• Art/Design,  Creativity,  fog,  lake,  landscape,  musings,  natural areas,  quotes

    Living with Mystery

    October 14, 2019
    Morning fog shrouding the dam at Hoover Reservoir in Westerville, Ohio

    “A great photograph is a distillation, a reduction of the chaos of our wider experience to a visually satisfying essence where what is excluded is as important as what is included.” David Ward

    I have no clue as to why I took this image almost 10 years ago. It’s lost in time. It could have been my creative voice within or my attempt to duplicate an image I’ve seen before or the mystery it evokes or all the above. Today it makes no difference because I see this image taken almost 10 years ago with my eyes of the present moment. And, how it will speak to me in 10 years from now can only be know then.

    So, what do I see now after 10 years?  This image popped out to me immediately. I find this image to be very minimal as much of what could be seen is hidden within mystery. It has soft visuals line leading me into that mystery. There is someone standing on the dam seemingly lost in their thoughts, gazing into the mystery and yet there is a serene and peaceful feel to all of this. What it evokes is an awareness of how I feel much more comfort in living with mystery than I did 10 years ago. Enough rambling. Now what are your thoughts?

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  • Art,  Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  coffee shops,  Creativity,  Fujifilm X-T10,  lifestyles,  musings,  writing/reading

    It takes courage to be…

    October 1, 2019
    A young man sketching at the coffee shop

    “Nature is an art which can’t be described or explained in words. This should be felt in your heart.”

    Discovered this young man pencil sketching at a local coffee shop and had to ask if I could take a few images while he drew. After he said yes I had him put his earbuds back in and continue with his craft. There is a slight blur in his hand that adds to the image for me and I thought the photo worked well when converted to black and white.

    As I walked away I thanked him and realized the courage it takes for me to ask strangers if I can take their photo. Somewhere within me is a false voice telling me they will say no. The truth is I seldom am told no. There are those who will say no and probably due to some history in their lives and that’s okay. But, nowadays many people are comfortable having a camera pointed in their direction. Just look at all the selfies.

    Later, after I loaded this photo onto my computer I had an awareness of the courage it takes to be an artist. But as I reflected on that thought it became obvious that it takes courage to believe in and use our artistic abilities, gifts, practice, hone them and then offer them to the world. He and I both practice our craft with courage no matter what those around us thought of us. And, this young man is a good artist! So much for my morning rambling. Have a super Awesome day!

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  • musings,  window

    My Mind Can Wander

    August 11, 2019

    A refreshing rain began falling yesterday morning just as I was leaving a local coffee shop. When I pulled up in my condo it was pouring, so I sat in my car to wait out the rain. I found it peaceful for the next 10 minutes. As I sat there my mind wandered back to the coffee shop I had just left and to one of the regular customers there. 

    He sits at the same table almost 6 days a week from 7:00-10:00 am, reading one of the larger national newspapers, from front to back, and sipping on a large iced tea. Of course he is known by both the baristas and the customers. The other regulars will keep the table reserved for him in case he’s late and he has conversations with other customers on a regular basis. My wandering mind was thinking about how differently we spend our time in the coffee shop, and I imagine that’s true outside the coffee shop. I prefer spending my coffee shop time visiting with a friend, reading an uplifting book, writing in my journal,  and fighting the battle to spend as little time on the internet as possible but I almost never read the newspaper. I would rather fill my mind with positive images and thoughts, which is an unreachable ideal. A smile came across my face and I laughed at myself because my idea of coffee shop time would bore him, and probably many others, into a glazed-over-stupor. As I thought about it more, he’d also be bored sitting in my car listening and watching the rain. Sheesh, can my mind wander and not just when it’s raining! 🙂

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  • clouds,  gratitude,  landscape,  mountains,  musings,  sunsets

    Your Words

    June 30, 2018
    Post processed in Topaz Adjust
    Post processed in Topaz Adjust

    Words take on different meaning in different times, cultures and how they are used. My belief is that placing them together in a paragraph to create a story, express an idea or concept is a form of art. Sometimes in my attempts to use words to express myself or an idea the words work and sometimes they don’t. It is rewarding when I read your words on your blogs and through comments you leave on this blog. So often I find my feeble attempts at expressing myself are found in your words. For that I am grateful! Thank you!

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  • Black and White,  coffee shops,  lifestyles,  musings,  writing/reading

    Old Typewriter

    May 20, 2018

    Old Typewriter at Wolverine Press
    Old Typewriter at Wolverine Press

    It’s raining.  Well, it’s actually misting. Well, that’s not really either true, it’s more like high humidity where you get wet by just standing there. Anyway it is refreshing! 

    One of my favorite coffeehouses in town is the Bean Cycle. It used to share space with a used book store and printing press company called Wolverine Farm. Within the past year, they moved to a new location of its own. It is a place for local authors and poets to sit and write, have a coffee, connect with other writers and have their work published. This past week I stopped by and discovered they had four older typewriters that customers could use. Just bring your own paper. I’m tempted to bring some paper and plunk away as its been a few years since I used one.

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  • flowers,  musings,  Plants,  writing/reading

    Life Changing

    April 18, 2018

    Tulips on Campus
    Tulips on Campus

    Fifteen years ago I had two life changing events occur in my life: one was provided in a 12 Step Recovery program and the other was purchasing my first digital camera. I purchased a Nikon D100 in October of 2002 and I stopped drinking in January 2003. Life changing because both have given me tools to begin to see myself, people, institutions, and all of creation when properly using these tools. I am grateful for both of these tools.

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