Dance Hall

Back in the 60's I used to take ballet lessons at the local park; I remember performing in the Nutcracker, I think I was a sugar plum fairy...anyway, it saddens me to see the hall where I took those lessons in such disarray; a new gym at the park has been built but this building remains abandoned, vandalized and forgotten.. but not by all.

Power Lines

I guess I'm not supposed to like these - they are urban blight. But I love telephone poles and the wires that criss-cross past them. I love how they divide up the space. I love remembering long car rides and silently watching the power lines zip along the side of the road next to us - a slight dip, then a rise to meet the next pole - keeping time.

Writing with friends

This weekend, a small group of people

are gathering at a bed and breakfast in Massachusetts

to celebrate our friend's birthday.

I've been asked to share some writing exercises with the group

(and that ALWAYS makes me smile!)

So I've prepared a Weekend Writing Kit to share with everyone.

Let the scribbling begin!

False Alarm

As my husband was leaving for work this morning around 5:30am, he returned into the house and asked me to step outside; I groggily did as asked only to be met with the distinct odor of natural gas; the neighborhood seemed to be engulfed with the odor; my husband didn't want to take any chances so while I called the Gas Company to make a report, he woke up everyone else in the household and within minutes we were all up and gathered outside but by this time the odor wasn't prevalent any longer but he still insisted that we leave until the Gas Company checked it out and gave their clearance. When we arrived home, after an early breakfast, this notice of clearance greeted us and we were able to go on with the rest of our day reassured that all was well.

It's in the details

Metal plates like this one are embedded in the sidewalks

near Fort Washington in NYC.

I had no idea about the area's historical significance

until I saw these plates.

It's the little details that bring us to the bigger picture sometimes.

Life Drawing Frenzy

I'm afraid I have become obsessed with my life drawing class. It feels like, if I can just master this then everything in my life will fall into place. No, it feels like, if I can't master this then everyone will know that I'm a fraud. All I've accomplished in my life seems to hinge on my ability to figure out how to draw the human body. 

I left on some errands this morning and upon returning I saw this pile of frenzied work. "Hurry up and get back over here!" it called at me. "Don't be thnking that you're good enough yet!"

Double Take

Saw this kid walking and his hair made me do a double take; made me wonder what he spends more time on...hair or homework?

Man on the subway with a giant pencil

I saw this dude on the subway today

standing there with a pencil that was taller than him...

Sometimes I love this wacky city.

How to Stop the Circle of Doubt

I came home from my life drawing class last night frustrated and defeated. So defeated that I wanted to throw up my hands and give up on all my current creative pursuits; too frustrated to bother to remember my daily post. Felt like such a poser. "Whoever said I was good at this? Not me!"

Pulling myself together enough this morning to sit at my work table and make something, I sorted through the bits and pieces and came across this:

I don't know how much it really helped, but it certainly gave me a moment to get out of my head and stop the endless circle of doubt.

And then in floated my teacher's words from the first day of class: "Most of you will want to quit around the middle of the semester, some of you will disappear." Guess what? Next week is the middle of the semester. Maybe I'm not so terrible. Maybe, in fact, I'm on right on track.

I think I might make myself a name tag with this. Then, next week when I'm frustrated again (and I know I will be), I'm going to pause, read my name tag, stop the circle of doubt, and get on with it!

Humps?

Did I miss something? When did speed "bumps" turn into "humps"?

Candy counter

Today I went into a department store

And I was amazed:

THEY HAD A CANDY COUNTER!

Just like the kind they had when I was a little boy

where you could buy chocolates and snow drops and licorice bites

by the pound.

A man (a security guard?) asked me why I was taking a photo of the counter.

He said he wanted to make sure I didn't work for Macy's.

Ha!

Since when did a candy counter become TOP SECRET stuff?

Pressed Pennies

These pressed penny machines can be found throughout Disneyland as well as the hotels of Disney; I find it to be a fun and affordable souvenir especially for kids to collect. For .51 you can choose which pattern you want pressed on your penny and insert your coins and watch as the machine presses the pattern on and flattens your penny and out it drops warm and textured ready to take place in one of the vinyl collector's books you can also pick up while at Disneyland (of course).

Donkey's Pillow

Every day Donkey pulls the stuffing from his pillow. Every day it makes me smile. Every day I stuff it back in for him. And it begins again . . .

 As I was getting ready to write this post, he jumped on his pillow and started pulling out more fluff. I smiled some more.

As I finish this post, he's taking a rest. For now. I'm still smiling.

At QVC studios

The QVC logo wall at their studios

West Chester, PA

Sand Dollar

This sand dollar has been on my van dashboard for years; I can't remember why it is there or how it got there but every now and again I actually "see" it and it takes me back to a time when my son would ask to go with me at 6am to Morro Strand Beach and "hunt" for sand dollars; it was one of the few times when the two of us did something alone together and I cherished those moments. Being my son's birthday weekend and his being over seas has him on my mind and perhaps that is why the sand dollar remains on the dash board.

Beyond the Do Not Enter Sign

Venturing beyond the "Do Not Enter" sign

Terrifying

Nuclear power plant

Limerick, Pennsylvania.

My parents live between here and Three Mile Island.

Terrifying.

Extra outlet

When I travel, I'm often frustrated by the lack of electrical outlets in hotel rooms.

It's almost like the places don't understand that

we travelers need to be able to "plug in and recharge"

It's even more important to be able to do that in a hotel

than when we're at home.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate this simple gesture of kindness:

an extra outlet in the base of the lamp.

Thank you, kind hotel.

You've made my stay here even more enjoyable.

Hurry Up and Bloom

I don't know what this plant is called. Sooner or later it will bloom and be really lovely. In the meantime, and for most of the year, it kind of freaks me out.

Bumper Sticker

I've never been big on bumper stickers; I don't mind bumper stickers on other people's cars, even amuse myself  in traffic reading them and learning about these driver's children's academic achievements, places traveled, political and religious views as well as their sense of humors. One day though while rounding around the back of my van, I saw that a sticker had been added to it; at first glance, I was slightly miffed since I have avoided having any stickers placed on my vehicle but then read it and realized who must have placed it there and didn't have the heart to remove it. The sticker happens to represent a true statement and so it remains and I join all the other sticker boasting commuters on the highway.