Merry Christmas !!!!!

A few pics from Christmas pasts... Just went to see a Christmas Carol with the Chapman family last night at the Alliance Theatre. It was charming, as always. ' A sixpence! If you haven't got a sixpence, a farthing will do..."

Love decorating the tree! Every Christmas Eve, Dad loves to grill up some steak, boil some lobster and have a surf and turf meal. It's becoming a tradition...Maybe I will start the tradition of a lemon ice box pie for dessert! mmmm! FOOD!

Peek-a-butt

Alone with the leaves

Photo of the Day


Playing in the forest, inspecting the leaves...it amazes me to see the sunlight shine through the brightly colored leaves illuminating the tiny veins, hues, creatures, LIFE and whatever else presents itself...magnificent.
What a bright and colorful, extraordinary world we live in.

Refreshments

I do a lot of artwork in my spare time, painting, collages, decoupage...fun stuff like that. When I flip through magazines, I'm usually looking at cool ads to rip out, cut out, and glue down ..whatever evokes emotion is eligible. So I have the grand idea of taking pictures of some of these cool compilations! ARTS AND CRAFTS posts coming soon.
here is a little sneak peak.

In the meantime, here are some cool pics that I've overlooked.

Kids cooling off in a fountain at Riverside Park during the summer heat. This is a great little spot about a half mile from my house, where I can go at my pace and run along the river, or ride my bike for miles through the woods on great trails, or just sit with a book, watch kids play, throw a frisbee around...a very refreshing spot in the summer as you can see. Unfortunately, after the Chattahoochee flooded, the entire area was underwater...so for a while, it was contaminated :( Things are getting back to normal, Adam and I went for a night run a few days ago and only smelled poop once. :)




What a wonderful hobby. I love hiking with the one I love.
The world outside is so refreshing...especially when you find things you weren't looking for.


Photo of the Day
Eerie lake view...across the lake is the reflection of cabin lights and the soft glow of fog rising at the temperature drops.

Baroque Books

I LOVE ART HISTORY...thinking about taking more art history courses for fun...maybe seal the deal on a minor. I'm more than halfway there...we shall see.
Mother dearest recommended me these books...

Girl With a Pearl Earring
by Tracy Chevalier
(Already read this one, in about 2 days...Very easy read. Way better than the movie.)
A cool book about the mysterious life of the artist Vermeer.
AND

The Lost Painting
by Johnathan Harr
A journey in search of the missing masterpiece by Caravaggio, The Taking of Christ:. About to start this one...excited to learn a bit about this artist..he was one of my faves during Art History in college. LOVE--
Narcissus:

<3

旅行日本 TRAVEL Japan

One of my favorite pictures of all time. Top 3.


A silhouette of Buddha, overlooking the town and coastline of Kamakura.


I realized that after so many posts of travels and photography, I had yet to post some of my favorites from JAPAN! Here are photos that I took on a trip to Tokyo and through Kamakura and other regions of Japan in April of 2008. I was invited to stay with a family there...which was nice, but if I could have done it differently, I would have.



I love these guys!



Shrines to Buddha


That is one BIG Buddha




Vending machine in Kamakura


Shibuya at night




Hachiko 6-way Crossing, Shibuya in Tokyo: the world's busiest intersection!
Thousands cross this intersection daily. These photos were taken on a weekday afternoon from the railway station...

SUSHI BAR


Sapporo, Early morning, fresh from the truck...


Japan is so crowded with people, many wear masks. When you are in such close quarters, it is nice to cover your face if you are sick or have allergies...It's weird at first to see everyone wearing masks, but most of the time they are just being polite...or paranoid.
小さい島多くの人々
Small Island Many People



I could post so many more...in the week that I was there, I probably took over 700 pictures. I think this post is long enough.

Book

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan is a compilation of short stories written by African children about their bravery and resilience in their harsh realities. Reading about their lives from a child's perspective creates immense compassion for them, but is also a rude awakening. Emotional, raw and heartfelt...I love this book!! (So does Oprah)

Thanksgiving! 2009

Playing around on the dock



Cool cousin story: These two beauties are sisters, Ansley and Madison. They have a beautiful and inspiring story. They were born 6 months premature...yes that is not a typo. Ansley (left) was about 1 lb. at birth and Madison (right) was 1.5 lbs. They spent most of the first year of their lives in a hospital. They were called "Miracle babies."
Their growth was stunted, and their eyesight never developed; after several surgeries, it became clear that they would never be able to see.
NOW, they are 12 years old, making A's in school, prodigies on the piano which they started playing at 2 years old, and huge Harry Potter fans. They read braille faster than I can read words and they also type with braille typewriters. They have a little brother named Jack who is 5. They are truly remarkable, happy and light hearted with silly playful personalities and a very large vocabulary.
A few years ago they did a story on Fox News about their piano playing--here is the link:
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/Blind_Girls_Play_Piano_for_FOX_26
Be thankful!

Sweet Maggie!


Cousins were checking out a fish they caught earlier.


Clarkco State park was lovely.

Family, Food, Fun
We rented cabin on a a gorgeous lake at Clarkco State Park...everyone brought so much food...it was a blast. Here are some gorgeous pics to share of my family, the park and the food!