Found

I have been overthinking what to hang on my newly painted hallway wall. Photographs? Watercolors? A search-for-frames mission to the upstairs closet led me to a long lost watercolor. Back in the early '90s, I did several versions of this theme - 'hidden scene (usually a beach) revealed by tearing back the paper'.

Anyway, I thought I had either sold or given away all of them but this was way back in the closet. Dust it off, hang it up. 

Better Late

I almost didn't make the annual trip to North Georgia to see the leaves. There was no reason, I just hadn't made plans to go. Then I decided to just go already!. I wasn't sure if the trees would be bare by this time of the year, but there was lots of fall color to be seen. 

And now Autumn feels complete. :)

Had to get out

I was so aggravated by the posts on social media this morning, I had to get out of the house. Shutting down the computer wasn't enough. So I went to the park. I was hoping to find a little color, since it's still too early for most of the trees. I found a few spots and of course, reflected sky is always calming.

And when I got home, I had received my copy of Vivian Howard's new cookbook. I don't buy cookbooks anymore. I used to, but in a cleaning frenzy, I donated all but one or two. (I wasn't using them; it's too easy to find recipes on Pinterest, etc.) But I've watched Vivian's show on PBS and I'm a big fan. :)

Autumn finally arrived!

The temperatures have cooled and so the a/c is OFF and the windows are open. I'm loving the energy I get from fresh, cool air. 

Anyway, the garden keeps giving and so today I am attempting to make tomato sauce using my home-grown tomatoes and basil. My 'crop' is just enough for me to keep up with and consume. 

Happy Fall!

Seen@60mm

Morrow Mtn

Everyone has a different comfort zone with regards to the subject matter for their photographs. Wide vistas for some, minute detail for others.

"Seen@60mm"... a book title. A project, certainly one with lots of existing material.

Try, try, try

Mid-September. Fall is near, but Summer continues its relentless burn. 

I continue to struggle to get back my watercolor painting skills. Years of photography and an excursion into acrylics have taken their toll. Painting is nothing like photography and watercolor is nothing like acrylics or oils.

I hate to give up; admit defeat. So I will continue because my creative genes require the process, even if the result does not please me... yet.

Late Summer

"I shut my eyes in order to see." ~Paul Gauguin

When I opened this in Lightroom, I had a moment of disappointment that the tip of the leaf on the left touched the edge. Then I changed my thinking; this 'tension' created different negative space and in fact, I quite liked that. And the place where the lightest light meets the darkest dark is diagonally opposite from this leaf/edge intersection. The darker corner in the upper right continues the imaginary line across the page. 

Now, the calendar. August is nearly gone. I'm hoping it takes the heat when it leaves. But I know that September in the South can be every bit as hot as July and then there are those pesky tropical storms...

Everyday is Cat Day

Sofia & Beau, International Cat Day

Peace of My Mind

Sofobomo book - finished. I could have put more effort into textiness, but I'm not a writer. Not gonna fret about it. :)

A Hibiscus Tale

It took several attempts to get a shot of this hibiscus blossom that I was pleased with. I even went in and brought out the Nikon... so frustrated was I.

This is from the X-T1:

This is from the Nikon D700: 

(I was never happy with the washed out color of the Nikon)

This is evidence of my struggle. The problem: focus. I'm not having luck with any of my Fuji lenses. But the Nikon wasn't much better, so it must be me. Is the universe trying to tell me something?

Goodbye, July

Is it mid-summer?

Mid-July already! The days seem long and slow but the calendar pages are flipping quickly. Summer may be my least favorite season; or it may be tied with Winter for that distinction. I don't like extreme temps and I doubt that I'm alone in this. I have no trips planned until the heat eases in September/October... and the kiddies are back in school. Actually, school starts here on August 3rd! 

SoFoBoMo update... I'm working on it. I may not get there, but I'm not going to fret over it. It's too hot to fret. 

And I picked two (count 'em!) two blackberries. If I had to live off my harvest (as my grandparents did) I would surely not survive. So thankful for that.

Hot, Hot, Hot

This summer heat is killing me. Or at least melting me. 

Sunday

Sunday a.m.

Coffee & Birds

Saturday Morning

I'm having my coffee outside. The humidity isn't too awful this morning. The patio lights have come on as the sun rises through the trees, the sensor flips them on and off. There is a feral cat with two kittens roaming around the yard. They're getting braver by the minute... coming closer to check me out.

Something ate my sole ripe blackberry. I had noticed it but didn't pick it myself. Maybe I was waiting for a few more to ripen. A handful would be nice.

I have lots to do outdoors today, before it gets to a thousand degrees so I'd better finish my coffee and get started.

Oh... I had chosen a sofobomo theme but have decided to be less maudlin. Do over.

Reason

A turn signal, a tail light, a lane change... none of these should be a death sentence. Can we just start there?

Clicking for clicks' sake

With enough clicks, something is bound to... click. 

No confidence

This is why I probably won't participate in sofobomo...

Get me to the 5th

It's difficult not to look back during the holidays. We had several family reunions on July 4th. Afterwards, I would give each family a small photo album, filled with pictures from the celebration.

I think my favorite time was in 2001 when we rented a beach house in Grayton Beach, Florida. The house was three stories high and had enough room for everyone. It was a very special time. Three family members are no longer with us, so the memories are bittersweet.

Lights

I really overthought the hanging of these lights; including whether or not to put them up at all. Eventually, I went with my original idea and I'm happy with the result.

Behold! A project has presented itself

Looks like SoFoBoMo has resurfaced. 

http://sofobomo.com/

They had 'gone out of business' a while back. I think it was too much for one (?) person to handle. They must have found some new volunteers. Whatever the reason for their return, I do believe I will be participating this year. 

My previous SoFoBoMo projects:

http://www.pbase.com/fayewhite/sofobomo

I have a few days to choose a topic/theme... Well, the timeframe runs from July 1 - August 31. I can choose any 31 day period within that window.

Virginia is for...

The trip to Virginia wasn't a total loss. We visited Montpelier, the home of James Madison. And we also stopped at a winery in the Shenandoah Valley, Wisteria Winery. On the way back to Charlotte, we made a side trip to Natural Bridge. We had seen signs for this on previous trips so we finally made the stop, It was worth it!

And I brought home a 'barn star'.

Expectations

LOOK3 2016 was a disappointment for me. For the last few days I've been trying to figure out exactly what went wrong. Maybe I was tired. Maybe this year's presentations just didn't speak to me. Maybe the Festival 'ain't what it used to be'. I think I should just let it go. But it's a lot of expense for me to go to this event and to come away from it less than excited is not a good thing.

Needless to say I have no idea for a next project although a few titles came to mind during the week. I guess I'd better finish the one I started last year...

LOOK3 Times Five

This is my fifth time attending the LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, VA. 

Peace, Love, and Photography.

Artists participating this year include Nick Brandt, Frans Lanting, Graciela Iturbide, Christopher Morris, et al.

As I've written before, I always come away from this experience with ideas for my own photographic projects. Hopefully, this year's vision will be brilliant. ;)

How does your garden grow?

I've decided to try to grow berries - blue and black. I had pretty good luck with the herbs, so I'm feeling green-thumb confident. 

About this photo: I originally planned to crop it down to the berry only. But when I saw the colors in the background I changed my mind. :)

Check!

One of my 'resolutions' for 2016 was to use this tool to 'build' something. I was nervous as a cat but I did it. :)

As Thyme Goes By

Wow. More than a month since I've posted anything here. Flowers are still in front of my lens at the moment, although the stars of my green(ish) thumb have been the herbs. This is my first attempt at growing anything edible. Well, I've had some tomato plants in past years but except for one, they never made it to my salad bowl. But this year I've had the opportunity to step onto my deck when the recipe calls for thyme or basil or rosemary or mint and snip-snip, fresh herbs! 

Mothers Day... Old photos, memories, wishing I could could call my Mom.

Feeling Orange

I had minor surgery yesterday. (no photos. You're welcome.) I'm able to go about my business, with the exception of: no bending over, no strenuous exercise (no problem), no heavy lifting. If you know me, you know staying still is difficult. It was excruciating yesterday when I had to apply an ice pack for fifteen minutes every hour. But, it is what it is. I'll soon be back to normal. Just another bump in the road.

Spring Break

Taking a break... from what I don't know. My life is not all that stressful or complicated. But... today was my wedding anniversary and I usually try to be busy and occupied. 

I spent a few days on Pawleys Island, SC. I had never been there, although I have visited Myrtle Beach and Charleston (and Hilton Head), to the north and south respectively. I liked this beach; it was quiet as compared to most coastal locations in Spring. The weather was chilly at first but it turned perfect and we had a great time. Today, I'm in Florida visiting family for Easter. 

Pawleys Island Chapel

The Chapel stands on marshland donated by Dr. and Mrs. J. H. Porter.  Originally built in Georgetown, the building was home to the Pentecostal Holiness Church.  The building was dismantled and rebuilt on the Island lot in 1946.  The Chapel had extensive renovations in 2005, including new siding, roof, windows, seating, and central heat and air conditioning.

Brookgreen Gardens

Yoo-Hoo, I'm over here!

I bought tulips a few days before Valentines Day and to be honest, they weren't all that spectacular when I bought them. They sat on my desk for a day and then were replaced by a vase of roses. The tulips went to a less obvious spot and there they sat. And sat. I finally noticed them this morning and felt guilty. They needed water and were even more pitiful looking than when I brought them home. I took them to the kitchen, gave them some water and turned them around a few times to see if there were any possible photos in there. Tulips die very gracefully, in my opinion, and I found a couple of possibilities. This I love.