Thursday, September 29, 2011

My Treasure Hunt



Ever since I was a little girl, I always loved to go outside and just look. Not necessarily at beautiful vistas, but just at the details that are found in even the smallest patch of earth. I guess it was sort of like a treasure hunt for me, to discover the tiny gems in nature -- the seeds and berries and flowers and leaves -- and to watch how they grew and changed with the seasons.




I guess I am still at it almost half a century later. So much time has passed, so much water under the bridge, so many seasons have turned, and I am still hunting that treasure. The cedar trees are almost bursting with berries this autumn, a thousand tiny dusky pearls clinging to their branches. And every misty morning brings more small mushrooms to the lawn, appearing seemingly overnight, as if a whole colony of fairies had decided to take their rest in our backyard by the light of the moon.



The spiders are busy weaving now, too. Everywhere I walk, they have spun their soft yarns, spreading lacy silver shawls across the garden.

I hope you have enjoyed coming along on my little treasure hunt. Often I find myself at a loss for something to post here. My life is small and ordinary. But filled with treasure. :)

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Mosaic Monday: San Francisco Landmarks



Yes, I m still posting pictures from our trip to San Francisco in August. And I'll probably be posting gardens we visited in June in October. :) I'm late getting this Mosaic Monday together because I had to drive my daughter back to school tonight. We had a lovely weekend together, though, which makes it all worthwhile.

So, what do we have pictured here? The top picture was taken along the Embarcadero, which is prime waterfront property filled with high end shops and eateries.

The second set of pictures shows the Transamerica Pyramid, the tallest building in the city, and a small street fair which we happened upon while visiting the famous City Lights bookstore, founded by the Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti in 1953.

The beautiful green building is the historic Sentinel building, home of the famous film company American Zoetrope, which produced Godfather I & II, and Apocalypse Now, among others.

Below that is Ghirardelli Square, home to the famous chocolate makers, as well as a mall filled with high-end gift shops and eateries. The final picture shows the wharf directly across from Ghirardellli Square. The Transamerica building is in the background.

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of San Francisco. :)

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.





Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with all of us at Mosaic Monday!  

1. Lavender Dreams  23. Dab of This and That  45. Mother City Magic  
2. Eileen  24. Tina´s PicStory  46. Agni  
3. Pat@Back Porch Musings  25. Lorrie - Banff Stopover  47. Kim,USA  
4. Black Eyed Susans Kitchen  26. Olla-Podrida  48. amy of four corners design  
5. Podso  27. Cher  49. Dawn Treader Sweden  
6. Rajesh, India  28. kamana  50. Snap @ Twisty Lane  
7. InaSandbox  29. Cathy  51. Reflecting on the Seasons-Beyond the garden gate  
8. My Little Home and Garden  30. Pat ~ Mille Fiori Favoriti  52. Rosie, mygardenhaven  
9. Pondside - Love, Where it's Found  31. The Fair, NC  53. Mountain Mermaid  
10. Sheila  32. Cat  54. Auntie, Art, & Autumn  
11. Lavender Cottage  33. Ingmarie We/Refugium  55. QMM  
12. A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson  34. Katalin  56. All Handmade  
13. Touch of Fall  35. Molly @ A Bit O' Shine  57. Elaine  
14. Home is Where the Boat is~  36. Milla  58. Crafty Gardener, Canada  
15. Carol @There's Always Thyme to Cook  37. Teacup-in-the-garden  59. LindyLouMac in Italy  
16. Bernie in Australia  38. Jackie's life in Surrey  60. Roberta  
17. Becky  39. 12th Cupcake Sunday @ My Cozy Corner  61. Meri  
18. A Garden of Threads  40. Yael  62. Cass at That Old House  
19. Wandering Thought  41. Life Images by Jill  63. NHGarden  
20. Riet, , Holland,  42. Synnöve  64. Marshmellow Bouquet  
21. One  43. Hyacinths For the Soul  
22. Ebie, CA  44. Paella Aplenty  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Happy Autumn



As the fields outside are filled with goldenrod, and the autumnal equinox approaches, bringing that golden light inside seems perfectly natural. We are creatures of the light, and we respond almost instinctively to golden flowers.

So, because the past few days were cool and rainy, a bunch of yellow roses came home from the supermarket with me.





It makes perfect sense, right? ;)

Happy almost-autumn, dear bloggers!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Mosaic Monday: Land's End



We spent an afternoon in San Francisco hiking to Land's End, a remote and deserted beach with fabulous views of the water. The hike itself was all down hill to reach the beach. The return hike was a b*tch! But the views were definitely worth it. The beach was littered with beautiful rocks and timbers, and as the tide was coming in, it battered and splashed the rocks. I'm so glad we took the time to make this hike -- it felt like a quiet and precious discovery so near to the city.

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with all of us at Mosaic Monday!  

1. Say Cheese  21. Time With Family  41. Puna@LifeSignatures  
2. InaSandbox  22. Fallen Dining Room  42. Kim,USA  
3. Eileen  23. Life Images by Jill  43. Sall's Country Life  
4. Lavender Dreams  24. Gina, Art and Alfalfa  44. ThreeLittleFeats  
5. Rajesh, India  25. Riet< Holland  45. Cancelled Stamp Art  
6. {oc cottage}  26. Roberta  46. The Tree  
7. Black Eyed Susans Kitchen  27. Katalin  47. Sheila  
8. A Garden of Threads  28. Our Family Gathers  48. Jill Ruth  
9. My Little Home and Garden  29. One and Only  49. Happy Monday!  
10. genie  30. Teacup-in-the-garden  50. Patricia  
11. Home is Where the Boat is~  31. Rosie, mygardenhaven  51. Fall Decor  
12. Wandering Thought  32. Synnöve  52. Michelle at Rosebudquilting  
13. Pondside - Island Fall Fair  33. Kamana  53. Fall Fireplace  
14. Cathy  34. Project Bag  54. Fall colors  
15. Ebie, CA  35. Goodies for a pleasant life  55. Elliott Crafty Creations  
16. Bernie in Australia  36. Dawn Treader Sweden  56. Shirley LeMay  
17. Pat ~ Mille Fiori Favoriti  37. amy of four corners design  57. Pinwheels  
18. Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson  38. The French Hutch ~ Furniture Warehouse  58. Backyard visitor  
19. Kathy Reed  39. Ingmarie We/Refugium  
20. ellen b  40. harvest jazz & blues festival  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Friday, September 16, 2011

A Few More From San Francisco



It's been over a month since we went to San Francisco, and I'm still editing photos. :)




As you have probably guessed, I'm currently loving a vintage feel to my images. These shots of the Golden Gate Bridge were edited with a Florabella Photoshop action called Heiress.

Do many of you use Photoshop? I never know whether my little editing notes are helpful to you, or if they make no sense whatsoever. ;)




I've been feeling very scattered lately, between blogging and flickr and Facebook and Pinterest. Do you know what I mean? There are so many places on the web to keep up a presence -- I think I may need to pare down a little.

I have been spending more time with my portrait photography business, which I hope will keep growing over the next months. I've also got a 2012 garden calendar in the works, which you will see here soon.

And one of my favorite rummage sales is coming up in a few weeks. I keep telling myself that I don't need any more milk glass, but you know that will go by the wayside as soon as I get there... :)

So how is your September going so far? Last night was the first time I felt a little bit of fall in the air. How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Mosaic Monday: We Remember



I have no words, except these:

We will remember you always.

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.




Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with all of us at Mosaic Monday!  

1. journey  23. Cathy  45. Kim,USA  
2. goodpasture bridge  24. beans at Sweet Nothings  46. The Eyes Have It!  
3. My Little Home and Garden  25. Our Country Home  47. Très Julie  
4. Lavender Dreams  26. QMM  48. First Day at School  
5. Home is Where the Boat is~  27. Katalin  49. Jill Ruth  
6. ellen b  28. 199 Steps and Dracula  50. Places of my Heart  
7. Black Eyed Susans Kitchen  29. Milla  51. Cass at That Old House  
8. Eileen  30. Tatered Rebel  52. Janice Schaub  
9. Ingmarie We/Refugium  31. Teacup-in-the-garden  53. AnnA(roses)  
10. Lavender Cottage  32. Bernie in Australia  54. AnnA, Sweden  
11. InaSandbox  33. Yael  55. remember  
12. Pamela at Kings Landing  34. Goodies for a pleasant life  56. Colors of Fall  
13. InaSandbox  35. Synnöve  57. Michelle at Rosebudquilting  
14. Pat ~ Mille Fiori Favoriti  36. rosie@travel-i-tales  58. A Tiny Cottage on Grand  
15. Pondside  37. Shannara  59. Sheila  
16. Carolina Mts  38. Queen of the Night ~ Tassels and Twigs  60. NHGarden  
17. Rajesh, India  39. Mother City Magic  61. PhotoLifeSite  
18. Savory  40. amy of four corners design  62. Dawn Treader Sweden  
19. {oc cottage}  41. The Last Rose Of Summer  63. Cement Planters - Elliott Crafty Creations  
20. Sunflowers  42. Crafty Gardener, Canada  64. Pat@BPM  
21. Twiggy  43. Inspired Garden  65. Project Bag  
22. Beyond The Garden Gate  44. Snap @ Twisty Lane  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Collecting on the Cheap



Are you a collector? Does your heart go pitter patter at the sight of red transferware dishes or monogrammed silverplate or milk glass? In fact, my heart goes pitter patter at the sight of all of those things. :)

But I am also a cheap collector -- it's not just the thrill of the hunt, but also the idea of finding a bargain that appeals to me. And so, I also have to admit that some of the most fun I've ever had has been when I have been searching for shells or fossils or stones -- all free.

I found the fossils in the dish pictured above while on a class trip with my daughter when she was in junior high. We wore old sneakers and walked through a stream where glacial activity had deposited many treasures from thousands of years ago. The kids soon got bored, but I had a ball. :)

When our kids were small, we went on vacation in the Adirondacks, and stayed close to the site of a former garnet mine. I had a blast spending an afternoon seeking out stones with tiny bits of garnet (my birthstone, by the way) in them. :)

I think perhaps I inherited my love of "collecting on the cheap" from my father, who was famous in our family for coming home from the town dump with more things than he had brought there. He was a child of the Depression, when necessity made a virtue of collecting. How wonderful it is to find something useful or beautiful, for a pittance!

So here is my question for you: Are you a collector? What do you collect? What was your best "cheap collecting" moment? Give me your answers in the comments. :)

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Mosaic Monday: Palace of Fine Arts


I have some more photos from San Francisco for you today. (Told you I had a lot!)


Patterned on an eighteenth-century engraving by Giovanni Piranesi entitled The Isle of the Dead, the Palace of Fine Arts was designed by Bernard Maybeck for the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915. Originally one of many fantasy monuments, the neoclassical-style Palace was the centerpiece of the Exposition.

The dome of the rotunda is surrounded by a classical frieze and an octagonal arcade. There is also an open peristyle of Corinthian columns, flanked by a beautifully landscaped lagoon.

Because it was built as part of the Exposition, the Palace was not intended to last. However, the city of San Francisco developed such a love for the monument that it was preserved. It required a large amount of upkeep, and by the 1950's it became obvious that the original construction would not last. A group of influential San Franciscans, including former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, banded together to collect donations for reconstruction of the Palace, which began in 1964. Today, the Palace of Fine Arts remains as a beautiful attraction for tourists and San Franciscans alike.

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with all of us at Mosaic Monday!  

1. Twisty Lane  26. Shirley LeMay  51. Project Bag  
2. Lavender Dreams  27. THROUGH THE CURTAINS  52. Crafty Gardener, Canada  
3. My Little Home and Garden  28. Just Capture  53. Wandering Thought  
4. Black Eyed Susans Kitchen  29. Dreaming of Fall  54. Puna@LifeSignatures  
5. Karen, A Scrapbook of Inspiration  30. Pat ~ Mille Fiori Favoriti  55. Crafty Gardener, Canada  
6. ellen b  31. Fabulous Craiglist Find  56. Gina, Art and Alfalfa  
7. A Garden of Threads  32. Katalin  57. Kim,USA  
8. Ingmarie We/Refugium  33. Michelle at Rosebudquilting  58. Shirley @ The Gardening Life  
9. Beyond The Garden Gate  34. Yael  59. Pondside  
10. Of The Sea  35. Teacup-in-the-garden  60. The Change of Seasons  
11. Cathy  36. Labor Day 2011 @ My Cozy Corner  61. Twiggy  
12. Caption  37. Sweet Dreams and Memories  62. The Spice of Life @ Ivy and Elephants  
13. Changes  38. rosie@travel-i-tales  63. farewell Tad  
14. Rajesh, India  39. Rosie, mygardenhaven  64. Garden Of Daisies  
15. Life Images by Jill  40. sheila  65. Indie - Red House Garden  
16. InaSandbox  41. Très Julie  66. A Verde Wedding  
17. Bernie in Australia  42. Lorrie  67. A Montana Life  
18. Sweet Nothings  43. Goodies for a pleasant life  68. Patricia  
19. Shelia @ Note Songs  44. Winchelsea Beach and Great Dixter House  69. Agni  
20. Lavender Cottage  45. Dawn Treader Sweden  70. flag at Sunset  
21. Riet, , Holland  46. LindyLouMac in Italy  71. NHGarden  
22. {oc cottage}  47. Mother City Magic  72. rafting  
23. Dimple  48. A Freestanding Fantasy...  73. covered bridge  
24. Cheryl  49. Synnöve  
25. suzyq - atthefarmhouse  50. amy of four corners design  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Doors of Alcatraz





I just wanted to share a few more images from Alcatraz with you today. Although the gardens were lovely, there were parts of the prison itself that were starkly beautiful in a very different way. No bright colors and soft petals here, only nails and rust and stone and wood. And a sense of emptiness that is somehow beautiful as well...