Beach Reflections

The combination of bright sunshine, warm relaxation and water seems to spontaneously ignite bright colors along the beaches.

Sometimes I wonder if it is the explosion of colors at sunrise and sunset, painting everything in ranges of reds, that inspires us to such riotous colors, or if it's the relative lack of color on the beach during the blinding days that demands intervention.

But after collecting images from all different times of day, I am left with the notion that the range of perspective and color, combined with the recreational nature of the beach is what opens people to creativity. Suddenly a palm branch can become a monster's jaws expelling a tendril tongue reaching out to lasso a retreating beach walker in the distance...

Hair, Hair, Everywhere!

 

I admit to being bored. Since when do I have an HOUR to do whatever pleases me? I could have vacuumed the floor. Instead I decided to fool around with the camera. It being dark outside I opted to photograph my most willing muse. Me. So there.

Residential Distortion

I live so close to the beach and when I need to clear my mind I walk across the street and bare my feet in the sand. Usually this happens in the evening - these days as the sun is setting. And I do my best to allow myself to absorb the beauty of the scene as if I hadn't seen it a lot. But really? The pictures all look the same. So I took perverse liberties. Maybe I'm a bit more stressed than at first appeared...

Through the Windshield

We spent two rainy weeks in Pennsylvania before driving south to our Florida home. I was sitting in the car at a rest stop and although the skies were gray I was delighted by how softly the raindrops splattered on the windshield, smudging the fall colors in view.

Not too long after we arrived home I opened up the picture and when I looked closely at the detail - wow! It almost looks painted. And really, it was painted on my windshield, by the rain. A lovely consolation gift for the sunshine fasting.

I spy a tramvaj

We said goodbye to Prague - this year. But the people and personality of this hauntingly romantic city have wrapped around our hearts and I don't doubt that we will return again next year. Red-tiled rooftops, red trams and red cheeks from uphill walking are just a few of my favorite things!

Legging it

This type of incline is not uncommon in Prague. You can get some mighty fine looking legs without even meaning to! I took this picture before I got to the top of the stairwell. Halfway down you can see the "h" sign, which is for a restaurant entrance. These steps are near where we are renting a flat. The spectacular views of Prague's red-tiled rooftops and gothic spires are well worth a few stairs.

Power Flowers

There are lots of flower boxes in Prague and red flowers provide a powerful punch of color against the earthy tones of the buildings and cobblestones. When this woman in red stood in the doorway of this  castle complex bistro it was too much for me to resist.

White Benches

It was a quiet day at Prague castle (Pražský hrad). And sometimes sunny too. There was something special about these empty white benches that appealed to me. I hope they appeal to you too! And then from my original I experimented a bit.

I've been fascinated by flat colors and their effect on the form and depth. I could use a little training, but until then I will wield the airbrush recklessly!

Morning adventure collage

We decided to get adventurous on our morning walk today and climbed above the Strahov Monastery. As we strolled along a wooded path I glanced to my left and - wow - what a lovely view had fallen out of the trees! I was so pleased I whipped out my trusty camera.

 We continued  walking out to the street toward the garden at the top of Petřín and spied a bit of graffiti. Look closely.The only addition is the face. A door or window was removed and filled in leaving room for an artistic eye and a can of spray paint to transform it into design. Cool huh? Much better than 99% of the lame graffiti I've seen around the city. 

We arrived at the rose garden and stopped to smell them! Ahhh. A bit past their prime, really, but nevertheless fragrant and beautiful.

 Then we jumped onto the funicular for a drop down one stop to Nebozízek and the pathway through the park that would take us back home.

I don't want to get lost

Riding my bicycle in New Jersey growing up, I wanted to get Lost. Because, of course, I had my fabulous street map in my back pocket waiting impatiently to be consulted. In Prague I have no desire to get lost outside the old city center, amongst the Soviet-era housing blocks, modern houses and everything in between. So I ride the tram.

Saturday we took the #22 towards Bila Hora. We got off randomly and walked through a little park into a neighborhood with small streets and houses. We met two friendly cats and spied a curious young child. Lovely, bright flower boxes punctuated old, sagging homes looking decrepit adjacent to modern ones with sharp lines. A quiet weekend to send children into their backyards to play.

Late night prowl

I took an afternoon nap. We ate dinner. Hours later we trekked across the old city to seek out Blues Sklep, a local blues bar. We creeped down the stairs into the musty basement bar. We picked up drinks and squeezed into two seats amidst the brick and cement arches. You could probably fit 30 people in there if you shared laps.

It wasn't quite blues music that night, but it was good. They were a talented group and very entertaining. Lots of stories and joking. Someone won a pair of drum sticks. It was all in Czech. I had no idea what they were saying. Except when they were doing covers of American songs, in Czech. Very fun, foreign experience, which is what we were hoping for.

The easiest way to get across town was to walk the Charles Bridge. On our way over the sun was setting and lighted the clouds purplish-pink. On the way home the buildings were purposefully lit. We might have been entering a Disneyland facade, but instead we were entering the inspiration for it.

Oh Vinohrady! I wine for you!

In 2008, Rich and I lived in Vinohrady for five months. Named for the vineyards that used to be there, it is a comfortable neighborhood with parks and pubs and the hum of everyday life. We went back this week to visit the dentist. She charges so much less than the U.S. and does a careful job. We found ourselves walking down Záhřebská in search of a recently opened art exhibit. The exhibit was a disappointment, but the neighborhood stroll really had me feeling nostalgic. This picture was snapped as we waited for our tram at Náměstí Míru.

We have since stayed in lovely flats in the heart of the old city. It's great to be close to the beautifully restored center, but it does not feel like a neighborhood. This year it feels more like living along a cattle trail! We are on the hill above Prague Castle. You can imagine it is a very popular destination! Large tour groups pour endlessly out of the tram and downhill to the castle. The shopkeepers here do a very good business!

The Ladies who Coffee

A trunk full of coffee cups and saucers would have been more representative of my experience, but A Divadlo Pokračuje is the restaurant where a group of international ladies happened to be having coffee. The International Women's Association of Prague (IWAP) was founded for wives of company men who have been transferred to Prague. There are associations like it around Europe. This morning I was attending the IWAP American Coffee meeting.

In America we have an expression "The Ladies Who Lunch" and this group has some reflections of that. I met some fascinating people and was inspired by the retired postal worker who moved here because she could, and has now accomplished great fluency with the language. And she's a scrapbooker too so one must be impressed!

First Prague Pride!

Rich and I were excited to attend the first ever Prague Pride parade! It was threatening rain and even gave us a few drops, but was mostly a fine day for a celebration. The parade was only one of many events over a few days. It had to be the calmest gay pride event I've ever witnessed. There were a few drag queens, but overwhelmingly it was a river of everyday people pouring along the cobblestones. Happy people. Gay people. 

I was almost disappointed to see only one person dressed in black leather. And as far as protesters go, we saw one man with a sign about Jesus, but not protesting really. The media were all over him - photographs, interviewing. There was nothing juicy for the media so they took what they could get. This was no doubt a relief to the serious police force present on the streets. Fully decked out in riot gear and everywhere, they were largely left sidelined.

Prague President Vaclav Klaus loudly opposed Prague Pride, but he was truly an outlier. While same-sex partnerships have been legal since 2006, gays still fall short of other rights such as adoption and protection from hate crimes.

So we cheered and smiled and watched and we would have waved our flags, but shockingly there wasn't a street vendor to be found hawking pride paraphernalia. Really, really.

Stalker's Pub

We made it to Pennsylvania in time to catch a Blue Rocks baseball game before the season ended. The Blue Rocks have been busy upgrading the stadium.Heck, they even have a gluten-free menu now, which includes a beer. I really got a kick out of the Stalker's Pub!

According to one rumor, Mr. Celery was born when the Blue Rocks purchased some costumes of vegetables. They never used them so they sold them off, but the buyer did not want the celery costume. Along came an intern who decided to run out onto the field in the celery costume and fans were converted! There was a dedicated group of fans for a while who ate celery at the game and traveled to see the away games. You can still buy celery snacks. I'm in love with Mr. Celery's nerdy passion for the game - he only comes out when they get a run and he can't contain his joy!

I'm in love with the new blue too. It's such an airy, open blue. So of course I encouraged Rich to purchase at least one Blue Rocks polo shirt in the official blue. It was fun to hear the noises and smell the smells of the ballbark. Especially fun is watching the kids run around and run up to the various costumed characters, including the hot dog and Rocky Bluewinkle himself.

Welcome to the Battleship

As we drove up the East coast we stopped in on the USS North Carolina Battleship. Instead of mannikins they had these odd white, wooden representations. Kinda cool, I thought. A bit cartoon-like really.

Of course they also had scads of torpedoes. It was pretty amazing to tour the depths of this warring labryinth. I had thirty seconds of - yikes! what would it be like to be buried in the bowels of this ship when it was being attacked? And then I decided that was not a thought I wished to dwell upon.

The interior design wasn't the most inspiring, but it did have its charms, especially if utility is your thing. Battleships aren't typically my first choice for a casual tour, but that's what sharing life with a spouse is all about - compromises that stretch your experiences and deepen awareness of the world through personal connection. And that's good stuff.

You can Count on Beach Kitsch

Beaches are the best on a hot August day so when we spotted the River City Cafe in Murrels Inlet, South Carolina after a long day of driving we knew we had found the best spot for dinner. And it was. There were walls of license plates and patrons have written on every available surface. Unlike our favorite bar at home, Mahuffer's, there were no dogs or cats and the lingerie was conspicuously missing - and they had dinner. Yum!

Electrified

I was quite enamored of my brother's living room in Indianapolis. So I fooled about a bit.

My Pitcher Overfloweth

This is my Fourth of July. My brother brought his delightful wife and four sprightly children. They invaded with violas and violin and exuberance. Love!

Love is Garbage

Broad Ripple - a village in Indianapolis whose motto is "We're Open if You Are" -  was the destination for my 7am daily walk. Up, down, and around the empty morning streets lined with beer gardens, eateries and other hip stores and attractive houses. That is, until I headed back to my car, which was parked on Broad Ripple Ave, a larger, more commercial street. And I couldn't help but notice when I glanced down an alley that there was some colorful graffiti on a perpendicular alley. So I ignored my nose and turned on my camera.

As I was exiting the alleyway I turned around to inspect the perspective and found that someone was disparaging either love, or garbage, or both.

The Man Cave - Deconstructed

Three men and a house - modern. An interior designer decorated this house. Well, my brother's partner is a graphic arts designer and he and my brother own the interior so... I think that qualifies it. The third man? My Grandpa lives here too and I have have the privilege of hanging out with him for two weeks!

While mostly modern, the house has warm parquet flooring and traditional little touches like pottery pieces and an upholstered chair in a corner with a print of bright blue skies, flowers, leaves, two billy goats and even a mountain! And the artwork is an eclectic mix of pieces like the mirror pictured above, but also watercolors depicting Paris scenes and more traditional oils that all fit together seamlessly and timelessly. The house faces east so the rising and setting sun pours in through white horizontal blinds, creating sensational patterns everywhere.

Living in someone else's home for a piece is almost always sweet fun, but this time it's even better because when our time is up we get to return to the place we call home - the place where we can wake up in the middle of the night and find the bathroom without a second thought.

I can't believe it's you - Indianapolis!

I just can't help myself. I'm such a tourist. So when we spotted this creative bench at the Indianapolis airport, well, I wanted a photo. And Rich was just as excited as I was to be traveling so he forgot to be unwilling to pose. Yay! (unless you really want to believe he is surprised to see me)

When the Sanctuary is Home

In the morning darkness there were toothbrushes silouhetted against the white sand outside. Rich and I took a road trip up to Ponte Vedra Beach for a conference this past week and on the way we stopped at my friend Annette's home in Melrose. She and her beau Ed have been busy making the house a home and what a sanctuary it is!

Just off the kitchen is a screened-in walkway to the next building that looks out on a deck that frames a koi pond, complete with waterfall. The hot tub and hammock felt perfectly at home there - can you say resort? From the tiki bar in the sand to a path through the Florida wilderness where a decently worn bench welcomes you at the end, everything here is calm and ready.

And the cooking was all comfort too. As usual I found myself goofing off in the kitchen rather than helping, but that's perfectly fine at Annette's because she is an incredible cook! She makes everything look so easy, so simple. She is grace in the kitchen. Biscuits and gravy with eggs couldn't have been more delicious than with the company of good friends and great people.

We had a wonderful time lounging on the couch at night watching movies and laughing loudly and an equally good time talking in the morning's soft light, finding respite before traveling on to a crowded conference and busy beach. Thanks Annette and Ed!

Young is Relative, or a Relative

It's not possible that these young women are 21 years of age, is it? Rich and I went to The Brew Garden in Clearwater to hear Lee Pons tickle the (electronic) ivories and as we watched the patrons trickling in over the hours we began to feel conspicuously *old*. The kids coming in really looked like they were seniors in high school. They were not. Could it be that our perspective has changed? Hmmmmm.

There were a few other patrons who looked old enough to imbibe and the place did have some great atmosphere going on. The lighting was warm, the wood clean enough to reflect and the outdoor seating was well appointed. Guess it would be since they serve food and there's no smoking indoors (LOVE that!).

And would you believe it? They had yummy beer. It would seem my distaste for beer has disappeared along with that big hill I crossed over. Turns out I like dark, slightly sweet, no bitter beer. An enthusiastic welcome to Grimbergen Dubbel!

Voracious Vacationing

I have had so much fun on vacation this week that I'm going to need another vacation just to recover!! My grandson's daycare was on vacation this week so I took vacation from work to watch him full-time while his parents were working.

He is a little busy body! He has discovered every door and drawer in my condo. We went to the beach on Tuesday where he screeched at the waves and ate a mouthful of sand. On Wednesday we got rained out so we went to the library for some book reading and frivolity with like-minded friends.

My friend, Debbie T., introduced us to the dolphins at The Clearwater Aquarium on Thursday. Mason had a great time standing up against one of the aquariums where big fish, stingrays and sharks passed right next to him.

Each day our activities were punctuated by food and naps. I've discovered the attachments to my blender and made the most delicious yogurt - yes yogurt - blended with LOTS of blueberries and peaches. Yum! And who knew that peas and mashed potatoes all whipped up together could taste so good? Mason of course.

Today, Friday, we walked a mile or so in the hot, hot sun to the playground with a stop along the way at the Suncoast Bird Sanctuary. Mason got a bit testy when I took him out of the swing, but his disposition ensured a swiftly returning smile.

He had a chance to test out his new shoes at the playground too. The Florida sun makes most walking surfaces unbearable without shoes. He's not walking on his own yet, but helping him still beats carrying him!

I'm pretty sure I must be the luckiest grandmother ever to get to spend so much time with my grandson. Watching every tiny stage in his growth has been wickedly fun and it doesn't pass my notice that I missed so much of my own child's growth.

Being a parent means working and worrying. There's so much responsibility for ensuring *everything* is just right for the growing baby. That means less time watching in wonderment. Grandparents don't have that going on. I get to observe, participate and sleep soundly at night.

All those good things people say about being a grandparent? Completely true!