Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Tricks and Treats

Absolute Vanilla gifted me with a treat! A very sweet award which came hand in hand with a meme... is that the trick part? Ha, ha, ha....



Thank you Vanilla!

* 1. After your intro, copy/paste this line and the rules below it: The originator - one Damien Riley - wants to see how far it goes so please keep his link intact: http://rileycentral.net/



* 2. Encourage people to post with the incentive of a link by including those who have passed it along here: Audrey, Celtic Angel, JM, Romance Writer, Deep Thinker, Absolute Vanilla.



* 3. Visit at least 3 on the list who’ve written and passed this meme. Leave them a comment. Then you are supposed to, “pick three things that enrapture, consume, fascinate, or otherwise enliven you more than blogging. Next, write a few lines about each to explain what the nonblog activity does for you, why and how.”


Thing One~ Life Isn't life something else? The tides of our own time that pull and push us, that tear and soothe us, that carry us ever onward until they carry us away... washing the past away like sand from the shore while it refreshes us anew every day. I passionately love all of the nuances of life... all of the wonderful joys, glorious love, fiery anger, bubbling laughter, echoing solitude, cocooned comfort in the arms of someone trusted, searing pain, enlightening learning every day, humbling forgiveness, overwhelming excitement, and even all the deep sorrows... how could we know just how good the good is without measuring the depth of the bad? And don't the lows make the highs SO precious... when we know just what they are worth? Every minute of our lives is something new to be savored and experienced to it's fullest, to be given it's ultimate possibility, whether simple or great, and each minute passes silently through us and we are changed, again and again.

Thing Two~ Family and Friends I never want to know what life would be like without them. These are part of the foundation of my existence.

Thing Three~ The "Using my only wish to wish for more wishes" trick: Chocolate, tea, prayer and meditation, sleeping in, holding hands, good books, equality, corvettes, good music, good hugs, airplanes, cameras, kindness, good weather outside, being inside when there is bad weather, performing arts, thick warm blankets and soft pillows, flowers, ferris wheels, sunrises and sunsets, forgiveness, the ocean, some art, planetariums and all the things we can see when we look through a telescope, dancing, surprises, red nail polish, bubbles, holidays, seasons, leaving footsteps in new places, libraries, letters/cards and packages in the real mail, teaching someone something that will be of value to them.

I'll get back to you on who I am tagging. To satisfy my Libra character, I want to look over past memes and new friends and find those who haven't been tagged yet.

To be continued....

Monday, October 22, 2007

Angels and Seasons

These are some photos (for Phoctober) of some incredible sculptures in the mostly unlikely place.... they guard the front of an antique store in Denver and watch over the city as it rushes by. On the left of the entrance are the four angels of the Crucifixion of Christ, on the right are the four Seasons. Behind them, guarding the door, are a recreation Donatello's Marzocco Lions (1492).

These sculptures are exquisitely done, and are a favorite of mine to enjoy. Their detail is nearly perfect (I've yet to find a flaw and I've examined very closely many times). They are fluid where there is movement in the concept and solid where foundation is necessary to complete it. They are made of sparkling white marble with whispering traces of grey. They are iridescent in the sun and glow warmly when the light fades. They are stunning by moonlight. Entrancing muses... I sincerely hope that you enjoy.

These pictures are basic, I have some detailed artistic shots that I may post before the end of Phoctober.






Autumn
Spring

Summer

Winter

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Yesterday

Yesterday... all the weather seemed so far away
Now it looks as though it's here to stay
Oh sunny days... were yesterday...


It was 80 degrees and sunny yesterday. Perfect autumn weather... this morning when I woke up... there was a big, bright surprise that will be measured in inches:










Wouldn't you know it? Snow in Phoctober. First snow of the season... make a wish!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Paris in April in Phoctober


Paris in April... a photo I took and then photoshopped so that it would look old/antiqued with the color painted on, like they did a million years ago, when photographers first decided to add a little color to life. I LOVE this shot... or maybe it's just the memory of that time in Paris, in April, with a very dear friend.


This is a photo that I told MT that I would post soon, one that is similar to a shot he posted recently. This also was taken in Paris in April... in Montmartre.

And some of the others from that trip...


This jaunty little chap came to join us for lunch at a sidewalk cafe one afternoon. We tossed him a large crumb and he picked it up, hopped over to another table near us where his lady friend was waiting at the base, and gave it to her before he came back for another crumb for himself. He was rewarded handsomely for his efforts. Quite a delightful little fellow!

A carousel in the sunset... Notre Dame in the background. We rode several carousels all over Paris, I love them!

Notre Dame... from the back (near the carousel)


Looking into the courtyard of the Louvre


Cupid's secret... he lives inside the Louvre! (This makes perfect sense to me)



Ahhh... the sunset in Paris...




A visit to Versailles... this is the view from King Louis bedroom


Fountain statues behind Versailles... does he weep for the queen who no longer walks in the gardens?



Detail of Ledo Basin behind the palace at Versailles

I think that no matter how many people visit a place (or live there) and post photos and experiences about it... we all see it in different ways, see different things, so it's wonderful to share the wide, wide spectrum of life and the world we live in.

Rel at Under the Microscope has just come back from a tour of Europe and he has some really wonderful photos of Paris and other lovely places.... definitely worth a look!