65/365 A Muse

"A Few Notes On My Muse"

I am terrible at answering those questions like, Who is your favorite author?, If you could sit down with one famous person, who would it be?, etc.  My family will tell you that I have a hard time making decisions, and that is true, but I don't think that is what makes these questions difficult for me.  I find the world fascinating.  I learn things from every person I meet, every experience I have (both good and bad), every place I go, every task I undertake.  I am often surprised by the profound experiences that I have in what would seem to be mundane places and circumstances.  So to name just one of anything just seems impossible and, well,  unnecessary.  All that to say that I could not name A muse.

This task was further complicated when I received today's CY365 email about the prompt.  It asked us to make a shout out to the one in the community who most inspires us most.  Wow!  That is kind of like naming your favorite child.  Every day I share my life with this group and they share theirs with me.  The photos and their accompanying stories are not always happy.  Through such sharing, a bond grows.  Though most of us have never met one another, I feel like some of these people are old friends.  As I said to one of them tonight, that seems both cool and strange at the same time.

Everyone who shares in the CY365 gallery has inspired me in some way at one time or another.  I can't name just one person.  

As I thought about my photo for the day, the prompt screamed "abstract photo" to me.  

I began with music because that has always been such a constant in my life.  It is not important only because that is what I do, but because with it came the teaching of so many life lessons:  the importance of discipline, the skills necessary to work in a group, the value of community, how to accept disappointment, what it feels like to make yourself vulnerable to the world...and the list goes on.  I also felt like I needed to include light and dark for life revolves around both.  The blips and bubbles both magnify and obscure details of my world. I think there are also many things yet unseen in this image.  Knowing that mystery abounds is what keeps creativity and inspiration alive.

All that said, I still don't think that I have identified my muse.

64/365 A Story In Three

"Me In Three"

Many ideas went through my head during the day for what to do for today's prompt.  I had lots of time to think because I left the house at 7:30 this morning and did not get home until 9:30.  needless to say, it was a very long day with not much time at its end for photography.

There are many things that I could have photographed that would have told a part of more story.  Many of them would probably have been better photos than these, but the longer I thought, the clearer it became that everything I do is guided by these three things.  They are who I am at my core.

Here are these three photos stitched together in a triptych.

As today is Ash Wednesday, blessings to all as we begin our Lenten journey.

63/365 Party

"Happy Birthday CY365!"

Today marks the third anniversary of the launching of the Capture Your 365 website.  This community has become such a big part of my life over the past year and a half.  We had no sweet treats with which to celebrate so my cupcake became a fruit cup.

Today is also Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, another day of celebration in preparation for the forty days of Lent that begin tomorrow.  We had pancakes at church, an annual tradition on this day.  

I think someone's fruit was a little more fermented than mine was:-)  How can you not love this face??

62/365 Choose A Favorite (Macro Monday)

"Blue Monday"

Today was just a weird day all the way around.  Last night, because of ice and bitter cold temperatures, it was announced that Weber had no school today.  I had a delayed start - 11am.  This late start was nice, but it made no sense.  Our classes are on a schedule where they begin at either 10:30 or 12.  So with an 11 o'clock start time do we come for a 10:30 class?  My students all decided "No!"

Because we got this notification last night, rather than early this morning, I stayed up way too late watching a photography class online.  Ironically, it was on nighttime photography.  Having not gone to bed until almost 3am, we slept in until about 8:30 and had a leisurely breakfast before I headed to school.

Even by noon, the halls at school were empty.  Weber and I had lunch together and I did a little grading.  Many people seemingly opted to take the entire day off, including my 1:00 composition student.  Fortunately my 2:00 was early so we had our lesson and I was done by 2:30.  That was a much appreciated gift.

By the time we went to school at 11 there was virtually no moisture of any kind on the roads in our area.  Since travel was fine, this evening we kept a dinner engagement with a friend.  All in all this has been a good day, just an odd one.

Photographically speaking, it was "Macro Monday" with the suggestion being to photograph our favorite color of crayon.  It should come as no surprise that my photo contains a blue crayon.  I had a hard time trying to think of something interesting to do.  I finally decided that I would just embrace the weirdness of today and call it a happy Monday.

61/365 The Cat in the Hat

"My Hero"

Today is the birthday of two influential people in my life - Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) and my grandfather.  Both men were born on March 2, 1904.

Dr. Seuss has been a part of children's lives for many years since the introduction of the Cat in the Hat and his antics in 1957.    My first book club membership, when I was three or so, was for Dr. Seuss books.  To this day, they are still some of my favorite reads.  "Sam I Am" is the first books that I read to Brooke when she was just a couple of months old.  She would just giggle and laugh.  I must say that Dr. Seuss is a far cry from what she reads now, but at least she reads.

The Cat in the Hat sits on the shelf in my office.  Every day he makes me smile, think, wish, dream, create and reach for the impossible.  Together we have written many words and measures of music.  We have laughed and cried; experienced joy and frustration.  Most importantly, though, we have lived.   The wit and wisdom of Dr. Seuss have served me well in my lifetime.  

So have the wit and wisdom of my grandfather.

Though I didn't see as much of him growing up as I wish I had,  my grandfather and I were very close.  Being that my mother was an only child as am I, I was my grandfather's only grandchild.  That pretty much guaranteed that I was spoiled!

He served in WWII as an Army medic and then returned to his home in Delaware where he practiced medicine well into his eighties.  He was an ophthalmologist.  How fortunate was that for me, the grandkid born legally blind:-)

Though, like I said, we didn't see much of each other because I never lived in Delaware (except for six weeks while my dad was in training before we moved to Hawaii), we did a lot of stuff together during our annual visits.  These are the memories that I now carry with me.

I remember "playing" with all of the instruments and tools in his office.

I remember trying on every pair of glasses.  He always told my mother, and any other parent, that they should let their children get any glasses frames that they wanted no matter how "unattractive" the parent may believe them to be.  He said that that was the only way to keep the glasses on a young child, which was the goal.

I remember sleeping with him one night when I was about four and falling out of bed and breaking my nose.  Oh, he was also certified as an ENT.  Another plus for me!

He was an artist.  He attempted to teach me how to paint with watercolors.  Have I mentioned that he was an incredibly patient man?  He was willing to change his own artistic vision to accommodate mine.  In one painting he added a cardinal to a tree because I wanted it there.  We have a painting of his hanging above our bed now.

He used to let me drive his boat in and out of the canal starting as young as about seven.  Remember, I said he was an ophthalmologist; he knew what I could see, and perhaps more importantly, what I couldn't.  I am proud to say that I never ran us aground or hit a bridge piling.

We ate grapefruit together.

We read stories and we made up stories.  

Not only did he love his family, he also loved the state of Delaware.  He was integral in creating the the Lewes Historical Society as well as writing several books about sailing rams built in Delaware.  I am honored that one of them, written in the year I was born, he dedicated to me.

A remarkable man all the way around...my grandfather is quoted as having said, "There are people who make excuses not to do things.  There are people who make excuses to do things.  I like to think of myself as one of the latter."

So, today we remember the lives and achievements of two great men.  With both, I have turned many moments into memories.

Happy birthday Papa and Dr. Seuss.

60/365 Step Outside

"Me in March"

Here is the day's runner-up.  My first two selfies of the year were both black and whites.  Today I had to decide whether to be "consistent" or to break out of my two month pattern.  I opted for the color photo because it shows the outdoor aspect of today's prompt a little better.

59/365 Keep Going

"A Hug"

No matter the challenges, heartache, disappointments, frustration in life, most of the time a hug will do wonders to keep you going.  As I came to the end of a busy day, a busy week, and a busy month, this was a much needed and a much appreciated hug!