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September 29, 2004
fieldtrip...
farm daisy, Canon 300D
one of my assignments this week
gave me the excuse to spend several hours
roaming the farmlands just west of here.
i crept around old barns, climbed inside
a silo, and strolled through bean and cornfields.
i chatted with a farmer named Jack who had
electric blue eyes, and another farmer named
Milo who had beautiful, old, wrinkly hands...
im not even sure i completed the photography
assignment. i was so swept away with exploring,
and drinking in those golden views. there were moments
when the only sound i heard was the rustling of the
cornfield (which a couple times kind of freaked me out,
you know, that whole "children of the corn" thing...)
add to this the incredible harvest moon that
lit up the sky on my drive back home, and lets
just say my face wore a permanent grin.
i wish you a fieldtrip today.
in whatever form that would be beautiful and
assuring to your spirit. consider it your homework.
everybody needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in, where nature
may heal and give strength to body and soul ~ john muir
Posted by jen at 09:57 AM | link | Comments (946)
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September 25, 2004
craft...
potter, Canon 300D
i was hesitant about taking a photography class.
i suppose i liked that i had built my career without
having had any instruction or education in this field.
it seemed more "artsy" and more "organic" to be working
from pure instinct.
but the downside was having a ton of bad shots
and not being able to figure out what i did wrong
or what i could do to correct it. and then there
were always the times a client would ask a technical
question and i would feel really stupid, not having any
clue what they were talking about.
so... i decided to go back to school. and i am slowly learning
the threads of this craft i love so much. and yes, my friends,
i am finally beginning to understand those f-stops and
shutter speeds that i have always cursed at.
its especially helpful that i have a totally fun, talented, and inspiring teacher.
its especially helpful that i have a supportive husband and
family to help me balance the time.
and ive realized i am not losing any of my organic style,
and i still need all of my instincts. im just learning some
really helpful tools to make it all fall into place...
Posted by jen at 09:19 AM | link | Comments (392)
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September 23, 2004
ill meet you there...
field beauty, Canon 300D>
today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. take down a musical instrument.
let the beauty we love be what we do.
there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. i'll meet you there.
when the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn't make any sense...
the breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
...don't go back to sleep.
you must ask for what you really want.
...don't go back to sleep.
people are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
the door is round and open.
...don't go back to sleep. ~ rumi
Posted by jen at 11:15 AM | link | Comments (2381)
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September 22, 2004
time off...
barefoot beach, Canon 300D
i would never expect an employee of mine to work as hard as i demand
my head to do. constantly thinking, constantly figuring things out, constantly
trying to answer the questions, constantly worrying ~ never leaving the office at the end of the day.
its occurred to me lately that i need to take charge of the work habits of my body and of my mind. they have been working over-time, like
a machine, always ticking, always whirling, never still.
i am going to insist they take their vacation, use their sick days,
leave on their lunch hour, and go home at closing time.
i can honestly say, all this extra work my head has been doing hasn't helped
things one little bit. all its done is worn this body down.
so that's what im doing today.
taking a break.
using a personal day.
just me,
my camera,
joni mitchell,
and a drive out west.
ahhh....
Posted by jen at 10:07 AM | link | Comments (1501)
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September 15, 2004
meeting santa...
Santa, Canon 300D
i had seen him earlier in the day and wanted to stop
and ask him if i could take his picture...but i felt a little shy,
and continued walking.
i hadn't gone more than a few steps before i found myself
turning around and walking back to him.
"would you feel comfortable if i took a few photos of you?"
"oh certainly, go right ahead.."
as i began to click away, i noticed how comfortable he was
in front of the camera. he seemed completely at ease.
i said to him,
"you have done this before, haven't you?"
he smiled and with a sparkle in his eye,
whispered, "it's because i'm santa."
we talked for some time, santa and i...
we could have chatted the rest of the day away.
we shared the same love for photography, harley's,
traveling, and children....
this is what i adore ~ when
my camera brings me to places
and to people i normally would pass by.
this little piece of machinery that hangs around
my neck sometimes provides the perfect little
ticket for connection...
Posted by jen at 06:20 AM | link | Comments (868)
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September 11, 2004
the weepies...
Barron, Kathy, Steve, Deb, Canon 300D
We have the incredible pleasure of a weekend visit with the
beautiful and talented, Steve Tannen and Deb Talan. In the midst of a
whirlwind tour, we are lucky to have them hang their hats with us
for a couple of days.
Last night they gave a concert at our friend's house.
Imagine the cozy environment of a candle lit room, surrounded
by friends, good wine, and listening to your favorite artists...
It was heavenly.
If you haven't had the chance to take in an event with The Weepies,
you need to check the tour schedule and jump on board.
Deb and Steve's voices blend together like magic. Add to this,
fabulous lyrics and amazing guitar playing and its a combo
that's perfectly right.
Thank you Barron and Kathy for hosting such a great house
concert. Thank you Deb and Steve for sharing your music
with us...
Posted by jen at 09:15 AM | link | Comments (659)
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September 09, 2004
sky prayers...
shipwrecked, bahamas, Canon 300D
as most of you know
i am a full blown beach girl. its almost comical that
i was born in the heart of the midwest,
and not on a sleepy little island where i really belong.
but there are times like now that i am glad we
live miles away from the shore.
while watching the weather channel this morning
i couldnt help but feel sick to my stomach about the
next hurricane that's brewing with madness.
i am thinking about our friends and family in jamaica,
the caymans, the bahamas, the virgin islands,
florida and the keys.
so much destruction has already occurred. i wish it would
just stop. my sister has been assisting the hurricane victims
in Punta Gorda, and the stories she shares are absolutely
heartbreaking. people and animals wandering the streets
with nothing left of the lives they remembered.
sometimes i pray a prayer that seems out of range.
today it was:
"please just make that damn thing disappear into the sky."
(wouldnt it be great if prayers like those actually worked?)
be safe my ocean friends...be safe...
Posted by jen at 03:59 PM | link | Comments (982)
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September 07, 2004
couple...
asterlicious, Canon 300D
big beautiful love wishes to Keri and Jeff! we are so very happy for you....
Posted by jen at 08:47 PM | link | Comments (761)
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September 05, 2004
it takes time...
elbow cay, bahamas, Canon 300D
it does not astonish or make us angry that it takes a
whole year to bring into our house three great white peonies
and two pale blue irises. it seems altogther right and appropriate
that these glories are earned with long patience and faith...
and also that it is altogether right and appropriate that they
cannot last. yet in our human relations we are outraged
when the supreme moments, the moments of flowering,
must be waited for...and then cannot last.
we reach a summit, and then have to go down again.
~ MAY SARTON
Posted by jen at 09:39 AM | link | Comments (797)
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September 01, 2004
enough already....
delicious mums, Canon 300D
i wonder how different this day would be
if we went about it with the full knowledge of
how beautiful and capable we really are.
i wonder how different this day would be if we set aside the
guilty-guilts,
the critical voice,
the pattern of holding on to fear,
the comparisons,
the false conceptions,
and swam fully in the knowledge of our delicious selves...
i wonder how different this day would be if we went
about it with complete vision of the true beauty in others.
i wonder how different this day would be if we set aside
the judgments,
the egos,
the insecurities,
the jealousy,
the misunderstandings,
and knew clearly how important every single soul is...
"you have everything in you that Buddha has, that Christ has.
you've got it all. but only when you start to acknowledge it is
it going to get interesting. your problem is your're afraid to
acknowledge your own beauty. you're too busy holding on to
your own unworthiness...
well enough already.
i sit before you
and i look
and i see your beauty,
even if you don't."
~ram dass
Posted by jen at 08:46 AM | link | Comments (2841)
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