learning to fly

Several years ago I found myself stuck in a moment, unable to move, unsure of how to get myself back in forward motion ever again. And so I ran away. I decided to go on vacation alone, ostensibly to see some good friends in two different countries that I hadn't seen before, but mostly spending two weeks on my own to clear my head.

I spent the first week with a wonderful friend, exploring his city by day, and getting to know his very lovely family at night. And they were so sweet to me, they made me forget that I was far from home and on my own, and by the end of the week, I couldn't help but cry at the airport as I was leaving them. They had become part of my heart.

But my very sweet friend at the second destination, greeted me at the airport terminal with a bouquet of flowers, which I kept in my room all week long. And after a few days of wandering around her city, taking photos, exploring and catching up, she was wise enough to realize that I was hiding out within her family. And so, as all good mama-birds will do, she pushed me out of the nest. She picked up the phone one night, and found me a room at a small hostel, literally in a tiny goat village on top of a mountain. And so I packed a small  backpack, and the next morning I took something like 4 trains, a bus, and a cable car, and arrived up at this beautiful, amazing mountaintop village. Alone... But no more than a few minutes into walking around this village, I met some fellow English-speaking travelers. The first person I met had an easy smile and we immediately laughed that we were both carrying the same travel guide, opened to the exact same page. We went back into the hostel for some lunch, and joined a nice couple from Colorado at their table, and made two more friends. People just kept inviting me in, it was so heart-warming.

By the time I hopped off the train, arriving back at my friend's home, I felt so alive, so encouraged, so independent and strong, and so warmed by the openness of all the people I had spent time with. I was proud of myself for taking that first brave step, just in starting that journey on my own. And so thankful to my friend for helping me to find my wings.

This new year I'm going to stretch those wings out, and really learn to soar.

(as always, click photo for full size)

the sun came up this morning

Another couple of long days and nights spent on the highways lately... One drive spent watching the sun set, low in the sky, all oranges, pinks and purples.

The other road trip was during the day, the sun was shining brightly, with the rays of light breaking through the clouds. I always find that so inspiring. And just as I was contemplating reaching for my camera, to photograph the light, a circular rainbow halo appeared around the sun...

And I was breathless.  

(click photos for full size)

man in the moon

Some of you know that I like to drive, a lot. I spend many of my weekends on the highway, usually driving to and from Chicago to spend time with friends, and to hear my favorite Chicago musicians. I see a lot of things on the road. Mostly trucks, oh so many trucks. Construction, orange barrels, and squiggly newly-painted lane lines. People texting, talking on their cell phones, and some really horrific driving. I see a lot of sunsets... and sometimes I even see the sun rise.

I've seen a car completely engulfed in flames, the heat from which literally pushed me back in my seat. I've seen at least two cars smash right into the concrete barriers. I most recently saw an old man lying in the road, he had just been hit by a minivan, most likely already dead or dying. It's frightening, and it gives me a lot of time to think.

But I also see things that I find interesting, even funny. I remember one night, seeing five tanker-trucks driving in a row, and it immediately brought to mind that "Die Hard" movie where the bad guys drive through the tunnel into Canada. I laughed out loud, to no one, alone in my car. I also see hawks, eagles, birds which I think may be falcons, so many deer, and sometimes wild turkeys.

The one thing I love the most about driving late at night is the moon. Always over my shoulder. Following me. Watching. Lighting my way. Making sure I get home safely. I've tried to photograph it so many times from my car, but it's just a blur. Lately I've been trying to photograph it from home, with a slow manual shutter and my remote shutter control, but so far I can't get the photo that I want. But I'm going to keep trying, and hopefully he'll keep on following me home...

(the moon, as seen from my driveway)

reflecting

Fall. Autumn. Almost winter. Everything is slowing down, becoming more quiet, gradually darker. The twilight time of the year. We begin to look back on the year that was. I also have a birthday at year's end, so it's a personal time to reflect for me as well. I think probably a lot of us do that; take stock, look back at the things we intended to do, the things we actually did, hoping those lists are pretty closely matched. Thinking of our families, friends, loved ones, maybe remembering someone we lost. Hopefully remembering joy and happiness and bright shining moments too. Reflecting.

open windows

So, I had this (I thought) really great idea a few weekends ago, that I would go downtown and take some photos of this beautiful little garden sanctuary, which is adjacent to one of the pretty churches in town.

As pretty as this was, their flowers were no longer in bloom, and the shadows were just so-so... it wasn't nearly as photogenic as it was in my memory. So we walked around the neighborhood for a while, and all around the church grounds. Again, I was disappointed that my photos of the church itself were not what I wanted them to be, and of course the beautiful stained-glass windows are only gorgeous when seen from the inside, with the light shining in through them.

And then, I noticed this...

When the windows are partly open, to let the fresh air in, you can see through, to the stained glass on the other side of the building, in all it's colorful glory. What a nice surprise that was!

So the moral of this story is: Just keep hoping...

farmer's market

So the weather keeps turning cooler... and the Madison outdoor farmer's market will move inside to the Monona Terrace for the winter.

I'll miss all of the different tents and awnings, the throngs of people wandering slowly around the square, gazing at all of the colorful displays... flowers, fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and everything in between. It's quite a feast, literally with all of the foods to choose from, and visually it's a photographer's dream.

Here are a couple of my favorite photos from the market. I loved the string of red peppers catching the sunlight. Also most market-goers will probably think of the familiar red awning of the Oakhouse bakery, and the smell of the warm cheese bread that sells out so fast you have to get up there really early in the morning... and this guy, with his bee-hive hat, selling fresh honey.

Camp Randall

Today we celebrate the University of Wisconsin-Madison's homecoming football game, at Camp Randall football stadium. I recently walked around campus to take this photo of our fierce new badger statue. His claws and teeth are pretty impressive up close! The badger is our school mascot, though the mascot himself is more fun than fierce.

But Camp Randall was originally a Civil War training ground. More than 70,000 state soldiers trained here to defend the union from 1861-1865. This memorial arch, dedicated to our Civil War soldiers was completed in 1912.

On a more personal note, I'm reminded that an old friend, one who died far too young, was a Civil War reenactment buff. And I heard that after he died, his family arranged to have his ashes scattered here at Camp Randall during one of the Civil War ceremonies. So today, I think of him as well.

nothing gold can stay

I just love this time of year. The weather is absolutely perfect for a brief moment in time, and everything is so brightly colored. I know, it's fleeting... Reminding us of the long cold drab winter to come. The shorter days, going to and from work in the waning light. But still, I love it right now. I love the brilliance of the leaves, the sunlight streaming through the yellows and oranges, and sometimes reds. I love watching showers of bright yellow leaves drifting toward the ground. And then the leaf piles, waiting for kids to jump right in. It's the last wisps of summer, and we hang onto it with everything we have. Reminds me of that poem, "nothing gold can stay". (Yes, it's from 'The Outsiders', and yes I can still quote the whole poem.) We have to enjoy these bright colorful days while we have them.

Nothing Gold Can Stay - by Robert Frost
Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leaf's a flower
But only so an hour
Then leaf subsides to leaf
So Eden sank to grief
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay.

in the autumn air

I've been thinking about this picture all day. It's that time of year, the days get a little shorter, and the geese are flying overhead... you hear them before you can actually see them. They form that perfect flying-v -- which I like to think is so they can all keep an eye on one another over the tips of their wings. They follow the same paths, north and south, every year... returning to the same places, time after time.

This picture was taken at the end of a beautiful fall day spent hiking with my mom, at the Pheasant Branch conservancy in Middleton. We saw herons and cranes, and a pond edged with cattails. We walked and walked, we even got a bit lost at one point, but it was a beautiful day to be outdoors.

Autumn in Wisconsin is such a treat. Our days are still warm enough to enjoy, it's perfect weather for football, and I love the crisp clean smell of the air. And the sounds of the geese, flying overhead.

on the terrace

There's a chill in the air, the students are back, and you can smell wood smoke in the autumn night. It feels like summer is coming to a close. But we can still enjoy a few nice weekends outdoors, and what better place to relax than on Lake Mendota, at the Memorial Union Terrace. They have bands playing outside on a stage at the lakeshore, the Rathskellar for beer and food, famous Babcock Hall ice cream, and these colorful, fun, "sunburst" chairs everywhere. There is a gigantic chair that you can take your photo with, and over the years these have become sort of iconic of the University. I just enjoy the splashes of color whenever I am up there.

remembering

September 11th. And I don't really know what to say today. Except that I remember. We all remember. Today we are all New Yorkers, we are all Americans, we are all one.

I was in New York City just a few weeks before the attacks. This picture was taken on July 30th. It seemed unreal at the time, because we had just been there, had just seen the World Trade Center towers. We didn't even go up to the observation deck, I remember thinking about that at the time, because we had just stood in line to go up in the Empire State Building, and didn't want to wait in another line. Strange thing to remember.

My memory from 2001 is different, I'm sure, than most people. Yes, I had friends and co-workers in New York City, and we worried and prayed for them, but I was very lucky, they were all fine and accounted for. My memories of that day, of that week, were of our family spending time with my mom, who was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery. Our focus was much closer to home.

But what I remember most, was coming back to my house from the hospital, and the silence... I live less than a mile from a regional airport, so the planes fly right over my house all the time, and very low. They are wheels-down when they're over my house. And it was just so quiet. There were no planes for days.

So today my thoughts are with New York. Because I remember.

reflections

I've said it before, but I am drawn to water. Lucky for me, I do live between two beautiful lakes. They are the first things I miss when I am away from Madison, and the first places I come back to when I get home. Upon returning from every long vacation I've ever taken, I make sure to drive around the lake shore just as soon as I can, to see my city reflected on the water.

These lakes are beautiful to photograph, the light is interesting and wonderful at most any time of day, they're recreational all year 'round, for boaters, swimmers (including the upcoming Ironman), and in winter we have the colorful "kites on ice" festival, along with lots of ice-fishing.

There's something profound that happens to me when I am near water. I began to notice this after my first few trips across America, through some of our amazing National Parks, and to Europe. The most memorable moments, and also my favorite photographs, always involved rivers, lakes, coastlines, or the sea. Something about the colors of and reflections on the water. The light. The waves. The sound. Sometimes even the smell, especially of a salty ocean. These memories, and images, stick with me like no others.

found moments

This photo was one of those moments that you just "happen" upon, and which bring me so much happiness. I was leaving the house, heading to work one morning, and this ladybug was resting on some flowers near my driveway. I quickly and quietly went back into the house, grabbed the camera, and caught the moment.

I like to think there are moments like this all around us, every day, if we just keep our eyes, ears and hearts open, and take notice of the little things. Buddhists call this "mindfulness", being present in the moment, living your life being fully aware, and finding peace in what "is" right now. Being aware helps me to feel connected to the whole world around me, especially the natural world. And it helps me to notice the beauty in something so small, like a ladybug on a flower.

look up

I was reading a wonderful new blog today (new to me), and found this quote, "Keep looking up. You'll end up going where your gaze goes."

That reminded me in such a great way, of a conversation that I just had with a friend about traveling. She was saying how she remembers that I told her to "look up" whenever she is in a new city, to see the fantastic details on buildings, to catch everything that is above street level. Some of the best architecture is found at the tops of buildings, in the windows, or flower boxes, or rooftop gardens. So much of life occurs above our heads, so much history can be found, so many things to be discovered when we pause and turn our gaze up, instead of just watching our feet and the sidewalk ahead.

This photo was taken back in 1997, in downtown Madison. As I remember, the city was just starting a "borrow-a-bicycle" program, similar to another new program they're starting this summer, and this building had been turned into an art project, as a way to show people the fun new red bikes. It was such a surprise to look up and see bicycles on the sides of the building, but such a treat to discover.

It's also a life lesson that I'm learning once more, to open up to the sun, the sky, the air. The fourth chakra. Opening up my lungs, and in turn, my heart. Letting my head fall back, and turning my eyes upward. Opening up to possibility. So look up... who knows what you will find.

perspective

I'll be the first to admit, some days I just fiddle around with my cameras to see what I'll get. I learn a lot that way about point of view, focus, distance, lighting, you name it. This idea occurred to me after seeing some beautiful museum photos, taken by Eric Tenin, of the Paris Daily Photo blog. He had set his camera on the floor, shooting down the hallway of a Paris museum, and while you could still see all of the art on the walls, it was such an interesting perspective, that I had to try it for myself. This shot felt like a fun mouse-eye view of my parents' yard, and I liked it.

Also, Paris Daily Photo is one of my favorite places on the web, one where I can easily lose hours of my day. His photos make me think about what I shoot in a lot of different ways. Sometimes they're artistic, beautiful sites, sometimes photos of ordinary places and things, but it really opens my eyes to my own city. This blog was originally going to be part of the City Daily Photo circle, look it up some time, there are so many wonderful photographers and cities to explore. However, I'm a bit too much of a perfectionist and commitment-phobe to commit to a daily photo blog (ha); and I really do like to travel a lot, so honestly, posting photos only of Madison, as fun as that would be, felt sort of limiting.

Yesterday was World Photography Day, something that I found really inspiring, and which made me head out the door, cameras in hand, with no particular destination. I hope you are all a little bit inspired to look at your surroundings in different ways, and by all means, take more photos.

my city

There really are so many pictures to be taken in a city like Madison. The Capitol building alone could (and does) keep me busy... with each change of season, all of the vantage points around town from which you can see it, the ever-changing light, not to mention the detail of the building itself. This shot is from Tenney Park, on Lake Mendota, and the wind that day was whipping the waves up onto the shore. Tenney Park always makes me think of my grandpa, who used to bring my little brother and I here and let us feed bread crumbs to the ducks. And then we'd wait and watch for a boat to come slowly through the locks between the two lakes. Perhaps the best part of this memory is that on any sunny day, you can come to the park and see the ducks, and there are still kids tossing them tiny handfuls of bread crumbs.

sailing

I have always loved the water, and here I am, living squarely between two beautiful lakes which are just made for following the wind, aboard a small sailboat. I took sailing lessons one spring, at the university, and I'm pretty sure those were several of the rainiest, windiest afternoons ever. But the dream prevails, and I still learned how to sail. Some day... 

art is everywhere

Today was a gorgeous sunny beautiful perfect summer day, so my family and I hopped on our bikes. Some of my cycling friends may recognize these, from over on the east side. Riding past them always makes me smile. I don't really know what they are, I suspect they might be sandhill cranes. But they are enormous, and made of scrap metal, and they're friendly and whimsical, and I absolutely love them. Art is wherever you find it. 

Thai pavilion

I've lived in Madison all my life, and one of the most beautiful things in this city has to be the Thai Pavilion at Olbrich Gardens. This was a gift from the Thai government, and is only one of four located outside of Thailand. Much of the detail on the pavilion is covered in gold leaf, and it's just gorgeous on a sunny day. You can bike right up to the pavilion via the Capitol City bike trail, and catch your breath while gazing into the reflecting pool. 
More about the Thai Pavilion at www.olbrich.org/gardens/thai.cfm

of lakes and bikes

Of course I have more than a few photos of my beautiful city, Madison Wisconsin. This was shot one sunny morning on Lake Monona, while I was riding one of the many bike paths which cover every part of the city and the surrounding communities. Off in the distance there are the Capitol building, the isthmus, downtown, and the famous Frank Lloyd Wright convention center. 


When a very good friend of mine recently moved back to Madison, one of the first things she did was buy a bicycle. There's simply no better way to see this city, than on two wheels, and I'm so glad she reminded me of that. 

dragonfly

I really don't take a lot of photos of bugs... I have a very good friend who does... she chases them down, puts them on ice, then places them gently on something really pretty to be photographed. They slowly warm up and fly away. But I really love the delicacy of this guy, sitting on the fence of my new azalea. I love that he wasn't at all scared of me. Nor I, of him. Sometimes nature is nice that way.

the photo that named the blog

This was just one of those days, I had the camera out, I'd been chasing the local red-tailed hawk around, trying to catch her in flight. And then I saw the sunlight shining through the apple tree next door, and white petals drifting, falling from each blossom... turning my neighbor's yard into a magical faerie garden.  

just dance

There is nothing like children spontaneously dancing at a summer festival. Twirling each other 'round and 'round. This was taken at BratFest 2009, and I love the joy and motion in it. 

a beginning

I thought I'd start with an old black and white film photo, taken years and years ago. This was at Warner Park, on the northeast side of Madison. I always felt it had a little "classic Americana" to it. I imagined they were brothers, enjoying a relaxing day of fishing together. Turns out one of their dirt bikes had found its way into the lagoon, and they were fishing it out. Which is why this photo always makes me smile...