New Mexico film

Last week I got film back from our trip. I hadn't shot film in a while so I was pleased that every frame turned out. My very favorite is the one of Matt. That afternoon we were at Tsankawi sitting in the shade of a rock eating a picnic lunch of hummus, pita, carrots, chocolate peanut butter bars, soynuts, and veggie jerky and I quickly looked up and snapped him taking a swig of water. At the time I thought it probably wouldn't be like I wanted, but I like it alot. Now that I have all the pictures, I will make us a book of our trip. For now though, I need to tackle the downstairs. It's trashed. Over the weekend we began reorganizing it. I am hoping there's a bunch of stuff I can get rid of, like old drawings from grad school. It's funny that some of my work I feel an attachment to, while others I seriously don't mind if I burn, tear up, or paint over. I need to make space to work on some 5 foot canvases!

A few summer favorites: reading My Berlin Kitchen, sipping ginger ale made from this ginger syrup recipe, and bright, overflowing bouquets of cosmos, African daisies, sunflowers, and zinnias from the garden.

Garden in film

This morning and yesterday I spent three hours each working in the garden, weeding, trimming, harvesting, scattering seeds for the fall, watering, etc. The sun was warm but not hot on my face and arms, and the breeze made the glistening around my brow feel cool. White butterflies fluttered about like bits of confetti. At one point I stood up just in time to see a hummingbird that had been hovering over the zinnias. I heard goldfinches singing, I love their chipper song, and saw woodpeckers perched atop a pole. I stood looking up with my hand over my eyes, watching as they shared their own words.

For me, gardening is satisfying, and balances my creative life. I can go out there, and simply do what needs to be done. I don't have to invent anything and it makes me feel like I have accomplished something concrete. While I get physically tired, because it is work after all, it recharges me mentally.

When I was finished, I picked a bunch of kale that is destined for a salad, green beans, radishes, and one okra. The okra is just getting started. Then I broke for lunch and also decided to get a jump start on dinner. I tossed together a cucumber, beet, and radish salad and started marinading tofu, peppers, onions, and zucchini to grill kabobs for dinner.    

Each summer once the fourth of July passes it always seems like it's just all down hill from there, as the start of school creeps closer. Well, I think I'm just going to ignore that sinking feeling. In the garden, I can be rooted in this time of summer.

Prairie on film, II

Sharing more film shots from our day trip to the prairie. Yesterday I posted on my art fb page a glimpse of a current oil painting, if you'd like to see.

Prairie on film

This past weekend we took a morning hike at the lake. The trail zig zagged by the water, which was rather peaceful, waves lapping the rocky beach, and the trail also wrapped around open fields. In all it was about a 4.5 mile hike, on a rather warm day, but thankfully it was largely shaded. With a picnic lunch of tempeh, lettuce, tomato sandwiches on homemade bread, watermelon, grapes from the garden, and homemade chocolate chip cookies we stopped mid-trail perching on a giant log to eat. I took my film camera and did snap a few photos, which reminded me of these film shots I took earlier this spring in the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. If these look familiar, maybe it's because I had shown you pics I took with my phone. This is probably part one of prairie on film.

Have a good Monday. I'm working on a couple new oil paintings today.

roses and other things

A few things:

film shots of our roses, from May

Moonrise Kingdom is so good, I want to see it again. We sat shoulder to shoulder, a cozy crowd in the balcony at Liberty Hall Saturday night. I had a Blue Sky Jamaican ginger ale to sip.

The routine 100+ degree temps we've been experiencing the past two weeks have broken way today to mere 90's. It's still dry as a dog bone out there, we need rain terribly. Normally I wear shorts, but this summer I'm enjoying breezy skirts.

Yesterday we got a couple purple water hyacinth to add to our water garden, as well as submergable plants, and curly grassy stuff, of which I don't remember the name.

Last night we made the first batch of basil pesto of the summer. At first I forgot the garlic; where is my head? It was yummy tossed with whole wheat penne.

Today I'm reorganizing and cleaning the studio, getting myself ready for some serious painting. I better get back to it.