, here is the one that really sums it all up:

My favorite part of this summer was the evenings. Reading, writing, and drawing in the glow of the setting sun. I love that time of day, even more so in the summer.

And now, school and autumn begin. Leisure will become rare, grass will fade, the sun will set at six. A new season to love and live.

Goodbye, summer.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
— Dr. Seuss

Pitcher

Here we have an average, slightly beat-up, plastic pitcher. Not too exciting. Let's take a closer look...

But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. -Jesus Christ,
John 4:14