Stolen Moments of Creativity

I have been really busy lately. . . work stuff, home stuff, cross country stuff. It's all good, but it's all been keeping me away from my blog, from visiting your blogs, and from grabbing big chunks of time to create. But, even in the midst of all this work, I have stolen a couple of moments of creativity to share with you:

Moment #1
We have finished dinner, and Paul has gone downstairs to rest after having cleared the dishes.  Clara needs some help getting started on her homework, but before we can start, she gasps. "Mom, look at the sky!"  An amazing sunset is developing.  We grab our iphones and post photos to instagram. The sunset continues to develop. "Whoa!" she says. It just keeps getting better and better. We post more photos but eventually run out of witty captions to add.  "You should get your real camera, Mom." So, I do.  Homework can wait.

Moment #2
It's been an unseasonably warm weekend. It was over 81 degrees yesterday when we hosted about 2,000 runners for a huge high school cross country meet. I spent ten hours on the field, most of it working in the first aid tent.  I helped runner after runner as they collapsed from heat exhaustion at the finish line. I half-carried them to a chair in the shade, gave them a cup of water and placed an ice bag on the back of their necks before returning to the chute to see who else needed help. So, today, I'm enjoying a well-earned nap.  Or, I would be if the dogs would stop bugging me. I finally give in and open the door to let them out.  The air is hot, humid and full of bugs. Dragonflies make slow, lazy circles around the yard. Although I'm a bit unnerved by their presence, I grab my camera and wade out into their midst. I still have the long lens on my camera from yesterday's meet, and I capture one dragonfly mid-flight. Sometimes it's good to be brave.

Look Up//Look Down #40: Fully into Fall

Fall is a beautiful time of year here on the coast, and we are sometimes treated to fantastic sunsets.  It is also the time of year to harvest pears.  So, I thought these two photographs would be perfect representation for this week's look up//look down (a meme hosted by Helena). What does Fall look like where you are?

Becky was here, pt. 1: Henry

As I blogged about earlier (in this post), my friend, the amazing photographer Becky Ruppel came over to take some family portraits before Henry left for University.  I promised that I would share the results, and Becky has graciously given me permission to do so.  She took so many great photographs that I'm breaking them up into several posts.  This post will focus on the portraits she took of Henry (though the one of Clara and Henry, above, may be my favorite of the entire shoot).

This one is Paul's favorite. He likes photographs of people smiling. And Becky captured a perfect smile here.  Becky also took some fantastic photographs of a more serious Henry:

(Becky doesn't like the soft focus in this one, but I'm crazy about the colors and textures)

(I love Henry's expression and the background in this portrait)

Becky also took this portrait of Henry standing in the backyard (I love how she lighted it and how smart she was about posing this when she saw the soccer ball out back):

I think this last one may actually be my favorite. There's something about the little smirk on this face which captures him so well!

That's it for now. I'll share the ones featuring Clara and the ones of the whole family in future posts. But I am curious if you have a favorite out of this batch.  In particular, which one(s) would you order to frame and hang on the wall?

Look Up//Look Down #39: Home Improvement

So, while I was in Oregon, I left my daughter Clara and my husband Paul to fend for themselves. I expected that they would get by with the minimum requirements for the week - getting to school; doing homework; eating; watching the dogs.  Instead, they decided to undertake a few home improvement projects! They worked on painting the living room and repairing/replacing lighting in the laundry room, front hall way, and master bathroom. The projects aren't quite done, but they sure will look good when they are! Looking up at the new lights in the master bath (still needs some dry wall) and down at the painting drop cloth. Thanks Helena for suggesting this fun weekly photo meme.

My Month in Numbers, Pt. 1: Cross Country

Number of Cross Country Meets: 4

Number of First Place Team Victories in Varsity Invitational Meets: 1
Number of First Place Team Victories in Frosh-Soph Invitational Meets: 1
Number of Second Place Team Finishes in Varsity League Meets: 2

Frosh-Soph Individual Finish: 3rd place.
Number of runners in that race: 233

Typical length of race: 2.3 miles
Average mile pace: 6:30

Varsity Individual Finishes: 6th out of 83 racers; 6th out of 84 racers; 9th out of 98

Yes, she's fast.
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My month in numbers is the brain child of Julie Kirk. You can find similar posts here.

PHC: Where are you now? Where are you going?

September 2013 . The start of a new routine, the start of a new phase in my life. . . . 
Where am I now?
I am standing in a covered bridge outside Cottage Grove, Oregon. The smell of wet wood and damp earth comforts me; gentle light streams in from the side; soft, organic colors and strong sturdy lines surround me.
I am standing as a 50-something woman who has seen her oldest child off to college . . . no longer a boy, not quite a man; a professor with a pile of articles to write this academic year; a wife with a husband who is a cancer survivor still undergoing maintenance chemo; an artist armed with her camera and a paintbrush.
Where am I going?
I see a bright light at the end of the tunnel, softened a bit by greenery and mist.  I see a new routine beginning at home. More time to focus on raising our girl; more time to focus on getting back into shape. Time to recognize and appreciate the changes offered in the cycle of life.  Time to embrace the new season. 
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Kat Sloma's Photo Heart Connection encourages photographers to review their images each month; to choose the one which makes the strongest connection to their heart and soul; and then to write about the image. I'm sharing mine today (please click on the image to see it larger and in more detail). You can see other photographer's images at this link.

I'm Back!

Hi Blog friends,
Just a quick check-in to say that I'm back from dropping by boy off at college and my short blog break. I'm looking forward to getting round to read what you've been up to and to posting all kinds of art and photos and stories over the next few weeks! 
Come back tomorrow for my Photo Heart Connection for September - I took it the same place as these hearts. Any guesses where they're from???