snowy days (2)

What a cold snowy winter we've had! 

It's been sunnier than usual though, for which I am grateful.

my backyard.  I love the woods and the creek.

Somekitty has spent many an hour curled up on this cozy super soft blanket.

LINK:  snowy days   (1)

Come join this awesome meme SkyWatch Friday and link up! Meet folks from all over the globe!  SkyWatch Friday is hosted by Yogi, Sylvia, and Sandy.

photos by me © 2014    all rights reserved

kimonos

Long ago, when I was a little girl, I ate at a Japanese restaurant in a kimono I had decorated with crayons.  This was such an exciting adventure as I, along with my Brownie troop, had been studying Japan for several months.  We even performed a short play in costume (complete with traditional hair that a talented mother had made of crepe paper!).
I was so proud of my kimono!  The mothers had sewn them out of old sheets and we decorated them with crayons.  The designs were then heat set.  Finally the day arrived!  Off we went to a real traditional Japanese restaurant!

That's me in the back taking off a shoe.  Do note those stylish shoes!  

I remember this kimono well.  How I wish there was a color photo of it!  It was made from a yellow sheet.  I decorated it with pink flowers and green leaves.  You can see them very faintly around the hems of the sleeves and the bottom, as well as along the sleeve.

We sat at a low table on cushions.

  
The article and photos appeared in the Sunday Star magazine, a supplement to the Washington Post.

How exciting it was for a little girl to learn about the customs of Japan, learn words in another language, perform a play, make a kimono, and wear that kimono to a real Japanese restaurant.  Then to top it off, there she is in an article printed in the paper.

"As the last "Sayonara" sounded through the restaurant, ...the troop set off into the late afternoon sun..."

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter  is "K."  Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 



original photos by Claire Sawyer  © photos by me  © 2013     all rights reserved

goals: 2014

I hope this is is the year of finding balance in my life.  I'm not making any resolutions.  nope!  Who wants a list of stuff to feel guilty about for not doing?!

There are still things I hope to accomplish.

1.  Continue to organize and update the place where I live.  There are a few projects I started long ago that still need to be completed this century.  There are also the new ones begun and not yet completed.  (bookshelves/library room is a case in point)

This project is almost complete.  What's left is installing the doors on the lower section and painting them, of course, and touch up work.  The shelves are already full of books and other treasures.
 
2.  Workout regularly.  Maybe do yoga.  Ride my bike.

3.  Spend time with family.


4.  Spend time with friends.

In December my girlfriends and I went to Waynesville to shop, have dinner, and just generally enjoy each other's company.  This is one of our favorite booths inside an antique mall.  We love how all the vintage dishware is arranged by color.

5.  Do creative stuff.   I've signed up for 2 Craftsy classes that will force me to use my sewing machine.


6.  Grow more vegetables.

7.  Explore.

8.  Photograph.

9.   Play with kitties

10.  Be still.  Contemplate.  Grow spiritually.

I was tempted to say do this or do that "more."  But I just simply wish to do these things.  Will it be more?  Does it matter?  The point is to consciously spend time doing those things that are meaningful to me.

My Blogging Business Artisans team sets forth a new Challenge every month.  The purpose is to encourage us to explore our creativity, to stretch our imaginations.  Perhaps we are re-working something we've done in the past or still do.  Perhaps we're making something entirely new.  For the month of January we considered our goals for the upcoming year.

(Blogger is being most persnickety as I write this.  I hope this post shows up with all its photos.  sigh.)

photos by me © 2012 and 2013  all rights reserved

January

January has been mostly cold and snowy, but thankfully sunnier than usual overall.  Here are a few random photos from this month.

My Meyer lemon tree has a myriad of blooms!  mmm...they smell heavenly!

a tree in my backyard.  See the squirrels' nest?  

Sunlight and stacked wood lend a feeling of warmth to the frigid day.

I made a mini journal for a friend.  (Art:  the expression of human imagination and skill to produce, according to aesthetic principles, what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.) 

A contented Oliver snoozes in a sunpuddle.


 

I worked on photographing some of my dyed outfits. 

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter  is "J."  Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 



photos by me  © 2013     all rights reserved

Oliver's guide to the letter I

Indigenous to my house is an adorable black and white kitty named Oliver.

His intelligence is legendary. 

It is inconceivable that he would ever suffer from insomnia.  

Indolence is his forte.

Inertia seems to be his goal.

His ability for quietude is impeccable!

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter  is "I."  Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 



photos by me  © 2009 - 2013     all rights reserved

Hell (Grand Cayman)

Welcome to Hell...Hell, Grand Cayman, that is!

How did Hell get its name?  That is the question of which legends are made.  

photo © by Sreejithk2000  

There is a large field of unique limestone formations (ironshore) in this small town.  Over a period of many years, coral, shells, and other skeletons of sea life were solidified by limestone and salt deposits into this formidable landscape.  Some say this is what Hell would look like.   Some say if you throw a pebble into the formations, you can hear it rattling all the way down to Hell.
 

This is the gift shop.  Nearby is the post office where you can send "postcards from Hell."

Don't park here!

LINKS: 
◊  Hell's Gifts and Souvenirs
◊  a little blurb on Hell and Grand Cayman by Richard Bangs (Huffington Post)
◊  2.25 minute video by Shane O.  (travel channel)  View the entire area and hear the devil himself, Ivan Farrington, speak about one of the legends.

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter  is "H."  Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 



photos by me  © 2011     all rights reserved

snowy days

Snow silently fell through the night on Wednesday and then all day yesterday.  While I was out and about in this magical snow-covered worId I took these photos.

The above 3 photos are all color!


Today it's gloriously sunny.  and freezing!   The snow glows and sparkles in the bright sunlight.

Someone is enjoying the warm sun on his fur!

The snow looks like soft, fluffy cotton! 

photos by me  © 2014     all rights reserved

gorgeous Mount Edith Cavell

 

In September 2013, my husband and I hiked the Mount Edith Cavell trail to Cavell Pond in Jasper National Park, Canada.  It is a short, easy hike at 11,033ft (3,363 m) elevation.  The views along the way are spectacular!

There are several glaciers visible on the North face of the mountain.  Angel Glacier (above) forms in a bowl or cirque.  The glacier flows downward.  Some of the ice breaks over the vertical cliffs forming the angel's wings.  Because of the constant movement, this is an avalanche area.  We did see several while we were here and heard their resounding BOOMS!

I love the patterns, colors, and shapes of the plants, lichens, and rocks.  stunning decoration!

If you look very carefully in the middle of the photograph, you will see a person in blue.   This will give you an idea of the scale.

See the people--blue and red?

Cavell Pond is just below Cavell Glacier.  Ghost Glacier is the highest snow area above on the left.  In August, 2012, a very large chunk (equivalent to 1428 city buses) of Ghost Glacier broke off and avalanched down the mountain into Cavell Pond causing a tsunami that closed trails and the parking lot.  (video link below)

Icebergs float in Cavell Pond.

silly photo of me

pattern and texture

Back to the beginning of the trail, Cavell Lake can be seen in the distance, a gorgeous turquoise blue due to the suspension of glacial flour.

LINKS:
Banff and Beyond trail description and photos
lots of photos AlbertaWow
Parks Canada
Map  nearby roads and trails 
video of the avalanche (warning:  4 -letter word at the 5 second mark)

about Edith Cavell, a British nurse in WWI who saved many lives

My Post:
water  a couple photos of Cavell Pond and Cavell Lake

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter  is "G."  Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 



photos by me  © 2013     all rights reserved