corn maze

the corn maze is almost ready!!
i stopped by and took some photos....

looks pretty harmless.
believe me,
it's a LOT scarier after dark!!!

figs, beautiful figs

while shopping at whole foods

i saw figs advertisied for 4.99.

i don't know what "fig season" is
though i do remember my elderly neighbor,
Miss Laura, offering me my fill of figs
from her tree....i think it was summer.

i never took her up on her offer,
partly because i didn't know if i liked the taste,
and also because i didn't really know
what to do with them.

so when i picked up the container at
whole foods and placed it in my basket,
i was committed to finding a use for the fruit.

without doing a lot of research,
i decided to slice them open, shoot lots of photos,
and serve them with goat cheese, walnuts,
 drizzled with honey.

yummy!!!

midtown-shelby farms bike trail

a new bike trail has recently been completed where
the old railroad tracks used to be.
officially the bike trail opens on october 9th.
but....
every evening there are many, many bikers
(and walkers, and joggers, and families with babies)
on the trail.

my friends have been out on their new  bikes ($$$$$)
for a couple of weeks.
about 4 years ago, i sold my bike to my brother
and i was determined not to invest
in another one that i would just have to MOVE
when i got that gypsy urge again.

yes, i was determined.


but today,
i impulsively decided to look at bikes
(is there a correlation to car shopping here???  you know
if you go car shopping, you will leave with a new car)

i went from one store to another and kept coming back
to the first bike that i loved.
my criteria?
1.  style (cruiser/beach bike...white wall tires, coaster brakes)
2.  price (less than $150)
3.  a comfortable (or at least tolerable) seat

here is what i ended up with:

i added the bike bell that i bought in paris in 1999....the kind with the old fashioned "dr--r---r--ring"

this evening i tested the trail....rode 5 miles.  a fairly flat run of blacktop that passed the golf course.
it was 22 minutes until sunset, and the lights on the trail are not reliable or completed yet, so my ride was short.
next time i will head in the opposite direction where the trail crosses the wolf river and courses along the wetlands.
now i just have to figure out how to ride and take photos.       dangerouse!!! (fr. ?)

new beginnings....

my airline has been acquired/merged...

what will all of this mean?  (besides new uniforms)....

....and what she wore.....

the earth from above

i just have to share this site!

enjoy the beauty of our earth

"Earth From Above" is the result of the aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand's five-year airborne odyssey across six continents. It's a spectacular presentation of large scale photographs of astonishing natural landscapes. Every stunning aerial photograph tells a story about our changing planet.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

http://justpaste.it/3ky

happy birthday bonnie

my friend bonnie lived in england for a while

this little card reminds me of the queen

with a birthday candle crown.

long live the queen!!!

happy birthday bonnie!!

levitt shell concert

i attended a concert recently at the levitt shell.

featured was bob schneider, a folk/pop artist from austin, TX.

check him out!!

the free concerts are very popular for family entertainment

 it was a warm evening, people began to arrive early to set up spots.

 blankets and coolers along with lawn chairs began to dot the lawn surrounding the shell.

children rolled around on the grass, dogs romped along with them, or played frisbee

as the bands set up.

 the opening show was bascom hill, from madison, WS
hear them
http://www.bascomhillband.com/

bob schneider and his band

listen hear: (that was intentional)

http://www.bobschneidermusic.com/splash/index.php

fear

"Do one thing every day that scares you."

                                                          Eleanor Roosevelt

i try to live this concept.....and today i faced my biggest fear

deep water

as part of my job, i was required to jump into the deep end of the pool,

get to a raft (float, paddle, slap my way to the raft) and then climb into it.

for a week, i have practiced visualization, and today i put it to the test.

we donned our life vests, i stood on the edge of the 16 feet end of the pool,
and jumped in.  i started counting, and don't remember getting to 1-2-3
when i bobbed back up.  i layed my head back and backstroked to
the raft.

there are two strap ladders and about 3 feet of inflated rubber to climb up
and over, fully clothed with an inflated vest on....i had a hard time heaving
myself out of the water,
and then,
like a big old fish,
2 of the men in the raft grabbed my arms and hauled me in.
i was slapped onto the floor and slid across....

no fear.
any more.

book banning

banned!



(September 25-October 2 is the American Library Association Banned Books Week)

it is hard to believe that in this day and age,
there could possibly be censorship of books!

Book-banning now
Despite the lessons of the past, incidents of book-banning have continued to the present. Many of the most recent incidents occur at a local level, in public schools and libraries.

Henry Reichman, in Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for Schools, defines censorship as: “[T]he removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic or educational material — of images, ideas and information — on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor.”

People trying to ban books from libraries do not usually regard their efforts as censorship. A member of the community, school board member or parent objects to, or “challenges,” a book, requesting its removal or sequestration so that students may not have free access to it. Most frequently, books are challenged because they contain profanity or violence, sex or sex education, homosexuality, witchcraft and the occult, “secular humanism” or “new age” philosophies, portrayals of rebellious children, or “politically incorrect,” racist or sexist language. The American Library Association has documented more than 6,000 such challenges in the United States between 1990 and 2000.

some of the classics include:

Uncle Tom's Cabin  (too political)

Jaws  (too much sex)

 The Last Temptation of Christ  (irreligious)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  (socially offensive)

hard to believe, eh?  so be a rebel and go check these out at your local library (if they still have them!!)

we regret to inform you

two years ago, i participated in a collage class at SCAD

i was looking for a meaningful personal reference for expression.

after three biopsies, i knew the scare (and the pain)

associated with surgery on the breast.

using my scanner i did mock "mammograms"...

 fabric processed with a chemical to allow ink jet printing

served as my image transfers

and the prints were mounted on canvas.

in these examples, i wanted to show both the fear and pain

associated with women's health care.

keeping abreast

BREASTS--i was born with 2 of them and have been identified by them most of my life.
you see, mine grew into large breasts, genetic links to my mother and grandmother.

for most of my life they have been covered.  i was always quite embarrassed to find myself in situations where they were bared---by choice or circumstance.

as i grew older, and "into them" i was less conscious of them until it became time to check them, feel them, examine them, cut them.  i have had 3 major biopsies/lumpectomies in the past 15 years.
fortunately, all were benign, but there is always that fear in the back of my mind.....

art projects sometimes seem directed toward some of those fears, pain, and sense of loss associated with breast cancer.
they have been some of the most meaningful and sensitive of my work.

self exams are crucial to early detection,

 the race for the cure is an important
fund raiser for research.


so this year, please support the race for the cure, and run for your life.

i crossed the finish line!!

1930's furs

another group of newsreel films

70 years later with a sense of political correctness 

makes us cringe at the outlandish display of animal skins

October 20, 1938

"SEE RAID ON PAPA'S BANKROLL"

NEW YORK CITY.---

A parade of caracul and mink and other furs for afternoon and evening wear promises trouble for the pocketbook of the family's alleged head, as pretty mannequins strut the latest designs in furry garments at Rockefeller Centre.

apple picking time

apple picking season is once again upon us.  today i traveled to the orchard
to inquire about picking some (and, of course, to have the opportunity to 
shoot photos!).  Golden Delicious were available to be picked, so i
gathered my bag (and camera) and headed out to select a few apples.


within the next few weeks, there will be  Melrose and IdaReds, Fuji, and Mutsu
available to pick.  the main orchards are full and lush this year.
a "picker's choice" will begin the weekend of october 9th.

balloon lift

i attended my very first balloon lift, and i have to tell you,
i was as excited as the little girl behind me who kept saying,
"look, mommy, look.  mommy, mommy, look!!!  mommy, mommy...."
i actually got tears in my eyes as the balloons began to lift.

it had been questionable whether they would even go up.
the skies were pewter, the winds seemed to be going in the
direction of the bridge that was out...which meant the chase cars
would not be able to follow.

the pilots kept checking the weather by sending up a helium balloon,
birthday party size, and watching how long it took to rise,
and which direction it went. there was a group meeting, and i saw only half a dozen thumbs up.
but then something changed.

they all started getting out the baskets,

and rolling out the balloons.

excitement mounted as the air start fans began to pump air into the balloons,
one by one they expanded and began to lift.

there is something very special about the rainbow of colors,
the bursts of gasses, and the sight of the flames as the balloons
fill and launch.

"look mommy, look!!!  there it goes!
there goes another one!"

we all clapped as each beautiful balloon rose off the grass.
soon the sky was filled with 15 or more colorful balloons.

and then the sun came out.
it was magic!

yankee peddler

an old friend of mine called and wanted to get together.  she suggested that we go to a fair that has been around for almost 40 years, though it had been 25 years or so since we had been.

Step back in time 200 years and visit pioneer America with master artists and crafters setting up rustic shops along streams and amid lovely wooded dales, with foods and snacks cooked over open fires, and with non-stop entertainment across the 75-acre grounds. Keep up to the hour and follow events with the Town Criers. Visit with the militia and mountain men, or learn crafts with hands-on instruction. Visit with the master crafters and artists while they demonstrate the way they transform nature into something unique for you and yours. 
 
it actually seemed a lot smaller and less crowded than we remembered, but the day was beautiful and we managed to find some treasures. lots of mountain men, animal hides, and MEAT.
enjoy the wild, wild, Midwest!!!!