Oh, the longing...

I miss my camera. I miss the push to get my photo done, the push to GO OUT into my world and find something, ANYTHING, that desires to be admired through the eye of the lens, and SNAP it! I miss my sister. I miss knowing that she also was looking through a small portal into her world every day, and eventually sending me an image to put out into the world together.

I have started back to my morning pages. I started back to Artist Dates. I took photos at sunset last week. I took my Canon with me on my bike ride today and when I passed mushrooms as big as my foot -  gleaming with morning dew not yet absorbed by the rays of the sun, I stopped to unpack my Canon. Then I saw birds, begging for a moment of attention, hiding along the edges of the Gulf water.

So I am posting. Bah! I am posting!! Alone, together, either way, I am POSTING! Watch me!

Bridges & Skylines

Evelyn: A friend in the P3 community passed this weekend - a therapist whose gentleness and low voice served as a beacon to many, many people as they have moved into recovery, healing, change, and rediscovery. I took some time to have a beach walk with him - as I couldn't be there amidst the many who are grieving - and I enjoyed a sunset and internal conversation.  It was in that space that I took pause, and tried to processes several levels to this event. For me, he was a father in the courseroom, a protector, and his illness a difficult look at the challenge I have with things out of my control. Instead, I am reminded by him to be present, as he was in so many moments.

Monica: I told Michael that I wanted to get away to the water this weekend--a lake or a river where I could savor the pleasure of weightlessness and freedom that I feel when I'm in the water. We drove to Auburn and on Saturday afternoon made our way to the North Fork of the American River, where we hiked about a mile to a placid swimming hole where the water was deep and green. We spent several hours on the river swimming and sunning and watching daredevil teenage boys flip and dive off the tall rocks into the deep pool of water below. It was a quintessentially California summer day, reminiscent of childhood summers spent camping in Yosemite.

On a Wire...

MONICA: It began with one hummingbird feeder. When Michael saw the feeder filled with hummingbirds, he bought another one. When both were full, he went out and bought a third giant one that holds a gallon of sugar water. Now we are constantly visited by a throng of 10-20 hummingbirds at a time. When the feeders are fully occupied, other hummingbirds wait patiently in the branches of the pine tree outside of our kitchen window or the antenna on top of our house. 

EVELYN: I feel blessed when I am home in time for a sunset walk on the causeway. The sunsets here draw an audience - dozens of cars parked along the sandy edges of the receding water line, couples curled up on the backs of trucks, others on benches, all ages sitting in groups, some waiting for the show from the shallow water off the banks. You will see people fishing, some smoking cigars in quiet contemplation of the messages they find on the horizon. Some stay till the very last breath of sun has left the sky, and others leave when the finale of pink has escaped the clouds and dissipated into the air. I however try to enjoy it from both ends.

Catch Up - Sept 27

(Evelyn)

Sunset to Taco Bus

Eveln: Andre's last night, and we desperately need to get him to the Taco Bus. The sun sets behind us as our tummies gurgle in anticipation.

It's A Colorful Life

Evelyn: I am headed to Gulfport with Andre... a storm is on its way and the sky is spectacular.

As We Set

Evelyn: Self Portrait ... moving quickly towards my 43rd... I mean 34th.

Dusk

Evelyn: The light was lovely. Another trip to the dock with ice cream in hand.

Last Minute Sky

Evelyn: It has been a long, challenging week. I am not sure what feels good, and I am tired, anxious, and eager to get home. The sky was more brilliant than I could capture, sitting in traffic... 

Making a Run for the Beach

Evelyn: My effort to get sand in my toes amidst lots of activity... exhausted and eager.

Saying Goodbye

Evelyn: The boys are saying their goodbyes - the way boys do; a tumble of antics and gestures and animal sounds. Death threats are the only way to get them to behave half way reasonable for a picture (and frankly, these are way more fun than some serious pic of the boys together). I have over 60 shots, with countless expressions, and it leaves me truly appreciating the energy and fun these three create. If I hadn't been the one taking the pictures I surely would have been making just as many faces.

Monica: As we get nearer to our departure on Monday, I find myself desperately resisting the fact of our leaving. I don't want to say goodbye to our little cottage by the sea where we see the whales spout as they travel south for winter. I don't want to say goodbye to the constant roar of the ocean that has become the background music to my life. I don't want to say goodbye to the cute little towns that I have fallen in love with along this coast. This farewell is harder for me than most others. In fact, I can't remember the last time I was more heartbroken leaving a place than I was excited about the new adventures ahead of me. But there it is. I didn't think this place would wrap itself around my soul quite like it has. There's just no place in the world quite like here, and I will always remember that my years here were happy ones, in spite of the fog and the colder weather.

It's This or Socks

Evelyn: I am so familiar with the Mission Bay view. Dusk comes fast, and I have been enjoying the shifts in color on this coast line... much different from that of Florida.

Monica: Self portrait on the bathroom floor late at night. It was this or a bad picture of my favorite new pair of socks.

Afternoon Treat

Monica: Michael cracked the whip this morning and I set my nose to the grindstone packing up the kitchen. I hate packing the kitchen—all those dishes and glasses that have to be wrapped in newspaper, all those pots and pans that don't nest into each other just so. The boxes have to be small so they don't get too heavy but then things don't fit easily into them. After wrestling with the kitchen for most of the day, we treated ourselves to what has become a Wednesday ritual: an hour in the hot tub at Sweetwater Spa. 

Evelyn: I have an appreciation for the warm light of sunset on the white picket fence that surrounds the Spring Hill campus. Never mind the shopping carts and flock of smokers, or the cranky leasing landlord who snarls at where we park, or the fact that I sometimes miss "THIS" light because of the office without windows that keeps me disoriented. When I get it just right, I am cradled by the warmth of this little picket fence reflecting the dimming yellow of dusk, and feel remarkable gratitude for the people I work with.

Change in Weather

Evelyn: This is the view out back. What you can't see is the drizzle and chill in the air. Secluded in a space lit by just florescent lights, I forget what time it is... only to find that the weather has drastically changed in just a few long hours.

Monica: On our way to Wilbur, we hit the Clearlake area just in time for sunset. It's California's largest freshwater lake and quite beautiful, too. Surprisingly, this isn't a high-end resort area in spite of the natural beauty of the area and its proximity to wine country.

Home at Last

Monica: After two weeks and 3,000+ miles, we are home again. The Mendocino coast greeted us with clear skies and a rare dramatic sunset. I whipped out my camera just as we were crossing over the Noyo harbor bridge to capture this moment, realizing this is the last November day I will call this place home.

Evelyn: I drove home in the dark. That means the likelihood of an outdoor photograph is shot. I move into the safety and comfort of my little house with pizza in hand, sit down with a modest glass of wine, and begin the dismantling of my day: first my boots, my bags, my devices, my makeup, my email... then slowly off come the little things that I love - that decorate my being in ways only I know. A favorite pair of earrings, my flowery-stripy sisterly socks, all settling in with me as I write and read in the dim light of my office.

Squares & Spirals

Monica: I've driven past the Getty Museum in L.A. so many times on my way between southern and northern California, curious about that enormous structure on the hill just past the exit for Hollywood and before the exit for Mullholland Drive. It was only 3:00 p.m. and Michael and I had no agenda of where we needed to be, so we stopped. We paid the $15 parking fee and took the tram up to the museum which has "free" admission. I wasn't too impressed with the art displayed there and the boxiness of the architecture did nothing to stir my soul. However, the landscaping was gorgeous. And it was worth the $15 for the spectacular view of the city and the curve of the coastline as it jutted into the Pacific. The buildings in the twilight created strong silhouettes against an impressively smog-free skyscape.

Evelyn: I have always been drawn to spirals in nature. My favorite shells the ones with twists and spirals that disappear into what looks like no end. They show up in my artwork, in my mind as I lull to sleep, in the doodles I mindlessly scribble while on phone calls, in conferences, and as decorations. This white one, about the size of a Susan B. Anthony coin, I found walking in Caladesi. Delicate, flat, and already a favorite at my desk.

Light & Shadows

Evelyn: An afternoon at Caladesi Island, moving among sea grass, soft sand, mangrove forests, and cool gulf breezes. The return a spectacular show, both a dreamy curtain closure, and a highlight of realizations and wonder that lingered with me through the weekend.

Monica: Another night with family, this time carne asada taco night at my aunt & uncle's home. My aunt had set a sprig of bougainvillea in a vase on the dining table and I immediately noticed the play of color with light and shadows.

Unusual delights

Monica: We've been doing a lot of driving in the past week, more than I'd like for being on vacation. That's the way it goes when you're trying to see friends and family who live far away in a relatively short span of time. Today we drove to San Diego and, once again, made it in time for sunset as we made our way through El Cajon to Spring Valley. Michael drew my attention to the birds lined up on one of the traffic light posts and I grabbed my camera just in time to capture them.

Evelyn: The hotel in Ybor City was packed with generations of dancers,  full of music, and movement. A respite on the way out took me by several stained glass, Tiffany-like lamps whose colors were fun and vibrant. I love this venue. I love the variety of music, the old men who sit outside to smoke a cigar, and return to take a lady on the floor. I love their subtle eccentric swing, their warm smiles, the gentleness of the dance, the pickup lines they use

Evening Lights

Monica: I made it out just in time for a rare colorful sunset and moonrise. My grumpiness gave way to a moment of sheer gratitude for another day of beauty and grace.

Evelyn: Ybor City—Don Vicente Swing Dancing. The drive in is always so interesting, full of light and craziness, parties and restaurants. This venue is one of my favorites, but I get lost on the way in every time. Best exercise of my life has been the dancing that follows the trip into Ybor.

Shift in Climate

Monica: We got up early this morning to go for a hike before the sun got too strong. The air was crisp but I put on a pair of shorts anyway, knowing it would warm up once the sun peeked into the valley. We walked along the valley floor, through groves of oak and walnut trees, past the ruins and remnants of the old mining town that used to be here over a hundred years ago. There's a quality of stillness that reminds me of the desert where I grew up, though it looks nothing like it.

Evelyn: A coolness swept through this evening that left me a bit chilled and eager. On my way to dance, the sky brilliant, my bones chilled, I thought, "Goodie, I get to start wearing my scarfs!" Ultimately, that is one of my favorite accessories: long, bold, colorful scarfs, that wrap me up and around.