A Mini Photo Walk

Last Monday, Ginger, Brian and I met up to spend the day hanging out while our kitties, Augie (ours) and Tabbie Hoffman (hers) had their "big boy" surgery.  We needed something to distract us from worrying about our sweet babies.  We decided to go to Massee Lane Gardens in Fort Valley again, but it turned out that they were closed.  So, we drove about 20 minutes farther south, to Mama and Daddy's house.  But first, we stopped in Montezuma to do a mini photo walk.  It was fun!  I shot a roll of Arista Premium (black and white) 400 film on Brian's Fujica AX-3 (with 50 mm f/1.6 lens).  Here are some of those shots!











LOVE this one.  Film does beautiful things!!









And a few digital favorites:



















We had a great time walking around some of our "old stomping grounds," despite the fact that so much has changed and deteriorated since we were younger.  Sometimes you have to relearn how to see the beauty in things, and remember them for what they used to be while appreciating them for what they are now.

Where I'm From

My sister, Ginger, did this meme a couple weeks ago, and wanted me to have a go.  So, here I go!  (By the way, check out her version as well, because I'm from all those things, too!  :D )

I'm from red dirt roads, playing "school" in the woods and markers on posterboard.

I'm from He-Man and She-Ra dolls and saving the world with Wayne on the front porch steps.

I'm from cats in the yard, sweet old dogs, and walking till dark to find scuplins (that's "scuppernongs" to most folks).

I'm from the afternoon smell of supper cooking, homework after school, and summers full of "The Karate Kid."

I'm from a boombox in a swing, a homemade basketball goal, and a lavender 10-speed bike.

I'm from a little painted cinder block church, solos on Sundays, and tinsel halos on Christmas angels.

I'm from a little Casio keyboard, a black, clunky upright, and Mrs. Fowler's baby grand.

I'm from nickel candy at the Suwannee Swifty, makeup from Revco, and buying only Cokes from the liquor store.

I'm from Maw and Major's country life, Edith's spunkiness, and a Mildred who was really a grandmother.

I'm from a Mama who is my compass, a Daddy who is my hero, and the reflection of my potential in their eyes.

This is me.  And this is where I'm from.

Lately

Welcome, October!



























So excited for the season!!

Hope

So true.

For so long I have hoped.  I have hoped for a psoriasis treatment that will work for me, that will give me my life back.  I have severe psoriasis and it keeps me from doing a lot of things I used to enjoy, including dressing comfortably for the seasons.  I wear long sleeves and pants year-round, even through miserable, hot Georgia summers.  This week, I started a new treatment called Stelara, and it seems to be the most promising yet.  I'll know in a few weeks if it will work for me.

I had my first injection yesterday, and Brian snapped this photo.



That's just a little snippet of my skin.  Those spots you see?  There are many, many more.  They cover me, make me miserable and I'm tired of them.  So, please do your thing, Stelara!

Even through failed treatment after failed treatment, I will not despair.  I will choose hope.

A couple years ago, I created this bust for Scrap n' Art.  It still represents my struggle with this disease.  August is National Psoriasis Awareness Month, so I wanted to share it.  Creating art is very therapeutic for me.



This bust represents "My Two Psides," meaning my two identities or sides of living with psoriasis.  There is a clear side, with smooth, beautiful skin.  I haven't seen that side of myself in well over a decade.  The other side, or "pside," represents the ugly, inflamed skin.  Red, burning, itching, scaling, flaking, miserable.  The two wings represent freedom and imprisonment.  One wing is free, ready to fly.  The other is tethered, tied and confined.  Held down by this disease.  The key represents my search for a treatment that will work for me.

It represents hope.  And I cling to it.

Embrace The Current Season

Gabrielle Blair said, "Embrace the current season of your life."  OK, Gabrielle, here goes!  It's almost officially Summer on the calendar, and I am pleased to say that so far, Summer has been on her best behavior.  Mild temps, mostly in the 80s, and those have been welcome!  But the local weather man says Summer is about to bust out some mid-to-upper 90s foolishness later this week.

You know what, Summer?  That's ok.  Bring your hotness.  I will embrace it.  I can't say that I won't oftentimes be embracing it inside in the air conditioning, but I will embrace it all the same.

I will live life, savor it, cherish it, and not wish away the precious days that Summer brings.  Even if they are hot and uncomfortable, those days are still important.

So, here's a little photography of life lately.  On the cusp of Summer.



















Just a few shots I took with this:




It's an old Minolta film lens that Brian found in our local Goodwill for $7.07!!  A 50 mm f/1.7 prime.  I have been wanting it, and was going to eventually order it.  For $150!  But instead, I got it for seven bucks!!  This one is in mint condition, with clean glass and just a small bit of cosmetic wear.  We just could not believe our luck.  I shoot Sony.  No, I'm not a Nikon or Canon girl.  I'm a Sony girl.  I have a Sony dSLR, and since Sony bought Minolta back in 2006, I can use all the old Minolta film lenses on my Sony dSLR.  I think this is super-duper cool, because there's just a different quality to film lenses that is really amazing.  The coating on these lenses was optimized for film, which just gives it a different look and feel.  But they're still usable on a digital camera, so it's like the best of both worlds!  Amazing, vibrant color reproduction and sharpness.  I have a Sony 50 mm f/1.8 that performs beautifully, so I am ecstatic to have two amazing "nifty fifties" in my arsenal.  I also have an old Minolta 24 mm prime, which is excellent as well.  Oh, and I'm not a zoom lens girl, either.  I shoot only primes.  I love the lightweight, small size of primes and the wider aperture capabilities.  They are sharp and excellent in low light.

I am looking forward to embracing the rest of this season.

That Is Home

Made some art today.  Had this frame from IKEA and decided to create something to hang by the front door.  I recently created a large canvas art piece for my last issue of Scrap n' Art (I resigned as of the June issue), but I can't share that just yet due to it being artwork for the current issue.  The canvas is also hanging by the door, and needed a "friend" to hang with it.

Here's a picture of the little piece I created today.  I just love the sentiment; it has personal meaning for Brian and me.



It was great to create something fun "just because," and not for a design team assignment.  I am planning on opening my Etsy shop in the coming months, and hope to sell similar handmade art pieces, canvases and other handmade items.  So let me know what you think!  Thanks for looking!  :D

Collected Moments

Here's a post of collected moments.  Life lately, according to my camera.































So much beauty in the everyday.  The "ordinary" moments are extraordinary when those moments make up a life.  All those little details, scenes that might go unnoticed, unless we slow down just a bit and capture them.  I love collecting moments.