pentimento

"Old paint on canvas, as it ages, sometimes becomes transparent.  When that happens it is possible in some pictures, to see the original lines:  a tree will show through a woman's dress, a child makes way for a dog, a large boat is no longer on an open sea.  That is called pentimento because the painter "repented," changed his mind.  Perhaps it would be as well to say that the old conception, replaced by a later choice, is a way of seeing and then seeing again.

The paint has aged now and I wanted to see what was there for me once, what is there for me now."---Lillian Hellman

525,600 minutes....well, give or take a few.

that's how long it has been since i began this blog.

how do you measure a year?

PENTIMENTO

it has been an adventure, a struggle, a joy, a wonderful accomplishment.
it has taught me discipline, made me see in many different ways,
forced me to do things i may have missed,
and introduced me to new friends.

thank you for sharing!!!

it has been LOVE.

my blog is complete, but just because this is the last page,

does not mean that i am finished....

(have patience with this rendition....there is a series of 8 introductions before the actual LOVE begins)

photo of the day

i couldn't help myself.....i'm still playing with my phone camera!

damn bamboo                                        (photogene and backgroundz)

LAX                                                                  (photogene)

and with a car painted in with photo fx

iphone apps

my son just sent me an invitation to join project 365
which is a challenge to take one photo each day for a year.
he sent me a wonderful example of a co-worker's photo
which included the use of a couple of iphone apps which
i had not heard of....
photogene, backgroundz and percolator.
i immediately downloaded them and started playing.

here is a photo manipulated by photogene

and one manipulated by photogene and backgroundz

and one manipulated with percolator

and one with both percolator and backgroundz

i may have just found my project for 2011

first ladies library

while stuck at a hotel in canton, ohio,
i walked across the street to the first ladies library.
as many times as i have been in canton, i have never visited the museum.
unfortunately, it was not open.
snow began to fall, which added to the beautyof the brick victorian mansion.

built in 1841 and modified in 1865, the Saxton house was the home of the wife of U.S. president William McKinley.  it was dedicated as a national museum in 2000.

gas lights flickered outside the entrances.
the snowflakes danced, and the flag bunting fluttered in the wind.
the house was decorated with evergreen boughs and bright red bows.
it looked inviting,
i wished i were able to visit.

Baby It's Cold Outside

the weather outside is frightful!

blizzard of 2010

the blizzard brought air traffic
to a screeching halt in the northeast.
but in Akron/Canton, Ohio
the snow plows keep the runways cleared.
it was a dance like i'd never seen...
it began as a line dance, then broke into small circles....
or were they playing bumper cars?

sunday shadows

i loved the way this little nest on the branch
 was repeated on the side of the fence!

only 5 to go

only 5 more posts and i will have done it!!!  

posted a blog piece every day of the year.

wow.  what an accomplishment for me.

how easy is that?

this sounded like such a great treat for the holiday season!  but it didn't turn out to be so easy.
i went to the grocery store with my list of ingredients and as i was on my way home, i remembered that i hadn't gotten the cranberries, so i turned around and went back to the store.  i put together all of the ingredients, following the recipe exactly.  the last thing to add to the batter was flour.....and when i looked in the pantry, the bag was not flour, but sugar!!  
what to do????  it was cold and rainy outside and i really didn't want to go back out.  i had some pancake mix, so i looked on the box and it was mostly flour.  i substituted the pancake mix and tasted the batter....it was delicious and sweet.
but when it started baking, it just kept overflowing. and overflowing.  
i let it cool and cut into it.....mush, with a crunchy hard cookie-like shell.  not what it was supposed to look like.
but it was delicious!!! 
i will try this recipe again, but use regular flour next time. 


easy cranberry & apple cake (an ina garten recipe) 
Serves 6 to 8
 
12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (2 oranges)
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
11⁄8 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
 
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
 
Combine the cranberries, apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
 
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla, and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.
 
Pour the fruit mixture evenly into a 10-inch glass pie plate. Pour the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1⁄8 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

on christmas day

woke up on christmas morning in portland, maine.  flying in last night, i think i saw santa claus a few degrees north of kennebunkport, heading south west.  hope he got all his presents delivered and everyone got what they asked for.
it was christmas, and as i waited for the elevator, i looked out the 10th floor window and realized that it was so clear that i could see mount washington and the white mountains.  what a treat!
it was sunny with temperatures in the low 30's when i headed out, camera in hand.  i went in the opposite direction that i usually take and saw lots of beautiful architecture on cumberland, fore, and federal streets.
then i went in search of the walking trail that edges casco bay.
the water on the bay was smooth as glass...not a ripple.  i walked   past the new terminal building, drydocked boats, and the train museum.  around the bend was the east end beach.  it was deserted on this, one of the holiest of christian days, and i climbed around the rocks in hopes of finding sea glass. there were many small pieces, not "done", but i found a pocket full (i forgot my plastic bag) which measured out to be 2+ handsful!  

 the eastern promenade is the area that i would like to live if i moved to portland.  the view of the casco bay, the 100+ years old homes, the beach, are all features that i embrace.

this house has an apartment for rent....i copied the number into my phone.


i continued to find interesting places that i have not seen....the portland observatory, and the eastern cemetery.  

finally i was back in old port where i found the snow piles imitating the shrouded boats....or was it the other way around?

 and as if you haven't seen enough....here are some of the beautiful buildings i saw this morning.

christmas mornings

now that my blog is coming to the end of the year, and it is the holiday season, i looked through some old family photos to find any that were from christmases past.  isn't it funny that my family photos will look very similar to yours?  always the child or children in front of the decorated tree with lots of presents underneath.  for my family, the western wear seemed to be a theme year after year.  there were also a  lot of monkeys that found their way to our house.  my brother dressed up in my cowgirl skirt one year....this is a favorite photo of mine.

1947

1954

1954

1957

1960

my first bike

it was an ohio christmas in 1954 when i got my first bike.
that was also the year that my mother made cowgirl outfits for
my sister and me.
so there i am, a cowgirl on her steed, while my sister takes care of the babies.

and later i held my new doll, still hanging on to the handlebars, ready to ride off to some distant land.

nativity scene

this same nativity scene has been put up in front of the church in my hometown for at least 50 years.

one year the baby jesus was stolen, but was returned just before christmas. 
 guess they knew santa was watching!

doo wop christmas

Merry Christmas to all!!


and have a doo wop Christmas
(click on link and hit "play")


enjoy!
http://gpsinformation.info/main/merryxmas.swf

baking cookies

it is that time of year....cookie exchanges, TV and magazines full of recipes for baking cookies.  i usually get together with my mom and make cookies during the holidays, but this year she says she is not going to bake.  i am sorry to say that i do not have any photos of us in that holiday tradition, perhaps i can coax one out of her this year.


this is one of my very favorite photos of my two oldest boys making cutout cookies for christmas.  i would guess that they were 4 & 5 when this picture was taken.  i hope that they remember the fun we had that day.    john, the oldest, still makes cutout cookies with his children every thanksgiving and christmas for our family get-togethers.  we all look forward to them!!

adding to the charm is how faded this photo has become.  notice the 70's decorating theme of roosters, and the cabinets have been refinished in paint..."antiqued" is what we called it then.  i wish i still had the coffee pot!!!  but alas, long gone.  who knew that we would ever want anything from the 70's??

midwinter lunar elclipse

last night began the winter solstice, the shortest day of year,

and also the longest night.

after the winter solstice,  the days will  begin to lengthen.

  

for many years, i have listed the sunrise/sunset times around this time of year,

enjoying  the addition of 1-2 minutes of daylight each day.

it is encouraging that spring is "just around the corner" 

the lunar eclipse occurred with the finale of a red hued solstice moon.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

New York City....
when i go in on the train, i am generally with someone or meeting someone, but this time i went to the station and had to rely on my notes.  i took the F train, the express, not the local.  since i am not usually alone, the ride seemed longer than i had expected, and, at one point, i got off because i panicked that i had either gone the wrong direction, or was on the wrong train.  i looked around for a friendly face and asked if "this train would take me to rockefeller center".  once i had confirmation, i got back onto the next train and tried to feel more confident.
up and out of the subway, i made my way through the diamond district (all the while following another couple who looked like tourists) until i found myself at the corner of 47th street and 5th avenue.  i knew then that i was heading in the right direction.
during the holidays more than ever, there are throngs of people.  even on a sunday morning before any of the stores were open, there was a crush of bodies at every street corner.  st. patrick's had a service just starting, and st. michael's advertised a choral eucharist service, but i continued down the avenue, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the busiest street in the city.
roasted chestnuts and street food,  bright yellow cabs, horns honking at every intersection,  santa in skates while christmas music played near the tree, carriage rides in central park, a chance sighting of the rockettes...it's difficult to capture the essence of new york in a photograph.

perhaps tony bennett and frank sinatra can better explain it.