welcome to the new year

it's going to be a very good year!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

1000 th post milestone

YEA!   this is my 1000th post.

2 days before my 4 year anniversary.
i began this blog on New Year's Day in 2010 as a test of my discipline.

what resulted is so much more.  i never imagined that bloggers from around the world would see this and even leave comments.
i am so proud of myself.  

and i thank all of you who have checked in on my blog….in fact, just now, i reached another milestone:

10,000 views.   
10,000.  
10,000.

 whoop!  (i promised a big whoop when it hit 10,000)

i can hardly believe that what started as
an intimate little project has turned into such an important part of my life.

i have gotten so many ideas, shared so many of my adventures, and had an outlet for my photos.

thank you, 
gracias, 
spasibo, 
merci,
koszonom, 
danke, 
grazie, 
kiitos,
to all of my new friends from around the world.

on the day after christmas..

i got my house!

my retirement beach house (it's across the street from the beach).
doesn't look much like the beach in these photos.

too bad i have to completely update this home built in 1947.
it was a "prefab" with brick veneer….i'm doing some research now
and so far i think it was one of Gunnison or National prefabricated
postwar homes.  it is being sold by the original owner who is now in
a nursing home.

here are some outdoor photos:

 breezeway between garage and house

 front door

 back of garage and bedrooms

 somewhat of a fire pit behind the breezeway

 back of family room

 back bedroom, bathroom and dining room window

end of house (family room)

blog views….

I am almost at an unbelievable 10,000 views on my humble little blog.

within the next 5 days i will hit that mark!

thank you all .

i'll let you know with a big "whoop" when it happens!!

merry christmas

           

my wish to you:

a 
very
Merry
Christmas

angels we have heard on high

merry christmas eve

winter solstice

although i don't actively celebrate the winter solstice,
i am very aware.

for many, many years i have kept track of the sunrise
and sunset, and at this time of year, i like to record the
additional minutes of daylight that begin shortly after
the winter solstice.

in my region, the winter solstice occurs just a few minutes
after noon today.  i will have written a contract on a new

home, with hopes that it will be accepted.

surely the midday sun will shine favorably on me.

7-8-9-10

in changchou, china

connections in the world of blogging

i was so flattered to find that a fellow blogger fourcornersdesign.blogspot.com
enjoyed my "mary christmas" tree and made one of her own.

this is exactly what i had hoped for when i started my blog nearly 4 years ago….
that i would be connected with other artists in this great big world.

thank you, amy.

Christmas Jammies

Christmas Jammies…..what a great Christmas card for everyone to enjoy!!

Kelly Clarkson - My Grown Up Christmas List

taylor MS

another small town, Taylor, MS seems to have a thriving art community.

and speaking of the wrecking ball

in downtown Memphis,
an old building in the process of
being taken down.

in moscow, TN

in Moscow, TN (which is almost non-existent)
there are a couple of blocks of old buildings
which have, as yet, escaped the wrecking ball.

one of them, an old gas station, draws me back
to photograph.

snowstorm Electra

the snow is coming down….expected to continue for another 48 hours.
i was reminded of this video while watching my neighbor clean off his car this morning.

i still find this you tube video hilarious!!!!!

at the intersection of daniels avenue and keefus roads

back in Conneaut,
there are still dirt roads, only a stone's
throw from I-90.

that, i guess is part of the charm.....

texture

while waiting for green again,

i will have to settle for photos.

as i look at these,

i realized that these are great

examples of texture also.

the soft furry leaves,

the prickly razor-like edges,

seed nodules,

smooth branches,

and the papery, peeling bark.

a look back

each year, i have made it a tradition to go to NYC to see the windows.
yesterday, i was supposed to fly into the city, but the weather changed my plans.
i didn't want to be involved in delays, or cancellations, so i looked back at photos
from years past.

a look back at bergdorf goodman's 2008 windows.

i am still hoping to get to NYC before the first of the year.

WestJet Christmas

this is the coolest "miracle"……
i can only imagine being part of this.

smokey

just waiting for Santa to bring me…..
               catnip
                       mouse toys
                                treats

stargazer

one more sculpture from the cleveland museum of art….

a 3000 year old 8" sculpture
entitled    "stargazer"

little black sambo

although politically incorrect in 2013, the story of little black sambo was my favorite as a child.  it may have been that i was attracted to the book (binding) because it was red or orange and 4" x 4" in size....perfect for a 5 year old to handle at the children's section of the public library.


i was reminded of this story after watching the film, Life of Pi.  perhaps it was the boy and the tiger that brought back the memory of that other tiger.

even as a 5 year old, i knew that the boy in the story was Indian, so i never understood how it later became such a racial issue in the U.S.
it is still a favorite story in Japan.

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” —Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

play me, i'm yours

today i drove to university circle in cleveland for the winter fest.
i don't know what i thought i was going to see, having read the article
about it in the sunday paper.

there were activities such as origami ornaments, lantern-making, winter stories,
and a winter lights lantern procession around Wade oval.
having seen the beautiful stars and the lighted native medicine huts upon entrance, i expected the lantern making to be similar, but was shown a colored paper sack with handle….i passed on the craft of the day.

i expected the pond to be frozen and full of skaters, kiosks and
tents with gifts for sale on the lawn.  food trucks and ice sculptors,
music and carolers.

(perhaps i should have been in charge of this event)

i ended up in the museum, which is always a treat, while the light snow fell outside.
i looked for the photography gallery, going around and around in the east wing second floor.
i never did find it.  but the japanese exhibition was very interesting and made my two-hour museum tour well worth it.