Cowboys

It is not enough for a man to learn how to ride; he must learn how to fall.

Mexican Proverb

My family and I went to a proverbial old west/ghost town. It was made more for tourism, but we had a good deal of fun. I tried to stay with them most of the time, but I found myself poking into corners and looking for "decisive moments" to capture. When I found these three "cowboys" relaxing on the upper level of the saloon I thought I had one, but you can see the one who caught me taking the photo. I ended up talking to a few other "cowboys" who were wandering around. They were gallant, funny and sexy....I may have to give serious thought to a cowboy photo shoot.

Paula Cole, "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?":

Reflection

If we are too busy, if we are carried away every day by our projects, our uncertainty, our craving, how can we have the time to stop and look deeply into the situation-our own situation, the situation of our beloved one, the situation of our family and of our community, and the situation of our nation and of the other nations?
Thich Nhat Hahn

I finally gained access to a wireless network so I can post. It's been almost two weeks of visiting with family and gaining insight on what is going on with them. I haven't done as much with my photography as I planned on, but that is all right. With help from my mother I began knitting again and it's provided a source of calm and meditation. Also I picked up the threads of my yoga practice. Finally it has been a time of refining the decisions that will be made in the coming months.

Now is the beginning of the holiday season, a time of reflection and renewal, may yours be fruitful as it progresses...

Mediaeval Baebes, "In Dolce Jublio":

Sea of No Cares

Hey somewhere, you threw your fear in the Sea of No Cares.
Great Big Sea

After the last few days and a number of happenings (let's just saying I'm committing major acts of bravery and throwing away fear) I am having some major thoughts about where I'm going next. It may be further then I think, keep tuned...Hopefully I'll post while I'm in Arizona, but if not have a good couple of weeks....

Great Big Sea, "Sea of No Cares":

Living and Reflecting

Living is being born slowly. It would be a little too easy if we could borrow ready-made souls.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I'm leaving for Arizona for two weeks on Tuesday. I'm driving and taking Bella. This time isn't so much a vacation as it is a catching up with family, spending some time doing photography and grappling with the lessons I have stacked up on Photoshop, lighting and composition. Most importantly it's the time for reflection and planning I need before making some final decisions about where my life is going to go next year.

While in Arizona I hope to have some quality time and conversations with my sisters and mom. Until recently we have tended to have much more superficial conversations. But the last few years have begun to open up some dark places in our family that we had been afraid to look at and talk more openly about how we are feeling. I want to know how my sister is adapting to Arizona, what about it makes her sing (if any thing) and where are her tears. My other sister is beginning a real estate career and is undergoing changes in relationships. I want to know what has brought her to this moment and what is keeping her going. And I hope my mother will share her thoughts on aging as some day I will be there and would like to know how she copes with it.

With all of this I couldn't help but reflect how our lives are made up of the moments we have and how we treat them. Today's moments were spent doing the busy work one does on the weekend especially in preparation for the trip. Going to the market, cleaning house, shopping for needed fall clothes etc. In the places in between there is the time we give to maintain our intimate connection with ones mate, friends, and family. With all this busyness though I find I need to stop for reflection. This blog has become the window on my inner self, my creative soul if you would, so I continue to make the time several times a week to do it. I guess you could say it is helping me slowly give birth to a new life.

I found this incredible cover of Dan Fogelberg's, "The Sand and The Foam", enjoy:

Surreal

I know well what I am fleeing from but not what I am in search of.
Michel de Montaigne

Today was the most surreal day I have ever had. Let's see if I can qualify that statement. I've written in this blog about putting things out to the universe and trusting it to bring about what you need. Well I'm now going to qualify that a bit more: be careful what you put out to the universe because it may come back to you in ways you didn't dream would happen, and when they do, make you recognize you are a co-creator of reality. I've spent the last few days pondering some issues I need to resolve (I've fled from facing them) and when/how I should do it. Well things happened today to clear up that search and now I know what I have to or must do based on said events. Let's just say the universe hit me up side the head with a 2 by 4 to get my attention and succeeded in giving me a much needed wake-up call.

I'd been saving this eerie full moon picture I took for just such an occasion and today was that day (this one's for you Judy, feel free to add it to your collection).

Andreas Vollenweider: "Down to the Moon":

Relationship

Lust is easy. Love is hard. Like is most important.

Carl Reiner

Some days it's challenging being single in a relationship world. And finding/building a relationship is the most difficult thing of all. I've tried all levels of relationship, but I'm committed to finding the like first, underlined by a good helping of lust and hopefully tied together with love.

Bless Jill Scott, she is singing my theme song for the moment "Celibacy Blues" :

Do You....

We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment.

George Eliot

I try not to take an overwhelming amount of Bella pictures and post them. But every now and then something just hits me and I have to share. I was going to run an errand and had my camera with me. As I was leaving I looked around and saw this pathetic face looking at me as if to say,"do you have to go?" So here's the resulting shot. There aren't to many times in my life where I think I'll see this expression. What I can I say she showers myself and others with love...she's a good teacher for showing me what I should share more openly with others in my life....

Dixie Chicks, "Shower the People":

Learning

I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma.

Eartha Kitt

My best teachers have been the ones who didn't teach by rote, but by challenging my curiosity so that I went further into the subject, kept on exploring and discovering new paths. Also they haven't always been the ones with degrees. They're from the large variety of people I've encountered casually or intimately through my lifetime so far. The best have taught me and I paraphrase, "to learn to breath into the moment and not be afraid, not look away" from the opportunity that I'm being given.

Today I spent some time on lunch with some British import digital photography magazines working through CD tutorials. The theme was working with adjustment layers and masks. These seemed beyond my grasp in past months. As the saying goes when the student is ready... Through the tutorials I broke through another level of Photoshop and was able to come home to apply this successfully. It is a quiet joy/feeling of accomplishment and I am humbled that on this journey of life that I am blessed with the opportunities to continue to grow and learn from so many others.

Nerina Pallot, "Learning to Breathe":

What Would You Like to Do

Wine comes in at the mouth And love comes in at the eye.

William Butler Yeats

Another beautiful weekend to come and what would I like to be doing? Heading to wine country, tasting wine, eating well made food, and dancing the flamenco till the moon sets in the wee hours of the morning.

How about you?

Jesse Cook, "Tempest":

Celtic New Year

As you slide down the bannister of life, may all the splinters face the right way.

Today is considered by many the Celtic New Year. If my Irish ancestored maternal grandmother were alive, she'd be part of the Red Hat Society and out celebrating.

In honor of this time, I'm going to be sharing videos by a Newfoundland band, Great Big Sea. These lads know how to make music and enjoy life. The first one is a glorious craic between Great Big Sea and the Chieftains and a second for my grandmother's memory. Take a listen, go out and raise a pint or two in honour of her on this All Souls Day.

Great Big Sea, "Lukey":



Great Big Sea, "Everything Shines":