Creativity...thru the eyes of a child

All children are naturally creative. On a rainy afternoon, there are forts to build out of cardboard boxes; collages to create with old magazines, a glue stick and safety scissors; and doll fashions are made with few of mom's old scarves. Children's imaginations are boundless, they are fearless in their willingness to experiment. 

I take incredible joy from watching anything my grandson enjoys doing. Since he could walk, he preferred running so playing outside is normally is his  first choice for something to do--soccer, his new bike, pushing his big yellow truck or loving on the neighborhood dogs are all favorite past times.

Yesterday we were asked to take a few photos of our church's new construction. He delighted in walking around the building checking out the changes and asking a multitude of questions.  He also wanted to snap a few photos himself. He chose the subjects.  "Let's take a photo of these flowers, " he says. I explained it's a bush. "Well, it's pretty." So there you have it.  Creative thinking from a 5 year old. From his level, the leaves are green and red and pretty. What else do you need?

Our photowalk contined and he insisted on taking my photo in the new playground that is being created. Here's his Omi.  It was wonderful for me because of the shared experience of two things I love--my grandson and photography. I hope the experience continues growing.

Experimenting

 Life is about experimentation. Is that news or am I just slow on the uptake?  There seem to be endless ways to experiment with daily life.

Dinner often is an experiment in my kitchen--I like trying new spices and herbs, new ways of serving chicken breasts---again; new ideas for the wealth of fresh vegetables we're enjoying now.  Thankfully I have a husband who appreciates my need to wander off the recipe page.

I experiement with new clothes, I move things around in the house, I try a new strategy of getting my grandson to eat his vegetables. It's all an experiment and not expected to stay that way forever. I would be bored if it did.

And of course there is photography--dawn, sunset, grey days. In the processing stage, there are textures and adjustments and filters. When I want to create something new, I can experiment away a couple of hours. This particular photo was done more quickly.  Our group arrived at the beach while it was still very dark and raining. This was taken as the rain stopped and the sun began to share its light with our side of the globe. The only processing was a new texture I applied, changed the mode to soft light and used a layer mask to remove some of the filter from the beams so they would not appear washed out.

To experiment is to go on a daily adventure. Perhaps that is why having a camera by my side gives me such a thrill!

Sunrise On the Beach

On this particular day, I was fortunate to capture a lovely sunrise with great clouds in Cape May, NJ.  Being near the beach I feel it's power and it's source of life. The salty smell, the treasure chest of shells, the sounds of the water, the feel of the wind on my face all call to me and give me peace.

Summer at the beach brings back memories of suntan oil that smelled like coconuts and made the sand stick to my skin. There were sand castles to build. I think it was just as much fun to watch the rising surf enter our "moat" and slowly melt the hour-long efforts of my brother and I with our buckets and shovels . And who doesn't remember the joy of feeling sand in awkward places in their bathing suit. YEW!

Summer time with its heat, humidity, thunderstorms, tomatoes, peaches and days at the beach. Life is very good.
 

Why Do I Want To Blog?

So I ask myself, "why do I want to blog?" Actually this question was the first assignment of the Reflection of You e-course I just started so I'm taking the time to think about it.

Blogs discovered me a few months ago. My new neighbor and good friend, Monica has a blog where she shares updates of her life with friends and family.  And as I started looking online, the blogging world opened to me. Guess I'm not telling you anything new, but there are blogs out there for a-n-y thing!  So I was sort of hooked.  

One concern was time. How do I blog regularly and not allow it to suck up all my time???  I haven't figured that out yet, but I'm guessing some discipline is going to be involved. If you have any tips, please pass them along.

So why do I blog...I can't come up with just one answer.

1. Connection to people of similiar interests

2. A hope to find an artist's community

3. Curiousity and Inspriation - I know how I cook, photograph, etc. I want to know more about how you approach it.

4. A love of photography - Some of my favorite blogs pop with color and wonder.

5. A love of combining photography, texture and words - call it a passion. I can not get enough.

So now I ask...why do you blog?

p.s. It'sclose to 100 degrees here and after Friday night's storm, some are still without electricity. So I couldn't resist including a "cool" memory taken last June. I was in a raincoat on a boat and loving every minute of it!



Plymouth Harbor (England) .

It can be easy being green.

The Shutter Sisters blog has been challenging us focus our cameras on different colors this month. And today, the final day of the challenge, we could pick a color. That's a tough one for me because I love color--my office is a mild mango, the kitchen is dark sage green.  I love them all but am especially attracted to the colors of nature so today I chose green.



#sscolormonth

This is a young Easter lily. Before they blossomed into white, fragrant flowers, these lilies were the palest green. I love the delicate texture of the flower too. It holds so much promise.

And of course something else green this year was my grandson's T-Ball uniform. If you ever get a chance to watch a game--GO! It is so much fun. There are no outs, no scorekeeping. It's just little kids learning how to play baseball. Some children learn the joys of playing with dirt in their new leather glove or how pretty the flowers are in the outfield or....is that a plane making that noise?   Despite all the distractions, it was amazing how quickly everyone learned to field a ball or throw to first base.  A pro in the making....

Seeing Gold

#sscolormonth

The "golden hour" for photographers often is the hour as the sun is setting and light is skimming across the earth creating depth and dimension.

But sometimes a "golden" time happens when I pay attention and open my eyes.

Some fresh peaches from the farmer's market were sitting on my kitchen window sill.  I was preparing dinner when I noticed the light and pattern on this fuzzy fruit. The pattern was from the screen and I loved the way it wrapped around the peaches.  Unfortunately, the moment was gone by the time I got my camera.  (I hate when that happens!) The following day at 5 PM, I was ready. I got about 3 minutes of light as the sun, the tree branches and the wind danced with one another. Then it was over---golden moments with a golden fruit.

"maters"

My family loves tomatoes--ripe tomatoes.  I remember standing barefoot in the hot red clay of my dad's garden biting into a warm tomato and feeling the juice run down my chin.  Can't say I like the sticky chin anymore, but that is the beauty of grape tomatoes. My husband or I can just walk by the garden and grab a snack. We like to grow different types of tomatoes but celebrity and grape are our favorites with a couple of heirloom plants thrown in there for fun.



Resist those crunchy mealy things offered in the middle of the winter. Wait for a tomato that slightly yields to the touch and has never seen a refrigerator. That is a ripe tomato.

Late June in Virginia and the tomato season is starting. My kitchen and my tastebuds are waiting.



Some of my favorite ways to enjoy tomatoes
Roasted Grape Tomtoes
Throw (gently) some tomatoes on a baking sheet. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and some chopped fresh rosemary, salt and pepper to taste, roast in a 425 degree oven about 10 minutes.

Tomato Salad
 No measurements required. Slice tomatoes, whatever type of onion you have or want (green, purple, white) and put them in a bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk olive oil and lemon juice or favorite vinegar with a 2 to 1 ratio and add to bowl. You also can add sliced peppers and/or cucumbers. We like to add fresh dill too.

Fresh Tomatoes with feta
That says it all. Slice tomatoes on a plate. Put as much feta cheese on there as you like. Drizzle with olive oil. Add desired amount of salt, pepper and oregano.

Enjoy the season! I know we will!