Days of Summer

The days of summer are gone..now we are having warm days and chilly nights, at least in upstate NY. This is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is wonderful, and the colors of the outside world are bright and cheerful. Our first fall ride was yesterday. My mom is home for a visit, so we drove up to where she grew up and also visited a few old cemeteries in the same area. The leaves are just starting to change and the day was beautiful. I was able to see where she lived as a little girl and the house where my aunt Pam was born. I tried to put my mind back all those years and imagine my grandmother, mom and aunts there. That is all I can do, and gather what my Mom tells me of her memories from then. I am so happy I was able to share the beginning of fall in such a way.

A little splash for you

This blog was in need of a little color..so here we have some! Straight from my garden. ..which I curse at times. Currently though, I very much appreciate it. Right now I am watching the nightly news and seeing the continued devastation people are facing from hurricane Ike. So for the moment I am appreciating my garden. We have lived here for over 4 years now. The former owner was a retired teacher/artist...who apparently very much enjoyed gardening. I am constantly "uncovering" new plants on our property. We have tons of roses, lilies, tulips, tiger grass, zebra grass...ect. ect. We don't have much of a lawn..just a garden. Luckily these plants grow back every year. I am not a gardener by trade, don't think I ever would be. Usually early on in the season I will be weeding and almost "weed" a snake. That ends the gardening for me. But being here has spoiled me, because I myself would never have had the patience (or the strength to overcome a huge, life threatening "allergy" to snakes and spiders) to do all the work that this man did!

Merry Go Round

This is a photograph from Shermans Park, Caroga Lake NY. When I was a little girl it was alive as a small home town place to go, with a few amusement park rides, a beach, ice cream stand and game room. It has since lost many of those rides. The ferris wheel is still there..minus the seats. For me it has become a quiet and beautiful place to go on a weekend to take pictures and walk around. The building that houses the merry go round sits along the edge of the lake. The reflection in the windows is just surreal. It appears as if the water has washed ashore and is now creeping towards the sweet little zebra. If you click on this picture a larger one will show up..the effect is much better.

Why run....

Sometimes I get overwhelmed...well in a good way, that is. I absolutely love creating art and new images. If only I had a live in maid and cook, and were independently wealthy..this would be what I would do all day long..with the exception of a long morning run. Which, leads me to this picture. It is another "run" photo. I ran thru a few cemeteries the other day, with my friend Samsung Digimax. Running..I have been doing it for 7 years to this day. I remember going for a walk..I started out walking that previous summer for exercise, I heard no planes, no noise...silence in the sunny blue sky that day. I was so angry, tears were running down my face. But I was still there..I was able to walk, I was going home to my husband and children. Others were not. They would never be able to take a walk again, or never have the choice to go for a run. I thought shame on me for not making the most of my moments. I decided I needed to be the strongest person I could be, in body and mind, because I was still blessed to be here. I began running that day. So many runs that have followed have been filled with images of 9/11 in my mind, particularly of young people jumping off the roof of the towers. I think to myself that I will run because of you, I will run for you, I will run and not waste my health and mind. So that is the beginning of a lifelong love...born on a day of tragedy. That is one reason I run, my doors of life are still open.

Complete Without Necklace

This is the most recent listing in Distressing Delilahs' etsy shop. Sort of something new for me. It is a print of a photograph of a rose that I desaturated. I thought that it looked "Complete Without" color!

Memories ...Ben

He was there for her, many dark and cloudy nights. Keeping her safe and guarding her room against anything big and monster like. Ben. She still loves him to this day, though she know not where he is.
For Illustration Friday, click on image for a larger view.