Pica's Bliss Spot

Self-Portrait Challenge 08.29

Enclosed spaces of a my daily life for Self-Portrait Challenge's. So on to next month's challenge.

Enclosed space between shampoo and conditioner.



Enclosed in a security camera.



Enclosed in my hoody in rainy Puget Sound.

Roses In A $1.00 Vase

Beautiful Sunday, err, Monday - 08.27

Well, I took this photo on Sunday while the boys were boating. Does that count, even though I am posting on Monday ;) I found this enormous dandelion and finally caught the seeds flying to the heavens.

Photo Swap

I recently participated in photobird's photo swap. I wish I had taken photos of my package, but I did not. My swap partner is in Omaha! Today I received a wonderful package from my swap partner, a wonderful collection of photos from an 1920’s house she discovered in Alaska. The beauty in an abandoned house and all of it’s contents. Read more about the photos and the house on her blog. Thank you, Gwen! More swap images here.

Photo Friday - Circles

Circles for Photo Friday challenge. Much larger view here.

Priceless!

$500.00 on boat rentals for wake-boarding and inner-tubing.

$540.00 on a three-room hotel room in 98 degree weather with ONE window air conditioner unit.

$80.00 on gas for a 200 mile trip in my car with no air conditioning.

Spending three days boring and embarassing 3 surly 15-year-olds ....

Priceless!

A Chill In The Air

I was so sad this morning when I walked outside to a chill in the air. I love fall, I love winter. But the idea that the flowers are soon gone is almost more than I can bear. For a moment, I feel extreme loss, like a lover has forsaken me, a hole in my heart with the thought of a blank canvas in the backyard. The rain, the dark, no more sun, no more drinking coffee surrounded by delightful hydrangeas. Waiting for the next rose to bloom. The scent of honeysuckle. But I turn my mind to fall colors, leaves, winter and the possiblity of a snow. And I say, it will be okay. The peonies will be back in June. Everything has cycles and the thought of that is very soothing. The last of the flowering roses and poppies.







I am officially on vacation, so I will be away for awhile. Lots to do. My son turns 15! Shopping, Lake Chelan (hopefully it is warmer there than here), I need to make all of my yearly exams appointments, get rid of the rat I have residing in the backyard, cars to be tuned up, rooms to be cleaned. I signed a work order with my contractor to have a bookcase built in an alcove in the next month. Freshman orientation tomorrow!

Purchased a little something for us, all the photographers at work have one and I have been longing for the Pentax Optio, for shooting at the lake, around water, my son can take it on the slopes. M's school clothes are coming in via FedEx. This is a very weird way to shop for school. M and D head off for Kansas City for MIL wedding party. I don't think I can get off work to go, but still working on that. Buying M something appropriate for that ocassion, so the new family members won't think they have married into some scary "skate video" crew.

Some day I am going to organize my sidebar! But not this vacation.

Some exciting news! My studio is now featured on "On my desk". I had to do alot of cleaning to make those photos possible ;) and I think I might have written too much, what is new? But it gives a good idea of my studio and it's contents.

I met a wonderful neighboring artist last night, a co-Round-Robin(er), Nanci Drew. We met at ArtFest and now we are both a part of a Round Robin, which I am terribly late getting to! (am frantically trying to finish my project today to get in the mail before I take off for the lake). We had a fun visit, talked about how inspirational ArtFest was, met each other's dogs.

Mom has been jammin' in the kitchen! Pickled watermelon rind, Damn Hot Relish (anyone want the recipe, leave me a note, I will send it along), peach perserves, apricot perserves. Lots of goodness going on here. The house smells of vinegar, sugar and love. Well, then I keep asking her to make me that peach "cheese thing". I made myself my own the other day, and it was not as delicious. That is always the case ... nothing taste as good unless someone makes it for you. The other day I heard the iron skillet being lifted from the drawer and I said "Is that a Peach I hear you cutting?" She was making me a peach delight, and we laughed.



We had a wonderful al fresco sunset dinner at the neighbors the other night, in celebration of the oldest daughter leaving for Germany to attend univerisity. I am so excited for her. To be young and heading off to university in a foreign country, sometimes I get a little pang of jealously.



So with the long post, I say "see ya soon". Lastly I would like to thank you all for visiting and leaving wonderful comments. I have so bad of late in answering emails, comments, etc. Just feeling so overwhelmed with work stuff. But I am so appreciative of them, and the extraordinary friendships I have made via blogging. It is such a warm, creative, accepting environment. And I am so thankful to have found it and experience it. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.

Self-Portrait Challenge 08.22

Enclosed in a stamp space for Self-Portrait Challenge's.



Now that the weather will be changing I will be enclosed in my seasonal disorder medications, to keep me sane ;)

Listen Up! For The Best Treat

If you are eating peaches and like stinky, gorgonzola cheese, you MUST try this. Mom made it from yesterday and I can not get enough. She had seen a similar thing at a local deli, came home and whipped up a couple.

Cut peaches in half, grill them or mom cooks them in a cast iron skillet, until heated through. Immediately fill with 3 T gorgonzola cheese, sprinkle walnuts (sugared), drizzle honey. The first time we did not use walnuts and mom used cereal granola and it was just as good. I can not describe the taste but I can not get the lusciousness out of my mouth ;)

Beautiful Sunday - 08.20

Beautiful Sunday was an easy choice today. And unexpected gift from a blogger friend showed up at my house yesterday while I was at work. Thank you, Paula! More Beautiful Sunday pool and my set on Flickr.

Oil Spill In Lebanon

I have hardly heard about this story and I work for a news organization. I just saw a little piece on it tonight on Nightly News. I think the entire world should pull together and clean this mess up in and around Lebanon. What a F*&%ING disaster -- unbelievable what we do to ourselves.

Flowers In My Lens

What I think of when I shoot flowers ....

Excellent Idees

Flipping through the June 2006 Marie Claire idees that I got at B&N the other day, I happened upon a piece (that I can't read) about Lyndie Dourthe. How fabulous is her work? Litte paper flowers and butterflies, totally delightful.

Marieke Berghuis of Treats and Treasures has offered up the directions for a little felt box (that I plan on trying to make) and a wonderful example of how she uses hers.

This really made me smile today, Thanks! Karin! I love the unexpected, shapes and ways he uses the flowers. It is definitely a giggle and AHHHH moment. This guy is a genius, I only wish I could see his work IN PERSON -- Per Benjamin via Karin. See more of his and his partner’s work at Life 3. I love what Tomas De Bruyne does with petals.





And while I am talking about beauty and flowers, I would love a set of Karin's rose plates and bowl. One more find from Karin, Ayumi Horie's lanterns that would look wonderful in MY backyard.

Illustration Friday -- (Mitch) Match

Mitch Match for Illustration Friday. If you have never used the different brushes available to you in Adobe Illustrator, you should give it a try sometime. It can take a boring line and make it sing. The brushes can be customized and altered. Below is the same image, just one click of the mouse you can apply different brushes.

The Hobart Shakespeareans

I was lucky enough to catch the end of The Hobart Shakespeareans on PBS (POV) the other night. If you get a chance, watch it, it should not be missed.

Their mission statement from the website: The Hobart Shakespeareans is a public school classroom designed to improve the quality of life for economically disadvantaged children. Working together with staff, parents, and our community, we are determined to establish a level playing field to give each child the equal opportunity promised in the Constitution. Through disciplined study and high expectations, the children acquire the knowledge, skills, and grace necessary to earn their share of the American Dream.

Late Night Brain Fade

My work had become so busy, so intense the last couple of weeks that I come home and am mentally exhausted. I have not been reading blogs, answering email. I try to skip through some blogs during the day, eating lunch over my keyboard but that only last about 20 minutes. When I get home at 10 p.m., I run downstairs to my studio thinking I might work on projects, but spend about 20 minutes there and give up. It feels it has all gotten increasingly worse, my feeling of being overwhelmed. Because we are short-staffed at work? Because people are on vacation? I just feel stretched to the limit and can not wait for my week off to have space to THINK.

My son has gone away for the weekend to a friends' dad's lake cabin and I get really nervous when he is "on the water" without me. I try not to be a "worrier mom" but I can not help myself. I know all you moms out there do this ... "please God, let my son be safe this weekend". It is that prayer we all chant over and over when we give our kids their freedom. Trusting them, but not quite trusting they know how dangerous situations can be.

Anyway, after that little pity party, I did find this on Thinking About... (blog) and thought it sounded like fun! So am doing this before going to bed (so I can remember I still have some fun thoughts in my head, things I dream about). I get up early in Saturday mornings so must get to bed.

Thirteen Things I would do if I had more money (say, I won the lottery):

1. Would quit worrying about money.

2. Give more money to St. Jude’s Children’s hospital

3. Buy a hybrid car.

4. Buy some property in Montana. Build a large, universal house with a big kitchen in grand room. And lots of satellite environmental sustainable houses with for family and friends to live/stay in.

5. Rent a co-op artist space for me and my many artist friends.

6. Put more money in my son’s college fund.

7. Put more money in my son’s savings fund.

8. Send my MIL and her new husband to Ireland.

9. Send my mom and Ruth to Malta for a long vacation.

10. Start a printing business in Oklahoma, letterpress?, for my brother to own/run. Where I could get MY own cards printed and give him local work.

11. Start my little business that I dream about everyday. I can’t say what it is …but I think about my two products driving back and forth from work everyday. (Kathy -- meggiecat -- knows ;)

12. Send my husband on an extended fishing vacation.

13. Invest in a WA winery.

Thirteen things I would do if I had less money:

1. Stop drinking my nightly two glasses of red wine

2. Cancel our cell phones.

3. Clean out our storage unit and finally give it up. I should do that anyway.

4. Quit trying to keep my Scooter alive with medical miracles.

5. No more dishes!

6. Refuse to pay for my son’s paintballing habit. A very expensive hobby.

7. Cancel cable, well, cancel HBO portion at least.

8. Stop going to Thrift stores, NO MORE fabric or boxes or crystal wine glasses.

9. No more Barnes and Nobles on Saturday nights, and cancel my magazines that I do not have time to read now anyway.

10. Do not let my husband go to the grocery store.

11. Take my lunch to work.

12. I would say Ebay shopping, but I have all ready stopped that bad shopping habit (vintage photos). No more internet shopping for patterns and paper emphera.

13. Do I have to give up my Bryn Walker shopping habit?

Summer Winding Down

Summer is winding down. We head off for a mini vacation soon. Matt and I are shopping online for most of his school clothes. Not too much running to the mall (yet).

He will be a freshman this year. And that makes my heart ache and soar at the same time. His summer has been a whole lot of doing nothing, no camps this year, just summer baseball and All Stars. Lots-o-sleepin' in! He is a real teenager but when I look at him I see my little pumpkin head, wearing a frankenstein mask and a batman cape, everywhere he went.

Illustration Friday -- (Let's) Play

Let's Play for Illustration Friday. I had to dig an old illustration out of archives, no time this week.

Guilty Pleasures

Several years back I got to have a little entry in Guilty Pleasures about my thrift store shopping (hoarding) for plates and hiding them in the car. This year, everything I mentioned, even boxed wine was poo-poo-ed. I love the way the graphics turned out. What is your "guilty pleasure"?

Letting My Fingertips Do The Traveling

Flipping through Budget Travel's Girlfriend Getaway issue with the Shoe Lovers Guide to travel, several fun links caught my eye. I would love to be able to attend this vintage fashion fair in London. Also P & A Fairs. Very cool Bata Shoe Museum. I know Rita will be salivating over Elton John's silver and rad plaform boots. Salvatore Ferragamo online history museum. A little shoe exhibit at Leder Museum. A great compilation here -- Museums around the UK on the Web.

American Voyager suitcase at Dean Leather. Carry-on size trolley from Samsonite’s Sahora Collection. Arthack Everyday (seen below) and the Clutch from World According To Jess -- having trouble linking to them.

Tiny Purple Flowers

Self-Mediation Sans Mirror

4 a.m. My Mac woke me up. Both monitor and hard drive power buttons were glowing and pulsing in the dark. I had fallen asleep on the “big chair” while trying to watch the news. The glowing gave the feeling that aliens had landed in the family room, the dog barked to go outside and now I can't go back to sleep.

I woke up yesterday at 8:30 a.m. and started cleaning the art studio (and basement). I finally finished up last night at 7 p.m. Exhausted but glad to have the top of my table cleaned off and the tile floor mopped and cleaned. (BTW, the best thing to use to clean really dirty vinyl tile floor is “cleaning bubbles”. Spray it on, wait a minute. Be very careful because it makes the floor very slippery, and mop.)

Now with all my treasures and trash safely organized and stored away guarantees that I will never see or find them again. Not sure I should have started the assemblage art craze. It plays too much with the “junk-collector” who lives inside of me and now I can't allow myself to go to the thrift store anymore. No More Space.

Sunday, while I was moving ladders and tidying up the woodpile, cleaning the backyard, weeding and looking like I usually do – a train wreck, I overheard my model-esque neighbor talking to her equally beautiful friend. They were talking about exercise classes they had been attending to get back into “bathing suit” bodies, getting facials and such. I wanted to be jealous. I wanted to yell out to them “why don’t you grab a mower and get to work”, I wanted to tell them they are thin enough and quick worrying their weight and talking about Pilates. But then, that is probably WHY they look so good. With sweat pouring off my brow and dirt underneath my fingers nails. I found myself wondering out loud, "what is wrong with me?" What happened to me as female? There was a time I thought about the way I looked in my bathing suit, I spent 8 hours a week jazzercise, ballet, weight-lifting.

I was doing a little self-meditation sans the mirror as I went back to my yard work. Since we learn our parents, I was wondering if I should blame my mom for being as I am. She was never one to take exercise classes or worry about her looks when I was young. She was worrying about working and putting food on the table, raising a child. My early childhood development was sorely lacking in feminine pursuits of perfect-ness.

Then I thought I could blame my house. How it is always needing something done, leaving little or no time for me to do much in my free time.

Many years ago, I ran into same neighbor. I was covered in house paint, head to fingernail (well, I bit my nails then so let’s just say fingertips). I had been painting some room (I am always painting something), installing and painting molding. She was telling me how busy her Saturday was because she had to get her hair done AND fit in a manicure. I wanted to laugh, or cry, at me, at her. The paradox of the situation. Returning to my painting, I remember thinking then “what is wrong with me?” I later told D how how alien I felt after talking to her. How I hated the way I was always comparing myself to her, her looks, her perfect-ness. He reminded me that I live to do my art in my free time. That getting covered in saw dust was my “thing”. That sewing and gardening were high my priority list and that I was comparing myself to someone who did none of those things, did not know how to start a mower and certainly wouldn't be caught dead with a paintbrush in her hand. And then it all made sense.

But sometimes, when I run into her and I have not changed clothes in two days, or brushed my hair and have paint under my fingernails, That little question pops up in my head. Why am I so different from most of the women I know?

Self-Portrait Challenge 08.15

I found myself trapped in the car waiting, searching for "enclosed spaces". See other Self-Portrait Challenge's here.



"Because I'm worth it" Great minds think alike and like the same hair color, Deb did this idea for Pop Art.

Good Wine And A Seed Pod

After working like dogs in the yard all day, we congregrated in my neighbors front garden enclosed and surrounded by blooming jasmine, rugosa roses, rosemary, heavenly bamboo ... to visit and drink. Fortunately, they have become wine connoisseurs, collecting expensive wines and are always having little "wine tastings". So after three bottles of great libation, my favorite being very mild and very peppery (Sangiovese from Pontin del Rosa in Prosser) ... Laura and I started collecting these sweet little seedpods a Golden Rain tree, that has yellow flowers and these chinese lanterns-looking seedpods. And to top off a great day, there was a PBS mystery last night. A day can't get any better than that!

I See The Light

Beautiful Sunday - 08.13

Lots of yard work today. Then a run to Sky Nursery to get mom a couple of herbs. Found this tiny little purple flower, not sure what it is but I had to have it. Much larger view here.

Photo Friday -- Four (Marbles)

Four for Photo Friday challenge. Much larger view here. {later ... I just noticed that unusual shadow in the first marble, almost looks like pooling glass, then another shadow appears lie underneath it.}



Because I have a touch of OCD. Four dead leaves.



Four favorite lipsticks

Acceptance

I am trying to take part in Liz's daily reflection meditation. I have been reading some heartwrenching and interesting post on this challenge.

My reflection brings me full circle. My grandmother’s eyes and wrinkles around the mouth. The dangle earrings my mom insisted I wear yesterday. Hair color fading to reveal grey roots. The long furrow between my eyebrows now a permanent indention.

Of course, I am overweight. But does it really matter? When I get tired of it, I will lose weight. I am old. I do not see the 50-year-old looking back at me that I do when I see the 50-year-old looking back at me in a photograph. In the mirror my younger spirit shines through. In print the spirit seems lost and only the double chin remains.

One day ago I was 40, taking my son to elementary school, watching him learn to read.

Two days ago I was 35, terrified of becoming a mother and wife.

Three days ago I was 30; single, often depressed, wondering what it would be like to be 50, childless. Journaling about someone who did not love me. Crying in my beer. A lot of beer. Trying to envision my life full of friends, events and travel.

Four days ago I was 20, living on the edge of my life in London. Depressed, broke, and worried about my weight, my money situation. Not enjoying the moment.

Five days ago I was 10, swimming and dreaming of becoming a fashion designer. Always self-conscience about the way I looked. The way I didn’t look like my beautiful mom, or her beautiful friends. Always awkward, always insecure.

And that is just about how fast the time flutters by. In retrospect – all that worry got me nowhere. That depression – precious time lost. Concern about the future – you have little or no control of it so try to enjoy the moment.

So now when I look deep into my eyes and meditate on me. I see me. The real me. The “content-with-life” me. The “I-love-my-son-so-much-I want-to-be-stable” me. That was a big concern of mine, my depression, my ups and downs. Still with all my worries but trying to enjoy my life. With all my baggage from the past. But trying to keep it all in perspective and not let it ruin the possibility of a terrific day.

A Different Look

I am working a different schedule the last couple of weeks, more days less hours. That gives me an extra hour to drink coffee and visit the backyard. I have not been a good gardener this year. And the Northwest warming trend has burned up what I did not water intensely. And with the heat, I decided not to plant more potted flowers. Too much to water. No global warming? Come visit my yard.





But then on the brighter side, there are a few anemone that survived.



And those delightful columbine pods are spreading their seeds.

It Happened Again

Susan has done it again, made me giggle with delight! You must see this!

Do you think all of Sam's girlfriends cry when they see him?

The Altered Me

My sweet, well-intentioned friend is always telling me it would be better if I softened my face a little. I use those tricks and filters all the time in my work. And granted the version she did of me, shown here, does make me look 15 years younger. But I am not. I don't mind showing my wrinkles. I don't want people to audibly gasp when they meet me in person after seeing pictures on my blog that have been altered or softened to take years way. Frankly, I have earned the right to wear these wrinkles with pride. Heck, if I were going to change myself, why wouldn't I just get the voluptuous lips and bushy, thick eyebrows I always wanted. No thanks, S, I want to be as I am, thanks for the help though.

Un-Hinged Over Un-Matched.com

This little rant has been brewing in my head for sometime.

In an effort to see “what was out there” when my girlfriends tell me they were meeting someone from Match.com (or others), I searched 100’s of profiles (I mean 100’s) and only landed on a few that I thought were even remotely good enough “catches” for my friends. The usual responses from these bare-chested, motor-cycled riding macho men were “I am looking for someone younger, in fit shape, someone to drink wine with on a sunlit beach, hold hands as we walk into the sunset". Excuse me pal, YOU are 55+! Yuck. Would a 30-40 year old women really be interested in YOU? Here are my basic beef with the beef cakes I have spotted in the 50-60-year-old range – HIMSELF on a motorcycle, climbing a mountain, shirtless (undoubtedly so we can be completely turned on by his body), with his big furry pet, with another woman, on his sailboat … you get where I am goin' here. Oh, Please. I went home and told D that if these guys really want to attract a woman and look sexy they should photograph themselves cleaning a toilet, loading a dishwasher or folding some clothes. Now, THAT would get the responses pouring in. I heard Dr. Phil telling me this morning on a radio ad that the perfect match was on Match.com and HE could help me find him/her. Really?, can my friends call you at home to discuss this hyped-up ad campaign for match.com? False advertising.

I signed my mom up with one of those dating services years ago, unbeknownst to her. A few inquiries came in and she met up with a few. Most of them had never read a book and did not know how to use the spell check feature in their Outlook. The rest were sexual perverts (and had still never read a book), mom said “no thanks” to both. I have had a few close encounters of the personal-ad-kind when I was single. Every time, I could not get away from that person fast enough to get home and shower the ‘eeewwww’ off. One guy told me on the phone that if I did not look like Heather Locklear not to bother, and I didn’t. I think he said he wanted a "show piece", "show pony"? Fortunately, I can't remember any details from the rest, probably some psychological feature of the brain to help remove unpleasant blind-dates from the memory bank.

My wonderful friends get nothing but grief or the silent treatment from men from these sites. Men they don’t know them, that have no right to give anyone grief about weight, height, being a single mom, when was the last time they had sex, how much sex do they like to have. Yes, this is the kind of scrutiny going on when you "wink" at someone that interest you, or email someone. I look at my wonderful, capable, self-supporting, artistic, loving, beautiful friends and think, there is not an asshole on any dating service that is worthy of you!

So I asked the single mature men friends at work what their dating requirements are and most of them said they wanted to date someone 10-15 years younger than themselves, and one is dating a very young woman. So my question is -- does that mean the 60-70 year-old-men want to date someone younger, and that is where the 50-year-old-women find their matches? Oh, the dating world seems very confusing and depressing and I fear that I would not bother with it at all.

A post script, my wittiest friend has been dating steadily from personal ads for over a year, some not-so-stable, some very stable. I begged her to write a story about her experiences and what he had learned in the process. The other day at our luncheon she announced that she ran off and married and was very happy. The End

Self-Portrait Challenge 08.08

"Strike Anywhere" -- Enclosed spaces for Self-Portrait Challenge.

{later} Thanks you guys. Yes, I had wanted to put more of an emphasis on the red hair aspect, but the shadow got in the way, I did not shoot it all right. In a hurry as always. But thank you so much, I think I was thinking of being burned out again. Did you ever see my "me burned out"? I still sometimes feel like this, but not quite as much as the day that I did this!

Blue Center

This has been a very disappointing hydrangea season. The heat has done many of them in. Of course, I am completely grateful for the blooms I have!

Blurking And Cleaning

Have been doing some blog-keeping the last couple of days. Links that needed to be fixed, friends that needed to be added. It is funny how you will say, I will do that tomorrow, tomorrow... so I finally got down to do some of it...and speaking of links....

If you have a day to cruise the internet, there is some major linkage going on at liquidpaper. Print and pattern is such a great place for inspiration!

Craig Atkinson illustration and fine art and his blog via Layers of Meaning. What What blog, Start a Story, Mail Art Postcard Exhibition.

Daily paintings by Justin Clayton via Creative Swoon. I love this leaf painting. I would to have time to participate in the Pincusion Challenge.

In the Park, limited edition photographs by Micheal Witte, I love this entire series.

Every Color Under the Sun Necklace by Linda Trent, Vintage Silver Charm Necklace at Silver Thunder.

Well Put!

Melanie Ford Wilson of wee world writes beautifully about something important very important - saving the world.

I Belong In Paris

You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris. You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe. Find out What European City Do You Belong In? Via Momma Pajama.

Beautiful Sunday - 08.06

I was thinking what could I capture for Beautiful Sunday without leaving my house. I have pretty much shot everything in my yard and have no new flowers (most are burned up). Then I saw my mom carrying this bowl of vegetables and said "Now, that is beautiful!" My mom and the bowl of vegetables!
My mom, the vegetables and a recipe of salsa that she just whipped up for Beautiful Sunday!

Fire roasted Salsa, this is a quick, made in a Cuisinart recipe
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2 roasted Jalapenos (fire-roasted over gas flame and sliced)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t powder cumin
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, torn in pieces

Toss all ingredients into Cuisinart, pulsing until desired consistency.







More Beautiful Sunday on Flickr.