Goodbye summer...

In a last minute attempt to hang onto summer, I retrieved a few photos selected from my stash taken from a multitude of photos by many people. ( I did not take them) to carry me through to the next trip to the ocean.   No doubt there will be a different forecast and the skies will be gray or stormy.  That is just fine with me, for it's cozy inside and it's another opportunity to beach comb and smell the salty air I love.

Blue and white as well as red and yellow are associated with the beach.  I chose some in blue and gray for this post.  I did think about adding some special effects from picnik.com  but decided against it.  All are reminders of a recent visit.  The old VW bus with surfboards for nostalgia, the homemade sea shell mobile, a favorite lighthouse in Cape Cod, some buoys and an oar for nautical decor, a soft pillow for the head while reading, a beachy wreath, Jonathon Livingston Seagull (if you are familiar with his story), and the sound of waves and waves and more waves.

                                                                                

Hear Them

by klr

In a mist of confetti
souls floated away
Incense of their innocence
their lives were betrayed

Heaven bent lights honor them
Pools soothe aching hearts
Wreaths and speeches give tributes
Doleful bagpipes impart

But for a lasting world peace
candles and prayers are not enough
Heed their breathless cries

Put neon stars out tonight
Find the true rose of justice
So no more will die

Seattle's Dowtown Public Library...

These were taken last year when my granddaughter and I visited the fairly new Public Library Downtown Seattle to borrow some books for a project....it had been raining...

I was struck by her interest in the shapes and lines of the architecture and the art in the building. If the cell phone battery would not have run down she would have taken more photos

This is just a sample of what it's like. On a sunny day the windows would be letting in much more light, of course. It was a fun excursion, as most of the Public Libraries are older and a bit musty. Plus it had all the latest technology for making the checking out and returning of books a lot quicker. The scanner was able to read the titles of four stacked books, reading through them like an Xray machine much like those used at the airport for security. Then it was time for a hot chocolate at Starbucks ;-()

Sleeping Beauty

I wrote this a couple of years ago but I never showed it to anyone but a small handful of friends.  It speaks for itself...a familiar sight to those who live in the White Salmon, Trout Lake area near Mt. Adams in Washington State. Now I am ready to share it here ;-)

We 

                                                              by klr                                   Klickitat County WA

Her reclining silhouette looks up to heaven

draped in a gown of multi-hued greens,

she sleeps eternally above the golden valley

Hills of smoldering spruce form her breasts,

 new growth where her flowing lava hair

once was quarried.

 
Indian legend says she died of an aching heart

Gods fought for her pure love

yet she lived for no other than her young brave

The story tells how the volcanoes rumbled,

echoes of Romeo and Juliette,

immortal mountains make a true love's grave

Autumn turns her garb to silky rusts and golds,

 while hints of lime and magenta foliage

grow next to ebony bones

In winter she imparts warmth to those who eye her

A snowy princess in sweet repose

shy clouds cling to her feet

Springtime birds fly gladly all around

finding shelter in her terrain,

Rainbows often circle her throat

The sun and stars take turns

shining down upon her,

Her majesty can be seen for miles

Veils of mist breathe a faint sound

One senses a slight stirring motion

as she slumbers and smiles

Beachy collage

When we ended our e-course at Simply Hue for the Raining Umbrellas class we each sent another person a small handmade creation as a gift.  This was made for me, with care, by Sylvia Latham of Seasons + Change = Life blog and I love it!  Her photographs are a collage of items found by the sea.  Knowing that is my favorite thing in the world, she put them together in this collage....shells, more shells in a bottle, the texture of a stone wall and some green foliage in the background.  A rustic lantern containing shells and a more rustic wall with a graffiti like message to remember. 

I really like the balance of the photographs as well as the colors:  creams, browns, and golds.  My scanner did not pick up the full beauty of it as it is really a square collage with a nice black border and the copy above is rectangular. It will go perfectly with other "beachy" items in my guest bathroom.  I only hope that the gift I sent to another classmate will please her half as much as this

does me.  Thank you, Sylvia.

Blue Eyes

by klr

My whole world is right

I could be nobility

when they gaze at me

Large eyes round like pies

pools to synchronize swim in

 matching azure skies

Wings lift against gravity

love beneath holding

A fine young man's dreams

therein unfolding

His whys will get their answers

he'll march in the lead

humble and most courteous

most apt to succeed

Math comes easily

as do a circle of friends

computer savvy 

Eyes with a message

deep and far they see

my heart knows this is

immortality

                                                

Hazel Eyes

                                            

by klr

Rimmed with rings of gold

globes chestnut, jade and amber

they are hesitant yet bold

Glancing softy like a fawn

flashing with laughter,

they can be languid like a lakeside

or change like a barometer

Eyeing the next bridge

trusting and hopeful and quick

determined to win

newly twelve and chic

Filters of information

ready for some fun

windows to inner beauty

gifted imagination

She is classy, smart and free

When hazel eyes are smiling

it brings joy to me

Freehand sketch (truly) of a different Sweet Pea

What color should I paint this...pink, purple, violet???  Yellow?

Sweet Pea exercise

                           Pencil sketch                         Posturizing                            Cross process

                                                                           by klr
This was completed over the weekend while I was sitting in my back yard, using just a sheet of paper instead of a canvas board.  It could be much better as the pastel oils would have adhered better and the colors would not be so 'blah'...at least I tried and am staying true to my vow to be creative at least a couple of times a week.  And I'm willing to show all the faults and what a beginner without training can do.  Ha!

P. S.  For those of you who missed it, the slideshow of the balloon ride is up and running...posted on July 12 for the adventure exercise. ;-)

Fun color!

 Need I say more?  I borrowed these bright photos (some with copyrights) and just  had to put them together!  I love the striped dress as it speaks for a different era and I think just to wear it would make one happy.   And, oh, I once had a beach ball just like the one above....didn't we all?    A zebra of multi-colored stripes is almost surreal.  For some heavier content I added the stack of books or cds for each color is found in them as the other photos.  I especially  like  the paintbrush, an art object here, beautifully photographed. 

The glass violin shaped bottles are called Vibots and were made mostly in the 30's and 40's and I personally have collected 8  of them, each a different color.  I started with the amethyst, which is the oldest, and then added the blue, green, amber and turquoise.  Later I found a cranberry colored one on ebay and also a lighter green and a light pink. Yet to purchase is a cobalt blue one, commom and easy to find,  and a yellow one, which will be difficult to locate.  Such fun they are to put in a sunny window, which I haven't done yet because I don't have wide enough window sills.  Anyway, the theme is the use of vibrant color, found everywhere, of course, but I particulaly like these for their flair.

Farewell

The sea beckons me
ebbing gold ruffles recede 
I want to linger
 not say goodbye to summer

by klr

Continuing with the same theme of color and and the soft hues of my last post, I've been wanting to share this with anyone who has not seen it yet.  I think it sends an optimistic message; there is light after darkness, calm after rough seas, and clouds do have silver linings.  This was painted by the late Senator Ted Kennedy (1934-2011).

Colors of summer...

I simply love the way these various artists enhanced their photos.  Today one can use any one of umpteen "aps" or Internet photo sites to add, subtract, or otherwise affect a photo. The craft has more widespread appeal than ever before.




There is a lot of "eye candy" out there on flickr, photobucket, picassa, etc.  I am particularly drawn to these softly hued colors right now.  Perhaps because of the instructor of the class I took recently.  Below you will see just one grouping of many from her shop at etsy.com called Simply Hue.  The photos work in a group as one or, just as nicely, singly.

I am hoping to get a new camera up and running soon and, if the photos are decent, post them here.  If you go to flickr be sure to leave comments as any encouragement is appreciated by the artists.  I cannot hold a candle to any of  the talented photographers.  I do have a couple of favorites locally.  They are Rosemary Bannon Tyksinkski and David Perry...and my instructor for this class, Vicki Dvorak.

                                                          by Vicki Dvorak

Latest mini-reunion Washougal WA...

Last week six former classmates and two of their spouses met at the Fields' cabin on the Washougal River for a mini-reunion.  From time to time other guests have been invited..so usually there are a couple more people. It was a beautiful day of 76 degree weather.  Three of us arrived early bringing salads, meat and cheese for sandwiches, snacks and drinks. Dessert was going to be a blackberry cobbler but this year the berries are slow to ripen.  We had pineapple upside down cake instead.

Kathy Y. and Linda D.                                                                                                                   View from porch
                                    

         Jim & Pam


       

James, Linda, Kathy Y., Me, Laura, Susie

If I were to describe the personalities of each   of these people,  I'm not sure I would do them justice.  All are very special people with many talents and accomplishments and now, much more wisdom.  Most have college degrees; some of us went our own ways, leaving the small town life for the city; others returned to White Salmon after going to college or working and raised their own children there, just as we grew, with similar childhoods, the usual haunts, places to swim and explore, and playing in school sports or participating in the chorus or band or shop,    just as we did, creating their own memories.  And, they cheered for the same teams and wore the same red and white colors of the Bruins.  Here is Laura in the kitchen of the cabin. 

                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                  

Columbia High School                                                                                  Kathy Y. and Susie

                                                         

                  Washougal River                                                                 Photo by Mary Fields

Former teachers were a familiar topic of conversation.  Each visit we learn things about each other we never knew before and our relationships have grown from school friends and neighbors into adult, lifelong friendships.  We are now past middle age and turning 65 this next year. Susie and Laura and Kathy Y. are the world travelers.  Now Kathy G., Kathy Y. had just married off her only daughter who had just received a doctorate in pharmacology.  Linda provides a lot of common sense and a great sense of humor. Jim loves to hunt and fish.  At this writing, I still have not been to Ireland.  I've actually been here before...when we were young,  Laura and the family invited me to to the river where we rode inner tubes down the small rapids and swam.We floated in the water for hours.  


Some of us back to White Salmon regularly.  Not all of us have grandchildren, but we all talk fondly about our parents who are mostly gone now but who all knew each other back then and worked in town for the grocery store, school, bank, post office, law office, and newspaper and cleaners.  One had a furniture business and another worked for the city, all in close proximity of one another.  They played cards together, went camping next to each other and attended school concerts and plays to see us perform.  Living in town for most of those years, I lived on Green St. and Laura live right behind me.  We played, even after dark,  winter, summer, spring, and fall  throughout our lives.  This is Jewett Avenue, the main road going through downtown White Salmon.                                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                              
 Fields' cabin                                                                                                                                                                                                      



The cabin is cozy and small, well situated and fully equipped.  Newly constructed, it has a kitchen, living room, shower and upstairs loft/bedroom.  There is a bathroom connected.  It looks across the river to a swimming hole where there is a rope to swing on. Only Laura went for a swim across the river as I preferred wading. 'Laura's sister Mary has stayed here for weeks at a time and their mother, Inez, lived here for many years on over 400 acres.

         

                                                           
                                                                                                                                             Photos by Mary Fields and Kathy R.

One can hear the babbling sound of the river on the rocks and find agates if one spends the time looking.  The breeze was just right as we ate on the porch with the view. A pleasant, leisurely day was spent catching up on each others' lives with lots of laughter and stories, about which no one who wasn't a friend for 60 years would understand.  All of us had been in kindergarten together at the White Salmon Elementary School, grew up through the 12 grades including summertimes at the pool and finally graduated together in 1965.  I get sentimental each time we get together and it's been four times since 2006.  However, three of the gals have been seeing each other there for much longer than that.  It took me 45 years for me to reconnect with these people.  

Middle back row:
Bobby, Carla, Anne H., Susie, Kathy Y. Florence,  Me,
Roy, Linda D., Lee
Front row, right: Diana, Dennis

                                                                              Back row: left, Phil, middle,  Linda Z., far right, Laura...and so many more friends..

I suppose we will all try to keep these annual summer engagements for as many summers as we may have the good health to do so and for as long as the Fields family kindly allows us to visit this tranquil place. We will have lots to talk about and the trees record our conversations.  Well, they say walls have ears!

August - noble, lion time...

One Goddess of August- Demeter, an August moon over cornfields, the movie, Teahouse of The August Moon (with Marlon Brando, Glen Ford, Machiko Kyo and Eddie Albert), Painted Lady butterfly, afternoon sun at Napa Valley in August, St. Augustine church (Florida), Guns of August (unpretentious movie about WWI), Aurora Beaurialis, the Dog Days of August, Peridot gem, August Wilson (Playwright), Circus Time (one of my my favorite books during childhood).  Blueberries!

August - Lion Time

by klr

Dreaming of vivid

old  warm summer memories

Our minds are drifting

The sun reaches high

heat and wet at the same time

A lull in the year

Days full of stillness
reading in a silk hammock
peak season berries


And jays drinks from the fountain