Camera Crazy

Top of the Morning to You

2012-01-26T10:37:00.003-05:00

Indeed, it's a beautiful morning with cool breezes flowing through the open windows and lots of sunshine. I just got off the phone with the carpet folks and they'll be here tomorrow morning as scheduled rather than the message he left yesterday saying it was today. More on that to follow.

While talking to Nancy the other day she asked if we were doing only the office or all the bedrooms? Three rooms of dirty carpet=Three rooms of new carpet. I'm sparing you any other gross photographic evidence of the need.

On Tuesday I rode down to Lakeland with Bruce for his meeting and lunch. Darden is demolishing a closed Macaroni Grill, replacing it with an Olive Garden. As a matter of fact, as I type this, the building is supposed to be down. Bruce met there with some firefighters from the Lakeland Fire Department who he allowed to use the building for practice before the demo. They set off smoke bombs, smashed windows, and cut holes in the roof. He was giving them permission here for one last practice session.

After our lunch with the contractor's project manager and superintendent, we drove through downtown, landing almost exactly at the spot that I had last year at Mayfaire. The lake was chock full of birds, including a group of pelicans which surprised me.

And this Canadian goose,

While I was roaming the lakeside, Bruce used the time to take a little power nap. Like a dummy I had my camera on the wrong setting so most of my time was for naught.

Before being able to take photographs in earnest I took lots of things for granted. Now, everywhere I look I see a picture, maybe not always artistic, but a moment in time I'd like to remember. I'm sure I spent most of my life oblivious to cloud formations, now, on the other hand, they are an endless source of fascination.

Taken through the windshield (I was not driving!), they were so big and fluffy! As you can see the landscape is brown; a result of our recent cold snaps. Prior to that everywhere you looked the land was as green as can be.

Returning home we got to work clearing out the closets. Thankfully I did not have to go that one alone! Originally Bruce was coming home Thursday night, however his travel plans changed when a couple of big wigs scheduled a visit to his job just outside Boston. Instead, he'll be traveling home on the company jet Friday afternoon. So, he devised the plan, and we got to work. Here's what the sunroom looks like:

Yikes!! Plus the dining room table and one of the couches are piled with clothes and stuff. He took all the shelving out, moving some of the furniture as well. He claims the workers will not be as careful and I'm sure he's right.

I was happy to have a photo shoot yesterday so I didn't have to live with the chaos. As you know, Dana is one connected lady. As manager of the Church Street Exchange building she often has photographic needs and calls on your favorite blogger. The task yesterday was to photograph all the spaces on the bottom floor from every angle which doesn't sound too hard but believe you me, it was. I spent nearly six hours doing so. With my photographic equipment, jobs like this are difficult. As well, having no editing skills doesn't help! Bruce left for the airport around 9 and I went downtown soon thereafter. I tried all kinds of settings to combat the fluorescent lighting as well as the sunlight streaming through the storefront windows. My tripod even made a rare appearance. Using my flash wore down the battery faster than I'm accustomed to so I had to come home for a fresh one, eating a quick lunch while here. Allegedly the flash is good to even out the light, however the challenge is not to have light blobs on the windows.

See what I mean? Requesting shots from the outside of the building as well as the interior store fronts proved to be quite challenging for me. She also wanted the common areas which had an entirely different type of lighting.

By far one of the nicest features is the fountain which does get light from three different directions.

Another problem are all the straight lines everywhere. I see this one is off somewhat--must fix!

As well I photographed her event space on the second floor. Converting the former Orlando Magic preview space into a party space with a small budget takes creativity for sure. This one would have been great had it not been for my bag on the floor!

Here's the next room,

Again, lighting challenges for a novice like myself. I suspect I'll have to go back, but today is not the day for that. Six hours yesterday was enough for me.

While talking to David on the phone and looking at the photos, an email notice came through on my computer. I was very happy to be chosen for the Melbourne Arts Festival. Last year I was on the wait list so being chosen this year makes me happy. For those of you who don't know it, I graduated Melbourne High School in 1971. Because I was new in town and had a long distance boyfriend, somehow I never got to know anyone those last two years of high school. I had one friend named Peggy. Kind of pathetic when you think about it. The downtown is quaint and right near water, so although the show is scheduled at the cusp of the hot season, perhaps that will make things cooler. Every now and again I like to take our show on the road. Speaking of which, Mount Dora is only NINE days away. Oh, how I hope the weather is good. Naturally I'm a little gun shy.

One final word about the shoot. A man opened a terrific gallery there, or I should say, set it up, because the grand opening is not until March. About a year ago I loaned Dana some pieces for what they hoped would be a gallery. Didn't really work. Imagine my surprise when I saw my pieces hung in the new space.

Those green palms? They are mine, however, Guy hung them in such a creative way that I think is brilliant. Originally it was to be a triptych, and I did show it that way once, however, this configuration is so much better. Of course you'd have to have a big space, but still. Before it was too dramatic, even for me. I'm very, very pleased.

In the first paragraph I mentioned the carpet timing. The fellow scared me a bit because the message he left said they would be here today. I'm not ready. The inside of the closets have not been painted in years and years and now is the time to do it. Although I'd rather lounge a bit today, the task needs doing and I'm the girl to do it. Off to the store for, if you can imagine, WHITE paint.

I'll leave you with my favorite kind of light--the sun which I'm so much better using.

So long,
Gail

Office Makeover

2012-01-23T15:18:00.001-05:00

When last we met we were talking about new walls and floors. So you saw the walls half done and the garage floor the same. Bruce finished his project and now mine is nearly complete. About the floors. For months and months now I knew something had to be done about the bedroom carpeting. Just what I wasn't sure, vacillating between new wall to wall carpeting or wood floors. In the end the carpeting won out. Try as I might I could never get these stains out, nor do I know where they came from. I am not this messy!

I hesitated about making this large because it is so darn ugly, however, believe me, it is worse in person. And these are not the only spots I'm sad to say. Finally it is going away. Thursday afternoon a nice young man came to the house with my requested "medium grade" samples. If there's one thing that confuses me it is picking out carpet amongst the gazillion styles and grades. He made it very easy for me to choose a multi-colored frisee, sort of a very short shag, which I'm happy to report will be installed on Friday, Lord willing and the creek don't rise. They call the color, Shell, which basically means off white and some brownish yarns. Unlike paint, it aint so easy to change if we don't like it so here's hoping we will.

That will be the final part of the puzzle on remodeling my office, really more like redecorating. So how am I coming? Very well thank you.

I took the curtains back to Ikea, coming home with two different ones to choose from. In the end I chose the ones that originally caught my attention. Probably would have saved me some trips to Ikea had I listened to my instinct! You may be wondering how I chose the black/white/green idea. Well the fact is that last year when I initially moved into this room we bought a chair for visitors from Ikea. Perhaps I showed you last year so bear with me on this one.

Pretty bold right? Behind it are the new curtains!!! There is the tiniest dots of orange which really sold me. I'm thinking they are pretty adorable.

I mentioned that I was waiting on Mr. Bruce to come home and take down the shelves which he did and spray painted them no less. Before he did I took a photograph of the shelves to remind me how to recreate them albeit on a different color. This is the before:

And here's the after:

Woohoo!! Bruce built the shelves more years ago than I can remember and I saw no reason to change them except for the color. I was thinking bright and cheerful rather than the old look which at one time looked a bit sophisticated. While I was at the Saturday market Bruce used four cans of spray paint to do these shelves as well as the ones on the opposite wall. Coming home I couldn't wait to get into my paint clothes and finish the walls! Shorts were the order of the day because by late afternoon it was warming up big time. Before dinner the walls were done with the shelves going up after we ate. By now I was very excited, however there was more excitement to come.

Sunday, after setting up the tent and leaving the canvas hanging to me, Bruce made a beeline home to make my new windowsills. That's right, I said windowsills. I've no idea if they were the original ones or not but what I do know is they were do for a makeover. Actually that's a project he'd already completed in the rest of the house. I've tried to crop this photo down so you can see what I'm talking about.

See that yellowish tile? Ready for a makeover. While I was chatting it up at Lake Eola, Bruce was cutting, mitering, sanding, sawing and priming. Now I have some lovely white windowsills!

Love them! See the cute little orange dots? I read in the newspaper over the weekend that Pantone, the color people, have designated Tangerine Tango the color of 2012. Sexy name and great color. Of course I've been preaching the gospel of orange for a while now. Actually they are talking a reddish- orange but anything in that family makes me happy.

Trying to put it all together using new and old stuff, I bought two large black faux crocodile boxes, or at least that's what I think they are supposed to be. The color, shine and texture attracted me as well as their storage potential. They still needed a little pop, jazz, or whatever you want to call it. Before I bought the new drapes I first tried putting some ribbon on the white ones which somehow just didn't work. I thought to myself, "self, maybe you can use it somewhere else." The boxes seemed like the next best thing.

You might think I'm a crafty kind of person but really I'm not. Today I used a hot glue gun for the very first time. No worries about anything getting on the carpet now! So, here we go:

Naturally Baxter had to check things out.

Jim and Kathy always have great plants and they didn't disappoint me yesterday with the selection. The boxes are not only for looks but to store some of my larger prints. This is a working office you know. :)
I believe it was Saturday night that I thought of something along those lines. For quite some time now I have some very predictable prints that always sell. Normally, because of space constraints, I order them two or three at a time at the most. I realized that we have what I call "the twirly thing" hanging up in the garage not earning it's keep. Now, however, Bruce got it down and it has now taken up residence in my office where it can store at least five in each holder. Brilliant. Now I must order, order, order. I believe they call that having inventory. Running out of popular prints will be a thing of the past; at least that's the idea.....

This morning, while returning a tablecloth to Ross I bought for the WG market, which proved to be too short, I found the very fun planter on the ground. Love me some Ross for decorating items. Am I the only one who has noticed that rarely do any television designers use plants? Wonder why?

Woo hoo--spotlight on the stains. I'll be emptying that cardboard box later. As well I need to hem the curtains and that will about do it. I'm sure I'll think of something else but for now it's looking cool and crisp as a cucumber.

The reason I needed another plant was because after I moved the almost blooming orchid into the office a few little buds fell right off. Boohoo! I decided it was too big an environmental shock. What I also learned yesterday from Kathy is that I need to be misting those little buds which I did vigorously this morning. One of the larger buds has now opened!

The wild green in the background is from the rye grass Bruce planted in the backyard. Backgrounds are a topic I want to discuss with you in the future. Every now and again I like to share some photography tips I've learned over the last four years. Practicing every day will teach a girl a thing or two.

Ready to put the office to good use,
Gail

New Floors and Walls

2012-01-20T10:49:00.000-05:00

When Jonathan called on Tuesday evening to let me know the quilt arrived safe and sound, he asked what I was doing. Painting. "Really," he replied with a hint of skepticism in his voice. He thought I meant artistic painting to which I replied that I only "paint" with food coloring. If he'd had time to think he would have surely figured out that his mom is always re-doing something around the house.

But before we get to me, let's see what Mr. Bruce has been up to. I suppose because he was home all last week he had time to look around a bit. Just as Bruce and I do, an older home needs constant maintenance. I don't mind being older so much just as I don't mind one bit living in a 51 year old home, it's just that there's more upkeep required for both situations! Anyway, Bruce decided the garage floor needed paint. When he decides to do something, it's a big one. Moving what he could on Sunday afternoon, we did not unload the vehicle when we returned from the market so that what is ordinarily stored on his big saw table could make room for everything movable in the garage. Staying up later, at least for us, on Sunday night, he scrubbed and scraped the floor. In an highly unusual move, he took the holiday off, at least from Darden work. Rising early, he got to painting.

It looks good folks.. See the poster on the cabinet? On a trip to London almost eight years ago he asked the proprietor of a pub if he could take it home. His idea of a souvenir.

As you know I'm a story lover from way back. An older home is full of stories. Old bits of paint, wallpaper, flooring, cabinet linings. I like that kind of stuff. The next owners of our home will wonder what the heck were they thinking when they did__________. You fill in the blank. Nevertheless, we do our projects with gusto all the while thinking they are super despite what future generations will think!

Following the painting we took a trip to Ikea for some sort of rug to put in front of both the bench and the washing machine. Just because it's a garage doesn't mean it can't be nice you know. While there we looked, measured and pondered about ideas for my office. How about this? How about that? Color??

That's it! Bruce left early Tuesday morning as I mentioned and when I woke up that day, it hit me that the reason I was struggling with ideas is because I had no color scheme. You know where I went. Sherwin Williams, my favorite paint store. Actually before I left the house I had pretty well decided on yet another green room with the white table and black accents. What can I say, I like green?

While there I did pick up some new HGTV paint cards seeing if they had any power to sway my decision. They did not. The green I had in mind was a bit what I'm calling "minty", however after a consultation with Angela, who by the way, hardly had to stand on the stool to tape these bits to the wall, I made my decision. You see, I needed something to match my robin's egg blue ceiling which I did not want to do away with.

My choice was the bottom left one even after Angela tried to dissuade me from painting yet another bedroom green. You know how much the paint color means to me if you've been reading this blog for any length of time; this one, "Cucumber" is no exception. Crisp, cool and light. Perfect.

You also know full well that when I get an idea I act upon it immediately. Back to SW, paint and new brush secured, and let the painting begin!

Ordinarily I use the brushes we have but I had a coupon and the desire for a new one. Good decision. A sash brush works like a charm at the ceiling line. I learned from Bruce not to be afraid, load the brush up and make big strokes and you are get to go. I did what I could without Bruce being here to help me move things, working until well after dark.

I couldn't wait for the morning light to see how it would look. I was pleased. The funny thing about color is that although as a whole the room looked gray, it had a lot of lavender undertones as you can see on the right. Wednesday I got around the corner on the left and half way around the room on the right. Bruce will spray paint the shelves a crisp white. Not the total slacker as far as spray painting is concerned, I took down the old mirror and spray painted it black.

I was puzzling about the curtains, whether to use the plain white tab tops, or go with something a little jazzier. After another trip to Ikea to buy Bruce an additional rug after we found the first one worked so well, I chose these striped ones, however, after looking at them for a day I've decided they will not work, mostly because the heavy fabric is too much around my desk. I've packed them up and yet another trip to Ikea is in store for today. Good thing the store isn't far! When I discussed it with Angela the other day she tried to dissuade me from going jazzy, saying as always I have too much going on, but I'm ignoring her advice. There's another pair there that I think will be perfect. I like jazzy. Will all this spiffing up make me a better writer or photographer? Probably not but it makes me happy so that's something.

Another project underway was the preservation of the cardinal's nest I found in the yard. While chatting with Matt on FaceTime Monday afternoon I showed him the nest. He seemed duly impressed, going so far as to look up how to preserve it. (Imagine in the future when I die and the kids have to go through my things!!!) Humoring me, he found the best way was to use Mod Podge, a 70's throwback if ever there was one. Mix it with water and spray, letting it dry between coats were the instructions I remembered. And so I did. The above link is one I want to visit again so I can use up said Mod Podge.

How wonderful is that nest I ask you? Amazing piece of architecture.

Yesterday I skipped bridge. Didn't want to but something had to go. One of my problems is I'm constantly getting sidetracked taking photographs. Everything inspires me. I tell myself--"Self--NO MORE!!", yet I pick up the camera in between everything. My windowsill is a constant tease.

See those adorable African violets I got from Jim and Kathy on Sunday at the market??? All week they kept begging to have their photograph taken and I've complied, trying different lighting situations. I'm pretty partial to bright.

And then there are the morning walks with Baxter. The other day we went down to the lake where I saw this cool lake mussell, or that's what I think it is.

You know those cardinals keep me from getting things done!

The best and worst idea I ever had--putting the Nuttery where I can see it all the time. The robins were back this week, however, they were too high up in the oaks for my lens. Maybe they'll come down to earth one of these days.

So, last night I forced myself to work on the prints. The picture isn't great because I took it at night but I would like you to notice the black boxes on the floor on the left side of the table.

Woohoo!!! While starting the sprinkler the other afternoon I glanced over--lo and behold an orchid from last year is blooming proving there is a FIRST time for everything. As you can imagine I was delighted.

Okey dokey--off to Ikea to exchange the drapes and try again. Mr. Bruce returns this afternoon. Talking last night on the phone I mentioned how happy I was that he'll be home soon to move the furniture and such. Whoops!!! I'm happy honey just to see your smiling face.

More about floors next time,
Gail

Good Morning

2012-01-18T07:01:00.000-05:00

I'm up super early, as in a little before 5:00. Of course, that can happen if you go to bed at 9:00, right?

Forgive me for backing up but we've got some catching up to do. It's the time of the year when it seems my brain is on overdrive thinking of things to photograph, either in a new light, or entirely new. Plus, there are the markets which provide an endless variety of subject matter. For the most part, all of the photos of the folks visiting the market are candid, however, on occasion I see something that is so perfect, particularly where children are concerned, that I ask permission. In this case, the little girl posed for me with her mother looking on with a big smile on her face.

According to her Mom, she wanted to bring the little basket to the market for shopping. She should be the poster child for the market with her sweet smile!! I was chatting with someone when I saw her, excused myself quickly, and got the shot. Seriously sweet.

Another woman I've become friends with is from an old Winter Garden citrus family. Their oranges, from both Winter Garden and near Vero Beach, are mostly sold for juice to a brand located in Lake Wales called Florida's Natural. Closer to home, as on her property, they grow pomelos, a citrus fruit for SE Asia. I finally tried one on Saturday and they are good. Big too.

As in, nearly twice the size of a grapefruit, which from what I've heard, is a descendant of the pomelo. (The link will be blank today as Wikipedia has gone black to protest legislation before Congress. I left it because I thought perhaps you might want to see the protest.) I thought the contrasts of colors, not to mention textures, made this an awesome photo on the fly.

Friday was a busy day around here, with my prints finally ready. Oh my, there are a bunch. In the last two weeks I've sold 47 prints, so although this looks and sounds like too many, these should last me for a month at that rate.

Maureen graciously offered to help me--I'm no fool, come on over!! And she did, putting the stickers on all 100 of them. This may not sound like much, but believe me, with two stickers on the back of each print, it's an enormous help. Now, if only I can get them all signed.....

After the delicious meal at Armando's, I was anxious for Bruce to try the place. I'm not sure if I can write this properly but I'm going to try because it was such a crazy experience. I mentioned the service was abysmal on our previous visit. Well, this time as we entered the crazy busy space, a hostess came right up to us saying the only seats were at the bar. Before we had time to agree to that, a server came up to Bruce, saying with a very straight face, "You're not welcome here." As you can imagine Bruce was flabbergasted to say the least. In fact, he was tongue tied! Immediately, after gauging his reaction, the server said, "That man over there said so." Good one Steve Vaughn! A friend of ours pulled a pretty impressive practical joke on the fly wouldn't you say? After visiting with Steve, Kirsten and her sister Bee (remember them from the after Christmas party?), we made our way to the bar with Kimberly as our server. She was a delight, the food was delicious; what can I say, aside from the joke, it was perfect. Of course without the joke the story wouldn't be half as good. This was the first that we'd seen a person with a light attached to their glasses to read the menu.

You see the guy in the red shirt? Very interesting. The standing server in the white shirt was the deliverer of the joke. Further, the man seated to my right at the bar lives in David's condo complex and knows the twins quite well. A very small world we live in.

You saw the tree yesterday, as well as some leaves on the ground, but what you haven't seen is them in water with rain drops.

We had a super windy day recently which blew the leaves from the far side yard to the front side yard, landing in the birdbath. Speaking of which, I'm sad to say, rarely has the bath seen action. But when it does, I sure hope I can get a photo of the occasion!

I also took Baxter back to the park the other day for an afternoon walk. He goes pretty nuts when we pull up, whimpering to get out of the car. Spanish moss, remember how we talked about it spreading? The cypress trees near the lake are filled with it!

Pretty dramatic huh? Made even more so after the needles have fallen. The roses were looking spectacular in the mild weather.

The lake in the background was sparkling in the mid-day sun as if it were full of diamonds. Lovely.

Returning home I made some afternoon tea. Not just any tea mind you, but tea straight from London via Tom. Of course I couldn't just drink it, I tried out different still lifes using the clear cup Matt gave me a few years ago for my birthday.

Recognize the fabric? Liberty. Look closely and you may notice the individual tea leaves. You can't do that with most of the tea I buy. Pulverized tea leaves mostly. Bruce, staying within our Christmas budget, also bought me tea from Teavana called Golden Monkey. Despite the name Golden, it is a black tea with a very mild taste. The boys are spoiling me!

Not to leave the Sunday market out of the blog, it was chilly and sunny and crowded! There were the usual abundance of dogs, including this one my friend Kathy is admiring. Too funny that they match! What, pray tell, is the owner thinking putting a tutu on a dog? Make them stop!!!

Always willing to keep an eye on my booth when I take a bathroom run, my days at the market would not be nearly as nice without Kathy as my neighbor. Plus, they sell fantastic plants. A week ago she mentioned one of her Golden Retrievers was very sick, and in fact, she had to be put down last Monday. Kathy loves the dogs at the market like I love all the little children. It was not a good week for my friend. Nugget was her name.

Daylight is approaching which will allow me to work on the project I'll reveal tomorrow. Food, paint--right on.

Always busy,
Gail

Yard Finds

2012-01-17T07:25:00.000-05:00

Back to your regularly scheduled blogging friends. Mr. Bruce is at the airport as I type awaiting a flight to the cold country. It's been somewhat chilly here the last few days, however, it's much, much colder there. Brrrrrr........

Friday morning, while it was still a bit cloudy I was out back hanging clothes on the line and cleaning the pool. I glanced over and thought how pretty and colorful the tree was along with the bougainvillea; I knew it was an Olympus moment. Pool cleaning had to wait a bit.

What I've been doing of late is keeping the 20mm lens on the Olympus and the 55-200 on the Nikon so I can shoot the birds through the windows. It's working quite well. Before I got the 20mm lens I read great reviews with most of the folks saying that once they had it they kept it on their cameras, shunning the kit lens. I now know why. Although the body of my camera is Olympus, the lens of which I speak is made by Panasonic, a brand you know I'm partial to because that's how I got my start as an art photographer. I still miss my baby camera--what a shame I lost it. The weird thing is I've rarely lost anything that I can recall, however, I do recall I lost my starter camera. Boohoo!

Anyway, with the Olympus in hand I decided to challenge myself in my own yard using the Black and White Film Grain setting on the camera. It's no wonder that people think b&w pictures are dramatic as I hope to show you with these simple images.

This one is of the little gnome we brought home from Bruce's Mom's house.

His little face is showing wear now that we've had him out in the sun protecting our new tree. Actually this little guy, who is actually a sprinkler, was a gift from us to her long ago. You might note that finally the stakes are gone keeping the tree in place for which I'm exceptionally grateful. It took a lot of whining to convince Bruce that after eight months the tree was established. I hope he does not have the chance to say "I told you so!"

Still in the side yard, Pat and Ruth gave us a lovely iron heart for Christmas which looks especially interesting amongst the fallen leaves.

I've placed it under the bird feeder near the flowers in my garden. I'm thinking it will work well in the warmer weather for the butterflies who like to light upon hard objects to gather warmth. While on the subject of gardens, I'm so happy with this sign I purchased at the Geffrye Museum while visiting Matt in London this summer. I only wish they'd had a larger one!

On the other side of that fence is our back yard which closes using this:

Keeping in mind I'm wandering around the yard looking for stuff, I came across this pile of logs from our fallen tree which Bruce stacked like this to discourage nest building by pesky rodents.

The stump to the right is another leftover from the big tree. Not to get too far off topic, but there are those who might be saddened to see this horrible story about the Big Tree which burned yesterday. 3,500 years old and now gone???

Of late we've been spared the presence of rats, however, the squirrels still wreak havoc any chance they get. Bruce managed to fix most of the kayak, however, he still sees small areas of chewing which is pretty discouraging. He know has no idea where to store the boat to keep them at bay. Thus, it's still on the deck adjacent to the pool.

It's a testament to photography that even a hose can look good.

The foliage intermixed is the brown bud alamanda we planted when we did the remodel. It seems to be a mistake as the branches go hither and yon at will. That said, the yellow flowers are nice and as Bruce keeps reminding me, a tropical yard should be a bit wild.

Moving into the front yard, here's the plant shelf on the porch,

with the trailing golden pathos which is also known to spread far and wide. Then there is the sign on the street side of what we fondly call the jungle.

That's our gigantic oak tree on the right without many leaves remaining. It is so weird how the leaves have fallen this year. This tree is always first, followed by our neighbor on the pool sides huge oaks which really dump in our back yard. To date, they are still on his tree. Perhaps I'm confused. Maybe they don't fall until March? In any case, it's made my pool cleaning duties easier for the moment.

Had enough black and white? Well, me too. The leaves on the Chinese Tallow tree in our yard have been just as beautiful as the neighbor's tree I showed you a few days ago. Here's the reason I even went and got my camera.

I'm often asked about black and whites, whether I have any or not. There are very few in my baskets. Responding to the question, I tell folks that I took black and white images for 35 years and that was mostly enough for me. On the other hand, every now and again it's kind of fun to experiment. Never fear, I won't be devoting a whole post to this topic any time soon. Color is my middle name.

This post has been on my mind since I shot the photos on Friday, however, things have gotten in the way of blogging. This week should be different--don't be surprised if I write every day because I've got lots to say. Hopefully you'll want to read it.

Colorfully yours,
Gail

Mama Cardinal

2012-01-15T07:47:00.001-05:00

It's cold outside. It's market day. What am I going to wear to stay comfortable throughout the long day outside? Mmm.....

Rather than decide just yet I just had to show you a few more cardinal pictures. I'm sure you're sick of them no doubt, nevertheless, indulge me if you will.

I was freaking out when I saw this on the camera.

Now, if only it were perfect. Normally our cardinals eat in the morning or evening, thus, rarely am I able to photograph them in bright sunlight. I'm thinking they are eating more now because they are building a nest at a location yet to be determined. Mama, in particular, will stay put for some time, whereas Papa is always an eat and run kinda guy.

The Nuttery is now in a perfect location for me to not only see, but hear our little bird family. In the sunlight she looks beautiful don't you think?

What is so cool about the previous photo to me is how red her feathers are that we normally don't see. She's hiding her good looks most of the time. What is also so cool is how agile these birds are, twisting and contorting to get at the food.

Fantastic, huh?

Now that I've gotten that out of the way it's time to get this show on the road. When I open my closet after showering, some outfit will speak to me. We'll talk more tomorrow.

Wish me luck!
Gail

Better Late Than Never

2012-01-12T17:57:00.000-05:00

They got me this time. Just because they let me off in November from jury duty apparently did not mean they were through with me. Not a month later I received another jury summons which I attached to my bulletin board. Because we all know how forgetful I am I also had my phone remind me not once, but two times.

And so it was, that after calling the phone number on the card to see if my juror's number was selected, I made my way to the courthouse early yesterday morning. How early? Well, the card stated 8:00, however I didn't know if that meant on the property, or through the security line, thus I got there just as the sun was rising.

I was able to take this photograph from high up because they stressed that all jurors MUST park on the 7th or 8th floor of the adjacent garage. Round and round I went through the empty floors because I'm a rule follower. Those who don't follow rules really rile me up. Funny I should say that because had I been picked for a jury I suppose I'd be judging a non-rule follower! I was not chosen. As I exited the courthouse for lunch this scene made me think of only a few months back when the area was SWARMING with reporters for the trial of you know who.

The most exciting part of my day came while I was eating lunch in a diner behind the courthouse. Now, this isn't just any diner. Oh no my friends. I'd not been in the place in more than 34 years, ever since the night before we moved to California. There is a motel, now a Travelodge, next door where we stayed after our home was all packed up on a truck bound for Southern California. The following morning we would drive our little blue Toyota Corolla with a small Ford truck in tow. That was then.

In the here and now I walked over under gloomy skies, entering only to find one other patron. Mmmmm.....it was a tad early so perhaps that is why. Soon thereafter, some guys in Sheriff's vests came in talking on their updated versions of walkie-talkies. Taking a seat they seemed a tad agitated.

Naturally this is a phone photo which you sure can use surreptitiously! Anyway, they turned out to be SWAT team guys involved in a stake-out at the motel!! They talked about how they had already nabbed someone and were just waiting for another to arrive. Drama at the Diner!!

As I walked back around the other side of the building I came across a war memorial I had no idea existed. Soldier's names from as far back as the Second Seminole War are inscribed. The back side of this shows those Central Florida soldiers who lost their lives in the World Wars, as well as the Korean War. Built in the late 90's I can't believe I never knew it was there.

One of the instructions for jurors was to dress appropriately. Apparently few people read the instructions. I don't know why it surprised me that so many of the 200+ people were in jeans and shorts, but it did. I told you I was a rule follower. For the first hour or so I visited with two very sweet young ladies. Both of them are students, one for Radiologic Technology, if you can imagine, and the other Electrical Engineering. The EE major kept saying how much she loves math! Yikes! Unfortunately they were both called early on so I spent the rest of the hours reading some of the Carol Shields short stories, a Time magazine article about Hillary Clinton, an Asheville, North Carolina arts magazine, the crossword puzzle from Tuesday's paper and finally the Good Housekeeping Corrine gave me two weeks ago. Around 2:30 they dismissed the uncalled, thank goodness; we could have had to stay until 5:00.

So, the GH inspired me to do a little organizing, after all, it is that time of the year right? I stopped by Ross on my way home, looking for a few containers to complete my project. The other night I made some mashed potato cakes and while they were frying I dug around in my tool drawer for a certain kind of spatula only to give up because of the jumble. That, at least for the near future, is now a struggle I'm putting behind me because.......TA DA..take a look at this!

If I weren't so lazy I would have re-shot the after photo taken when it was getting gloomier still. The messy drawer was a lot more colorful wasn't it? From there I went to our bathroom which I know is making Nancy smile as she's reading this. During her summer visit she urged me to work on the drawers however I put it off until yesterday afternoon. What you see below is the sum total of my makeup which to some might seem like a lot, others think not so much.

The little white basket is for everyday use. Now all I need to do is get in the habit of using it every day! I highly recommend the activity for a gloomy afternoon.

While Jonathan and Alissa were here for their Christmas visit I told them one of their gifts was incomplete. I did show it to them with the caveat that I would mail it as soon as I was done. Way back in October I got the notion to make them a lap quilt with some fabric I'd had for quite some time. As in maybe 10 years? Can't really remember but rummaging through my fabric box from under the bed I thought--Gail, this fabric bears a small resemblance to the Texas Longhorn colors. Why not? I used a few blocks I'd made whenever that long ago time was, adding new ones to complete a nine patch pattern. Nine patches, each consisting of nine patches or squares in everyday lingo. Baxter was checking out the quilt top on October 24th.

I pieced two stripes on the back side, sandwiched the batting in the middle and began hand quilting. The quilt went with me to the markets, rolled up and stitched while I was waiting on folks to come to my booth. Then along came Christmas prep and my time quilting diminished. I showed them how far I'd come and kept at it once they left. Tuesday afternoon I was finally done and ready to put on the outer binding.

Now you can see the back as well as some of the quilting. I'm very impressed with some of the machine quilting I've seen others do, however, my skills in that area are not so great. Thus, needle and thread for me. I probably should have waited until it was washed to photograph it but I didn't. Washing really amps up the look, giving it lots of good pucker.

Another TA DA! Two in one day no less. It's all washed now, rolled up on the counter awaiting a trip to the post office. According to Jonathan a lap quilt for the couch will be most welcome because, unlike here, it is cold in Austin. Except that apparently we are heading into a little cold snap tonight. Yesterday, despite an 80% prediction for rain, we got just enough to dampen the ground. Thus, I'll believe it's getting cold when I feel it.

Having Bruce in Orlando is a good thing. I CANNOT remember the last time he was in town for the whole week. Plus, he's been going to the office which I've highly encouraged. He swears he gets more done working here, however, I think an office is where you work, and a home is where you live. We've agreed to disagree on this one. Cooking has once again slipped into my repertoire with some very tasty meals eaten if I do say so myself.

Every time the boys come home--boys? What boys? They are men now. Okay, the men come home, they always leave me with new music to enjoy and this year was no exception. I'm hearing for the first time the Foals, Fleet Foxes, Friendly Fire (lots of F's there), Rumer, Laura Marling, Cee Lo Green, Big Deal and Cut Copy, along with some new music by some of my favorite bands, Elbow, The National, Death Cab for Cutie, and Tift Merritt. There are others whom I've forgotten but the one thing I can say for sure is that it has been wonderful listening to it all on both my Shuffle around the house and on my phone in the car. Good stuff.

Speaking of new music, Betty Wright has been around a long time, and she too has a new album. I heard the linked interview today on "Here and Now" and what a voice! I think I'm inspired to look for either her CD, or learn to buy music from iTunes. Another day, another learning experience.

The kitchen is calling my name,
Gail

Is This All the Same Artist?

2012-01-09T17:17:00.004-05:00

Why yes, it is. Continuing the conversation, the woman said to me, "usually there is a theme, but you've got all kinds of things here. Why yes, I do. Can't help it folks. I just love taking photographs of just about anything. As if my regular readers needed reminding! If you're just stumbling across this blog you'll discover for yourself just what I'm writing about.

Friday night didn't go quite like we imagined when we left the house. Because the hour was getting late for the sleepy heads, we decided to go to a local Italian restaurant in a strip center. Perhaps I've mentioned Amalfi in the past. I won't be mentioning it in the future I can tell you that right now. Sadly, after trying to order pizza and being told they were out of dough on a Friday night, we knew something had changed. On any prior visit the food was quite tasty. These were two pretty miserable glasses of wine:

I think the glass she gave Bruce held about 3 ounces! Eventually the server returned saying they had only 10 inch dough prepped, as in most likely unfrozen? Turns out the chef retired, as did all the staff. I'm saddened that what was once a nice little local restaurant will be closing soon unless they get their act together very soon.

Winter Garden was slow for me however I managed a few sales and enjoyed myself nonetheless because the weather was SO nice after the initial chill wore off. On my way I had to stop and take a photo of Lake Gem Mary. I do so hope you can see what I saw.

The fog above the lake like that in a little line was a very fine sight indeed. On my way home I had to photograph this because two of my boys, not to mention my niece and her husband have all lived in Chicago at one time or another.

People always ask me if I carry my camera everywhere. I do. I'm still experimenting with phonography but I'm not there yet.

Saturday night I watched a little HGTV with Bruce, something I rarely do. He, on the other hand, loves that channel, leaving it on all day above his desk while he's working from home. I am now officially inspired to work some magic on my office. If only we could decide what to do with the floors in the bedrooms! The carpet, although not that old, has somehow become more stained than I'm happy with. New carpet? Wood? Decisions, decisions.

The opening lines came during the Lake Eola market which was jam packed with people, most of whom did not buy a thing from your favorite blogger. And then they did. The final hour was busier than the entire previous six. All in all, I sold 21 things making me very happy. A new buyer bought nine 8x10 prints!!! I think she kinda liked my stuff and I won't be surprised if I see her again. Nice.

I am super excited to show off the next photograph which if it hadn't been so darn foggy this morning I think could have been better. That said, how about seeing through the wings on Mr. Cardinal enjoying his breakfast at the Nuttery?

Before he flew up there he was hanging for a moment on what was supposed to be a baffler; in bird jargon, that means something slippery so you know who can't get to the feeder.

Since I mixed the two seeds, those pesky squirrels have given up on the Nuttery, leaving all the good stuff for our feathered friends.

As you're well aware, the winter so far has pretty much been a no-show, with only two cold days in the books to date. The flowers and birds are all mixed up. This morning while out watering I discovered the azaleas are already blooming.

I thought the sunlight and shadows on the front porch was so pretty I had to photograph it as well.

Mr. Baxter and I took a walk to see what we could see. The Chinese tallow trees, normally bare by now, are just changing and dropping their leaves.

Very pretty aren't they? The neighbor's tree has such interesting branches, all twisty like.

The day began foggy, the sky turned the gorgeous shade of blue seen above and now it's overcast. I see here that the week should be nice with a little rain (we need it) and some chilly nights for the weekend. Is it any wonder Florida is now the 4th most populous state in the nation?

Spanish moss. Let's talk about how prevalent it is. There's a few globs in the above tree, but nothing like down at the other end of the street. You'd think I'd changed this to sepia but I didn't. Sunset is coming.

According to this, the moss migrated from South Carolina to Georgia to Florida, thriving in warm humid climates. We've got that in spades for most of the year! All the trees at the end of the street have tons of it, probably migrating from tree to tree.

Before I go for the day, let's talk a minute about the veggies from Jonathan and Amy at Lake Eola. Their big farm is in Belle Glade, but now they have a five acre plot to tend in Winter Garden as well. Don't ask me how a couple with seven, yes seven, children can do what they do, but there you go. They do it. The onions below are from their place, called Strawberry Onions because they are planted between rows of strawberries in organic farming.

Very cool, and according to Amy, they are sweeter than Vidalia onions but don't tell the folks from Georgia that. These tomatoes are enough to make anyone's mouth water.

Beautiful aren't they? There is another couple who sell hydroponic tomatoes they grow, which are lovely as well.

Certain times of the year they also have heirloom tomatoes in several different colors. Finally, Joseph Martens, our terrific entertainer, plays musical chairs with the children. The prize? A bag of freshly popped kettle korn from Larry and Dina. Normally I don't get to watch it but I was making a quick run around to get some photos as they were just getting set up.

Sleeveless and shorts in January folks. That's Florida for you.

p.s. One of my visitors yesterday was a photographer and his wife. Very nice folks who I met a few years ago when the city of Orlando wanted me in the annual calendar. He mentioned this blog, saying he could not believe how long I've been writing. My response was, well, unlike a sales venue, or a contest, no one judges me here. I can write and show whatever I like without repercussions.

Thanks so much for being a part of it with me,
Gail

You Saw This Coming

2012-01-06T14:54:00.002-05:00

If you've been a reader of Camera Crazy for any of the past year, you know I've been sad about my sales. You also know how I mourned the rain out at Winter Park and with good reason! Yesterday and today I've been working on getting all the expenses together for our income tax filing.

One thing about being a small business owner is that there is much more to it than one would think. Prior to opening Out & About Photography I threw everything away. Bills, once paid were history. Now I've had to retrain myself to file everything away. I don't like filing everything away. But, I do it nonetheless, albeit in a haphazard fashion. This year I'm thinking I'll use our Orlando Sentinel bill somehow...

So, the good news is I did not lose any money if you don't count my time as worth anything. The so-so news is that this year I HAVE to do better. My car is in the driveway all packed for Winter Garden in the morning. Let's hope I can muster more sales at that location! Starting tomorrow!

This morning I was feeling the bug of creativity. Typically, January has been a good month for me to shoot something that is a winner. Looking at my still very nice roses on the kitchen table I kept thinking there must be something I could do with them. The pool--always the pool.

I'm still not sure about this one but I thought you might think it was fun. The colors are oh so beautiful. I took others, maybe nothing of interest, but I did have fun and taking photographs is supposed to be FUN! This was in between laundry and some very minimal cleaning. Minimal cleaning is my middle name.

Bruce has finally gone to his office today. Imagine that. It's been weeks since last he graced the Darden headquarters. I told him this morning as he left that the girls would all be happy to see his handsome face. He did look cute.

So, I'm waiting on him as I type and it's nearly 7:00. He promised to call before arriving so I'd know when he would be home. Oops--he just walked in. We're having a date tonight. Don't know where just yet--perhaps that great place I went to with Ha and our Austin family.

Another idea occurred to me--after all this time I know that people purchase photography mostly because of nostalgia. Good or bad, that's what they do. Pocket watches! We have two old pocket watches here. Excellent photographic material. Plus I spent some time reading about them. Here's an amazing article about timepieces from Harper's Weekly, written in 1869, you will discover if you read it that things have not changed very much. We think computers are great, smart phones, and the like but arguably, reliable timepieces are one of the greatest inventions of all time.

You'll find out more about this watch after I've had a chance to discuss it with Bruce. What I learned from that site is the age of the watch which I gathered from this:

See those numbers on the bottom left? That tells me that the watch was made in 1917! Imagine that? The glass is missing from that one but not from this one which is much newer:

That is if you count 1924 much newer! I'll have to redo these when I'm not wearing a bright coral top!! See reflections.

I could go on and on but Mr. Bruce is waiting in the wings......

Good night,
Gail

Treats all Around

2012-01-05T09:25:00.002-05:00

So, you've heard about the tea and chocolates from London. What I've yet to write about is another amazing food gift from Jonathan and Alissa.

Friday evening, the eve of Christmas Eve, Alissa was checking something on her laptop just as the doorbell rang. Our UPS guy usually rings the bell, leaving the goods by the door. (she was checking the delivery time) And oh my, did he bring something good! Garrett Popcorn !!! Although I'd never heard of it before I won't soon forget how delicious it is. They ordered the Chicago mix which is caramel corn and cheese popcorn all mixed together. According to them, people line the sidewalks waiting for the hot stuff and now I see why. If it is any better hot, I can't imagine how people can stand it! The sweet and savory mix has to be tried to be believed. Next time I'm in Chicago I'm definitely heading there.

Bruce has three projects in various stages of construction in Maryland. Famous for crabs and seafood it is. Well, knowing how I love to try things from various states and countries he gave me a container of Obrycki's Seafood Seasoning. I've yet to try it because we've either been out somewhere or he's not been home, but apparently it is famous as well. Note to self--must buy shrimp.

Speaking of notes, that is one of the most useful things about my new phone. I just speak to the phone before I go out on errands--forgetting things should soon be a thing of the past. I know, I know, I could have just written things down and on occasion I would. Because the phone is new I'm giving it a go, hoping to change my spotty note writing behavior. Perhaps this counts as a New Year's resolution?

Back to the treats. Good grief the house is full of them! People seem to get a kick out of my birthday being on New Year's Eve. I'm not one of them for a variety of reasons, one of which is that all the year's treats are bunched into one week! In a very big surprise, last evening Mr. UPS rang the bell again. Did I order something I thought? Why no, I didn't, but Elena Gerli did. I've never met Elena in person, only through her photographs and writing online. A week or so ago she sent me a message, asking for my physical address. Okay. Apparently at some point in the past few years she recalled that I love See's Candies, made in her home state, California. Opening the box I was delighted to find a one pound box of chocolates. Using my camera phone application Instagram, I took this:

I'm wondering if perhaps I should change my birthday to July? So many treats, so little time.

Yet another treat came on Monday night. We had dinner with Cris, Judy, Katie and Jessica--the other Pecks. Judy is famous for her love of Christmas, each year decorating not one, but multiple trees for their home. This one below is the Granddaddy of them all. Apparently there are 2,500 lights!!!!

Bruce and I figured we used may 250 on ours? The picture below says a lot to me. There is love on her face as she points out some of her favorite ornaments.

I forgot to ask how many ornaments it takes to decorate a 12' tree--hard to imagine. We got to see our nieces, Jessica,

who is close to Bill and Dave's age. As well, Katie, who is seven months younger than Matt.

That's Katie on the right and Bill on the left. And THAT cake in the front was for me!!! Aren't those darling candles? I was so surprised! Judy made a delicious lasagne--her own creation. Unlike our children, Katie and Jessica don't look much alike, somewhat like Bruce and his brother Cris.

It was the first time we all sat around the dining table which Cris and Judy inherited when Bruce's mom died almost two years ago. Time sure has a way of getting away from a person. Don't you agree?

Aside from eating treats you may be wondering what I've been up to. Ordering, my nemesis. I went through the entire 1,000 pictures of mine that Mr. Roger has uploaded to Picasa web albums, making a list. Once that misery was over, I was trying to force myself to type it and send it via email. While talking to him yesterday afternoon about how much I didn't want to, he suggested I use my phone to photograph the lists and send it that way. And so I did.

I'm thinking positive friends, ordering nearly 100 prints and actually even more. A month from now I'll be showing for the second day at the Mount Dora Art Festival and Lord willing I'll need all those prints! He said it worked perfect. Although I resisted getting this phone, it sure is coming in handy.

The cold weather did materialize, although at our home it wasn't nearly as cold as predicted. Count me happy to have been able to wear my Uggs all day yesterday! This morning was crisp and cool again, with steam rising from the lake two doors down at sunrise.

Time to spiff up a bit for bridge. We didn't meet during the holidays so it's anyone's guess how much I'll remember, but I'm sure to have fun nevertheless.

Stay warm dear readers,
Gail

January 2012 Begins

2012-01-02T09:25:00.000-05:00

I just awoke from a long winter's nap, minus the winter. Still warm, however, predictions for colder weather are here. I'm titling this post using 2012 mostly because I want to start getting used to it immediately!

Just looking at the volume of people enjoying the pool at both the Marriott

and the Ritz

would make one think it was summer, and truthfully it was pretty darn warm. I wore a sleeveless dress on my birthday which has happened before but is always surprising when it happens again.

Arriving just before our scheduled 3:00 check in we walked into their beautifully decorated lobby,

only to be told that the room was not ready. Because we are early-to-bed types, my plan was to take a nap in our room allowing us to possibly stay awake until midnight. Instead we roamed around the property, both at the Ritz and the Marriott, marveling at the beauty.

After a drink at the poolside bar, we finally had our room and what a room it was! Before we went up I convinced Bruce to let me re-shoot the hand picture which did not turn out nearly as well as our previous one, mostly because it was so darn sunny!

Opening the door this is what we saw:

a big suite! The bedroom was gigantic,

as was the bathroom which I did not photograph for some reason. You'll have to trust me when I say it was, and still is, for that matter, as large as one of the bedrooms at our house! Showering the next morning, I thought it was some kind of new design, no step in for the shower, however, Bruce thinks it is a handicapped room, perhaps accounting for the large size. At any rate, lovely.

After a short nap by Mr. Bruce, we spiffed up and walked over to the Ritz arriving at 6:30. They offered either an early seating beginning at 5:30, or one at 9:00. You can imagine we chose the former. The room was lovely with impeccable service and food.

The ambient lighting made for some serious photographic challenges! Bruce is choosing his courses,

settling on just the opposite of what I ordered. I noticed that in a very 2011 move, they offered vegetarian choices at each course, although the price seems a little steep for Saffron Scented Quinoa.

The table to Bruce's left turned over while we were there, with the next couple bringing their daughter who was more content to read than converse.

I must admit that although they knew it was my birthday they did not put a candle in my dessert.

On the other hand, they did put a flower on top...

After dinner we walked back to the Marriott which for me was no mean feat considering I was wearing heels, somewhat of a rarity these days! It was all so very lovely, what with multiple decorated Christmas trees, an event on the lawn between the properties and all the gorgeous outdoor lighting.

Although there was dancing and music in the lobby bar, which is big in case you're wondering, all of the tables were full by the time we arrived. Lots of children were claiming seats which seemed kind of silly. From what I've just read in the paper, Adele's song, "Rolling in the Deep" was the number one song of 2011. Apparently the band knows this with the female vocalist doing her best imitation.

Up to our room and off to sleep before midnight. Nothing unusual there. The gigantic fireworks display woke me; pulling the curtains aside I was mesmerized for a time. Loud, very, very loud!

I am someone who always wears a watch. In fact, watches are a bit of a passion of mine. I did not wear a watch with my fancy dress, thus I did not know that the bedside clock was off by an hour. This, I learned, when I got up in the morning, thinking it was 8:30 and I'd probably had enough sleep. Bummer. Because of our early rising, we were off to Gatorland, which is quite near the hotel. Before we left I took this with a phone application called Instamatic which not only allows you to share your photo but turn it into something it really is not.

I do love Gatorland, even more so when they offer the Florida discount admission rate of $10. Although Bruce was only going to extend my birthday celebration, we both had a good time watching the animals. I've never understood why alligators will keep this pose for quite some time.

I'm still looking for a great rooster picture but because of the brilliant sunshine, this was not the day to make it happen.

We only stayed for like two hours then headed home with a stop off at Publix. In a crazy twist of fate, Bruce called David to tell him he thought he saw a professional wrestler. As we made our way to the check out what should we see but......

Always so weird to see your children randomly out in public! They were shopping for a bar-b-que by the pool after working out together. Being an identical twin means you always have a best friend.

Before we left for our little excursion Angela arrived with birthday gifts just in time to see our FaceTime with Matt and Tom. British humor followed. I opened this in front of the computer for viewing on both sides of the Atlantic:

So cute and bone china no less! As well she brought roses which are beautiful. Messing around with yet another phone application called, snapseed, I shot this after we took down all the decorations yesterday afternoon.

Because of the editing you really can't tell that, although they are all beautiful, there are three that are this amazing coral red. Another day for that. So, the house is back to normal, and the tree was picked up by the garbage men an hour ago. Another beautiful Christmas has come and gone. Time to mow the lawn before our visit this afternoon with Bruce's brother Cris and the gang. Mowing the lawn on January 2? Only in Florida my friends, only in Florida.

I hope you've enjoyed our little trip, I know I did.

Until we meet again,
Gail

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T08:52:00.001-05:00

Today it's my birthday--I'm officially 58 years old and frankly, I don't know what to make of it.

I've never been one to make much of a fuss about my birthday. It's true I am uncomfortable being the center of attention. At the same time, it's never helped having a birthday on a big time holiday, especially six days after Christmas. I often think how hard it must have been for our parents during this time. Lisa has a birthday one week before Christmas, six children to buy gifts for, and then me as an afterthought. I'm okay with that.

As a young person I know I couldn't imagine myself at this age, now I'm just grateful I've made it this far! Aside from my one spell of illness I've been remarkably healthy during my life. Nothing really. Furthermore, I inherited enough of my mother's genes to keep my hair dark and my body slim. All subject to change at any minute though!! I've definitely noticed in the last year or two, changes in my appearance which threaten to steamroll. My face is becoming more lined and sometimes when I glance in the mirror I don't like what I see. As I well know, this is to be expected but I can't say that I like it very much.

My father died when he was 64, my mother when she was 78. Her mother died much younger, in fact, I think she was around my age when she was found dead alone in her apartment. So, it is anybodies guess how much longer I'll be around. I hope it's a while for my husband and children's sake!

Speaking of children, while Jonathan was here I was messing around with the grainy black and white setting on my Olympus. He kindly let me take his photograph.

He's looking more and more like his dad! The flight back to Austin was thankfully uneventful, arriving early enough in the day so they could settle in.

Ten years ago no one could have convinced me that we would have a dog. While the children were growing up I was a mean mom, refusing to let a dog in the house. Cats were fine because they require so little, dogs on the other hand, are much needier. Unless you have a perfect dog named Baxter! Bruce loves this little dog like nobodies business.

You can so see it on his face! I'm so grateful as well to have shared my life with such an extraordinary man. Clicking with someone is the greatest thing on earth! People are always shocked when they learn we've been together since we were 13. For my birthday he's booked us a room and dinner at the JWMarriott. Actually dinner reservations are at Norman's at the Ritz Carlton on the same property. Woohoo! Three years ago we celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary there.

You can totally tell a person's age from their hands!!! Still, I love this photo taken while we were there. Maybe I should do one again today...

When I think of things I'm grateful for, one of them is having folks say they feel comfortable in our home. On game day, Jonathan's friends visited for a bit before they all headed to the stadium. Both of the young men remarked on how warm and welcoming the house is. Score! Then, yesterday a youngish man who works with Bruce came by to do a little business. Walking into the backyard he said with enthusiasm, "Wow, this is like a tropical paradise!" Score! It's nice for people to think your house is pretty, it's even nicer for them to think it's comfortable. While we were still young we made a pact never to be house poor. The ensuing years brought more money however, we kept our word and never succumbed to "keeping up with the other Darden employees." Our little house is just perfect.

This morning Bruce is fishing. Waking up in the dark, he took the kayak down to the lake just before sunrise. I do so hope when he returns that fish were caught and released. I've never understood the lure of fishing (yikes, what a pun!); I just don't have the patience which is why I'm a pretty terrible nature photographer. That said, I love to watch nature. I've asked Bruce to go to Gatorland today before we check into the hotel at 3. He thinks I'm crazy, and he's probably right!

Matt wrapped all his gifts while here including my birthday present which I opened not long ago. I laughed. He knows what a big fan I am of Mobstr.

So, where is the gift and who is Mobstr? See that big white canvas with some letters in the middle. That's Mobstr--a very clever street artist. HUH? If you click on the link provided you can see more of his work. After our return from London I tracked him down, sending him an email congratulating him on his provocative art. He wrote back thanking me which was cool and now I have a signed original!! Most everything he does makes me chuckle. The blank white canvas reminds me of an earlier trip Bruce and I took to London. We saw a play called "Art" with George Segal; the plot, if you can call it that, revolves around the meaning of modern art. Check the link!

It's hard to imagine that in just 16 hours, 2011 will be a thing of the past. It seems like it wasn't all that long ago I was getting used to writing it on correspondence. They say the older you get the faster time progresses and I'm definitely confirming that notion!

Happy 2012 my gentle readers,
Gail

Keeping it Fresh

2011-12-29T16:48:00.001-05:00

Just as last year about this time I decided to change out my entire inventory, I'm trying to think of ways to keep Out & About Photography fresh in the new year. Changing the blog header is easy--changing the way I do business, not so much.

Working on my website is a good start. Jonathan helped me re-design it a bit, mostly just color changes, however, now I need to be more consistent about having what I'm currently selling on the site. I'm working on that. One thing we discovered is that there was a downloadable feature which made me freak out just a bit. Perhaps that's why I don't get much feedback--people were downloading what they liked? NO MORE! Turned off! When Jen gave Lisa some coasters using one of my photographs posted on facebook, I discovered first hand how easy it can be done. Precisely why I NEVER post pictures on this blog, facebook, or flickr that I think are good enough to sell. What you see is the documentary stuff, unlike what I actually sell. After nearly five years I have a slight, and I mean slight, notion of what folks might want. Wall art. I take no offense whatsoever when they decide to buy something from me that will look "nice" over their couch. Bring it on!!!

So, there's still work to be done on the site which I'll work on more thoroughly after Jonathan and Alissa depart tomorrow. Actually, they are tailgating as I type. Dan drove over from Boca Raton and Mike came down from Tallahassee to cheer on the Seminoles together. They all met while attending FSU nearly nine years ago. My how time flies and all that. Bruce is working from home, while I did laundry.

Yesterday we made a second trip to Florida Mall. Remember how packed I said it was? Here's what it looked like in the food court area:

Crazy huh? The economy is bad? These folks don't know that. Alissa needed to exchange a purse she bought as well as get a new phone. The sad news is that during their fun outing to Universal, her phone was drenched from one of the rides. Even after an overnight stay in a bed of rice the water ruined the insides of her former phone. As I type we are waiting on the FedEx truck to deliver her new white iPhone. Please hurry up!

Afterwards we drove down to the Church Street Exchange building to take a look at the space Dana wants me to occupy for a gallery. Still pondering that.

Walking just across the street I wanted to show Jonathan our new arena which is pretty spectacular. During construction I frequently sent him photos of the work in progress. In case you're wondering, Jonathan is a sports nut--loves them all. The Orlando Magic began playing in 1989, the year Jonathan was 6. My goodness that's hard to imagine. Bruce and I, courtesy of his then employer, went to the very first exhibition game against the Detroit Pistons, who I believe were the reigning NBA champs. David is convinced that my ticket stub could bring in some cash. No trip to the area would be complete without a look-see in the store.

The crowd shot above, as well as this one of Jonathan are two of my better attempts at phoneography. He is holding a new hat which, of course, was on sale. That's my boy!

Because Angela had her arrival time wrong when she called for an airport pick up, we were just getting back into the car downtown. They decided to take a cab rather than wait for me to go home and change cars. This allowed us to head over for our final mission of the day--seeing the peacocks. The first street only one was in sight, puzzling me, but not for long. As we rounded the corner, it looked like the food court at Florida Mall. Gobs and gobs of peacocks! When we talked to a couple of little girls that were climbing a big tree in their front yard, they claimed there were 50 of them. I swear it looked like more!

Coming home I grabbed my Panasonic to try and get some Christmas lights, instead a FANTASTIC sunset began and I'm letting you in on it!

Superb! Plus, I knew it meant excellent weather for the game this evening. The old red sky at night.....

I fixed two dinners, one vegetarian, one not. That new grill pan is also superb--the pork chop I fixed for Jonathan was picture perfect! They went out to meet Mike and Dan following dinner, I, on the other hand, took out all the Christmas garbage for today's pick up, heading to bed soon thereafter. We're having our first little cold snap and those covers felt good!

Speaking of night shots, I may have mentioned Bruce went to Lake Eola with me while I set up the tripod for another attempt at the fountain, skyline, etc. Arriving before sunset is the key. The tripod is a must because some of the exposures were 40 seconds long. I'm feeling pretty happy with this:

Still not perfect but getting closer. Perhaps in the 2012 I can work harder on understanding how the camera works?

I showed you the little bundle of Liberty fabrics which did them no justice. These prints are so charming...

I'm not sure what form they'll take; another project for the new year.

Finally, earlier today Bruce closed out the books for 2011. Down. The worst in the last few years. That said, if not for the rain out at Winter Park, more than likely that would not have been the case. I mourned at the time and I'm mourning a little again. That show accounted for 20% (I think that's right) in 2010. Sad. Don't feel bad for me though, I'm still doing good, just hoping I can do better in 2012! I'm open to suggestions..

Incredibly grateful,
Gail

Giving and Receiving

2011-12-28T11:20:00.000-05:00

I can still remember Christmas of 2006 which I'm sure surprises most Camera Crazy readers. 2006? Really Gail? With your memory?

I've long thought that there is an art to both giving and receiving gifts. The art of giving takes time, which some people obviously have more of than others. The art of receiving takes genuine appreciation for the thought that went into a gift. When I opened my Panasonic Lumix DMC FX3 on Christmas 2006, my first words were, "Honey--this cost more than $50!" Not, how sweet and thoughtful of you Bruce; a much more appropriate reaction. He thought and thought about what kind of gift he could give me that would take my mind off my illness. Never, could either of us have imagined it would change my life. Make that our lives!

Because I have more spare time than most, I spent much time this year thinking of gifts that I hoped would delight the recipients. My shopping began in July and continued up until a few days before Christmas. For the most part, I think I succeeded, or at least I hope so. Jonathan was super surprised when he opened a Coach box that held anything but a Coach product.

Jonathan loves the movies, or films as the hipsters say. He and Alissa especially love seeing them at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Pondering what would be a good gift, it occurred to me that, although I'm not much of a gift card person, it could be a much appreciated present. I dare say the gift was a hit.

Pictured below is a little collage of gifts, mostly for me, one for Bruce.

Jonathan could not wait until my birthday, insisting I open his gift early, as in a six days early! You guessed it--the lens travel mug. Incredible likeness! He told me when he found it he was freaking out with happiness.

On the bottom left are gifts from Matt and Tom. Liberty fabric baby! Matt knew that I regretted only spending a few minutes in Liberty during our visit so he sent a little piece, or make that pieces home instead. Street Art book and the short stories by Carol Shields will be getting a workout soon. I've read one of her novels in the past and can't wait to dig into this collection from Tom. Thoughtful gifts both. The chocolates Tom sent from Harvey Nichols are absolutely gorgeous in person, scrumptious in taste, and not easily photographed, although I'll keep trying because I know someone in the audience would love seeing them. Tasting might be more welcome but I'm not sharing.

The top right photo is a gift for Mr. Bruce from me. He loves small, personal things and this definitely fits the bill. His own little handmade chips and salsa dish. Anne Marie, one of the ladies I see each year at the Darden Art Fair makes them.

The bottom right is a gorgeous cast iron grill pan from Mr. Bill. Rarely have I received a "gift" from Bill. He's a gift card kind of guy, passing them out like candy on Christmas day. For years I've been encouraging him to give Christmas gifts more thought and he responds that people love gift cards. And they do. But part of the excitement for me is hoping that I've made a thoughtful choice. Something that a person might hang onto for years, thinking fondly of me when they use it. I know I'll be doing just that for many, many years while using this beautiful pan.

Monday evening, while Jonathan and Alissa were visiting Harry Potter at Universal Studios, Bruce and I went to Steve and Kirsten's after Christmas party. It's a terrific party every year and how brilliant of them to think of holding a gathering the day after Christmas. There's so much competition for guest beforehand, after, not so much. As such, there's a big crowd relaxing and enjoying the fantastic food. Oh my, are they quite the hosts! Actually, they share the hosting duties with Kirsten's sister Bea, moving the party between houses each year. Bea lives just down Delaney Avenue which made it all the better for us.

I loved these green bottles on the windowsill. Although much of the house is renovated they have not removed all the charm of a small bungalow.

All the doors and windows were wide open allowing for movement of both air and bodies.

The weather couldn't have been better actually, cool enough for sleeves but not so much that the house couldn't be kept open.

Baxter was happy to see us upon our return, even happier to get into his little chair/bed with the new hedgehog gift from J & A.

Bruce took off for Maryland yesterday morning for just two days; hopefully, if all goes well today he'll come home later tonight. I decided to head downtown for a little photowalk while the young folks were sleeping off their long day at Universal.

I read in our paper the other day that Orlando is the number ONE tourist destination this holiday season. Mostly those folks spend time at the theme parks or shopping. Apparently our outlet malls are nearly as popular! At any rate, what they see is not really the Orlando I know.

This is the Orlando I know, full of contradictions. While people the world over visit the aforementioned places, residents are out enjoying Lake Eola, sharing the park with homeless folks, of which, sadly there are plenty this time of year. Coming down from the North to escape the winter I guess they qualify as tourists as well, just not the spending kind.

There were plenty of the spending kind at Florida Mall yesterday afternoon during our shopping expedition to H & M. Alissa needed her H&M fix. After loving that store in Chicago, it's one of the few things she misses now that they live in Austin. The crowds were so thick, and with the mix of people, I thought of walking down some of the streets in central London this summer.

Later on we met Ha for dinner at a new, or at least new to me, Italian restaurant in Winter Park, Armandos. The place was bustling with diners enjoying what turned out to be delicious food. All that was lacking was the service--crazy and unorganized to say the least.

The happy couple! Jonathan is sporting one of his Christmas gifts, while Alissa is wearing her new sweater from H&M in the Texas Longhorn color.

Which brings me to the end of this post, or at least almost the end. Just like the cinema gift card, when I thought of a MINI t-shirt for Jonathan I was happy. Seriously couldn't wait for him to open it.

Perhaps you gave or received a life changing gift this Christmas? Or maybe not. Or maybe, you just don't know it yet......

Gail

Every Picture Tells a Story

2011-12-26T15:18:00.000-05:00

As such, I'm including a bunch of stories. Seems to me that loads of folks like their birthdays, ranking it as one of the biggest days of the years. I'm not one of those folks. I do, on the other hand, love everything about Christmas. Biggest day of the year for me.

I went ahead and did the Winter Garden market on Christmas Eve, mostly because I knew that I wouldn't be missed for much of the day. Jonathan, Alissa and Bruce went to the movies again, seeing Sherlock Holmes. As you can imagine, aside from a few rushes of folks here and there, mostly the market was quiet. My sales though were better than the last few weeks. While there I saw this funny t-shirt on a man who graciously allowed me to photograph him.

Cute, huh?

My plan was to have a little family get together before the big, gigantic extended family meet up on Christmas afternoon at Lisa and Danny's house. While thinking aloud about what I might cook, Bruce came up with the menu. Roast pork and potatoes, asparagus and waldorf salad. Perfect. Will do.

After dinner, stockings were passed out and hopefully enjoyed. Note the tablecloth which never really got made. My intentions were good but as anyone who has ever sewn will see in a heartbeat, the selvage is showing! After Dave, Bill and Michelle left, Bruce and I hit the sack while Jonathan and Alissa finished up their wrapping chores.

Christmas morning, while I was in the shower, Matt called via FaceTime from Melton Mowbray where he's spending the holidays with Tom's family. Duh! I have no photograph of that! And people have the nerve to say I'm always taking photographs! Once Jonathan woke up we used his iPad so Matt could watch while we opened the gifts he left for us while here for Thanksgiving. Very 2011! More about gifts tomorrow, otherwise this post will go on forever.

We may have been making too much noise which woke Alissa. As is our custom, those who wake up last, open the first gifts. Surely I've written about this before, and if so, bear with me. Someone smarter than I shared that strategy when the children were young and we've kept it going all these many years later. This year, as has been the case for a number of years, Bruce and I have a $50 limit for the gifts we give each other, thus freeing up more money for our loved ones gifts. Bruce did a beautiful job wrapping all the gifts he found for me.

He is our bow king for sure!

Jon and Alissa even brought Baxter gifts.

I needn't tell you he wore his new little Santa hat just long enough for a picture! He's cleaning up the crumbs from one of his treats which came from the "Groovy Dog Bakery" in Austin. Indeed, Baxter is a pretty groovy dog. Alissa had fun chasing hin around the living room while he had his stuffed toy, pictured on the left, in his mouth. Gifts for all!

After a nice breakfast, Jonathan was lounging on the couch, doing what many young people do--play with their phone, whether it be texting or watching videos!

Later on, Bill arrived, unwrapping his gifts while we all watched. Afterwards I asked him if he would play the acoustic guitar which has been here in one room or another ever since he left home seven years ago. We tend to forget just how good he is when we don't hear him play for awhile. It was a real treat.

Finally David and Michelle came over. We couldn't wait to give Dave his big gift which Bruce wrapped up nicely the day before.

He was, or at least it seemed to us, completely stymied.

Initially Michelle was a little dismayed wondering where the new safe was going to go, however, today after Bruce, Dave and Bill set it up, she seems a little less unhappy with us. She was definitely happy with the apron I made for her.

She's reading the card I included which told her that the rick rack came from Bruce's mom's sewing basket. Something along the lines that three Mrs. Peck's will have their hand on this apron.

Piling into two cars we made our way to Lisa's house. Good grief, what a crowd!!! 28 was the final count! Don't ask me why but I didn't check the battery life on my Olympus before we left. Once there I did a little photoshoot with my niece Lib's daughters. More simply, Maureen's granddaughters who have grown up considerably since I saw them several years ago. There was just something about Hannah's look which made me want to take more and more photographs. Today she turns 15.

Her little sister Lucy is a sweet quirky little girl who claims to want to go into comedic acting when she grows up. Her long, brown, wavy hair and funny little outfit were perfect for a photo shoot out on the back lawn.

Obviously I was running my battery down all the while! Michelle gave David a remote controlled helicopter which was quite the marvel. Rich, Spencer and Maureen are all caught looking up while it floated skyward.

I am plum crazy for this picture of three generations!

Lib, Jen and Michelle were also out back enjoying their drinks in the incredibly mild weather.

Unlike me, Lisa is quite the table decorator. It was so darn pretty everyone was afraid to use it.

Feeding that big a group is quite a challenge, however she and Danny made it happen.

Because of the battery situation I've no pictures of anyone else but let me tell you it was a full house! Just as my battery gave up it's life I took this picture of Jonathan and Spencer who is so darn cute, no one can keep their hands off of him!

Although I took a few with my phone, it's just not the same as using a prime lens.

We made an early exit so that Jonathan and Alissa could meet up with Jonathan's best friend for years, Ryan and his wife Stacey. According to Bill, things got way livelier after our departure.

Here's hoping you had a lovely time making memories,
Gail

Christmas Break

2011-12-21T21:39:00.001-05:00

It's been far too long since I took a road trip. After the constant business which is Christmas, I finally got the heck out of here for a few hours. You've been there with me before, but humor me please as we head to Sanford once again.

There's something so soothing about a downtown in a little city. Our downtown is primarily bars and banks with a smattering of retail in between. Smattering might be going too far. There's just nothing charming about Orange Avenue. Are their advantages to living in the city? You bet! But, if you're looking for small businesses, brick facades and streets, you must head outside of Orlando.

I'd been hearing that their were art galleries like crazy in Sanford and my sources were correct. Good stuff. Jeanine Taylor Folk Art Gallery, includes, if I recall correctly, eight studios for working artists.

The spaces were all very attractive with the brick walls. At the time of my visit no one was working. Perhaps this artist had just stepped out to lunch:

After my stop there it was time for some lunch. Let me just say that there were a myriad of choices beckoning. The sidewalk tables were brimming with customers at multiple restaurants. The weather has been so beautiful, it's no wonder everyone was eating outside!

Choosing a tiny little space just off 1st Street, I walked right in and felt comfortable immediately.

The woman at the counter, about my age, was very cordial which anymore is not always the case. The special of the day was a Reuben, so that's what I went with, but not before she assured me it would be grilled. When I order a Reuben sandwich I'm thinking corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing served on grilled rye bread. Apparently not everyone thinks like I do because I've ordered some where the cook used some creative license.

Aha! I told you it was tiny! As I was deciding what to order, an older, white haired gentleman, getting up slowly from his stool, wished the ladies a Merry Christmas after expressing his concern about where he was going to eat lunch for the next few days. (see photo above). Now, that's a small town for you.

While eating my delicious sandwich, which was not a behemoth, much to my delight, I amused myself by reading a 1996 edition of National Geographic. Expressing my surprise to find it set out as if it were new, the owner told me the used book store folks across the plaza gave them to her. After reading the article about Gibraltar, it piqued my curiosity as to what's going on there now, some 15 years later.

I roamed around the few blocks, seeing what I could see. I don't know why but I'm always surprised to find a place like this:

I'm never surprised to find street art wherever I go:

I'm still puzzling over that WWDY? Speaking of street art, I was delighted to find this photo of Stik in action over on Google+. You may recall he is one of my favorite artists working in London, a far cry from Sanford!

I don't know if there is a largish German population in the area but enough so that the Magnolia Square Market has a big presence. Not only do they have a deli with meats, but a bakery as well. I wished I'd had the appetite to try one of these little coconut beauties!

Two different sides make up this market, one for the food and one for the beer, including all the supplies one would need to become a home brewer.

Seems pretty reasonable to me if one liked beer. As well, the Willow Tree Cafe was hopping, even at 2 :00 on a Wednesday afternoon. A recognizance mission was part of the impetus for my trip--one of these weekends it seems like a nice place for Bruce and I to spend some time.

After roaming through several antique shops and another gallery my watch told me it was time to head home. I'm glad I paid attention to said watch because my traffic was smooth sailing, all 25 miles home. Any later and it could have gotten ugly.

Before I left Sanford altogether, I made one last stop on the lakefront. What lake you ask? Lake Monroe, which according to this article is the seventh largest lake in Central Florida. I was thinking about all our lakes, so, so many of them. When walking Baxter each day, I see three lakes, two of which are pretty good sized. Living in Central Florida, you tend to forget that there are many, many places which have very little or no fresh water bodies. I'd sure miss them if I were to move. I remember all those years ago when we moved to Melbourne, let's see, I was about 15; although the ocean was there, lakes were not to be found. Something about the light sparkling on water makes me happy.

So, where there is water, there are birds, in this case ducks. All manner of birds. If you are a bit squeamish you may want to skip the next photo of an osprey eating something, of which I can't be sure. I used my longest zoom but still it was pretty far into the water resulting in a less than stellar shot. That said, it gives you a notion about how large these raptors can be.

According to this article, the wing span can reach 71 inches!!! Furthermore, the article says they eat fish so that must be what this is. It's a BIG fish, that's for sure.

Any minute I should be hearing from Bruce and it won't be one minute too soon! Shoot, I just went ahead and called his number, hoping his plane was on time. I heard, "the mailbox belonging to Bruce is full." I know what he'll be doing later on.

Well, I hope you enjoyed our little visit to Sanford. Perhaps you feel inspired to go see it for yourself.

He's HOME!!

Christmas is Coming!

2011-12-21T10:06:00.002-05:00

As if I needed to tell you that. Around these parts things are coming together very nicely. I've even received an early Christmas present from Apple. They may have given me the run-around regarding the purchase of AppleCare+, however, when it comes to making up, they know what they are doing. Multiple emails came for tracking the gift and HERE it is, with photos to prove it.

Fed Ex delivered it Monday afternoon while I was making cookies which you'll be seeing soon enough. Pretty glamorous on the outside--the inside is as well:

I'm not a naturally bling type of girl but I'm making an exception in this case (no pun intended.) Love it! I've yet to use it because as you already know I've been getting ready for Christmas. Jonathan and Alissa are set to arrive on Thursday evening around midnight. He offered to get a cab but I told him we were tough; he'd have a ride. Maybe I should make that Bruce is tough because undoubtedly he'll be the chauffeur.
Thursday is a big flying day for not only Jonathan and Alissa, but Bruce will be flying, as will Matt and Angela. I'm set to take them to the airport around 4 for their flight to Seattle to see his parents. She's offered Jonathan her guest bedroom in case they aren't happy with the smaller room they've now been assigned to at our house. Over the weekend Bruce put up the folding bed, which from all accounts is pretty comfortable. We'll see if they want to sleep at the Hotel Stromberg.

The gingerbread. For over thirty years I've been using the same recipe from Bruce's mom. His mom made a wide variety of cookies at Christmas, some of which I've never mastered. It's funny that I can hardly recall Christmas cookies from my childhood with the exception of Russian Tea Cakes and Buckeyes. RTC are so scrumptious but with so few folks around the house these days, I rarely make them. BUT, I always make gingerbread. This year it rolled out like a charm. Instead of that silly snowflake cutter I made a bunch of hearts, because, after all, isn't that what Christmas is all about? Love, my friends.

Naturally, I made some gingerbread men or in this house I like to think of them as boys. Using the new frosting idea also worked like a charm.

They really aren't all that pretty because I'm not much of a cookie decorator, however, they taste great which is what's most important. Isn't it? Angela hosted a cookie party on Saturday for her friend Stephanie. The ladies all brought cookies with tasting and judging following. Apparently, the pecan tarts won. The plate of leftovers Angela brought over did not have any tarts because they were all gone so I can't say. I will say that most of the ones on the plate were pretty mediocre. Herb and Corrine received this little treat box from me yesterday afternoon. Sugar cookies and gingerbread.

You may have guessed that it's a Martha Stewart product which I picked up at Marshalls. Speaking of Marshalls, Nancy has gone and got herself a job at a Marshalls in Memphis. I'm quickly learning how the place runs. She's getting along just fine despite being reprimanded for being a perfectionist!

After my cookie baking marathon I decided that you might like to see an Orlando tradition. Heading out into the dark (rarely do I go anywhere at night!), I drove downtown, parking on Rosalind under some large street lamps. This article explains in depth about how one man kept this 1950's tradition alive.

Yes, it is the famous, or at least to me, Christmas star, hung over the very center of Orlando, the corner of Orange Avenue and Central. Taking my tripod with me, I set up a long exposure which explains the red streaks from passing cars just above the street. I am really a complete moron when it comes to this type of photography. I just keep trying. The lit building in the background is the SunTrust building, the bank which David works for. Actually, of all my children, he's held pretty much the same job for the longest period of time. While still a student at Valencia Community College, his then girlfriend suggested he get a job at SunTrust as what was then called a "peak time" teller. This must have been at least ten years ago. Working mostly on Mondays and Fridays he did just that. He's been there ever since, working his way up, after earning his degree in Economics, to be the youngest stock broker (for lack of a better term) they had ever hired. These days he works in Wealth Management; he is a complete whiz when it comes to all things financial.

So, another major Orlando icon is our fountain. Because, as mentioned above, I so rarely go out at night, I'd only seen the refurbished Lake Eola fountain once or twice before. Driving the few blocks to the lake, I set up once again, adjacent to the City Christmas tree.

The fountain glowed red and green which I assumed was set that way for Christmas. I assumed wrong. Getting closer to the lake, I was absolutely amazed when the fountain began going ballistic with color. I snapped away, or at least as quickly as a one minute exposure will allow one to do so.

Hot pink shooting way into the air, followed by a multi-colored effect which bounced around the bottom. Hard to describe.

Unfortunately, because of the long exposure and then some in-camera processing time, every time it would shoot up in the air, the camera would be processing. This, I must try again on maybe the Robinson side of the street because it was pretty fun. There were lots of folks out running, walking their dogs and enjoying the light show.

Yesterday was my wrapping marathon. As in about four straight hours. Although many of the gifts were purchased in mid-summer, they were stored in my office closet waiting to be wrapped. Note to self--wrap when you purchase! Before I really got into it, the cardinals were driving me crazy with their chirping. To date, I've yet to get a really good cardinal picture. Because it is still so warm, I had the front door open with a clear shot looking at the Nuttery. Mr. Cardinal is a fast one! Still not a great shot ,but one thing it shows is my new plan. Mixing sunflower and safflower seeds in hopes that the birds will be happy and the squirrels won't.

Mrs. Cardinal was hanging around the other feeder, taking refuge in the new oak tree. I shot her through the window but then decided to sneak outdoors and see if I could get something better.

I love that sparkle in her eye! As I kept standing there hoping she'd get out a bit from the leaves, she flew away.

It's really surprising how red she is underneath isn't it? Too bad I wasn't focused on her but I thought showing you the red was worthwhile. Are you bored yet? Actually, the funny thing is that this morning I've not heard any birds, whereas yesterday it was a bird fest around here. Gotta get them while you can.

Finally, speaking of oak leaves, the street sweeper came the other day making me a happy girl. Between our big oak and our neighbor's seven gigantic oak trees, things get very, very messy this time of the year.

Christmas is indeed coming; only four more days. Wonder what Santa will bring?

Off to the grocery store,
Gail

Relationships

2011-12-19T14:28:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, reading this blog, you might get the impression that it's all about the sales at the markets. If so, I've given you the wrong impression. Of course, any business, mine included needs sales to stay afloat, however, the relationships you form are nearly as important, or at least it is to me. You may say, you're a lucky gal who doesn't need to live off her earnings, and you'd be completely justified to think that way. It's oh so true I'm one heck of a lucky gal.

Heading off to the Winter Garden Market on Saturday morning I mentioned to Bruce that I was going to take a few cookies out for the family I've become friendly with. Cookies? What cookies you ask?

Friday, instead of a road trip, I baked. Or at least partially so, because the gingerbread dough is still in the refrigerator awaiting it's fate in the oven. Do you think this organic cinammon I used will elevate the taste?

Unlikely, but we'll see. What I did manage to get done were the sugar cookies. Ordinarily I make a drop sugar cookie, contenting myself with decorated circles. Because I bought some new cookie cutters I decided to give them a try using the included sugar cookie recipe from Wilton. Delicious friends, delicious.

The dough is on my new handy pastry mat from Amazon, actually made in Ocala, Florida. In the foreground is the cutter for what is supposed to be a snowflake. Not really, more like a flower when it's all said and done.

In defense of my baking skills, the photograph makes them they look a tad browner than they do in person. But, if I were you what I'd be noticing is the silly looking frosting attempt. Using a recipe from All Recipes, which had exemplary ratings by the way, I was not nearly as enthusiastic as most reviewers. Entirely too thick. Wouldn't spread worth a darn, as is plainly evident. Another reason I might be hesitant to re-use this cutter is the excessive browning on the little legs while the middle requires further cooking. Prior to actually making the dough I got out the egg carton and picked out an egg. Well, of course I did if the recipe called for it! What I noticed is that it seemed much larger than usual. Thus, I lined them all up to compare the size of what is in a carton of large eggs.

When baking, measurements are so important that it made me wonder just how much liquid does a large egg represent. Perhaps, the disparity makes a difference. This sounds like a Tom question to me.
Where is he when I need him??? Why, in London of course!

As I mentioned above I made a little gift box for TJ, Ellen, Meghan, Emily and Torrie, hoping they would come to the market and they did! Meghan made me an adorable card, complete with an oversheet meant to be the envelope. Her drawn stamp had a little heart in the middle. :) The family also brought me a gift bag which held this homemade ornament. You know how I love ornaments that are memory makers.

Very sweet. Speaking of sweet, while at the market I picked the brain of my German pastry maker friend. We discussed my frosting dilemma and he gave me a few pointers on baking in general. He suggested I mix confectioners sugar with a little lime juice and paint it on my gingerbread which is what I intend to do after blogging. Moreover, he shared another trade secret for cake baking. Simple syrup. Yep, you brush simple syrup on each layer of a cake prior to adding the frosting which he swears is what makes bakery cakes moist. Can't wait to give that one a try.

So, the sales were dismal but my encounters with friends can't be measured in dollars and cents. Dana even arranged for a Santa Claus to be there for the children.

And a pretty impressive Santa he was.

Saturday night we went to Bruce's annual department party. The invitation read, "holiday cocktail attire", however, from the looks of the things, it seemed as if Bruce and I were the only ones who followed through. I got pretty glammed up, although I've no pictures to prove it. I didn't have anyone take our picture, nor are any of the pictures I took at the party worth sharing. At the risk of sounding like a bit of a grump, I hate parties where you pretty much have to bring everything. BYOB, BYOF, BYOG. Bah humbug!

Sunday morning was a bit crisp and chilly, however, Bruce brought my little heater, as well as put up the tent sides to block the wind, creating a cozy little atmosphere. The day was cram packed with visitors, many of whom I didn't properly get to chat with. I was making introductions all around. Seriously, it felt like a daytime party! While Trish was there, a fellow came into my booth and after a bit of chit-chatting, I asked him what he did. He said he owned quite a number of hair salons along the east coast, as well as one in Las Vegas where he lives on the 35th floor of a condo building overlooking Caesar's Palace. Okay. He related how he was in town scouting an Orlando location before driving to visit his Tampa salons. Furthermore, he claimed to be a bit famous in the "hair styling world." Somehow, don't really remember how it got to this, but I believe he was responding to a question about his reputation as an employer. He said, and I kid you not, "They think I'm God, but, really, I'm just me." Unbelievable. Oddly enough, Monica, my stylist for those of you who don't already know this, came by a little after 3. Because I wrote his name down, I asked her if she'd ever heard of him. "Who?" I thought so.

Our Sunday Santa served a different purpose. The caption on this one should read, "No Kids Allowed."

Yeesh!!! Who has their dog photographed with Santa? Because I was so busy myself, I never got back around to see if a line formed....

I brought a plate of cookies to the market, hoping to share them with my customers and a few vendors.

Because that frosting was so darn thick, I thinned it out considerably with milk, either dipping the cookies in it, or spreading it on with a knife. Much, much better.

My sales were just fine and my Square worked like magic. After the market Bruce and I visited with Dana who has a idea for our business which you'll learn about sooner, rather than later if you stay tuned to Camera Crazy. That relationship thing? Ah, yes. Bruce bought some ornaments from the children's art booth; next year as I get all the ornaments out, will, to the best of my ability, fondly remember him helping them out. Encouragement goes a long ways.

Off to the kitchens, my gentle readers....

Responders

2011-12-16T08:42:00.000-05:00

This came in the mail shortly after my last post:

Dear Gail

Thanks very much for sending your blog to us. I’ve circulated it around the office and everyone thinks it’s great! We love the picture of the Lantern feeder with the Cardinal, I’d love to have Cardinals in the UK!

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Kind regards

Jacqui Cudd

Office Manager

And then there's this:

Dear Gail,

Thank you for contacting AppleCare.

Apple has agreed to send you a(n) MICHAEL KORS ZIP WLLT iPH4 BLK PYTHN-ZML. I will be handling the product order, and following up with you to confirm that you have received it.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please call me at 512-674-2500 x 40390. If I am unable to answer, please leave a message. I will call you back within one business day to answer your questions. Please reference your Case ID (270461930) at the beginning of your message.

Sincerely,
Jesse Borjas
Corporate Customer Care Administration
jborjas@apple.com

Funny how Jacqui from The Nuttery didn't say a word about the squirrel! I vacillated on how to respond to the email in light of our new discovery. In the end, I went with honesty, of course, adding I regretted to do so.

At least my time with Apple was not entirely spent in vain. I successfully purchased the phone insurance and what's more, as you see from the above email, they are giving me a Christmas gift. At the end of our conversation, Brian, the last gentleman I spoke with, offered me something for my trouble. He suggested I look on the Apple website for a phone accessory under $100. Because I already have my cute little purple cover I couldn't imagine what else I could possibly need until I saw

this. Well now.

The other day on my way to Clemons after my WalMart run, I drove through the peacock neighborhood. Oh my goodness! I counted over 50! The male tail feathers were not their summer length but beautiful just the same. I love the golden tips.

It seems as if I always find some cool cat while I'm in that neighborhood. I vacillated on which one to show you because they were both so cute. This one is on a mission:

Because I now have the handy search thing going on with my blog I checked last year's posts from around this time. Just as I recalled we'd already endured some freezing weather by now. I should have known it wasn't going to be nearly as cold because the acorn drop, while large, was nothing compared to last years. There's something to be said watching the natural world for clues. This one, on the other hand, really took me by surprise.

You've seen the peach blossom before, in fact, possibly more than you cared to, however, you have NEVER seen it this early. While walking Baxter the other afternoon I was floored to see it blooming already. I knew the camellias were starting early, but seriously, this one is a real shocker. From what I can tell, it seems to be about a month early. Our backyard is awash in color; for that matter so is the side yard. I was thinking our typical winter is like an English summer, milder temperatures and the sun not so blazing hot. As such, everything is blooming with ease. There are the pansies you saw, petunias, impatiens, jatropha, hibiscus, bougainvillea (finally!), purple, peach, red and pink geraniums, red salvia, white and purple angelonias, and those dahlias I keep raving about. Gorgeous everywhere! That said, a little cooler weather would be welcome this time of the year. Nothing in the forecast however. Bruce was in the Boston area yesterday, saying it was warmer than usual there as well.

After bridge yesterday I stopped at the Maitland Art Center gift shop for a unique gift for Bruce. Nothing doing. I did walk through the grounds and their water lily pond was responding to the weather much like my yard. Lots of blooms. This one will probably open any day.

Fuchsia perhaps?

Wrapping gifts is underway here, particularly since I bought some bows. Frequently discussed is Bruce's prowess at gift wrapping, particularly ribbons. In his absence I'm relying on pre-made bows.

That's some gift tag isn't it. Messing with the soft focus on the camera....

Speaking of gifts, this blogger must get going to do more of that wrapping after a late breakfast. Reminder to self--eat before blogging.

Happy weekend to all,

Gail

Sad, But True

2011-12-14T18:38:00.000-05:00

Could it be that the squirrels in Florida are more wily than those in England? More athletic? Perhaps more desperate for food? Within minutes of my last posting, I went into the kitchen. Remember I said I was going to eat some Cinnamon Cheerios? Very tasty, by the way. Anyway. as I walked past the front door, who should I see but Mr. Squirrel hanging onto the Nuttery for dear life. The nerve!

So, what I was thinking is that maybe he's just dumping all the food onto the walkway and then eating to his heart's content. Boy, was I wrong. Here he is this morning having breakfast.

Albeit upside down. Earlier Matt suggested I send the Nuttery photos proving what a great design they've come up with and how, despite their best efforts, my Florida squirrel family was coming up empty handed. So, I did. I've yet to hear back from them, and maybe that's all for the better. I'd hate for them to know the truth. By morning's end, the feeder was empty. Mrs. Cardinal was left to eat the droppings.

In other yard news, I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'd planted a ton of pansies, as in maybe thirty? They've gotten large enough to show their true colors. I've got myself a little misfit.

I mowed the lawn today after finally cleaning house. Nancy would be proud. Although no q-tips or toothbrushes were engaged today, 409 was definitely in the house. It's been warm. In fact, it's been so warm that there are mosquitos around, one of whom had the nerve to bite me in the middle of the night on my face, thus waking me up. I turned on the bedside fan, hoping it would blow the pesky bug away. Eventually I went back to sleep, but not before I covered my head with the sheets! I wore shorts today. Where is winter?

The title of today's post is "Sad, But True. There's the squirrel issue, and then there's something that's really got me bummed. I had to give in and take my beautiful blue shiny loafers back to Nordstrom. Try as I might, I could not break them in. It was either my feet, or the shoes. Thus, it seemed a bit disingenuous to leave the header when the shoes are no longer with me. I asked the guy at Nordstrom for one last look before I let them go. The return policy is so amazing at Nordstrom. When I mentioned that the receipt was in the box, he said I've got a sticker right here on the end; never even looked in the box until I asked for my parting glance.

Even worse, the general contractor on two of Bruce's jobs is declaring bankruptcy. It's a big fat mess, leaving Bruce scrambling to finish the jobs which both were near completion. What with traveling five days this week and now this? It's times like these when you say to yourself--at least he has a job. A very, very hard one though.

While walking Baxter the other morning I thought you might enjoy seeing a dragon fruit as it grows in a neighbors yard. What, never heard of a dragon fruit? It's crazy looking and some I've found online are even crazier than this one.

So, that's the fruit. I believe I've shown you the flower before but it's so darn beautiful that it's worth a second look.

This flower opens during the night, closing about an hour after sunrise. It's hard to imagine that this is a cactus flower isn't it? Amazing that there are no bees in this photo because believe you me, it's a bee magnet! Some flowers are. Some not so much. Another bee magnet is the bottle brush tree. Oh my! You take your life in your hands trying to photograph that blossom!

Last night I made some Brocoli Risotto. I also put my new phone to use in the process. Looking at my depleted stock of food in the refrigerator and freezer, I spied some frozen chopped brocoli. Hmmm....
So, I thought of making risotto for myself and wondered if anyone else had thought of such a dish. Why, of course they had! I spoke to Siri and she suggested we search the web. Instead of running back and forth to my office, I merely opened the NY Times recipe and went from there. I then used the phone to photograph my efforts. Scaling down the recipe somewhat, the only change I made, aside from the frozen brocoli, was to add some lemon zest. Brocoli without lemon is a no-no in this house.

Not very well, but you get the drift. Seriously, this was my best attempt at making risotto. The parsley is from my garden. The tomatoes are not. It was so creamy and delicious! In fact, as soon as I'm done here, I'm having leftovers.

All that mowing and cleaning made me hungry for lunch. Except I had no chips. I considered running up to Publix, then thought better of it, making do with the crushed bits at the bottom of the Lays bag. Then I went to WalMart. Can you believe this bread?

Who names a bread BIMBO? Actually, I think it is Spanish, so maybe there's a good reason for calling bread Bimbo that escapes me. Sort of like the new Arctic Monkeys album Matt put on my iTunes. He explained to me that Suck it and See means something entirely different in England. As in a box of sweets. Makes sense once you know the culture. That said, Angela is constantly complaining about Americans love of sugar. I think she's entirely mistaken on this one. She'll leave out huge quantities of sugar when baking with predictable results. Seems to me that the English are no slackers when it comes to loving sweet stuff. Generalizations. Which means nothing right?

Today's Topics

2011-12-13T07:59:00.000-05:00

In the News
Christmas Cards
Big Lots
Magnifiers
Apple Care +

Let's expand upon those, shall we?

During our last meeting I mentioned magnifiers. These are like filters that you screw onto the front of your lens, coming in various strengths. I was first introduced to them when I purchased an old film SLR, a Canon, from Elmer, a retired photography buff. Professor Stout, who taught Art with a Camera at Valencia, required the use of one for class. The name is a bit misleading, or at least it was for me, mostly the class was technical. At the time I was not ready to make the expensive plunge into the world of digital single lens reflex cameras. I found the camera on Craig's List and made the trip to Sanford for the purchase. I'm sure his wife was just dying when I purchased not only the camera, but about twenty filters and four expensive lenses all for $100. Using it for the class, albeit with difficulty, I stored it in the closet until last year when I gave the whole kit and caboodle to a young woman who thought taking photographs with film was romantic. At any rate, once I finally bought the Nikon D60 I picked up a set of the magnifiers to give them a go. (around $30)

I mentioned the weather was rainy and gloomy yesterday, perfect for taking flower photographs. Getting the magnifiers out, I attached them to the Nikon and went out into the yard to practice. Just as I thought, I'm not good with them at all. In my hands, although I laid down in the wet grass and all, I cannot get a good crisp picture using them. In photography language they call that kind of picture "tack sharp." I'm actually not so great at that even without the magnifiers! Anyway, after taking more than fifty shots, I managed to salvage a couple, one of which I'll post here:

I do like purple these days. I also like turquoise. And Mr. Baxter

who is still sporting his grooming kerchief, printed with little snowmen. When Bill was by on Saturday evening he asked if Baxter had lost weight. No, I replied, only hair.

Speaking of that photography class, I still have my notebook filled with notes I barely understand about stepping up and down. The one thing I do understand is his remark that a successful photograph draws a reaction. I'm working on that one.

In the news today I'm delighted to report that Valencia Community College is now ranked the #1 CC in the nation. I could have told them that. Actually, for those new readers, this blog began during my student days and I had my ups and downs, but for the most part, it was a very good experience. The vast majority of my professors were top notch. One, not so much, but there's no good reason to drag that up again. Let's just say I'm not happy making a B.

Our paper also has a front page story about a renewed effort to ban texting and driving. Duh! The sooner the better is what I have to say about that.

It's true that I have a fair amount of money tied up in Apple products. What's also true is that my experiences dealing with Apple Care have not been great. In fact, they've pretty much all been extremely frustrating. And so it was with trepidation that I waded into this latest expenditure. Apple Care + is for mobile devices, providing replacements if damaged as well as tech support. So far, so good. I called the provided number and after about twenty minutes the young woman apologized, explaining that she could not sell insurance in Florida over the phone. Please make your way to the Apple Store, which I may have already told you about. 8:10 was my appointment time. I arrived, only to wait. But, not for long. Same fellow, Nic, who worked on my iMac for seven hours earlier this year. Sorry Gail, I can't sell it to you in person. Please call this number, using this reference number, and they'll take your money. Except they wouldn't. After an hour on the phone, speaking with various people, I finally have my product. Two said the same thing as girl #1; eventually one person said, sorry, they are all wrong. Credit card please...

The iPad is all the rage at the Apple Store. Ever seen one this empty?

The apps! Amazing how these terms enter and stick in the popular vernacular.

I wonder if Steve Jobs was involved in the window displays? Always clever those Apple folks.

Some might say I was foolish, but I spent an inordinate amount of time searching for Christmas cards made in America. Lots and lots of looking. Finally, I found some at Barnes and Noble yesterday and working like a little beaver last evening, my task is nearly complete. I purchased two books of Christmas stamps and still it wasn't enough. Several envelopes will not look very Christmassy, what with Gregory Peck on the front and all, but the recipients will know that we care for them enough to send a card. You can't have escaped knowing there is a huge movement to "buy local" and I'm all for it. Surely it can't hurt to pay attention and if possible buy American. Our folks need work, as if I needed to tell you that! One person at a time, and maybe, just maybe we can make a difference.

Look who is back:

He was hopping around under the Nuttery yesterday morning. I'm slightly concerned with the volume of seeds on the ground. Could Mr. Squirrel have found a way into the Nuttery? Perish the thought!

Heading up to Big Lots, I drove around Lake Como. I stopped. I pulled onto a side street. Something about the gray day, the orange cypress trees and the still lake forced a pull over.

That sphagnum moss is really something isn't it? How about that tree? Rumor has always been that Lake Como is bottomless. The truth, at least to me, is unknown.

Big Lots is, as you already know, is my latest place to treasure hunt. I also wanted to pick up some bread, discounted nearly $2.00 a loaf. And, whatever else I discovered and couldn't live without. I've no idea how these darling, Canadian sodas taste, but they sure are cute. Lime Rickey Soda anyone?

The above is my phone picture of the day. Still learning.

Speaking about drinking, Kathy was kind enough to bring another bucket full of tangerines from her yard so that I may make some juice. I do love tangerine juice.

Don't let their perfect appearance fool you. She scrubs each one before bringing them to me, letting their orange perfection shine!

Finally, the biggest local news is Dwight Howard. Will he go or will he stay? Today's paper states that he'll stay if the Magic get their act together. My biggest concern is for the folks who work at the brand spanking new arena. They need Dwight to stay and fill seats with people who need to park, enter the building, and consume food and products. So stay Dwight--please stay.

Ready to try my new Cinnamon Cheerios picked up at BL yesterday...

So long,
Gail

December 7, 2003

2011-12-08T19:48:00.001-05:00

For the world at large, December 7 is recognized as a day that changed the world, Pearl Harbor Day. While this is also true for us, December 7 will always be remembered for events much closer to home. Yes, this week the date came and went, however memories always flood back.

You see, it was on that date in 2003 that our Mother was laid to rest at Greenwood Cemetery. If that weren't bad enough, later in the day, while guests mingled at our home following the funeral, the phone rang with news from Bruce's brother Cris, that their Father had just died. I know, hard to imagine isn't it?

As if you needed further evidence that I married an extraordinary man, early on that Saturday morning Bruce began to fret that perhaps the funeral home was not carrying out Mom's wish to be buried with a Calla Lily. Because her diagnosis of Stage 4 ovarian cancer came in late June, she had plenty of time to make her wishes for her eventual death clearly known, including having an Elvis song played at the church! I don't think I ever knew exactly what significance the lily had for her; just the same, that's what she wanted and in Bruce's mind, that is what she should get. Thus, he went to check, discovering that indeed they had not followed through. It was a closed casket funeral, so if not for his diligence, we would never have known otherwise. Placing the lily on her hands himself, he was the last family member to see our Mother's body.

And then, barely eight hours later, the phone call came with the news that, although not entirely unexpected, was certainly untimely. Bob, my father-in-law, had knee replacement surgery early in the summer. Things went wrong, terribly wrong. The details are gruesome; suffice it to say that he spent nearly all of the next six months in various hospitals trying to beat the MRSA that invaded his body. No amount of $1,000/day antibiotic could make it go away. To make matters worse, his Mom spent nearly all of that time by his side, however, she made an exception by coming to Mom's funeral. She was not there when he took his last breath which I've no doubt was doubly heartbreaking for her. Bruce was taking Matt to the airport for his return flight to Atlanta when the call came in. It broke my heart to have to tell him the news. He then rushed up to the hospital, well I say rushed, but, maybe he took his time to collect his thoughts. I stayed home with the remaining guests. Really, by then, there was no hurry. Three days later we cried our way through another funeral.

I need not tell you how rough that time was for us. The specific details of the day grow dimmer with time, however, some will never go away. Even for a memory challenged gal such as I!

Moving on to more pleasant topics, but before I do, this author did an excellent job of writing about bed wetting. Although our paths are different, her descriptions of what it feels like to be a teenage bed wetter rang very true. I'll tackle that topic on another day!

Baxter got a much needed haircut the other afternoon. Our groomer comes to the house with a trailer every six weeks or so. Normally I am either not here, or don't check it out, but this time I did and was pleased that he was being a good little doggie.

She did a wonderful job as always. Here's my phone picture of the post:

I am trying to practice and maybe, just maybe I'll get good with it.

I must say I'm pretty pleased with how my Christmas plans are coming together. I sat down the other evening to write Christmas cards

after finishing the tree. Fewer and fewer folks are sending them which I think is a darn shame. An e-card is better than nothing, but for me, I love going to the mailbox, opening an envelope and enjoying whatever card might be in there. Two people I can always count on to be the first cards are my sister Lisa and niece Laura. This year Lisa won by a day!

I took the above photo by placing my camera on the buffet and setting the self timer. I had to find room to do so because Mr. Bruce made this little display which takes up most of the room.

I do like my little vintage Mr. & Mrs. Claus!

Friday, Bruce took an earlier flight home, arriving in the early afternoon. Over the phone I'd mentioned how much Baxter loves to walk at Cypress Grove Park so he suggested we head over there. No problem from me! He decided to take his fishing pole along to try his luck in Lake Jessamine. A man and his dog:

From there we headed over to our friend Harris and Jimmy's warehouse to check out some carpet he's offered to sell us. They are cat lovers, rescuing cats like nobodies business. Patches and Baxter had their moments. Tolerate is probably a better description of the encounter.

Behind their warehouse off Pineloch Avenue are some railroad tracks which I naturally had to explore while Bruce and Jimmy were talking.

Second iPhone picture actually. Wonder what this was all about?

Once Harris returned we went over to see their beautiful new home on Lake Davis. Harris claimed I said "Wow" about a 100 times and he might just be right. Seven bathrooms! Elevator! Fake grass!

Statues, columns, floating stairs, library, gallery, and the list goes on. Last year it was the National Homebuilder's House, truly an amazing place. Dinner with them at Sonoma followed and you are all caught up with this blogger.

I'm home today, skipping the Winter Garden market because my darling is traveling next week-- not two, not three, not four, but FIVE days. I couldn't bear to leave him.

It's Hip to Go Square

2011-12-08T14:47:00.001-05:00

Sunday, rain was in the forecast, as in a 60% chance in the afternoon, leading me to wonder how the sales would go. Wait--I'm always wondering--just more so when the weather is predicted to be iffy! The tent was all set up, including rain sides, when I arrived. From there I took over, hanging the pieces, albeit differently than Bruce normally does. I went with sort of a red theme, leaving the turquoise canvases in their box. As well, the take down was already on my mind because Steve and Barb's Christmas party was to be next on our agenda. Festivities were slated for 3:30-7:30 meaning we had to hustle getting out of the market and to their place in Lake Nona.

So, the day began with a blank slate and I mean that almost literally. I keep my sales in notebooks, which I know sounds old fashioned and all, but it's quite helpful for both ordering and as a history lesson. Using my last page of the old notebook, I bought this cute new one at Marshalls.

There it sat in all it's newness, however, not for long! Shortly after setting up a trio of lovely ladies arrived. As she was looking through the baskets, one of them was wild for "Aging Gracefully." Mentioning that I had a 20x30 canvas of it in a box, she said, "May I see it?" I'm no fool--"I'd love to show it to you." And so she bought it. Furthermore, she agreed to be photographed for this very space.

Apparently, the ring on her finger is also something new which her friends insisted I must include in the photo! I used the Square. It worked beautifully, requiring only a few swipes before it took. The thing is, you can swipe and swipe, each time it tells you to re-try. I never know what I'm doing right or wrong, but I will say, later in the day I was getting it to go on the second swipe. I'm here to tell you it is fantastic! Not only do I love it, but people are amazed with the speed and simplicity. I'm still having the customer type in their email address for the receipt as I've not completely mastered touch typing.

I am, on the other hand, getting the hang of my new iPhone 4S, using it to listen to music in the car. I was pretty amazed the other day while doing just that; Bruce called and when I touched the accept button our conversation took place using the car speaker! I'm successfully using the iMessage on occasion AND I used FaceTime with Matt. Pretty quick learner aren't I?

The canvas she bought has been wildly popular, something I can NEVER predict. Within minutes of taking the above I saw this scene and was sure it would be a winner.

Except it wasn't. I had one smallish canvas made of this and it took forever to sell until a man came along and bought it taking it to California. I learned my lesson. It does have what I consider one of my best titles: "Time Shares." Still, it doesn't sell. Oh well, there's plenty more to choose from. While looking at the St. Augustine album, I scanned some other albums from that time. I've never printed this one

however, I think it's pretty intriguing. I never really got the hang of the magnification filter I used on this. Maybe I'll pull them out, giving them another chance?

The Square came in handy a lot yesterday; in fact, it was the best day I've had in nine weeks. Early Christmas present it was. In all the years I've been using PayPal, I thought it was just fine. Sure, it extended each market day and I never knew if a card was good or not, but I dealt with it. Now however, I'm in LOVE with the Square. I can't tell you how good it feels to KNOW that a transaction has cleared at the point of sale. If only I had it back when that lady scammed me for $175. Plus, she took one of my favorite canvases. The meanie.

My last customer yesterday was a sweet young man who recently moved to Orlando. He's bought from me before (God bless those repeat customers), and he bought something again yesterday. This time he had his visiting Mother here. She was down from Saratoga Springs for his birthday. It was so sweet when he told his Mom that I was one of the first people he met in Orlando. Nice, nice folks.

Lisa surprised me with a visit, however, I barely had time to chat. After meeting Sean, my niece Emily's newish boyfriend and his daughter Emma, they all headed to the playground. I must have still been busy when they returned to listen to Joseph Martens, our fantastic entertainer. Early last week, my brother-in-law Danny had a heart catheterization and he's all clear. Very, very good news indeed.

Bruce arrived right around 4 and we took things down at a break-neck speed; within minutes of our arrival home it began to rain. Yeah for small favors! Driving to their home in the rain, we still had time to eat, drink and be merry with friends. Poured all the way home and into the night leaving our world very wet indeed. The skies are gloomy matching my feelings that Bruce will be gone for the week. I'll have no excuse not to have things looking spiffy upon his return Friday evening!

I sort of lived with this while Nancy was here, and in truth, I could use her presence again. Sitting down in the sun room just now I noticed my glass tables are lacking shine. Dust, perhaps?

Time to go unload a bit of my car from yesterday. Because we were in such a hurry, not to mention the rain, we left it as is. I must clear at least a bit of space for this week's shopping!

Happy Monday,
Gail

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-07T11:01:00.001-05:00

I dare you to read the lyrics below and not sing along in your head!

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
Not only green when summer's here,
But also when 'tis cold and drear.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging!

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me;
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me;
How often has the Christmas tree
Afforded me the greatest glee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me.

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
From base to summit, gay and bright,
There's only splendor for the sight.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
Thou bidst us true and faithful be,
And trust in God unchangingly.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee! !"

Knew you couldn't do it--maybe you didn't know all the lyrics, but I bet you knew some of them, and most definitely the melody! Call me crazy, oh yeah I do call myself crazy, but I love a traditional Christmas tree. No themes, no color schemes, just the life of a family all in one place.

I do like white lights, however, that's not what I grew up with. I know there are some readers who fondly, wait a minute--that's a joke, remember those big fat lights which invariably didn't work. One went out and the whole strand was plunged into darkness. I needn't remind you how unfunny that was.
I used to put red bows all over the tree to make it all the more festive which I no longer do. That said, I still use much the same ornaments as I ever did, many dating back to our first year of marriage. With that in mind, I thought I might just show off a few of my oldies but goodies.

I can't remember if it was Bruce or I who painted this little happy home--a precursor of what was to come. There's no doubt I wouldn't paint one purple and red these days!

It's old and worn, just like the two of us, but still in love!

Bruce's Mom often gave us thoughtful ornaments related to our interests. You can guess who this was for:

And this one:

Her daughter followed suit, each year giving our family ornaments going back to when the children were very young. When I pull them out each year I think about the saying that there's nothing in life not subject to change. The children grow, marriages break up, parents die. All part of life.

On the left is the last ornament Bruce's mom gave us before she died. The star is one my sister-in-law gave us when Matthew was quite young, the red stocking came from who knows where, and the one on the right has a little Gingerbread boy cross stitched on front with David's name. The back has a little tag with love from Aunt Michele and Uncle Paul, 1989. They eventually divorced and Paul has subsequently died an early death. Time passages...

To break the little maudlin spell I've got going, I believe this has got to be the weirdest ornament we have. Purchased maybe from Pier 1, way back when?

It's a tea strainer of all things!

Michele, Bruce's sister, gave us one of my favorites:

Reminding us of the true reason for the season.

During his world travels, Matthew often picks up an ornament for us and this year was no exception. He left behind this sweet little thing from Sweden:

And then there are the ornaments the children made. I'm thinking schools probably ban that activity today?

On the left, the crazy looking little church building, is one Jonathan "made" when he was 4. David, pictured on the tree, was 10. Good grief he looks so adorable and sweet! The soldier below is from, you guessed it, our first Christmas.

Our daughter-in-law Michelle LOVES decorating for Christmas. Before she and David married I can't remember anyone, or at least anyone who admitted to it, leaving the Christmas tree up WAY past December. She and David happily enjoy the tree into January. She also loves giving ornaments, including these sweet ones from their first year of marriage.

It is hard to believe they've just celebrated their third anniversary! And then there are the ornaments I've no idea who gave them to us but I still love them.

I have two of these little cuties and they make me smile every time I see them. So, finally, I've put the boxes in the garage and am done. If my sister Carol were to see my feeble decorating, she'd tell me things weren't festive enough, however, for us, it's enough.

I did have to go back to my last year's Christmas decorating post to remember what the heck I put on the table! So, things are all very festive here. How about your place?

Happy decorating friends,
Gail

p.s. Maybe too close for comfort?: Blog Breakdown

Fred Waring is Back in Town!

2011-12-06T09:32:00.001-05:00

Why, of course he is--it's Christmas time! For new readers, I could easily do without presents at Christmas, but I could NOT do without listening to The Meaning of Christmas by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians. Nostalgia, my friends, is a powerful thing. I've written about this every Christmas for four years so you would think that would be enough, however, it is not. Not only is it nostalgic because I listened to it as a child, but the times of which they sing are so far removed from today's reality that I just enjoy going back in time. Seriously, what would be the appeal of a song called, Snow, to a Florida girl? Don't know. Just love it! Apparently, it is no longer available except for the folks selling it through Amazon, re: the provided link. Crazy expensive!

I was happily decorating the tree to the glorious sounds until I needed to stop and finish the soup I was making for dinner.

Vegetable Beef in case you're wondering. It was so nice to have Bruce home to cook for! I don't know what he was thinking when he asked me if it was homemade. Seriously Bruce? He's been eating out far too much, that's a fact. Because he was leaving early Tuesday morning, he finally enjoyed a bit of time just relaxing on the couch after we ate.

You might notice he's in short sleeves and that would be because it is very WARM here! As in the middle 80's! Allegedly there will soon be a dip in the temperatures but I'm not holding my breath.

Before I continue, there are two things about Sunday night I must get to. First, I stand corrected. A commenter let me know that indeed the band member from Wild Feathers that I thought was a girl is most certainly a boy. So, there's that. Secondly, before the concert we got a bite to eat at a Sports Bar across from the arena. Entering, we saw there wasn't an empty table in the place. So.....I asked a young couple if we could share their table and I'm delighted I did because they were not only nice, but interesting as well. Canadians from Winnipeg, he is spending a year working at the Canadian Pavilion at Epcot. Haven't been there in years I must admit. She, on the other hand, spent the last seven months managing her Dad's hotel in Churchill, Manitoba, which for those of you, like me, ignorant about Canadian geography, is in the ARTIC! Think Polar Bears. Think Beluga Whales, which according to her and this site with photos, collect in the thousands in the Churchill River each summer. She even saw a baby being born!!! Fascinating stuff.

Now here's a sweet story about some friends of ours. The mom, Anna, not only used to work with Bruce, but also helped me when we got our granite kitchen counter tops. With such a variety of choices out there, she presented me with three choices and that was that. These days she has her own interior design firm, specializing in, of course, restaurants. For Orlando diners, The Ravenous Pig is one of her projects. Not only attractive, this restaurant is one of the top rated in the city.

Monday, while decorating, and making soup, I also did the laundry. Exciting stuff!! Anyway, while taking the clothes off the line I had to show off one thing. More often than not, while shopping for gifts, I purchase for the intended recipient. Not so last year while purchasing some pj's for Alissa at Nordstrom. I could NOT resist these, at least to my eyes, adorable pajamas from P. J. Salvage. Even Bruce, not so much a polka dot man, remarked before he left for work, how cute and cozy they are.

I'm also pretty partial to the hanging plaid shirt. A Free People blouse purchased at a discount (surprised?) from Nordstrom Rack.

While at Target last week I picked up a tube of glow stick bracelets. What, pray tell, I was expecting for a dollar, I don't know. Anyway, putting them all together was a bit of a pain and I'm not convinced it was worth it because they were not so glowy, what with missing half of the glow juice.

After trying all sorts of flowers in this pot, finally it seems as if I have a winner.

There are two like this and are they ever providing some bright color to the back yard.

Once again I was shopping. Before I left, I picked up my Olympus, then thought better of it, saying to myself, "Gail, you've got a smart phone now with a camera if anything should arise." Well, it did and I was a clumsy fool, taking a video instead of a picture! I glanced up and thought to myself, "Why, that looks like Mrs. Mitchell." Mrs. Mitchell, infamous in our lives for telling this young mother that my son was no smarter than any other three year old when I knew differently. Trying to be discreet when you aren't so skilled is no easy task. I did take a video which I've no idea how to share. This picture of me trying to concentrate is pretty darn funny. Me and that tongue of mine!

Both Matt and I can't imagine she is still alive because she seemed ancient 32 years ago! I'm still thinking it was her though. She has a face one doesn't easily forget even if one is notorious for having a pathetic memory.

Don't be fooled by this picture friends, the ornaments are not fully done. Instead I wrapped gifts last evening and had long conversations on the phone with Bruce, Bill and Jonathan. Love my Peck men!

Finally, my dahlias are blooming up a storm. Although I was hesitant because of the expense, I'm thrilled I put them in the ground for everyone to enjoy. I would say they bring cheer to gray days, however, I'd be lying. The sun is shining brilliantly.

Good grief, where has the time gone....off to forage for breakfast.

Gail

It's Good to Be Busy

2011-12-05T11:08:00.001-05:00

I needn't tell you that I've gone back to the old template for my post as you can plainly see that for yourselves. Would you like to know why? Of course you would! It was just plain too hard to go back in time, not only for readers, but for myself as well. We've discussed in the past how this blog is great for me to keep track of my own life. Like, what the heck were we doing back in May 2009. Although the new template was snazzy and all, I did not find it nearly as useful. So now you know.

Some people, including my husband right now, think too much business is a bad thing. From someone who couldn't do much of anything for six weeks, I can say from experience that being able to stay busy is a good thing. This weekend did not disappoint.

Bruce arrived home around dinner time on Friday night to a tidy house. After blogging Friday afternoon, I at least cleaned the pool which improved Bruce's window view dramatically, if only for one day. My nemesis, those pesky squirrels continue to drop seed pods into the pool like nobodies business! Bruce, the loving husband that he is, even after traveling all week, invites me on a date when he returns. We hemmed and hawed a bit before I was able to convince him that staying home was fine by me. I cobbled together a little dinner, we watched a little college football and called it a night.

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to head out to Winter Garden. I needn't have bothered. Sales were once again dismal and I mean DISMAL! Before Matt left he worked hard to convince me I was wasting my time there, however, being an optimist I always think maybe this Saturday there will be a breakthrough. Some folks might call me just plain silly and they might just be right. Nevertheless, the annual Winter Garden Christmas parade was held on Plant Street at 1:00 and I scooted over for a gander. Very sweet with large crowds assembled curbside. There's just something about a small town that's very appealing.

There were dancers,

and floats,

and more floats,

with children being a bit of a constant theme. Loved this Brownie one, having once been a Brownie myself:

So, it was cute and old fashioned and I liked it. This got me wondering if anyone I know has ever been in a parade before. I sure haven't. On my way home I saw one of those yards, except this time there were two lots, wherein they go completely overboard with Christmas decorations. I tried my best to get it all in two shots but you know what? That didn't work. Here's the approach shot:

The main house section completely covered with a small nod to the Holy Family:

Santa and Frosty are certainly well represented. Apparently, not one to leave any area untouched, the final image:

It makes one wonder how many years it took to amass all this. Then too, where does one store it all? Keep it all lit? I'm just saying.

So after a short while at home to lick my wounds, off we went to the Russell Home thrift store to get our tree. I suggested Baxter might want to join us much to Bruce's surprise. Within minutes we picked out a little cutie and headed home.

The photo above is taken with my phone--still working on that.

Bruce immediately got to work putting it in the stand. While we were driving home I remembered that it was I who got our tree and put it up by alone last year. I'm still wondering why that was the case but now I no longer need wonder. I can just click on December 2010 and find out!

Speaking of last Christmas I, of course, had forgotten this lovely angel mobile Tom gave us last year. I was delighted when I found it in the Christmas boxes. Bruce is working his magic on the mantel; he's much better at that sort of thing. I put the lights on the tree, not very well, but they are on there. Then it was off to a party at our former neighbors Chuck and Zoila's new home. My, oh my, what a home. HUGE. Compared to the one they left? From like 2,000 sq. ft. to 4,200!!! They've got two little boys you know. Actually, they purchased a foreclosure property which could never be rebuilt for what they paid. Chuck was our across-the-street neighbor for about 10 years before he finally married a lovely young woman six years ago. I wish they'd have stayed across the street--it would have been fun to watch those little ones grow up.

And then it was Sunday. You know what Sunday means, set up, sell, take down. Used Square--indeed, albeit clumsily. I'm getting the hang of it and people love it. The young people are more than happy to help, including this girl:

Showing off the prime lens I am. I love that lens--some of the best money I've spent on my photography equipment. Have you seen one of these dogs before? Maybe you've never seen a puppy version?

Apparently it is a Shar Pei. I mentioned that Matt gave me the what for about Winter Garden, including Orlando in the conversation as well. I do love my market--I mean where else will I get to see such life? On any given Sunday I see something I've yet to see before, which, in my book, makes my life all the richer. Of course, there's the matter of time and money, but let's think about that another day shall we?

When Dana asked on Saturday if we'd like to see Paul Simon on Sunday, who in their right mind would say no? I mean talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth! And so we did. Terrific. Our seats were right in the middle of the arena, second tier. I took my trusty Panasonic and did what I could. The opening band was Wild Feathers, who apparently aren't too web saavy because I could find very little about them online. Nevertheless, they do know how to make music! A few songs into their set I said to Bruce, I think one of them is a woman. Doing my best to zoom in on the alleged woman and indeed it was. Lovely, actually.

Quite the guitar player she was. Sunglasses, crazy hair and outift made it hard to tell from the distance we were. Note what looks like a giant can behind her. One of MANY instruments used during Paul Simon's set. Between all nine of them

there was an amazing display of both instruments and musicianship. Honestly, just terrific. Paul Simon's voice is still amazing after all these years. Both Bruce and I thought he was in his 60's, but NO, he's 70!! Lively, let me tell you, he was lively. They kept playing one song after another, mixing it all up with new and old. Sitting to my right, we discovered between bands, was Jim Abbot, our Sentinel music critic. Here's what he had to say about the show; I'll leave it to the professional.

The man immediately to Paul Simon's right has played with him 25 years, ever since Graceland. You couldn't help but marvel how he's had success with such a diversity of styles. Coming out solo during one of three encores to sing Sound of Silence, the arena got very quiet. Magical, really. He seemed quite gracious, shaking hands with those who ventured up to the stage.

Driving home afterwards, I kept thinking to myself, we MUST get out more. Talk about adding richness to one's life.

The tree is awaiting ornaments......

Happy Monday all,
Gail

According to Plan

2011-12-02T14:44:00.001-05:00

Don't you just love it when your day goes according to plan? In my case, most of the time my plans might be termed fluid, however this morning I had a plan, and it worked! Surprise, surprise.

I began by ignoring this space until I returned from my duties. Typically I'll wake up with some ideas, sitting myself right down in front of the computer to write. Typically this makes me late. So I stayed away until now when I should be cleaning or something. Just this morning while driving I realized that aside from running the dishwasher, sweeping the kitchen floor and changing the sheets, I've not done one lick of cleaning. Should Nancy be reading this, rest assured I'll do better next week.

Here's what happened: I had a custom order!!! Can you believe it? Me neither. Anyway, I picked up the 10 prints on my way to bridge yesterday (won some, lost some), doing the signing and packaging last evening. Plus, once I returned from shopping yesterday afternoon, there was an email from Mayanne asking if possible, could she order two more of a different print? Sure thing was what I had to say about that. Mr. Roger was kind enough to print last night, leaving them on the porch for me to pick up this morning on my way to deliver the others.

I am more than delighted that my buyer bought local, after all, they are going to local people, so why not keep it all in Orlando?

And then it was off to the Polasek. Haven't heard that name in this space for a while have you? I've been taking a break, which may or may not continue. Today, however, I went to help Trudy whose emails are so plaintive I couldn't say no this time. There is a weird exhibit there--Russian Propaganda from the Cold War.

It's not often one sees Cyrillic in Orlando now is it? Bizarre right? I'm happy to say that my boredom level was very low because there were 12 visitors, almost a record for me. Plus, while there, Trudy flattered me by saying how much she loved reading this here blog. There was a time when anyone could ge me to do anything by complimenting my children--alas, this blog is now my child.

Since Randy Knight left the gardens in early summer, the wonderful Pam Paisley has been overseeing things somewhat. Trying to streamline the maintenance she removed about a gazillion pots which needed daily waterings. Things still looked nice, or at least as nice as they can in early December.

All righty now, we are caught up for today, but how about yesterday you ask. Let's see, what did happen yesterday aside from bridge? First off I ate, only after photographing of course, one of the tangerines Kathy gave me on Sunday from their trees. I'm a tangerine nut. Love how easy they are to peel, the flavor, the seeds, not so much.

I snuck in a photograph of one of Angela's blooming amaryllis which, believe me, is stunning in person. Multi-layered it is.

Although I don't think the name is Candy Cane, it should be! Bridge was good; I remembered more than I thought possible.

And then there was some shopping to complete. I only came across this today, Made in America, and I wasn't totally successful but I was mindful nonetheless. The reason for my haste in shopping boiled down to shipping. The longer I waited, the more it cost. Coming out of Nordstrom I thought the green trees loaded with red berries against a cloudy sky was worth photographing.

Maybe you don't? I've been keeping my fixed lens on the Olympus which makes composing photos very interesting. Challenging in some respects. Always sharpening my skills.

I packed it all up last night, forgoing beautiful wrapping in favor of plain tissue paper. Sorry M & T. After sealing the package I walked into my office to discover I'd left something homemade out. Well, duh! I slit the bottom open and did my best to stuff it in that way. More tape.

A post office run was first on my agenda this morning--see, I told you things had to go smoothly; for once I wanted to be on time to the museum! Lady luck was on my side today BECAUSE, not one single person was in line!!! I filled out the paperwork, paid my $31.00 (crazy!) and I was headed to Mr. Roger's house in record time. Because he lives blocks from the downtown core, heading to the law office was a breeze. After finding a parking place, I walked the three blocks, handed over the goods and sailed over to the museum. According to plan....perhaps I should do more planning in the future?

Maybe I should start now? As in spruce this house up a bit before my honey arrives home from a very hard week. Sounds like a plan to me.

Happy weekend friends,
Gail

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

2011-11-29T16:09:00.001-05:00

While falling asleep last night, ridiculously early I might add, several titles for this blog came to mind. None of them stuck. The one I've chosen is entirely literal. We're going to be all over the place today. Furthermore, there will be lots of pictures!

So let's start with the other morning shall we? I received an early Christmas present from Matt, in fact, he couldn't wait to give it to me, mostly I think because after reading so much about our birds, he wanted to see them in action. Anyway it's a clever bird feeder called The Nuttery which claims to be squirrel-proof. As you well know, squirrels have had the run of our place lately, what with chewing a hole in the kayak, dropping palm seeds in the pool like mad, AND eating all the bird seed. Always one looking for a solution to a problem, Matt brought out the big gun.

Now, seeing birds is something that is easy to take for granted; we had no doubt there would be bird sightings. Except there weren't. Bruce insists that they don't like the safflower seed I bought, so we went back to all sunflower seeds. Finally, Mrs. Cardinal made an appearance, however when she did, I was the only one around.

So, now you know what the feeder looks like. The morning after Matt left, I got to see Mr. Squirrel in action and you will too if you keep reading! Because he'd done as he pleased in the past, he hung out on top for a moment,

undoubtedly scoping out the competition. He got a little closer to the prize,

And still closer,

showing off his acrobatic skills. Finally, not to be thwarted he hung on for dear life,

still getting nothing!!! I wish I could remember how he got back on the pole, but for some reason I have no photographs of that action. The Nuttery won the battle, leaving Mr. Squirrel to pick up the droppings,

although, in this photograph he still seems to think he's the champ!

Switching gears now, I was thinking about how the simple things in life can either amuse me or bring me pleasure. Who else do you know who can get excited by a new plastic container and perfectly peeled hard-boiled eggs?

Seriously, does anyone else come to mind? I, on the other hand, keep marveling at the clever design of my new container. And the eggs! Perfection! Maybe it is because I spent many, many years not knowing how to properly prepare hard-boiled eggs so that peeling them is as easy as spreading butter on toast. With my faulty memory it's a miracle that I can recall anything, however, I still remember signing up to bring deviled eggs to a party at the hospital years ago. A disaster--every egg looked like it was pock marked! Now I know better.

You should have seen my face when, after opening a new box of Coke, I pulled out these cans.

Never, in all my lunch time, Coke drinking years have I come across a white can! Turns out it's a "Save the Polar Bear" campaign. I once read that if a merchant put some charitable offering on the product, sales went up dramatically. Wonder how this will fare?

Apparently, I'm the only one who is wildly jazzed about all my new flowers. Instead people complimented the food on Thanksgiving. Remarking on this to Bruce and Matt, they assured me that my flowers were great, but it was okay if I was getting the most pleasure from them. How about the color on this poinsettia? Fantastic, right?

I came across this fascinating piece on NPR about the sounds you still hear in your head, think, Green Acres theme as an example. How about you? Do you still hear sounds in your head of long ago jingles or theme songs?

After both Bruce and Matt left this week I was feeling a little blue. Not horribly, just a little sadness. During the last week I've had the opportunity to spend time with two different mothers and their first borns. And, of course, I was spending time with my first born. It was an interesting experience, watching both Jen and Liza interacting with their children. Nothing quite compares to your first born child. All four of my sons have a special place in my heart--if you know what's good for you, you best not criticize them too strongly. A little is okay, more than that and the mother bear comes out of me! Having said that, there is so much effort with the first child. Well, duh-- you are just learning how to parent. I really don't know what I'm trying to say except that your first born will always be your grand experiment, at 7 months, 22 months, or at 35 years old.

I took a walk with Baxter in our neighborhood to shake off my sadness, knowing that seeing the world in action is good medicine for whatever ails you. I've been trying to practice with my camera phone with limited success. We were just fixing to get moving when I decided it would never work while hanging onto Baxter's leash. Running back into the house I grabbed the Nikon off the counter. Good thing that I did, otherwise, I would have NEVER been able to get a shot of this eagle!

Because I had the camera over my shoulder a young man who was exiting a back yard after cleaning a pool, pointed out this magnificent bird. Apparently, while cleaning the pool he heard something overhead and there it was, high up in the oak tree. Fantastic! We watched for a few minutes as I tried to move in closer. Because he only had his phone, I offered to send him the photo via email so he could have proof for his family. Only a few minutes later the eagle took off with yours truly trying her best to react!

Clearly, I'm not a wildlife photographer, but you do get the sense of his wing span. I can't help thinking that this experience was meant to be for any number of reasons which I'll leave to your imagination.

Had enough of me for the day? Of course you have! Finally, we have enough to play bridge today so I've got to get moving towards that end. Let's just hope I can remember how to play....

Gail

It Must Have Been the Hair

2011-11-28T17:50:00.001-05:00

I have very thick hair which I did nothing to deserve. My mom gave it to me many years ago. People often remark how lucky I am to still have thick hair at my age and I suppose they are right, however, thick hair is not necessarily all it's cracked up to be. Mine definitely has a mind of it's own as evidenced by how it behaved on Saturday. Badly.

I meant to get up earlier to wash my hair and fix it before Matt and I went to the Winter Garden market. 6:00 came and went and I was still snuggled with Bruce. 6:30 and I knew I was sunk. Although I did get it washed, the drying process was left to chance. Not a good idea Gail. Not at all. As such, by the time my hair was completely air-dried, some three hours later, it went every which way, none of which were good.

So, I told you we got the iPhone 4S on Wednesday afternoon. I say we, although it really was Matt; my role was merely handing over my debit card! My reason for finally caving was to use the latest device for taking credit cards called Square. Forgive the coloring on this photo--I took it this morning while it is still dark outside, merely to show you what it looks like.

Matt accompanied me to the market to not only see what it was like, but to assist me with the Square. We began the day with some practice rounds sliding his card. Fortunately they have a screen that allows you to do just that, with check marks given when you are successful. I'd heard from other vendors that it takes a bit to get proficient and that was certainly the case with my practice rounds! Sadly, however, Matt's services went unused as I had NO sales. Nada. We did, on the other hand, have a pleasant day visiting and enjoying the atmosphere and fantastic weather. Once we arrived home and I saw my hair in the mirror I was convinced that was my problem. Always good to find a place to lay blame!

The rest of Saturday was fairly uneventful except for the Florida State vs. Florida game. It was not pretty, in fact it was an ugly win, but we'll take it.

Sunday Matt finally got an opportunity to sleep in a bit while Bruce set me up at the market. He and Bruce spent the day together, going to see The Muppets and having lunch at Tijuana Flats before joining me later. I was thrilled to report that I got to use the Square and did just fine on my own. It helped immensely that the couple were young and actually said they were thrilled to be my guinea pigs! Here they are looking at the email receipt that I can send:

Aren't they sweet looking? The receipt comes with my company name, picture and even a map where they purchased from me. Pretty cool huh?

Once again, the weather was spectacular--seriously perfect! Some wonderful repeat customers helped make the day.

Lake Eola looking very nice indeed. And here's Matt enjoying the view from my booth chair:

Another quiet evening at home, this time watching the Food Network. Bruce and I both were hoping we weren't boring Matthew, who pretty much lives a jet setter type life at home, however, he kept assuring us he was just fine relaxing for the most part.

Monday morning, Matt's dearest friend Liza came over with Clara. It had been a year since last she visited our home and boy has she changed. Of course, you knew she would--that's what babies do! She's an adorable toddler now, full of curiosity. Amazingly she talks up a storm and is super smart and cute. We drove over to Cypress Grove Park for a little playtime, taking bubbles with us.

Matt, the bubble master is giving Clara a chance to try it for herself. Swinging was another big hit. I even had a go at it myself!

Brains and beauty--a powerful combination. I came across this article which is So interesting! Heddy Lamar as inventor? Brains + Beauty= Amazing; I know a few folks like that.

Lunch and a quick trip to Big Lots and it was time for Matt to leave. By this time a cold front made it's way to Florida via some rain. Bruce was working at home so he did the driving and we sadly went to the airport.

Bruce insisted he take our picture together. I joked with him once I saw the pictures--a few of his favorite things all in one shot--his wife, his son and his CAR!

Handing the camera back to me, I took this shot, which although it is blurry, does just what a good photograph should do--makes you feel the moment...

There are few things that make me any happier than knowing that all of our sons LOVE their dad.

And that's all I have to say for today....
Gail

Thanksgiving 2011, Diary of a Feast

2011-11-25T13:32:00.001-05:00

It all began with my shopping trip on Monday. Well, actually, for those who know me well, making lists is not something I do too often. Monday however, I made an exception after poring over a couple of cookbooks and magazines. As well I made a list of the guests, giving me some sort of idea about just how much food I'd need. Only 12 this year. First stop Clemons for produce, followed by Publix for the turkey and dry goods.

One of the first things I made was the cranberry sauce. Although I don't eat much of it myself, I always like to have it on the table for those who do. Bon Appetit had a recipe with two types of Dijon mustard which seemed like a winner with both my sister Maureen and brother Pat very big mustard fans. Don't cranberries coated with sugar look lovely?

The recipe could not have been simpler--cranberries and sugar cooked until the berries popped, cool, followed by the addition of 4T of regular Dijon and 1T of whole grain Dijon. On Thursday afternoon I heard it was tasty. Another super simple recipe came next. Believe it or not, you mix a box of spice cake mix with a can of pumpkin, plop it in the muffin tins and bake. That's it folks. Two ingredients with bonus points for being vegan! Apologies for the sub par photograph. :-)

I mostly cleaned house on Tuesday morning, waiting, waiting for Matt's arrival at 5:00. Totally worth the wait. After dropping off his stuff we made our way to Ross, mostly to mosey and help him stay awake to get into EST. Shopping with Matthew is never dull and for some odd reason I always seem to find the best stuff when he's around including this trip. An awesome apple corer and some cool adjustable pie crust covers were two of our finds.

Wednesday morning, while Matthew enjoyed a bit of our warm Florida weather on the front porch

I began toasting the Israeli couscous for a taboulleh style salad. I oogled and awed over the cute little pearls of pasta:

I've included the recipe for those interested--I did as I was told. Pie crust followed with the pumpkin pie going in the oven next.

Meanwhile, the apple corer came out and worked beautifully! After rolling out the bottom crust Matt filled it with my pretty apple mixture,

Always up for a challenge, once I said I'd never done a lattice top before, Matt jumped all over the idea, taking it upon himself to fashion the first such crust in the Peck home. Miraculously he did just that.

Lattice top, sugar sprinkes, and new handy pie savers!

Once the pies were done, a trip was made by yours truly and her eldest son to buy an iPhone. I've finally caved. This is not something I would have tried to accomplish without one of the boys; the whole process befuddles me! More to come in another post regarding my entry into the world of smart phones!

Up early Thursday morning, more cooking ensued, followed by setting the tables. Our dear brother in law Danny sent flowers the night before to grace the table:

Because the pumpkin muffins were so tasty we decided to expand upon the idea after I found some mini loaf pans in the cupboard. Actually Matt made them with a few additions--banana and chopped pecans. Didn't they turn out cute?

They were delicious! I kicked my vegan son out of the kitchen for the turkey and dressing preparations. A fresh turkey was on the menu this year for the first time in my life. No wondering this year if the turkey had thawed! Basting, basting, and more basting gave the turkey this beautiful brown color:

After letting the turkey rest, he did all the carving. The counter was cleared of the remnants of carving with the feast taking it's place. So here's what we had:

Roast Turkey

Sausage Dressing

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Sweet Potatoes (Matt mostly)

Grilled Asparagus

Green Beans with lemon zest

Sauteed corn with Peri-peri and lime zest

Green Salad

Couscous Salad

Pumpkin loaves with apple butter

Apple and Pumpkin Pie

And here's who joined us:

Maureen, Richard and Jennifer Condon.

Bruce, Matt and Danny.

The kitchen crew:

Bill, Dave, Burch (friend of the boys) and with her back to us, Michelle.

If you can believe it, David ate this entire plate full!!! Originally he said it would be no problem, however, after finishing it all, he admitted that about half way through, it became a source of pride. Silly, silly boy.

While Bruce was up to his elbows in soapy water, the rest of the gang lounged around admiring darling Spencer and watching football.

Lisa (on her knees) could not get enough of the darling boy! This picture makes me laugh a bit--the television is clearly not enough:

Michelle left early to spend a little time with her family but before she left I convinced her to pose with her brother in law:

So, pretty much aside from the food, Spencer stole the show--you would be hard pressed to find a more good-natured baby! Matt got a hold of him and seriously did not want to let him go:

Amazing how he and Matt seem to be concentrating on the same thing! We all went to bed still stuffed, but happy and thankful for a wonderful day. It didn't take me long to put all the clean dishes away, finish up the leftover ones, and have the kitchen pretty much back in order. Matt and Bruce finished off the apple pie this morning, turkey leftovers for lunch, and football for the afternoon. It's all good.

Until we meet again,
Gail

A Serving of Gratitude

2011-11-23T07:19:00.001-05:00

I find pleasure in the titles the New York Times uses for their articles, including the one I'm pirating for today's post. Clever, clever folks. While reading the article, my gratitude factor went up dramatically, proving good writing can do wonders.

Realistically, I think I'm pretty full of gratitude most of the time, not just around Thanksgiving. If you were in my shoes wouldn't you be grateful? Specifically, all 5 of the Peck men are working, which in and of itself is a small miracle these days. Plus, none of the boys have come back home to live; I'm all about being an empty nester. My health, and most of those I love have good health which as we all know money can't buy for long. When we were younger, calamities of the kind that do cost money to fix were so difficult because most of our money was spoken for. Things like a big car repair or a broken washing machine could really depress me. Then, one day, a friend of mine said that her attitude was that if something could be fixed with money it wasn't really worth fretting over, unlike problems that no amount of cash can fix. I liked it, adopting it as if I'd thought of it myself. It was if a burden was lifted or something. Sort of like the song,

Count your blessings,

count them one by one.

Count your blessings,

see what God has done.

I know just what you're thinking--that's easy enough for you to say Gail because you have more money these days. While that is true, it still requires an attitude adjustment, as in thinking about what's really important. So, while looking through my photo album for things to illustrate my point I decided against showing the people I love because you already KNOW how much I love them and are grateful for their presence in my life. Instead let's look at some things which can bring joy and gratitude because of what they are, where they came from, or maybe for the smile or laugh factor....

Appreciating the past is a good way to make a person feel grateful. I have no idea who made this quilt I brought home from Bruce's mom's house. Sadly, she's not hear to tell me either.

It is well worn and handmade. Handmade is good. Handmade shows that we value the other person more than we value the time we spend making something. I like to ponder the days and nights this woman, or at least I'm assuming it was a woman, spent hand quilting and piecing this quilt. It might have taken many, many, snowy nights seeing as how Bruce's family came from way, way upstate New York where the days and nights are unbearably cold for months on end. No central heating back then, unlike we enjoy with a flick of the wrist today. Now that's something to be grateful for!

A complete riot of color which is enough to make anyone smile! Growing things is most definitely a way to make a person grateful for those things which are out of our control. Sure we can water, but there's nothing like rain and sunshine for growing. Living in Florida is a blessing for the growing season which never really stops. Walking Baxter the other morning I was delighted to come across this gorgeous yellow flowering bush which blooms only in the fall or winter.

Now some folks complain about our weather, the usual suspects of excessive heat and humidity, however, most folks would love to have our perpetual sunshine which brings everything to life.

I've often said that I can't tell you how I would do with the long cold winters others live through, but I can, with 100% certainty, say that a long gray winter would do me in. CANNOT live without seeing the sun regularly.

Humor, in all it's many forms, is enough to make a person feel grateful. You know, the whole, laughter is the best medicine idea. The other day, while getting the car to pack up after the Winter Garden market, I walked across the street and saw this little guy using my car as a perch.

Naturally it made me laugh. Oblivious to my presence, he only jumped off when I started the car. Didn't go far though, made the adjacent car his perch!

Which reminds me of something else I have to be grateful for. While doing the Winter Garden market I've made the acquaintance of a wonderful family who is fairly new to our area. Three delightful young girls, still innocent, have helped me load my car two weeks in a row! They run up when the market closes at 2, begging to help. I'm no fool---I say yes and thank you! The kindness of strangers cannot be taken for granted. The girls love to come and tell me about their week, showing off whatever they are wearing or doing.

I'm more than grateful that I get to do something I love--taking photographs and meeting people. A win-win situation all the way around. If you'd asked me five years ago what I'd be doing today, I'm confidant that selling photography would not have been my answer. So, there's that. The idea that with the help of family, a person can do something entirely different. Help that comes with either a nudge in a different direction, or maybe, equally as important playing the role of cheerleader. Bruce got me going in this direction, providing endless support as you well know, however, there's a legion of other family, neighbors and friends who've kept me going when I've felt low. What's not to like?

And then there's the comfort of the everyday. Tea, how I love you. Morning or afternoon, doesn't matter, you are there for me every day.

Proving you can teach an old dog to do new tricks, since learning about an electric kettle from my British friends, I've happily made the switch. Thank you Thomas Edison for bringing electricity to our homes way back when. We so take it for granted!

I'm going to go eat my bagel, cooked in my electric toaster just now after finishing typing this piece on my iMac, after which time I'll move into the homemade mode. There are pies to be made, beans to trim, and countless other tasks before the big day tomorrow when we will welcome our family to celebrate Thanksgiving.

May you be inspired to be thankful and grateful each and every day,
Gail

History in the Making

2011-11-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

Nothing earth shattering going on, just my own personal blogging history. In 920 posts, spanning four years this is surely the first post I've begun in what I call the middle of the night. Being the world class sleeper that I am, it's unheard of for me to be up at this hour, and in fact, it's not my idea at all.

I was in the middle of a dream about wine and tea. And skewers. According to my dream, wine is the most drunk liquid in the world, followed closely by tea. Ah yes...two of my favorites. The skewers? Something about most foods could be put on skewers making them a great investment idea. Silliness, I know, but that's usually what dreams are made of. One of my least favorite bugs in the world, a buzzing mosquito interrupted this fantasy. Yep, I woke to itching. As in like crazy. Both ankles and my right upper arm. So much so that I couldn't get back to sleep so rather than toss and turn I'm writing. Or, at least until sleepiness returns and itchiness goes away following a liberal coating of hydrocortisone.

Saturday was a fine day in Winter Garden, made even more so by having easy access to this:

Actually I got one of his raspberry twists, but those almond croissants on the right are mighty delicious too. Maybe because it's newer to me, don't know, but I really love taking pictures at this market. Could be the newness of the space as well, clean and tidy. The crowds mostly fit that description as well.

Despite the mild weather on Sunday it was not my best showing at the market. There were people, just not the buying kind. Cole, Dana's son who often helps her described the day as lethargic which is probably as good a description as any. All I need do is look at Jim and Kathy's orchid display to know whether it's a general buying day or not.

They took home more than they planned. I did talk to some folks, and I read another New Yorker, this one with an article about a Charles Dickens camp. Apparently for some 30 years up to 250 adults spend the week attending lectures and discussing one of his novels. This last year it was Great Expectations. According to the article, Mr. Dickens was sorely disappointed when he came to America the first time, claiming that our politics were a mess and Americans were boorish. We all know history has a way of repeating itself as we witness the current political mess. The boorishness, I'll let you decide that one. Remarkably back then, American publishers had no obligation to pay British, and I'm assuming any foreign authors, royalties on their writings. Can you believe it? His books were wildly popular on both sides of the Atlantic, however, he made money on only one of those sides. All sorts of other interesting facts came to light such as his kicking his wife out of their home and keeping the children but then again you may not be as interested in this sort of thing as I am.

Speaking of Charles Dickens, the most famous line from A Tale of Two Cities, still fits.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
English novelist (1812 - 1870)

Amazing to think about isn't it? Nothing new under the sun and all that....

I wish I had the time to read non fiction magazine articles like those published in The New Yorker. Of course, then you'd have to hear about them and you may not be nearly as fascinated as I am with pieces such as the one I read at Saturday's market about Rin Tin Tin's beginnings.

It is common knowledge amongst my readers that Bruce can fix just about anything. Saturday evening, after gathering the necessary tools while I was at the market, fixed his kayak. I mean as in welding plastic. Here's the set up:

He's got the kayak over one of the patio chairs, while another one stands in for a light stand. After dinner, while I was watching the disappointing Florida State football game, he worked on it. Using a piece of plastic given to him by the folks at Travel Country, he used a heat gun thing to do the welding.

The hole is closed, but you knew that with Mr. Bruce at the helm. According to Denise, Bruce's assistant, moth balls will keep the squirrels away in the future. All that's left to do is a bit of sanding, however, that will probably wait until Thanksgiving Day when he's next home.

Have I mentioned how obsessed I am currently with purple flowers? If not, I am now. Love them!

The border planting of pansies I was hoping would look nice for Matt's visit is coming along nicely. The unseasonable rains we have been having, as in the unexpected 1/2 inch today, is helping. As I type this I'm thinking Matt is probably preparing to go to the airport. A whole week he'll be here, which I know will fly by. If it doesn't cool off soon, I suspect he could almost get in the pool while he's here. Speaking of which, my beautiful pool has a problem, fortunately covered by warranty. Taking the water for the testing last Thursday I found out there is no chlorine in the pool. Nada.

The pool guy came right over, checking things; his diagnosis is a bad mother board on the chlorine generator. I know, because it is saline you think there is no need for chlorine, but that's not how it works. The machine makes chlorine out of salt. Allegedly, a repair guy will be out Wednesday morning, however, when I returned late this afternoon with Thanksgiving groceries, there was a message which I returned too late to speak with anyone. Hope there's not a problem. Between the oak leaves, and seed things from the palms, and now no chlorine, it's been hard

Finally, as I really do need to get back in bed, I think we can all agree that Thomas Friedman has got it right in this article whereupon he claims that instead of laying the burden totally on the teachers what we really need to fix our educational system is better parents. I'm glad someone had the nerve to tell it like it is. I hope this generation of parents will be able to put down their devices long enough to make the time for their children. I'll stop moralizing and Mr. Baxter and I will soon be fast asleep, or so we hope.

Good night,
Gail

At the Office

2011-11-18T08:19:00.001-05:00

I have to be honest with you, I did not watch all of Dr. Drew's Lifechangers with the Octomom. Reviving her former modeling career, my sister Carol has been busy taking acting classes, getting photographed and getting her name out to agencies. Didn't take long for some action, in fact, it happened in the first week after posting her head shot on LA Casting. She got a call to be a plant in the studio audience, one of the people chosen to ask you know who a question. Turns out, she didn't get to speak at all, however, the plant next to her did. At the very last second, as they showed the audience, I saw her smiling face. You, too can Be on the show, not exactly in the same way as she was but if your life fits one of the linked categories you can.

The Darden headquarters are very, very nice. Almost makes me wish I worked again, that's how nice it is. I packed up the Element on Tuesday afternoon, making a quick stop at the garden center on John Young Parkway where I was greeted by hundreds, and I mean hundreds, of beautiful potted poinsettias. Mostly red, a few in the newer shades. It was hard to resist, but frankly, I've filled up just about every place I can possibly put plants. Angela, on the other hand, has a big scheme whereby she plants little ones about now to give her garden some Christmas cheer. I couldn't help her with that size; I did bring home one for her porch though.

Anyway, once I got where I was going, I unloaded my vehicle, made easier with the help of a friend's rolling cart. Much, much easier. Security was simpler as well. As I was heading into the building the sky began to change and since I just so happened to have a camera with me...........

They gave me three long tables, maybe more than I needed, leaving me room to spread out! The berry picture is from our yard and the wild poppies are from our London trip, taken about two blocks from Matt's flat.

And the rest of the room:

There were two women with wonderful quilts, a bunch of jewelry, some frou frou scrapbooking stuff, knitted scarves and hats, along with my personal favorite, Anne Marie Guzman's fantastic pottery:

Not only is her pottery super great, she is as well. That's really what I like most, seeing friends from previous years. Initially I was worried she wasn't coming because she wasn't with us on Tuesday evening. Here's why--they changed it from a TH/F show to W/TH and she'd never noticed! I was very happy to see her early Wednesday morning.

Each day I left the house before 7, returning home just before dark. After setting up on Tuesday evening, as I was headed to my car, I just so happened to have a camera with me......

One of the other ladies was nearby, saying, "you never quit do you?" Why, no I don't! Who could resist I ask you? Those rays were just too great to pass up!

I mentioned how nice everything is and I mean everything. There was a break room we could visit for snacks and drinks. The cafeteria is outstanding. Seriously, there was nothing not to like EXCEPT for the location within said building. Off the beaten path. Considerably less foot traffic than in previous years, but I'm not complaining. I've got other fish to fry. That said, this is the only thing some of the women do all year and they would have appreciated more potential buyers. 26 items left my baskets which is not outstanding, but not terrible either. Before I tell you how I passed my time inbetween table visits, I want to show you this remarkable lawn:

It almost looked fake it was so green! The cafeteria faces this lovely space which today was used for the annual holiday gathering. Used to be much fancier, but these days they give the employees half day off after presentations and party food. I know what you're thinking--Bruce take a half day off? Not on your life--still working at his home office as I type!

My friend Harriett oftentimes passes on her copies of The New Yorker magazine. Mostly I never make time to read them because I'm such a run-around at home. I am thrilled to report that I read nearly every article in the September 26th issue devoted to style. An amazing article about stylish bullet proof clothing made in Columbia (of course,) Daphne Guinness--subtitled the art of looking interesting, great piece about Jean Paul Gaultier, the history of shoplifting, as well as a lengthy article about a German photographer named Thomas Struth.

I confess that my knowledge of world class photographers needs work with this great article giving me a start. Have you heard of him before? Furthermore I confess that I don't really know what makes a great photographer, you know, the ones who critics love. Studying the industrial photograph shown in the magazine, I couldn't figure out what was so special about it. His photograph of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, on the other hand, was very appealing. I felt it was somewhat ironic that the National Portrait Gallery chose a German for the task of photographing the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee celebration slated for next year. Maybe I've read too many WWII books? Anyway, lots of good stuff.

Speaking of running around, today was filled with washing and hanging the clothes on the line (superb weather here), straightening, running errands, and stopping to drop off a vase at Lois's house. The moving van is coming on Monday--boo hoo! Have I ever shown you Lois? She consented to a photograph even though she was in packing mode and not fixed up one bit. This will be a reminder of her sweet nature and smiling face. Plus, I thought she looked good in blue.

She has been a good friend and supporter; her moving will leave a hole in my life.

Back at it again in the morning folks, your favorite blogger, or so I hope!

Gail

Shiny Loafers

2011-11-15T10:42:00.001-05:00

There are those amongst you who are probably dying to know what I wore to the reunion. Years ago I might have given it much thought prior to the event, even going so far as to buy or make a new outfit. In fact, while discussing the upcoming reunion with Matt, he recalled the homemade dress I wore to the 20th reunion. According to him, the coral lace overlay sheath I made would be right in style today. Well......never one to doubt my son, I had confirmation while waiting for Monica. Browsing through the August 2011 Vogue magazine, I immediately saw what he was talking about. Sure enough, the Dolce and Gabbanna ad featured something similar. Too funny. I'd wear it someplace special if I only still had it.

I'm including the Reunion album that I put together for those interested in comparing Bruce and I to the rest of the group. A caveat, it is heavy on Bruce. If you look carefully at picture number 22, you will see your favorite blogger in the mirror on the right. If you don't go to the trouble to look I'll tell you I wore black knit skinny jeans, sort of like jeggings, a black camisole with a white over blouse. All very nice. Not long before I got dressed Baxter started barking his little head off signaling someone near the house. Indeed, a package was sitting on the front porch. I'd completely forgotten a new pair of shoes that I had to have from Nordstrom. Obviously I bought them during the half yearly sale; they shipped them to me about a week later after finding my size at another store. Made by Via Spiga.

Awesome cobalt patent leather! So you see the shiny top, here's a view from the side:

Terrific! I decided after opening the box to wear them to the reunion. In fact, I want to wear them all the time. When I was a girl I had to shine my Weejun loafers every day after school so I appreciate the fact that I'll never once have to polish these!

For the last two years this would be the week I'd be preparing for the DeLand Art Festival, however, since I was not chosen to be one of the artists, I'm happy to be doing the annual Darden Art & Craft festival. Later on today I'll head over and set things up for what I hope will be a good two days. Taking the advice of my friend Lois I sent my jury notice back with this event as an excuse. According to the paperwork if you don't hear back from them consider your excuse valid. Today's mail is their last chance to say no.

It used to be that I had to hunt down flowers in others gardens but that is no longer the case. I'm finding that I'm falling in love with purple flowers like these adorable violas:

Not to mention the purple flowers on the left which are blooming profusely. Fantastic! As well, the bougainvillea is coming along nicely. Funny, after reading that they must be kept fairly dry to bloom, mine seems to have come to life after the recent monsoon. There was so much water in the pot I had to have Bruce tip it because it is way too heavy for the likes of me.

The ever present backdrop is the swimming pool. You know how I use it for that every chance I get. In keeping with the red and yellow theme in the backyard I planted these red petunias last week:

A slight rain this morning provided the water droplets.

I finally went grocery shopping yesterday afternoon. Good grief it was a zoo what with all the gigantic people on those little scooters and parents using these gigantic push carts with their children. What was I thinking going to the grocery store around 5? I did, however, see the mother of one of Jonathan's dearest childhood friends which was nice. Did I ever tell you the story of Maureen and I in Chinatown looking for cheap stuff for our boys? It was the craziest thing to look up and see Pam, her daughter and sister, doing the very same thing. I keep imagining that happening to Matthew in London. One of these days he'll run into someone he knows from his past.

Speaking of Matt, he's in Casablanca today. That makes four continents this year. Not bad for a small town boy.... He will be coming to North America one week from today. He's much like his parents, always happy for a project. I wonder what we'll come up with while he's here aside from cooking? I can think of one thing though--the remaining carpet we have in the house is looking like it needs to go. What to put in it's place is the question of the day. Matt is sure to have an opinion.

A while back Nancy suggested that I would just love this film:

Ordering it from the library it finally arrived last week. Loved it. What a character he is. I'm adopting one of the lines from the movie because although we shoot different subjects, Bill and I share one thing in common. He calls himself a "fraud" as a photographer. Suits me to a tee.

Just as I suspected, after washing my hair this morning, I cannot make it do what Monica can. Not bad though.

Thanks for reading,
Gail

One Heck of a Weekend

2011-11-10T15:37:00.001-05:00

Let's begin not with the actual weekend events, but rather if you've an interest, I'm providing a link to Terry Gross Interviews Steve Jobs in 1996 ,which just blew me away. While sewing I listened to her interview his biographer, followed by the earlier interview, which was conducted during his time away from Apple. 15 years ago he was already touting the idea of mobile computing. Very interesting to say the least.

Yet another link: The price paid for this photograph. While I understand that art is subjective, I cannot for the life of me understand the significance of the piece. On the other hand, for whatever reason, it reminds me somewhat of the photograph below that I took and love, but no one else seems to.

Something about the lines and color, not to mention the irony of white greenhouses. Oh well.

Moving on...

For weeks my hair required attention, however, when making my appointment with Miss Monica it occurred to me that the best time would be the day of the Boone High School 40th reunion. Nothing like having your stylist fix your hair. It was not without some drama however. Here she is whisking up some bowls of color magic:

She foiled the top layers of my hair with three different shades of color, apparently to provide me with some depth. After a bit of time sitting under that crazy hair dryer the foils came off and my head went into the sink for the washing. At first she said the color looked good, but she quickly changed that assessment, going to her cupboard for tubes of color. This time there was no whisking involved, nor foils for that matter, squeeze after squeeze of color went on by a brush as fast as she could manage. And you know what? Turned out perfect, albeit somewhat dark. Over the weekend the compliments came pouring in.

Returning home I discovered that Friday night was the night Bruce signed me up to take an appetizer to the gathering. Hmm...what to bring? Why, salami roll ups, that's what! A quick trip to Publix for the ingredients and with Maureen's help we had them ready in no time. A mixture of cream cheese and horseradish is the filling. The hardest part was the presentation. A large bowl of garlic olives in the center added some contrast in both taste and texture.

So, here we are with the goodies. Or at least, here is Mr. Bruce, the graduate. Some of you may already know that after attending Boone for the tenth grade, our family moved to Melbourne, where I completed high school. I don't remember a sole except for one girl. Once inside Bruce was given this to wear:

Wasn't he just the cutest boy ever? What a smile!

There were not nearly as many people there as we'd hoped but those who were had a good time. Everyone looked pretty darn good for nearing 60. This spouse was not having much fun:

However, this group of ladies was:

The woman on the right front came the furthest, all the way from California. She also looks about the same as when we when she was a cheerleader.

Saturday was a whirlwind of activities, first the market, which, oh happy day, was super good. Spectacular weather and the best sales day yet. Racing home to watch the FSU/ Miami game, Bruce unpacked my vehicle while I made something to eat. I then realized that if I didn't do the weekly laundry I'd be in trouble. With Bruce arriving home just before we left Friday night, and me being gone most of both weekend days, he'd have been hard pressed to have what he needed for this week's trip which began this morning. So, there was that.

Plus, our former neighbors came to visit. Mae and Charlie lived in what is now Matt and Angela's home for more than thirty years. Six years ago they sold it to Matt, moving to Virginia to be near their children. They were just the nicest couple and I was sorry to see them leave. While we were sitting down for a visit, I noticed Angela pulling into her driveway. Asking them if they would like to see the inside of their former home, they said, of course! After a quick call to Angela, she good naturally agreed. I tried to prepare Mae for the changes, but really, they are so extensive I couldn't begin to describe it all before we walked over. Their jaws dropped. Sinking a huge chunk of money into a house will produce that kind of reaction. Lovely to see them.

Of course, all the while the game was on, which I was catching in bits and pieces. Despite lots of bad calls, the Seminoles won in the end. A big sigh of relief at our house.

Most of the same people came on Saturday night, however, there were a few new faces. Bruce really enjoyed catching up with them. My notoriously awful memory was in play. One of the ladies who claimed we were in Girl Scouts together brought another former GS to see me. Duh! If I'd seen her anywhere but there, I'd never believe I'd seen her in my life. That said, it was a VERY long time ago.

Last picture, I promise! Bruce and one of his former high school partners in crime. I'll leave it at that.

Sunday was wild as well. Remember the monsoon I survived during the Winter Park Art Festival? Well, as I previously posted, the annual Pride parade was scheduled for that very same weekend. Unbeknownst to me, it was rescheduled for yesterday. And just how does that affect me? Well, the parade runs on the road adjacent to the market which means the road was closed to traffic until 6PM. So, the regular market closing at 4 was trumped. That's fine when daylight savings is in effect, not so much yesterday. It was wild and crazy as thousands of parade watchers and vendors trying to pack and load their vehicles collided in the darkness. Not literally, but you can imagine. Notoriously a terrible sales day, mine was saved by repeat customers. I am so darn lucky like that. Plus they bring friends and family.

Normally I've gotten closer to the street, however with our new fencing I didn't bother.

Which explains why I'm not providing a close up of the beautiful horses pulling the Walt Disney World Company's float. The mayor was there (shown below in peach colored shirt) along with Commissioner Patty Shehan who represents the downtown area. Always a lot of fun, this year's parade was even longer than previous ones.

Lots of craziness:

I can't remember ever seeing big buses in the parade before:

Lord knows we have loads of them in Orlando, shuttling around many of our 30 million annual visitors. Seemed like a good time was had by all. Before going home Bruce and I met at a local restaurant for dinner finally arriving home around 8PM. Little Baxter was happy as a clam to see me after my 12 hour absence.

For several hours yesterday morning I had no sales. Not a one. Then, a young woman arrived, looking through my overfull baskets, finally deciding on an 18x24 print. Whew! For a minute there, or make that 120, I thought I might go the day without a sale. I've mentioned frequently that what I sell and what I blog are two different things. EXCEPT every now and again. The print she purchased was first seen on Camera Crazy. It was a wet version of this subject:

Nandina berries in our yard. Just thought I'd close with something kinda pretty....

Thanks for reading,

Gail

TMI

2011-11-09T20:20:00.001-05:00

Too much information. 24/7.

I don't know about you, but, frankly, I'm tired of it.

Although I've raised four sons, I still don't understand the male mind any better than when I was growing up in a houseful of girls. I do have one brother, however, he remains a mystery as well.

What is it with powerful men??? Jerry Sandusky. Need I say more? I could list many more, as I suspect you could as well, but let's not. PLEASE make them stop.

The other day I was saying to Bruce that there is much wrong with this new world we're living in. I believe one of those things is 24/7 news coverage which, to my way of thinking, only makes people anxious and depressed. It's not like I can do a thing about the debt crisis in Greece, or the floods in Bangkok, or anything for that matter. All I can do is worry about my own actions and hope my children behave themselves.

Jobs. Where are the jobs? Gone by way of the internet. The New York Times posed the question--are cookbooks becoming obsolete? Isn't everything? I know, I know, the internet has created jobs, just not nearly enough. My normally optimistic nature is cracking a wee bit. Of course, without the internet I would have never been able to write, something I've always wanted to do. A two-edged sword perhaps?

Enough with the crankiness! How about we do some sunlight, shadow, and reflections today? You're not interested? Skip the rest!

As I sat at my desk yesterday morning, this light spoke to me..

Inside, after opening the front door the light shone on my little pretties,

Remember I told you about those damn squirrels knocking over the bird feeder, spilling hundreds of sunflower seeds? Nice--they are sprouting in between the bricks....

Now, that's one thing, but more importantly they have actually gnawed a HOLE in Bruce's kayak!!!

Can you believe it??? Matthew is bringing me a super duper bird feeder from England this month when he comes to visit, guaranteed to keep squirrels away. Wonder if he has any ideas on how we can keep them from eating even more of the kayak!!! (This picture doesn't fit into my stated category, but I knew you'd want to know the latest.)

Sewing was on yesterday afternoon's agenda. I'm making some Christmas gifts.

Once again, my neighbor's big truck woke me this morning as he was leaving at 5:30. Hmmm....

With such nice weather, walking Baxter is great, that is if he'll keep up a pace faster than a dawdle. The best way I know to achieve success on that front is to take him to a park; today it was the Urban Wetlands Park off Mills Avenue. The park is filled with Cypress trees which are just beginning to change color, from a very bright green, to sort of a burnt orange. Not all of them though, especially ones in this shady area:

So, you notice the water is that weird green? Covered with a good type of algae. As well, take a look at all the bare limbs. All over the park, aside from this area, I saw piles and piles of clipped limbs, which give the trees a decidedly different look.

I took this when I first got to the park, prior to seeing the piles. No wonder the trees looked so different.

I was really hoping to see some birds, but that was not to be. Except, I did see this heron, a little different type than I've seen before.

I sure wish I'd not cut off his reflection. I'm thinking you won't mind.

You may be wondering how it is that I'm writing when I should be playing bridge. Sadly, we once again do not have a foursome. Lots going on with the ladies.

Finally, I received an email regarding a picture I took of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. My response was that I'm happy they are still using it, and even happier that I have no need to return!

Hope you're having a happy day,
Gail

Juggling Act

2011-11-09T08:37:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you but most days I feel like I'm in a juggling act. Should I do this, should I do that? I know, most folks are not so fortunate as I because work takes up a good deal of every day. I'm grateful that I don't have to earn a living, however, if you're new to this blog, there was definitely a time when that was not the case. Six people in a household takes lots of money; in our case very well spent.

In my former life, aka pre empty nester, I juggled the needs of four children, my own, Bruces, the house, the yard, the cooking, the washing, my paying job...you get my drift. Currently I have to decide. do I want to sew, read, garden, clean the pool, shop, cook, or more importantly take photos??? Some days I do all of them, others only one or two.

Along these lines, Monday morning I visited with Lois in the morning after delivering a print. You already know she's moving in a few short weeks. Before doing so. she wanted to give another gardener friend some vegetable prints as a thank you gift for teaching her much about growing vegetables. Because my time is essentially my own, I hung out for a bit, learning how she and Bob came to live in the house they are currently selling. During our conversation I learned that Bob, at one time, worked for Harris Corporation like our Dad. Such a small world! Of course, no visit to Lois's goes without some picture taking....

The monarch is feasting on her interesting shrimp plant. The bees were out in full force:

As you can plainly see, the sky was a rich blue. Our weather has been so delightful, a reward for enduring the long, hot summer. This is why we live in Florida!

Before leaving, Lois cut this beautiful gladiola from her yard for me to enjoy at home. I may have shown it to you sometime in the past, but it's most certainly worth a second look:

In sewing terms, it looks like it is edged with white piping!

After lunch I ended up having to drive a print out to Bruce at the office. He'd promised a fellow to bring one; because we were chatting as he was leaving, it slipped his mind. You would think that all I photograph are pretty things, and mostly I do, but oftentimes as I sit at a traffic light, something will catch my eye. Never really know why, sometimes it's symmetry, sometimes irony, and sometimes light.

Because I was out and about, I decided to try another Home Depot hoping to find another pansy to fill out that area in the jungle. Ta da--success!

Returning home, I had every intention of planting my purchases immediately, however, as I got out of the car I heard Herb and Corrine chatting on their front porch. Both are hard of hearing, as all of us will be when we are in our 80's, thus, they talk loud enough for me to hear across the street. Because I hadn't had a long chat with her in a while, I decided then and there to head over and rectify that situation. Although she's lost at least 30 pounds, she looked quite good. Apparently she spent over $200 on new clothes from JC Penny and it showed. As is always the case, her nails were done beautifully, although this time she conceded and had it done professionally. I knew you would want to know.

Since last Friday night my desk has been covered with prints. That's not exactly true, they were stacked neatly, but there were a bunch, as in more than 80. I know, it's a good problem to have, but signing that many at once is laborious as we've discussed many times. Remember how I told you it was slow at Winter Garden? Well, I used my time wisely, finally alphabetizing my list of numbered prints! Previously as I came to each print I had to leaf through page after page, looking for the number. No longer my friends!! I spent three hours yesterday afternoon signing, however, this time it was decidedly easier. Currently I have 148 different prints that I'm selling--a lot to keep track of. Editor job is still available!

Bruce's travel schedule has wreaked havoc on my normal food purchasing habits. Rarely do I buy loads of groceries anymore, however, after pretty much cleaning out the fridge this last weekend I finally had to head to Clemons for vegetables and fruit. As I unloaded the bags on the counter, a still life unfolded in front of my eyes. Naturally, finding a camera followed.

Ok, so this isn't my counter. The brown of the granite just did not provide the contrast I was looking for. Isn't it beautiful? The colors and textures of fresh food are so inspiring. Speaking of which, while working on my sewing project, I've been searching for something to watch on tv. Looking at my handy channel guide I went to BBC America, only to discover Gordon Ramsay. My, oh my, is he something else or what? I've watched about four episodes of Kitchen Nightmares which is probably enough for me. I couldn't help but think what Gordon Ramsay would have had to say about the staff at Nick's Italian Kitchen. It was clear to us that something was amiss there.

Never one to pass up a bargain, I happened to notice on the discount rack at Clemons, large bags of peppers for only 99 cents. Carefully examining the bags, I also noticed that they were in excellent shape, unlike what you're thinking. Ditching my one 99 cent red pepper for the bag I brought it home, discovering so many peppers they would spoil before I used them. The count was 4 cubanella peppers, 2 each of red, green, and orange. Lots and lots of peppers. The solution--freeze them! Using the tray method I learned from freezing blueberries, I washed and cut them in strips, laying them like this on a baking tray before putting them in the freezer for some hours.

This way they freeze individually rather than in a big clump. After the marathon print signing they were perfect! Popping them in a freezer bag, they'll be ready for my next stir fry or whatever else strikes my fancy.

I don't know about you, but lots of times when I'm online, one website leads to another. Somehow, can't remember, I came across Hey, that's my name! Yes, indeed, a book called Camera Crazy. How about that? Reading the description I learned his name is more appropriately used. In fact, I learned he's a COLLECTOR of cameras. Naming my blog nearly five years ago, I believe I owned one camera, maybe two. What I really meant is I was crazy about using a camera, and in fact, I still am!

Are You a Collector?

2011-11-07T11:15:00.000-05:00

I've been away for a few days, thus we've got some catching up to do haven't we? How about if we do so without much fuss, letting my photographs tell most of the story?

I've been busy planting as I've already described in an earlier post. For the moment it's all done, all that's left to happen is for the sun, rain, and time do it's thing, hopefully with positive results. Cold weather could wreak havoc, however, I prefer to think positive. Some cold, not too much thank you very much. I could not resist this beautiful color of geranium:

I've nestled it in the middle of a pot that already contained a pink plant Nancy purchased while here. It's providing height, or so I hope!

I think it must have been Thursday night that I made, for the first time in my life, this recipe for Bernaise Sauce with some of the tarragon you saw last week.

Sadly, Bruce got home from his trip much later than I'd planned for, thus when we got around to eating so close to bedtime, I ate only a small portion, thus I'm still not sure what I thought about it. It came out fine, it's just that I've never eaten it before so I've nothing to measure it against. I'll have to hunt for something else to eat it on.

Friday morning while walking Baxter we finally ran into Regina who invited us to visit in her back garden. Apparently, her daughter is "holding her own." Argyle, her new Welsh Corgi was having a blast chasing our little Baxter around! Fortunately, I had my camera slung over my shoulder so I could get some shots of him to share with her:

Friday night we had a much too expensive meal at Nick's Italian Kitchen in the Sanctuary building downtown.

Our review would go something like this:

Pretty good ambiance, however, with Bruce facing the swinging kitchen door, it could have been better.
Salads are a weakness, overdressed by loads
Same problem with spaghetti, way too much sauce
Bread in upper right of basket was super good, the eggplant goop in bowl, not so much

We try our best to support local restaurants, however, more often than not, we go away disappointed.

Saturday I headed out to Winter Garden which was a bit slower, however, still enjoyable. I took a few photographs there which pleased me.

I'm a sucker for little things, including these peppers:

Then, the citrus, which is just ripening:

Naturally there's more, but I'm sure you've seen enough. Saturday afternoon and evening were spent watching college football. What a game between Alabama and LSU! Fortunately FSU had a great win on Thursday night. Up next for our beloved Seminoles? MIAMI!

I'm not much of a collector, although I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority. What's more, I've discovered after a lovely Sunday spent at Renningers with my honey, that the depth and breadth of collecting is unfathomable to me.

Because Fiesta in the Park took over Lake Eola on Sunday we had a rare Sunday off. These days Bruce claims all he knows how to do is work, so it was up to me to think up something to do. Furthermore, he spends SO much time sitting at his desk, said activity had to include movement. The day began cool and cloudy, with intermittent rain, however, it was no deterrent. Renningers is located on Highway 441 outside the main town of Mt. Dora, an easy 30 miles or so from our home.

It's been years and years since we visited, with both of us having little recollection of what it is like. Better than we expected. The prices on lots of the stuff did surprise me though; I told Bruce I'm much more accustomed to "thrift shop" pricing. I'm thinking if my new little $1.00 sailor salt and pepper shakers were to be displayed as part of a S&P shaker collection, they would fetch $20.00!

As you can see behind Bruce, the outside buildings are little more than large sheds, however, inside they look anything but like sheds. The fronts look pretty neat as well:

We were among the first to arrive. We wandered, and we wandered, and we wandered. Neither of us bought anything, although I'm still sorely tempted to purchase a gorgeous Haywood Wakefield dresser/desk combo we saw inside. Oh my, is it ever terrific looking, however, I can't begin to think of a place to use it. I found the same piece on Ebay for slightly more.

I couldn't help but think of my Matthew's sweet tooth when I saw this display:

And here's one for my sister Carol for whom horoscopes are a guiding principle:

One of the pieces I inherited from Bruce's mom is a Carnival Glass vase. While Bruce was chatting with another vendor, I moseyed into Betty's stall to look at the CG. After visiting for a bit she agreed to a photograph. See Penny in the basket? Apparently, she's never once, in three years, moved from that spot during Betty's work day.

Betty is a collector. Not so much any longer, but for many, many years it ruled the roost in her home. At one point, her husband added on a room, 16x24 to hold all 724 pieces of Carnival Glass she'd amassed. Stunning, isn't it? Eventually she sold the whole lot to a collector from New York state who came down with a truck to haul it all back to HIS collection. These days, she still buys CG, however, she sells it, enjoying it for a time before letting it go. She's spent 26 years selling glassware at Renningers, which is a story we heard over and over throughout the day. Collectors are definitely everywhere. Who else would purchase all manner of tubes and tins of bygone tooth paste? We saw those. Seriously, we saw everything. A very amusing way to spend the day.

Finally, I had to share this Incredible!!! website. Now, THAT is a photographer