Kindness

I was talking to one of the inspectors at our construction site the other day--he wanted to know if I was still painting (answer: no, but i think about it sometimes!) and I said that I was actually having a lot of fun taking pictures as of late. He listened as I told him all about the Holga (blahblahblah) and the next day said that he had a couple of old cameras he'd like me to have.

Really?!

So, yesterday, he brought in the cute little Argus camera pictured above and an ancient movie camera that fits into the palm of my hand. Who knows if they work but they'll be fun to learn about in the meantime.

I just thought that was such a kind and beautiful thing for someone to do. I've been working on selling and buying a car as of late (which is really the last thing in the world that I'd like to be doing right now) and God knew that I needed a little bit of encouragement.

:)

Memory Lane

Oh me, oh my. Yesterday an old Amy Grant song popped into my head and went into auto-replay for the rest of the afternoon so this morning, I dug around and found some of my tapes
from high school to listen to on the way to work. And I am proud to say I still know every lyric and every inflection (which is really what makes this revelation awesome) of those songs. Somehow the memory of me singing my heart out as a kid to her music made today a little happier. I was grinning and laughing by the time I got to work. Ah me.

These are good days.

Ninja Love

Sometimes you just need to bring along the little ninja guy for a hike. He helped read the sign about the various scary forest creatures we might encounter, he climbed a tree, and hid amongst the weeds. Everyone needs a ninja.

Mini World

On Saturday, we went on a hike in Malibu and the ocean was sparkling like it was filled with diamonds. I sat my camera down on the ground to get a bug's perspective and it ended up looking like a miniature world. I love it. Ah me, I love the ocean.

Calendars and Clouds

oh my oh my oh my! it is raining in lalaland.

this morning i woke up to a roaring crack of thunder outside my window and immediately following, a bolt of lightning that lit up my room. admittedly, i LOVE thunderstorms and become quite giddy about nature's light shows. it just would have been nice if the aforementioned light show and racket wasn't happening at 4 a.m. this morning, but i shouldn't be so picky. at least we are getting some much needed rain. my flowers will probably pass out from all the love they're receiving on the back porch.

in other completely unrelated news, ed emberley has a calendar. how completely amazing and wonderful is that? he has that same m. sasek look that i adore...vintage 50s with a bit of disneyland thrown in.


(from m. sasek's "This is San Francisco"...love that book.)

Lucky Weed

This little weed has the most beautiful view of the ocean.

Memories

(succulents picture taken by me)

I love succulents and cacti even if they don't always love me. (i clearly need to work on this.) When I was little, I have a memory of a house we rented with a screened-in porch and all of my dad's cacti sitting in pots along the windowsill. I must have been small since the point of view in this memory is me looking up. So maybe it was when I was 4 or so...who knows.

Anyway, I love their form and shape and the vast (and sometimes comical) variety of cactus. I love how intricately designed they are. And admittedly, the tactile part of me still can barely resist touching a cactus to this day.

Lomo Love

Very inspired by lomography right now. Especially by this interesting penchant for ferris wheel photos. I'm determined to take piles of 70's inspired prints this year.

Quiet Leaves on the Ground

Yellow leaves finally falling to the ground on New Year's Day. The rest of the trees in the background think it is spring.

Holga Love

I have wanted a Holga (camera) for a very long time. Or at least it feels like a very long time. It was one of those gifts that was a bit of a hard sell for my family, "Please, I really want this cheap plastic camera from Russia that will hopefully leak light and give me magical and ethereal pictures!" (Okay, I didn't sell it like that to them, but they did research and found these things out for themselves. I, personally, would have sent them to a lomography site so they could be as enraptured as I was...anywho...) For Christmas that year, my brother-in-law and sister bought me a little digital camera instead because they wanted me to be able to take good pictures. People! ;)

But now all has changed. I'm dating probably the most incredible guy in the world, and he gets the whole Holga love affair. The magic. The quietness in the pictures. The not-quite-knowing-what-you're-going-to-get aspect. Ah me. He's so wunderbar. And he developed the pictures too because he's like that.

(okay, okay, i'll stop gushing.)

So, above are some pictures shot at the Descanso Gardens on New Year's Day. It was such a gorgeous overcast afternoon. We took pictures until the sunlight started to fade and then went home with happy hearts. Drinking in cups of beauty has a way of doing that to you.

More Descanso...

Why hello there...I would like to eat these flowers and succulents for breakfast. If you could eat loveliness, that is, and have it seep into your bones. This day at Descanso Gardens filled my soul.

Seeing Hearts

picture taken by me on new year's day at the descanso gardens...

Taking Flight

the most wonderful necklace ever (by oh hello, friend)

I think 2010 is going to filled to the brim with new adventures.