I'm a little obsessed with this song right now. Fresh in pop music, and I LOVE it!
Marina and the Diamonds with "I Am Not A Robot"
Posts
The Redd Kross Movie
15 hours ago
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
A Painting From my Past
Years ago, I was a penniless undergrad (art student) at the University of Georgia. I spent a lot of time in the Athens coffee shops, reading, writing and studying in between classes and work. My beloved Blue Sky Coffee house (OH! The Dancing Goats blend!) is gone now, and so is the downtown Jittery Joe's. But Espresso Royale, a stalwart landmark of downtown Athens, still sits just down the road from the old Lamar Dodd School of Art location. It was there when I first explored UGA as an option for higher education, and it is still in business now.
Sometimes I did not have even enough money to get a cup of coffee. Those days, I would buy a bagel for 75 cents (but not the 50 cent package of cream cheese) and get a cup of hot water to go with it. I'd brew my own tea with a teabag from home, and use the complimentary honey and butter for my bagel. I felt a little guilty, but at least I was buying something in exchange for taking up a table. Funny how fondly I remember these times. (And funny to think a bagel only cost 75 cents!)
Espresso Royale, like all the coffee shops and many other Athens businesses, served as a gallery space for local artists. The walls hosted an ever-changing display of local talent from painters, photographers, fiber artists, illustrators, printmakers. . . I loved to see what would turn up.
One day I looked up to spy this:
Well, I spied the painting on the wall, not a blurry reproduction of the painting on a magazine cover. Sadly, this is the best image that my limited internet skillz can reproduce for you here.
I was captivated by this painting. There's just something about it, something inspiring and beautiful, that spoke to me immediately and stuck with me ever after. I have never forgotten it. Many times over the years I've thought about it, and wondered who painted it (I'd checked, but had forgotten the artist's name), and where it was by then.
Yesterday I was making assorted phone calls that needed making, and during frequent hold times I started idly searching the internet for this painting. I had little to go on: girl in a yellow dress, Athens GA artist, surrealist style. But guess what? I found it! I found the artist!
His name is Terry Rowlett, and his portfolio is an inspiring collection of interwoven dreams and realities. You can browse the portfolio here:
http://www.terryrowlett.com/portfolio.html
And this painting from my past, called "Flight of Angela", is there on page 7. Click on it to view it larger- you can actually see it well.
I love the internet. :)
Sometimes I did not have even enough money to get a cup of coffee. Those days, I would buy a bagel for 75 cents (but not the 50 cent package of cream cheese) and get a cup of hot water to go with it. I'd brew my own tea with a teabag from home, and use the complimentary honey and butter for my bagel. I felt a little guilty, but at least I was buying something in exchange for taking up a table. Funny how fondly I remember these times. (And funny to think a bagel only cost 75 cents!)
Espresso Royale, like all the coffee shops and many other Athens businesses, served as a gallery space for local artists. The walls hosted an ever-changing display of local talent from painters, photographers, fiber artists, illustrators, printmakers. . . I loved to see what would turn up.
One day I looked up to spy this:
Well, I spied the painting on the wall, not a blurry reproduction of the painting on a magazine cover. Sadly, this is the best image that my limited internet skillz can reproduce for you here.
I was captivated by this painting. There's just something about it, something inspiring and beautiful, that spoke to me immediately and stuck with me ever after. I have never forgotten it. Many times over the years I've thought about it, and wondered who painted it (I'd checked, but had forgotten the artist's name), and where it was by then.
Yesterday I was making assorted phone calls that needed making, and during frequent hold times I started idly searching the internet for this painting. I had little to go on: girl in a yellow dress, Athens GA artist, surrealist style. But guess what? I found it! I found the artist!
His name is Terry Rowlett, and his portfolio is an inspiring collection of interwoven dreams and realities. You can browse the portfolio here:
http://www.terryrowlett.com/portfolio.html
And this painting from my past, called "Flight of Angela", is there on page 7. Click on it to view it larger- you can actually see it well.
I love the internet. :)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Photo Blog: Friends on the Chattahoochee
One lovely day in September, Billy and I took our boys and two friends out for an afternoon of fun on the Chattahoochee River. Here's just a few of the pictures from that day.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Music Monday: Fleet Foxes
This song was introduced to me by a couple of the Dads in our awesome homeschool group. I love the tune, and the video is brilliance.
"White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes
"White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes
Friday, January 21, 2011
Tempest
Our ship is tempest-tossed, the gale is raging endlessly on. Every slackening of rainfall is but a brief respite before the next wave crashes down. A year we've been riding this storm. Unlike some storms we've weathered before, there is little about this to quicken the heart and feed our wildest spirits- this tempest beats down relentless, and all the frantic tasks to stay afloat merge into an exhausted dream.
Still, I can marvel at the waves, towering majestics, great kings of water rolling and crashing. I gasp at the explosion of light sparkling briefly from the school of fish below. The lightning is a deadly gift, dangerously beautiful, and the thunder reverberates down into my toes. And there, look! Do you see? A break in the clouds, however brief, to reveal the moon shining ever on, separate and eternal in the velvet night beyond. Do you see it, love? Can you see?
But you feel you've been washed overboard, and you cling desperately to what lifeline you can hold, separate now from our floating haven, mercilessly shoved about by forces beyond your control. You cannot catch your breath, and you cannot see. I am reaching my hand out to you, as waves wash you near. Can you catch my fingers, love? Can you climb back aboard with me, and share this journey again?
Still, I can marvel at the waves, towering majestics, great kings of water rolling and crashing. I gasp at the explosion of light sparkling briefly from the school of fish below. The lightning is a deadly gift, dangerously beautiful, and the thunder reverberates down into my toes. And there, look! Do you see? A break in the clouds, however brief, to reveal the moon shining ever on, separate and eternal in the velvet night beyond. Do you see it, love? Can you see?
But you feel you've been washed overboard, and you cling desperately to what lifeline you can hold, separate now from our floating haven, mercilessly shoved about by forces beyond your control. You cannot catch your breath, and you cannot see. I am reaching my hand out to you, as waves wash you near. Can you catch my fingers, love? Can you climb back aboard with me, and share this journey again?
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Huckleberry Knob Adventure
The next morning of our Robbinsville trip dawned grey and very rainy. We'd expected to hike, so a change of plans was in order. We hunted up a great little bookstore/cafe/wine store (yes, really!) in Andrews, North Carolina, and spent the morning browsing books before enjoying a delicious cafe lunch. By the time we'd finished, the weather had cleared up enough that we decided to go for a hike after all.
We drove up to Huckleberry Knob on the Cherohala Skyway in the Unicoi Mountains. Huckleberry Knob is the highest point in the Cheoah Ranger District, at 5560 ft elevation. It's a nice easy hike with a stunning panorama at the top.
We set out for the first bald, Oak Knob. The views there were already gorgeous, but we noticed some threatening rain clouds moving in. Billy and I decided to press on anyway- we wanted to get to the top!
We hurried to Huckleberry Knob, but prudently decided to skirt the summit and remain closer to the treeline. Lightning can be unpredictable and quite dangerous in that area! We stopped for a quick snack.
Just seconds after this photo was taken, I turned to Billy as we were packing up. "Do you hear that?", I asked. We listened intently for a moment with a dawning realization. "Is that wind in the trees, or is it. . .", and POW! We were slammed with the approaching wall of rain.
We scrambled to get the boys into ponchos and rain jackets as fast as we could. We did pretty well, except we were one jacket short. So I grabbed Billy's BC Australian hat to keep the rain out of my face, and swam through the atmosphere in my jeans and shirt. I was soaked, but it was a blast!
By the time we'd slogged back to Oak Knob, the rain was already leaving us. One horizon sported billowy clouds breaking apart to reveal blue sky behind, and the other revealed a full arch of rainbow, stunning against the retreating grey storm.
We stopped, reluctant to end our outing if the weather was going to dry out.
Soon enough, the rain ended altogether and the afternoon sun transformed the wet grass into a stunning display of scattered diamonds. We dried out for awhile in the sun and mountain breeze, and then decided to try again for Huckleberry Knob's summit.
The view was appropriately stunning. 360 degrees of mountains greeted us, complete with rich cream clouds running over the peaks and puddling into the valleys. Everywhere around we could see the weather changing before our eyes.
We settled in to enjoy ourselves, admiring the views, running and playing, communing with the wind, taking pictures, relaxing and (for Billy and I) making a toast to a fabulous couple of days.
It was absolutely a transformative experience, a time that I will never forget.
Finally, reluctantly, we packed up and hiked out, tired and fulfilled.
* * * * *
The next day would bring a drive home, and a meetup with Billy's Mom and two Aunts for dinner. It was a wonderful little visit. It would be the last time we saw Nora alive. This trip turned out to be an essential repairing and rejuvenating tonic for our souls that helped us to weather the storm ahead.
* * * * *
See more Skywatch photos from all over the world! Visit http://skyley.blogspot.com/
We drove up to Huckleberry Knob on the Cherohala Skyway in the Unicoi Mountains. Huckleberry Knob is the highest point in the Cheoah Ranger District, at 5560 ft elevation. It's a nice easy hike with a stunning panorama at the top.
We set out for the first bald, Oak Knob. The views there were already gorgeous, but we noticed some threatening rain clouds moving in. Billy and I decided to press on anyway- we wanted to get to the top!
We hurried to Huckleberry Knob, but prudently decided to skirt the summit and remain closer to the treeline. Lightning can be unpredictable and quite dangerous in that area! We stopped for a quick snack.
Just seconds after this photo was taken, I turned to Billy as we were packing up. "Do you hear that?", I asked. We listened intently for a moment with a dawning realization. "Is that wind in the trees, or is it. . .", and POW! We were slammed with the approaching wall of rain.
We scrambled to get the boys into ponchos and rain jackets as fast as we could. We did pretty well, except we were one jacket short. So I grabbed Billy's BC Australian hat to keep the rain out of my face, and swam through the atmosphere in my jeans and shirt. I was soaked, but it was a blast!
By the time we'd slogged back to Oak Knob, the rain was already leaving us. One horizon sported billowy clouds breaking apart to reveal blue sky behind, and the other revealed a full arch of rainbow, stunning against the retreating grey storm.
We stopped, reluctant to end our outing if the weather was going to dry out.
Soon enough, the rain ended altogether and the afternoon sun transformed the wet grass into a stunning display of scattered diamonds. We dried out for awhile in the sun and mountain breeze, and then decided to try again for Huckleberry Knob's summit.
The view was appropriately stunning. 360 degrees of mountains greeted us, complete with rich cream clouds running over the peaks and puddling into the valleys. Everywhere around we could see the weather changing before our eyes.
We settled in to enjoy ourselves, admiring the views, running and playing, communing with the wind, taking pictures, relaxing and (for Billy and I) making a toast to a fabulous couple of days.
It was absolutely a transformative experience, a time that I will never forget.
Finally, reluctantly, we packed up and hiked out, tired and fulfilled.
* * * * *
The next day would bring a drive home, and a meetup with Billy's Mom and two Aunts for dinner. It was a wonderful little visit. It would be the last time we saw Nora alive. This trip turned out to be an essential repairing and rejuvenating tonic for our souls that helped us to weather the storm ahead.
* * * * *
See more Skywatch photos from all over the world! Visit http://skyley.blogspot.com/
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