Crikey...

Sandy's blowing on in to town...she's big & she's strong...boy, how I wish i were here right now:

From the Archives...

The sounds of silence, sometimes...

sometimes i find myself

standing still

silently

listening

to the flow of sound

around me.

it bends, sways & swirls 

 it whispers and it whistles

half truths & sad songs

of unkept promises & broken dreams

of old souls on bended knees

warriors lost to conquerers

&

in the silence of speech

i weep

sometimes.

while i'm standing

tall.

~nMc~

++  originally posted May 3, 2011 on Nancy*McKay...tea & a little photography  ++

I was out, living life...

Have you embraced the arrival of a new season?  Are you ready to...Fall?  

I am!

Yet...what a summer it was for me...what a fine, full summer it was, indeed. 

I'd like to linger in it, just a little bit longer so that I could continue to roam out west &

celebrate out east & take photos of all that full living...just a wee bit more.

Vacationing is good for the head & the heart while traveling is food for the soul.  

I had been so busy but,  in between the months of hard work,  I was fortunate enough to take some time off & take a few trips.  I had the chance to visit beautiful & special places right here in the U.S.A.  I took adventures that rewarded me with spiritual, soulful & heartfelt gifts.  I met really kind people throughout my journey & stayed in very gracious communities. When I returned home, I was invited to celebrate love with dear friends & photograph their weddings (2 of them)!  This was a magical, memorable summer & it was also a photographic dream for me! 

I meandered down hidden Chinatown streets & through thickly wooded forests of 

Northern California.  I sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge...oh yes i did!

I shared a quiet little river bed with a spotted owl one afternoon 

& 

a smashing moment with a Moose as we watched a tail smacking beaver make waves
one early evening.

I huffed & puffed my way up towards the timberline to watch the western sunset, 

and I comfortably collected beach glass, at sea level, along the Pacific Ocean.

I visited Mesa Verde & was enamored with its beauty.

I cried at Point Lookout during the golden hour.

I climbed ladders up into Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings 

& I prayed, 

overwhelmed with their glory.

I connected with the red rock, the silence & the solitude. 

 I dusted off my rough outs, slipped into my western soul,  

& I felt at home 

in the vast mesa valley. 

I donned my vintage aviators, melted into the saddle of a black mustang & rode like the wild wind.  

I brought back souvenirs: one of a fallen feather, one made of white buffalo turquoise,
 a ground pound of Sinful Delight 

& 

over six hundred digital images...

but it's the lingering fullness within my heart,  

the feeling of "being home," that means the most to me.

I captured tender moments & gracious gestures that filled me with pride: 

lovers saying "i do," 

symbolic rings being slipped on steady fingers,  

first kisses given & taken as husband & wife...

but it's the lingering fullness within my heart, 

 from loving friendships, that means the most to me. 

I was out, living life & living it in the details.  

Looking through these visual images
I can take a step back in time & linger...just a wee bit longer,
in the moment, at the places & with the people that made up my

beautiful summer & filled my heart.

PS: Dang that Sinful Delight is goooood coffee!!!

Traveling lady, stay awhile...

My week long vacation begins today...aaah, I am one happy gal!  We slept late this morning, yet I was the first one up.  I prepped his pot of coffee & made my french press brew.  Oh yes indeedy,  I've already had a cup...of a delicious blend: mocha, mocha java & chickory!  Have I shared this with you all before?  Well, it comes from my local Amish Market.  It is roasted by Porto Rico Importing Co. & it is their New Orleans Blend!  To me, it is like having a cup of dessert at breakfast, decadent & full of flavor...but pardon me if I am repeating myself...it's such a treat!  I serve it on special occasions.  Day 1 of vacation is a very special occasion!

In a couple of days we head out west.  It will be a short trip & part of it work, part of it play for him.  It will be a balanced blend of separation & togetherness, for me.  I look forward to a few solo days, when I can wander & roam & photograph the details of my adventure alone.  Without a schedule, or a plan, or a chartered course, I can meander my way along a trail or a riverbank, through a vintage shop or a sidewalk cafe & call it my own.  With my camera poised & ready I can wait, & wait & wait, for the light to set just right or the moment to stand so still, for my photographic pleasure.  Carefree & guiltless.  It's a small window of intimate, nomadic & mysterious time...& that's a beautiful treasure to me.

That being said, I am NOT a solo traveler...I can do it & have done it, a lot actually!  I just don't do it all that well anymore, mostly because I just don't enjoy it as much as with having a friend, a pet, or a loved one along!  And no matter how exotic the destination is, I always miss being away from my home.  Aaah, my home...& no matter how exciting the destination is, I always look forward to coming home.  Home is my heart's haven, my soul's cradle.

Q & A:
Is there anything you would change about your home?

What is your favorite room in your home?

Do you prefer modern, vintage or rustic?

What's your favorite travel destination?

***here are my answers***

A)  Yes, I would add more closets...we need more closet space! And I would love to have french doors leading out onto a garden patio!
B)  I truly like them all because each one has a different personality, but my kitchen is the center, everyone gravitates towards it...& I'm deliciously creative in it!
C) All of the above!  Most everything in our home has a personal connection (our first lamp, inherited china, a reclaimed club chair, a friend's custom crafted twig table) and we like to mix it all together!
D) Hmmm, the one that I haven't taken yet!

I look forward to reading your comments upon my return!  See you bright beings soon! XO

Tea & feathers...

Favorite moment Friday:
While I sat in my kitchen waiting for my tea to brew, I reread a card that a lovely friend sent me.  She tucked inside an additional treat for me, a Hawk feather!  It was a wonderful surprise & such a beautiful gift.

That was the 3rd feather to come my way so far this summer.  The first, a scraggly little blue & black one, was found in the woods while hiking in Northern California this past June.  I had just stopped to look & listen to the old growth redwoods, when she appeared.  A tiny little thing fallen from the branches above.  I cherish that sweet one as it was gifted to me by the magnificent Hendy Woods.

Last month while visiting my home state, my sister presented me with a gorgeous Hawk feather.  She found a cluster of them, grounded together in the grasses, while walking through a nature preserve.  She blessed my visit with this special gift & I will honor it's beauty & it's sentiment as long as I live.

Feathers don't come my way that often.  When they do, they move me.

They will be placed in my cabinet of curiosities, next to shells & bark, skeletons & painted rocks. One by one I will arrange them but until then...

As I waited for enough time to pass when I could pour my cup of Earl Grey, I gathered my small collection of feathers & held them in my hand.  I twisted & twirled each one of them in my long fingers, and arranged them in a ceramic heron hatpin holder, for just a moment.  It was a simple moment, a still life of sorts...a gathering of feathers...the honoring of friendships...& the gifts of love.

I draw lines...

Whoa dilly, as i look at the calendar on my tool bar, 

I see that it's been well over 2 months since I've posted here!  Honestly?!? 

Geez, I've almost forgotten how to do this...

but much like coming home after an extended holiday, it's just a matter of opening a few 

windows,  dusting off a couple of cobwebs and brewing a pot of tea before the rhythm 

of comfort sets in for me.

Life has been very rewarding as of late, a balanced blend of real hard work and extremely 

exciting play!  Invaluable accolades, such as taking a break along a river with a 

lunch~hunting  spotted owl, listening in on old whispers coming from new~growth elders, 

and heeling to a golden~gated bridge aboard a Hasty Heart,  were refreshing my depleted

spirit & renewing my sense of wonder.  

I traveled to new, and old familiar places.  I saw new, and old familiar faces.  

I celebrated life & love with a sense of adventure.  I unplugged & let go.  

And I felt the concrete canyon dissolve away...far, far away.  

I enjoyed my ride with the top down.  I let the wild, west wind tangle up my hair 

& the northern sun paint me up a shade of amber.

My soul was replenishing.  

I spoke fluent "photographese,"  as my camera was my voice.  This visual language flowed

in & out of me morning, noon & night.  My heart beat in shutter speed & my metabolism  

charged up, naturally.  All my senses feasted.  I savored the ripeness of farm to table 

foods.  I ogled every blue~green ocean vista.  I tuned in to the depths of the forests & I

heard the voices of wisdom.  I inhaled the ubiquitous scent of eucalyptus, deeply;  and I 

held it in...held it all in.

Forever. For keepsakes.

I still haven't quite exhaled.

So, until then,

 let me share with you, another side of me

another expression, so to speak, 

because

sometimes, I draw lines...when I just can't put it into words...

but the feelings remain...fluid,

yet linear...

deep inside of me.

***

    I hope all you magical beings are well & making time to enjoy this bright season! 

I have missed each & every one of you!

XO  

***

Le Petite Dejeuner

Even though it's Cinco de Mayo...

fresh cut lilacs put me in a "je ne sais quoi" kind of mood!

How about you?

Punica Granatum

The minute I saw these edible rubies I knew I had to splurge for them!  Oh, pomegranates, i love you.  I love even more when someone else takes the time to seed them!  Pretty amazing what you can get nowadays at the local grocer.  I've been putting them on my oatmeal, yogurt, sourdough muffins & spinach salads...and I'm scooping into them right now, yum!!!  Next up...THIS Recipe:  & btw, aren't they photogenic!?!

My Bath Toys...

Another round of apartment reno/demo is happening.  All I can bear to write about it is to say that in the midst of all the grinding&drilling&plasterdustDUSTdust...a sweet gift appeared before mine eyes: a series of photos I took of a few shells I keep on my master bath windowsill.  In the stress of moving EVERYTHING out of the breakable way, I grabbed my shells & looked for an empty, safe surface.  The only space available, with exception of the oven or stovetop (& I'm being serious) was the weathered wooden box we use as a footrest/coaster in front of the television. I like how these photos turned out, the box looks dark & mysterious, a perfect backdrop for the shell shades of tan, white & grey. I like the mix of unusual shell shapes & the mix of textures: some smooth some jagged...and yes, when I want to play mermaid...these shells are in the bath tub with me (& I'm being serious!)  Rubber ducky anyone?

These just in!

Oh I had so much FUN making these!  So pretty, so special, with a fantastic, clear image!  I'm thrilled with the quality...they took time to create but they are WORTH IT! People have even stopped me to ask, "where did you get that case?" Hah!  Of course, only in MY Etsy shop! Two have been spoken for & 2 are in the shop NOW...snap one on!