Reflections on the Strength of Our Nation

Last summer, I shot this photo near Boston, Massachusetts, just before Independence Day. I think I intended saving it for the next Fourth of July, but the tragic events of this week have me reflecting on our strengths and it feels appropriate today. To be able to look at fear and respond with humanity and action is what this flag symbolizes to me. There is pain, suffering and the realization that each of us as an individual can choose to do right by others rather than wringing our hands and asking “Why us?” . This is the measure of who we are as a people and a country. All those that took action, offered help in what ever way they could, and made a difference , set the example. We are a nation of individuals who can accomplish so much when we act rather than complain to and about each other.  Those that cause suffering need not be understood, just denounced and recognized as inhuman. For each negative act, a positive one will take away its power. As a people, we still have decisions to make and a course to set .

Trouble Sleeping?

 

 

Stress? Allergies? Age? Nightmares? Caffeine?The causes of sleeplessness? Who really knows? It might be all of them or none. Lately it’s been difficult to sleep through the night. I started to imagine a pleasant place to dream and this is what I came up with. If you share the same issues, I hope it helps!

Hanging Out to Dry

It was a perfect spring today. Lots of sunshine, a slight breeze and a blue sky made me think about hanging wash out to dry. At my grandmother’s house in Pennsylvania, it was one of the few chores that I really enjoyed. Fighting stiff sheets in the breeze while trying not to swallow the wooden clothespins grew into a talent. I loved grabbing the pins and stuffing them into the swinging bag. My cousins and I would race to the finish. In Manhattan, we had a clothesline strung from our fifth floor apartment across the airshaft to a friend’s apartment in the opposite building.The clothes dried, but not much could be said for their cleanliness, and if you missed grabbing a pair of underwear, they were lost forever. To my knowledge, no one had ever safely navigated the bottom of the air shaft. It would be like an archeological dig.These photos taken at the children’s garden in the Memphis Botanic Garden sum up the experience and beauty for me. I think we’d help ourselves and our planet if we resurrected wash lines.

Looking for a New Life

 

An old two story farmhouse sits along the roadside in central Florida. At one time, it must have been quite a home , the clues are in the ornate trim and that it has two stories.Caged behind a barbed wire fence, it cries out to be preserved. I dressed it in spring colors to help its appeal. I’d love to peek behind its shuttered windows and learn more of its story.

Imagination Sets Sail

Borrowing a rowboat filled with Chihuly glass that I shot in St.Louis several years ago, adding some spice and playing around  freely, provided my imagination with the perfect mode of transportation. Whimsical and fragile during the day, it would sail powered only by a deep breath. At night, after settling into it carefully, we would glide through the sky and out twinkle the stars until sunrise would lead us home. A perfect vehicle for imaginary journeys, and it’s free.

Appearances Are Deceiving

 

A rocky outcropping of beach, the sun is shining and it’s oddly silent. Sitting in Charleston Harbor this little island  looks peaceful until you take a broader view and see the remains of the fort. Until you wander the ghostly maze  of ruins and can almost hear the voices and booms of cannons. Until you realize this is the site of the opening act of the bloodiest , most confusing time in our country’s history, The Civil War. This is Fort Sumter. Growing up in the north and living in the south, I have come to hear so many personal reactions to the war. Currently in Memphis, they are actively working to rename parks that honored Confederate generals. At reenactments at Shiloh, the Star-Spangled Banner isn’t heard, but The Bonnie Blue Flag and Dixie are sung lustily. Both events are unsettling. My hope is that the serenity of this small sunlit beach will spread to others , that peace rather than conflict will finally prevail, and the “War”  will have truly ended 148 years later.

A Recipe for Creativity

Take a quiet, rainy, gray Saturday morning with little ambition.Add a bit of a bridge shot in IR, layer a watercolored paper towel,then  an invert filter . Hopefully this results in a dreamy garden landscape. Like cooking but with less mess and zero calories, it’s just as satisfying. Enjoy!

Abandoned Warehouse

From the highway, I’ve admired and desired  ( so I’m a little strange) this abandoned warehouse with the bright red doors for a number of years. Sometimes it’s hard to know why one day you are compelled to act. But, the other day , a good friend and I , circled and drove around until we found our way. Surrounded by trucking companies and a smattering of  traffic, it appeared safe for a daytime exterior shoot. Indoors is another chapter and it’s going to take more guts and a group for me to attempt it. The structure has retained most of its integrity – light fixtures, high ceilings, and its heavy red doors remain nearly whole. As I wandered the property, I could imagine so many uses that it makes me sad to think it stands empty.