Almost Perfect

That my friends is how I would describe yesterday-- Monday, March 12, 2012. The kind of day where everything goes according to plan including the gorgeous weather. Why, oh why it couldn't have been like this on Sunday???

That there is Mr. Bruce heading out to the vehicle with a basket of prints under his poncho. I won't dwell on it except to say it was not much fun setting up the entire booth only to take it down about 45 minutes later. Enough already.

Instead, I lollygagged all afternoon in my pajamas, watching first FSU beat North Carolina for the ACC championship, followed by golf. Popcorn and FaceTime chat with Matt thrown in for good measure. I know you'll be happy to learn that he and Tom are thriving. Although Bruce did not change into pajamas he lollygagged right along with me if you can imagine. Even more shocking is that he did absolutely no job related work all weekend long!!! Saturday, while I was at Winter Garden, he met up with Bill and Dave at the gym, showing off his improvement, followed by lunch. Nice to get together with your boys.

Which brings us to yesterday, the already described almost perfect day. One teeny thing kept it from being perfect. I don't mind admitting that I've held out a wee bit of hope that somehow I would get to exhibit at the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival this coming weekend. I know it is silly of me, however, as an optimist, I can't help myself. Anyway, after blogging early yesterday I checked my status on the web site. For months now I've been #3 on the wait list. Imagine my surprise when there was no numeral attached. Could it be that my number was almost up??? The short answer is no, it could not be. Throughout the day I kept wondering if I would hear back from the email I sent asking for an explanation. Finally, around 7 in the evening, the call came through letting me know that there was an error and I in fact am still #3. Maybe next year?

As Bruce was leaving for work yesterday morning he asked about my day plans. I answered that laundry was on my agenda. I couldn't wait to try out this little sample that came in the mail:

That's quite a tag line they have there--"Give the Revolution a Spin." All very clever. Because I've been using this kind of thing for the dishwasher for a couple of years now I'm surprised this is the first I've seen the pod being used for washing clothes. I've been using liquid for years now and try as I might I always have some dripping going on. Revolution indeed. The weather was perfect for drying clothes on the line. I give you "His and Hers."

I got to find out first hand how great my new little Jelly Bean rug washes as well.

Baxter, as you may already know, is pretty much a perfect dog. Easy to get along with, cute as a button, and marginally well trained. There's one little thing about Baxter that isn't quite so great and that is his penchant for pooping on the patio by the clothes line. Before you get all grossed out, remember the mantra--small dog, small poop.

The doorbell rang at 8AM. The technician arrived to do the semi-annual air conditioner check. Nice young man. Everything went smooth as silk. Except for the small patch he left on my new rug as he re-entered the house after checking the outdoor compressor. I tossed the rug in the wash, came out perfect and the BEST part is that it dried outdoors in about 30 minutes--I kid you not. No more proof is needed to validate their claims of excellence.

I got all kinds of things done including: mowing most of the yard, planting more grass plugs, watering my flowers and making banana bread. I also ran up to the bank with Jonathan's car payment and took the pool water to be checked. I was delighted when he said it was perfect as I've largely ignored any maintenance for months now.  Finally the tree guy came. Tree guy Gail?

As I was driving home from getting my fresh orange juice last week  I saw a crew and truck in front of a house. Let's just say this was a very good find. He agreed to come and clean up the palms.

These Chinese Fan palms have gotten just plain too tall for us to manage them ourselves. So lots of brown, empty seed pods, and general all around mess. Furthermore they have been suffering from some sort of disease which, in the words of Gabriel from Arbor Vision, skeletonizes the fronds.

In fact, he used all sorts of terms we'd never heard of, talking like crazy about trees. An Arborist will do that you know. Along with the clean up, he applied liberally a fertilizer which includes something that will help the tree fight off the disease. Wait--palms aren't trees we learned--they are grasses. Now you know.

He climbed up a huge ladder and sawed away.

Surprising how much had to go. I was kind of mesmerized by the new seed pod thing he removed.

A neat spring green color and so intricate. Problem is they end up full of fruits that rats like to eat. To date we've avoided any rats in the house and I'd like to keep it that way. While he was sawing away I was folding the clothes as I took them down from the line. I said something to him about the rat problem and seconds later a rat ran along the fence right in front of my eyes! Please go away!

He carefully cleaned the one out front as well, promising not to disturb Mama Cardinal nesting in the lady palms below (see bottom right.)

Lots of big trees around these parts that's for sure. I'm thinking he's up there about 40' in the air. So, it all looks very good now:

The big Queen Palm also got a tidying up. I am most pleased at my roadside find and the $280 was money well spent!

Mr. Bruce left this morning for a couple day trip to check on projects. Because he's been home so much he was not terribly excited as you can imagine. Not long after he left I made my fourth trip out to Valencia in the last few weeks. You'll recall I agreed to participate in the Red Chair project which I'm doing for free. No problem with that except I had no idea it was going to take me so many tries to complete the assignment! First time I went to scope it out the campus was closed for a teacher work day. Next visit I shot the interior of the gallery with the red chair, and an outside shot, but they wanted another one inside the main building. Okay, I can do that. Drove out there last week and it was Spring Break. Darn!!! Surely it would work today.....yeah right. The gallery was closed to hang another exhibit!! I got what I could and re-shot the outside because the flowering tabebuia tree adds so much life.

So, that's that. As I was driving to my next destination I noticed some purple. Park car, get camera, and here is one of the first irises of the season:

I am becoming more and more enamored of purple flowers including these deep purple salvia I planted around the new tree:

 Are they ever going to be gorgeous once they grow up!!

Birds, flowers, caladium bulbs coming up......Spring has sprung my friends.

What Next?

You might think to yourself that it is no ones fault but our own that creatures have been making their way inside our home and you would be right to presume that. Many years ago it would have been unthinkable to leave doors wide open, however, not because of birds, but flies. Oh my, they were, in the words of my late mother, "as thick as thieves" around these parts. For whatever reason this is no longer the case allowing me to leave both the front and back doors wide open during the lovely weather we've experienced this winter. Plus, the optimist in me thinks that rarely things go wrong. I'm not a complete fool, but mostly I look on the bright side of life.

I was not thinking bright and happy thoughts when I walked into the sunroom Friday morning and discovered a large toad on the floor near Bruce's briefcase. YIKES!! Quickly shutting the French doors so said nasty toad would remain at least in the sunroom, I went to get you know who. He was still showering but promised to get there ASAP. Although I proposed a jar to rid said sunroom of the toad, Bruce gently picked him up, even pausing long enough for me to take photographs.

According to Bruce the toad must have been burrowing in the dirt because he was covered in it, making him far less attractive than normal. I know some folks think toads and frogs are cute, and in fact, I do have the toad swimming in the pool photograph hung in our hall bathroom, but a photograph is one thing, in the flesh--not so much!

Once the toad was safely in the backyard, and the back door firmly shut, we finished getting ready for our day trip to Gamble Place in Port Orange. The weather was a bit dreary as we left but improved throughout the day. Because we arrived about twenty minutes before the gates opened we took a look around Cracker Creek, the adjacent property where they rent canoes and kayaks. As we got out of the car the first thing I saw was a male peacock on the front porch rails. As is often the case, once you have a pair, they multiply pretty quickly. We ended up seeing at least a dozen peacocks, or I should say mostly peahens, with a few peacocks showing off in the mix.

This peacock had such lovely coloration! They offer a one hour pontoon boat ride at 11:00 down Spruce Creek which we decided was just the thing to do after visiting Gamble Place.

GP was used primarily as a hunting lodge for the Gamble, of Ivory Soap fame, family. Apparently there was a mansion in Daytona Beach where they slept, making day excursions to the creek. At one point (1938), one of the heirs of James Gamble was so enamored of the new Walt Disney film, Snow White, that he had an architect build a replica of the Black Forest cottage as seen in the film.

To the left of the main building is a burned out cypress tree trunk used for the witches hut! As you can see the azaleas were in full bloom and not just adjacent to the cottage but huge bunches of them everywhere.

Bruce was amazed at the quality of the workmanship on the cottage which was much larger than I'd expected. A playhouse was it's function. Meandering the property, we took in what we could, however,  because the boat tour time was quickly approaching, we didn't see a lot of the place in depth,  but enough to imagine why he chose the location for a summer retreat.

The family that now owns Cracker Creek named it that because, as we saw in a demonstration after the boat ride, the sound of the cow whip makes a loud crack, and I do mean loud. To put your mind at ease, it turns out the whip was used not to beat the animals but to give them a scare so they would keep going during cattle drives. Captain Jim demonstrates the technique:

We learned that the incredibly loud crack comes from the whip breaking the sound barrier. And now you know the origin of the nickname, Florida Cracker! The boat ride was lovely with soft breezes under partly cloudy skies. We saw a few juvenile alligators sunning themselves on the banks much to the delight of the other guests who were visiting the area for Daytona Bike Week from parts up North.

At this size they look kind of cute don't they? As well we saw some newly blooming air plants clinging to the old oak trees amongst the Resurrection Ferns.

All those squiggly brown things are the Resurrection Ferns which according to our very knowledgeable guide turn bright green after a rainstorm.

During Kate's funeral Bruce mentioned he'd have to take more photographs of me if we were to do a slide show at my funeral. He started the project on the boat.

No makeup!!! Bruce convinced me I didn't need it, however, I think he doesn't see what I see. :-)

The azaleas were really breathtaking with a gorgeous shade blooming that I can't recall seeing before.

After lunch at their picnic tables we headed North towards Ormond Beach to visit The Casements, the winter home of John D. Rockefeller. Driving through Daytona Beach was pretty interesting with all the bikers just arriving. I asked Bruce, what exactly do they do for a week? It remains a mystery. By now it was raining so the volume on the streets was naturally diminished.

Joining a tour underway, we unfortunately didn't get as much background information as I would have liked, but that's why we have the Internet isn't it?

According to Wikipedia the house was named for the casement windows which are absent these days; mostly hurricane damage through the years. Amazingly the top floor holds a Boy Scout museum and a Hungarian Costume museum. Weird, I know.

The Boy Scout Museum was begun as an Eagle Scout project by a local young man in 1980 and it's been housed there ever since. The collection of memorabilia is really astonishing including this final letter to the Scouts from the British founder of the movement.

There were uniforms from every era prior to 1980, and when I tell you it was really well done, you'll just have to believe me.

Bruce was a Boy Scout for a long time and his brother Cris went onto become an Eagle Scout. Those knots Bruce uses to tie down my tent every week--the Boy Scouts. Being prepared for anything--that's the Boy Scout motto!

The other folks on the tour weren't as interested in the Hungarian costumes so we made a quick run through of that room.

Really beautiful hand made costumes.

So, all in all, it was a terrific day trip. Of course any day I get to spend with Bruce is terrific, but then again, that goes without saying.

When you've lived in Florida most of your life it is easy to take it for granted, however, there is so much to see and do that it's really no wonder people the world over come to Florida to both live and play. The last few years have really opened my eyes to the wonder that is Florida, despite the heat and live creatures that come into our home uninvited!

Babies and About to be Babies

What's Luck Got to Do With It?   Well, as it turns out--a lot if you're a patient. Shame on the medical system is what I have to say. As someone who went through such a rigamarole to find out what was wrong with her, I can relate big time. My problem is they never did find out what was going on. The poor man profiled in the Times story underwent exploratory surgery, something I'm thrilled I avoided although it was discussed. Just as I was reading those pieces the mail brought the bill for the ultrasound Bruce underwent a few weeks ago. Because his liver enzymes were elevated, his doctor kept insisting on the necessity of the test. You know me--I kept insisting that he is completely healthy and it is a waste of time. Finally I caved and said go ahead and have it to shut the doctor up. The bill from the hospital--$1,127! Radiologist fees to follow. Thank God for insurance, but we still had to pay a pretty large portion.

Some voice mail problems prevented Bruce from knowing about the nurses first call last week. She called again on Tuesday, and again he missed the call. Finally later in the day he spoke with her--the results are a fatty liver. Furthermore she told him he should start a low fat diet and lose weight. Duh!! It stands to reason that if you're somewhat overweight this will be the result, but NO--they needed a silly waste of time, not to mention expensive, test to state the obvious. Apparently this is becoming more common as the population, both adults and children, grows larger. Let me stress he does not have a disease just some fat, probably from eating out all the time because he sure isn't getting fat from eating at home!

Yesterday was a gardening day for me. Lots of lovely flowers were planted after some necessary uprooting of others. Last week I noticed what I thought was a new cardinal nest in the Lady Palms. Score--it is a new nest! I caught Mama Cardinal sitting on it and in a first, it is in pretty good view. I got on the ladder when she was off gallivanting and got this shot of the EGGS!

Using my trusty Panasonic Lumix FZ8 I held the camera over the nest and hoped for the best! I wonder if this will be all the eggs or if they lay them separately? Because we have two sets of cardinals, I'm not sure which female I was seeing, but I thought one of them looked a little puffy and this was after I discovered the nest. Perhaps I should go in search of a second nest? Why didn't I think of that yesterday???

Not to change the subject but my hair is darker and 2" shorter and it feels very good. Monica, as always, did a lovely job styling it; I, on the other hand, will not be as adept for sure.

So, this morning I got ready for bridge, but something kept nagging at me about not going. All it took as I was driving there was to catch a glimpse of a mother duck and ducklings alongside a small lake. Pulling over and pulling out the FZ8, I saw this adorable site:

Naturally you must be wondering what's going on with this picture seeing as it's so soft and all. Well, I'll tell you what's going on. My trusty Picasa has undergone an update and in so doing Google added all these simple-as-pie editing features. This one is appropriately called, "soften." Because I don't care for this kind of duck, in fact I think they are downright ugly, I softened it for her. Sad to think that those adorable babies will be growing up to look like their mother.....

Don't think I'm too much of a slacker for skipping bridge please. Arriving home early, Bruce said you know your friends are counting on you, to which I defended myself by saying that we actually had five which exonerates me! After the duckling sighting I made my way over to Lake Eola where there are too many birds to count. Lots of swans, including some pairs of black swans. This little one is going to someday be black:

See those big feet?? The cygnet would walk maybe two steps before practically tripping over those big feet!! Adorable, adorable.

Another one of the editing features is called "Lomo-ish." Here's a little explanation about lomography.
Plastic Russian camera and film are no longer necessary to get the lomo look.

Just having a little fun experimenting. One of the reasons I kept wanting to stay home was to do some creating, as in a new collage--theme yet to be determined. Two working titles are "Who Doesn't Like Blue?", or "The Art of Whimsy", two subjects I know very much about.  I'm all over whimsy! Speaking of which, the new owl curtain may be just plain "too whimsical" even for me. If there weren't so darn many owls!

Always having fun with my camera I looked on the ground and noticed a white feather jutting out of the pine needles. Once I turned my camera on the subject I discovered the shadow of my legs in my new Paige skinny, and I mean skinny, jeans was visible. Thinking I'd yet to show off my new shoes purchased with my birthday Nordstrom gift card from Dave and Michelle, it was a win-win situation.

Both of these garments were removed in favor of a sleeveless dress and barefoot once I returned home. Jeans are just fine right now if I'm in air conditioning, otherwise it is getting too warm for me to wear everyone's favorite garment. Not that I'm complaining, far from it. Having open windows is my favorite as my children will readily attest.

Parsley in vase curtesy of my gardening prowess. That's a laugh!

Cherry tomato, although I made the same mistake as last year only buying one plant. Dummy. Basil and cilantro are coming along nicely:

I'm thinking you couldn't get enough of those ducklings and are dying to see them again. Am I right?

I thought so.

And one last picture of something you've seen a thousand times before, but if you're like me 1,001 is still just fine.

Just as I was pulling into our street Tuesday evening after having my hair done I saw a man on a paddle board silhouetted against the setting sun. Brakes!! Camera out of handbag!!! Car parked alongside curb!! Race across Summerlin. It wasn't meant to be apparently as he had moved over close to his dock. Darn him.

collaging away,
Gail

Loose Ends

I realized over the weekend that I was remiss on updating you regarding the refrigerator. No doubt, you spent days wondering if Gail had added appliance repairman to her repertoire. She has not. After cleaning the disgusting side of the fridge which faces the stove, not to mention the floor and vacuuming the back, I discovered that, although the internet was a handy guide to what was wrong, I had no idea how to go about finding the drain. Well, that's not entirely true, Bruce pointed out on the back what he was sure was the drain but left before telling me how to dis-attach it from the fridge. Maybe that's not even a word but you get my drift. A call was made to Conway Appliance, a repairman came out within hours and after the easiest repair in the world we are back in business. So darn easy I only had to pay the $69 fee for him coming out. He yanked the drain plug off the back of the refrigerator, stuck a tube down it and dislodged a piece of ice. Voila!

Furthermore I never told you if I kept the shower curtain. I did not. After having such a classic stripe for so long, the wild print seemed just a tad too much. Instead I bought this one in Cocoa Village that, if I'm honest with myself, probably goes too far to the side of cute.

Still wondering if I can live with it!

We had some very unexpected good news around these parts that I've been meaning to share. About two weeks ago, as I was going to the mailbox, pictured here blown down by the weekend's sever winds,

a white Orange County Code Enforcement truck pulled up. I asked him what was going on. Apparently he was in our neighborhood for some other reason when he saw my next door neighbor's truck alongside his house. I tried hard to conceal my glee. You see, for the last, maybe ten years or so, he has had this ungodly diesel truck that he hauls vehicle engines in, basically parked outside our bedroom window. Perhaps I've mentioned before how he left at 4AM two days a week, invariably waking me up? If that's not bad enough, he is hard of hearing so all his clanging and banging related to said truck, seems not to faze him. Because our weather has been so glorious we've had open windows for months now so you can see my problem. Moreover, because of it's huge size it was just plain ugly to look at. I have no idea what code he was breaking, aside from not being a good neighbor, but it's gone now. Wherever he's parking it now is fine by me!

A carolina wren, a red-winged blackbird and now a dove have all flown into the house this winter. Yesterday it was the doves turn. Bless it's heart, it was confused, flying first into the big window in the sun room before heading into the living room to perch on the television. Thank goodness for small favors that Bruce was home! Looking around he found a box that he eased the dove onto and walked slowly towards the open side door.

I took this moments before he flew away, no doubt hoping that would never happen again!

He was eating contentedly at what we are calling the "house feeder" as it is hung from the eaves just outside this window:

And there you have it--another nice little purchase from our Sunday excursion. I love how it reflects in both windows and of course I'm a sucker for how colorful it is. The tinkling sound it makes is nice as well!

I don't know about you but I sure have a hard time finding appropriate rugs. I may now have solved my problem after finding this rug:

My only problem was trying to decide if the palm trees should face in or out! Jellybean is the name of the rug line. Made of 35% recycled soda bottles, or so I'm told, the packaging says it washed better than your favorite pair of jeans. With all the mess outside I was delighted to find this at the little shop in Cocoa Village. Because I rarely shop anywhere besides Marshalls, Ross, and Nordstrom, I just haven't seen what's out there. Apparently more than I realized! It feels great on my bare feet and for sure I love how vibrant it is.

A mess indeed. The high winds tore off not only the brown "furry things" from our neighbor's oak tree but new leaves as well. Only a few days ago I had the pool looking beautiful only to have it fall prey to the wind.

As of this morning it looked great, but once again we're having windy conditions which I suppose only makes sense as it is March. Who knew daylight savings time was coming up again? Not this blogger. I'm avoiding looking out back!

Here's our cute little new lamp made from leaves. Orange naturally. Don't be fooled by what looks like a bird egg next to the lamp; the nest is for real, the egg not.

 More azaleas Gail? Why not? Old Orlando is all aflame in pink these days and frankly, I can't get enough of it. Our new oak which is now home to this little bird house has not lost it's leaves. We keep wondering when it will happen because the majority of the oaks are sporting their new spring green coats.

Last, but not least, is a new little companion for our garden sign which we bought last summer in London. The new piece is from this side of the Atlantic.

In my spare time, which there seems to be little of lately, I've been reading a wonderful book, A Good American. I'm not sure what made me pick up this book about Missouri, written by an Englishman, but am I glad I did. In a word, it is sweet and not in a saccharine way. There's real optimism which is certainly rare in literature. I'm nearing the end and wish I wasn't because it's been a really long time since I felt I could recommend a book. I came across this blog entry from Alex George, the author. If you don't have time for the book at least read the post because it is darn good! I keep wondering if there's any way in the world that this Oxford educated Englishman who practiced corporate law in both London and Paris might have once worked for the firm that employs Matthew. Now wouldn't that be something?

I also came across this piece about phone typing made easier from the NYTimes. Information I can definitely use, however, I'm getting a little better all the time. Not that I use it that much. People would laugh at my phone bill because I'm using up maybe a quarter of my allotted usage plan.

Yikes--where has the afternoon gone?? I must leave immediately to see Miss Monica about my hair. I'm such a procrastinator when it comes to my hair, it needs some serious attention!!

Just thought I'd end this with something pretty taken using phoneography,

Gail

The Mercy of the Weather Forecasters!

That's how my business goes. If the weather prediction is dire, we are usually in a jam. That was the case yesterday morning as we woke up to high winds and cloudy skies. Of course, ever the optimist, I said it would never last and it did not. Bruce and I went back and forth--should we, or shouldn't we? We packed the vehicle. Bruce drove down to the park to find only two other vendors there. Calling Dana he learned that a decision had been made--no load in until 10AM, with extended hours until 5PM. The call was made at 7:30AM. Now what?

Coming home I made a leisurely breakfast and we actually opened our Sunday newspaper. All the while the wind blew enough to blow those rainy clouds away. We could have used the enormous rain the weather forecasters predicted, however, it never materialized. After cleaning up the yard and patio, we once again went back and forth, should we or should we? Despite the promising weather change we decided to take the day off because the lengthened opening hours might have compromised our ability to get to the memorial service for Kate in a timely manner.  Sales be damned!!

Instead we drove over to Cocoa Village, a darling little tiny downtown that I've visited just once before. Because Bruce had never been he agreed to the short journey. Arriving there it turns out they were having a little art and craft show. Nice. Trouble was that the high winds had driven some of the vendors home. No problem for us; instead of earning money we spent it, wandering around the quaint shops and having a delightful lunch at Lea's Bistro. One of the many cute little shops to be found in Cocoa Village:

Our meanderings over, we drove home, or make that I drove home because my little honey was a sleepy head. No worries--it was easy. We were anxious to see if our purchases looked as good in our home as we'd hoped and they do! I've yet to photograph them but you'll see them soon enough no doubt.

Because Kate was young I expected a large gathering for her memorial service and indeed it was. Arriving early, we watched as the other mourners took their seats. Promptly at 7PM, the service started, concluding nearly two hours later. I can't imagine the pain Regina and Kate's family are going through. The service was held at the same church where she married her current husband only 3 1/2 years earlier. Although the pastor did not show it, he must have been heart sick as well having performed the marriage ceremony so recently.

On a happier note I wanted to show you something that has made the last two weeks of sitting at my computer that much better. Every time I look up from the monitor I'm greeted by the sight of a beautiful pink tabebuia tree out my window. Walking Baxter last week we made our way to the house and even though Mike was not there we walked into the backyard for a closer look. Not only are the trees beautiful but as the blooms drop they carpet the ground below them.

The grass was so thick Baxter's little legs are partially hidden!

I had to keep backing up to include the entire tree. Won't be long before the pink is replaced by green but for these few weeks it is a glorious sight repeated all over the city. Speaking of pink, oh my, I went by Dickson Azalea Gardens the other day on my way home from somewhere.

Every path is bursting with azalea blossoms. Oh my! The park seems to have been a WPA project back in the thirties with little enhancement since.

Well, that's not entirely true because there are some newish handrails on the little bridges over the barely rippling Fern Creek.

The business about Fern Creek is news to me. You would think that after all these years of living in Orlando I would have known that indeed there is a creek named Fern, not just a street! Which reminds me of when we were at Fort Christmas I saw a reference to Curry's Ford from the 1800's which was so interesting. Driving on Curry Ford Road several times a week, I now know that it means more than just a street name.

Have you been missing the cardinals???

Isn't she pretty???

Not so pretty, but I did want to show my cute new blouse up close:

I must learn to be more photogenic!!! Perhaps that's not in the cards for me at this late date.

That said, last night they ran a slideshow of photographs of Kate. Bruce looked at me and said I've got to start taking more pictures of you. As not one, not two, but three people spoke about Kate, I couldn't help wondering what people will say about me at my funeral. I know it sounds all maudlin but it is something to think about every now and again. I remember sitting at my friend Bina's untimely funeral and thinking if all the people who are saying nice things now had said them while she was living how lovely that would have been.

On that note, while they are alive, surprise someone by telling them how much you like them, or how much they mean to you--that sort of thing. Both the giver and the receiver will be that much better for it! I can tell you that each and every reader, wherever you are mean very much to me.

with gratitude for life,
Gail

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Yesterday morning while eating my breakfast the house phone rang. It was Angela asking if I was already dressed because if so, I needed to come over immediately. "Something miraculous is going on in our backyard!" she explained. I'll be there the minute I finish my peanut butter English muffin with Baxter in tow.

She was indeed right--a miraculous sight awaited. Before I began taking photographs in earnest, I took many, many things for granted. The absolute simple wonders of nature mostly escaped me. Now, on the other hand, I can't get enough of them. Including watching a spider build it's web in the bright sunshine.

When I arrived a few minutes later the spider was busy, busy, busy. The web looked like this:

Extraordinary right? The web itself is amazing in itself, but being able to see the guide wires if you will was phenomenal. If only I'd had my lens. I really needed a polarizing filter which acts like sunglasses for your lens because I was shooting into the sun big time. Unfortunately I still had Roger's lens which was much larger than mine. You do what you can!

These are super tiny spiders; despite looking online I can't find the name of this type. The speed with which the spider worked and the intricacy of the web had us watching in fascination.

By the time I took Baxter back across the street, the spider nearly had the web complete, all in what we think was the span of about an hour.

Earlier this morning before leaving for bridge I had a blog post in mind with the spider web only a part of it. Running errands took up much of my afternoon and when I did get home I saw there was a phone message.

Many of you may not know the story because you are new to Camera Crazy; those of you not so new may need a little refresher. It turns out it was 20 months ago that my dear friend and neighbor Regina called in tears to tell me her 42 year old daughter, a marathon runner and health enthusiast, was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Lately, in this little web spot you've not heard much about Regina because she's mostly been laying low. That said, every now and again I'd talk to her about all the various treatments and clinical trials Kate was going through.Up and down their hopes went. Eight different types of chemotherapy and it all comes down to this: she died last night in her own bed with family surrounding her. Naturally Regina is devastated even though privately we had talked about the likelihood of Kate recovering.

After our conversation it occurred to me that life is like that spider web. Layer upon layer of people who we can't do without. We have the foundation people in our lives, parents and grandparents, those kind. Our husbands, wives and lovers are next. Family, as in children, siblings,  aunts, uncles, and cousins. Classmates, co-workers, neighbors, close friends, casual friends and acquaintances all make up our lives--each one a different layer but all part of the whole. All important.

I may not be explaining myself very well. Maybe it's because I'm so sad for Regina, but I do think things happen for a reason. Matt, Angela's husband seeing the web, showing Angela, she calls me and we marvel together. Let's all marvel together shall we?

with a heavy heart,
Gail

p.s. When I saw this piece on Young Photographers it reminded me of myself. Obviously, not the young part!