Crocus Joy

I finally feel like Spring is here and I am as happy as this little crocus.  Have a great weekend everyone and be sure to spread a little crocus joy wherever you are!

Crocus

The same day I was out admiring the contents of my garbage can I also photographed the crocus in the yard.  I took a ton of photos and this was one of my favorites.  I usually don't like to "touch" my photos other than to adjust the levels if need be.  It's not that I don't appreciate when people do, it's just not my style. But this photo called out for this color/black and white effect.

I really liked the composition with the lines drawing the eye up and back, except there was a dot of purple that kept distracting my eye at the bottom left (see below).  I could have Photoshopped it out but that seemed overly invasive.  The photo was also practically black and white to begin with and that's what gave me the idea to just make it all black and white except the central flower.  I think it's OK to have a "style" or a set of rules one tries to follow, but it's also OK to break them some times.

Hog Heaven

When I met John Unger I knew him as the carpenter who was coming to my house to install my new wood storm doors.  The day he came out to the house I was chit-chatting with him on the front porch as he was working.  We were talking about how George (hubby) studies birds and how I love animals when he mentioned that he raises show pigs.  I was immediately intrigued and started plaguing him with questions.  Not only was he not annoyed with all the interest, but you could see he was crazy passionate about the subject.  By the time John finished installing my front doors I had wrangled an invitation out to his farm to visit the pigs.

So the first week of March George and I made our way out to southern Indiana to visit John's farm.  The light was fading by the time we got there and when we got to his house his son told us to head down to the barn.  It had been rainy lately so we sloshed our way down the hill towards a low barn.  As we approached you could hear something that sounded like a mini stampede that would abruptly start and stop.  I knocked on the door and John let us in to a warm, cozy room containing one gigantic mama pig and about 40 piglets ranging in size and color in various pens.  

At first the piglets were scared of us and would nervously run around.  It is amazing how much noise a scared pack of pink and black piglets can make.  But they soon calmed down and a few started to warm up to us.  The pig above kept trying to chew on my jacket when I was turned the other way.

But the most amazing event of the night was watching the 500 pound sow nurse her little ones. At first she was standing but then she very carefully laid down to let them nurse.  And then when they were nursing she made what I would describe as "contented, grunting sounds."  It was an incredible thing to witness. And John told me not only had she nursed her own young, but she also took on another litter from a sow who had rejected her own.  Now that is a good mama pig!

As I was photographing the pigs George and John were talking about feed and what it takes to make a good show pig, and what to do when they get sick, and when they wean, and all the million things it takes to raise a good pig.  If you've got a question about raising pigs John's got an answer.  There is a certain energy around people who are passionate about what they do and John exuded an affection for his animals that was contagious and a wisdom that only comes from years of caring for his animals.  I've never met anyone with such a passion for pigs and it was quite a treat to visit his farm.  Thank you John for such an amazing visit!

Also, anyone who has advice about shooting in dark conditions I am happy to hear it!

March in the Garden

Last week I finally decided it was time to cut all the dried sedum stalks in the front flower beds.  Every year I say that I am going to leave them as long as possible for the birds but I have never seen a bird eating the seeds. Maybe they do when I'm not watching. 

But as I was saying, I was kneeling down cutting the stalks and pushing them into the garbage bin when I realized it was full.  When I stood up and looked at all my hard work sticking out of the bin I was amazed how incredibly beautiful it was.  I love the color of the white stalks and the muted burnt orange together.  I guess this supports the old saying that "one girl's trash can also be her treasure."

Happy Birthday Roy!

I made this card for my friend Roy whose birthday was this month.  I have been loving this vintage look that's popular now.  Roy is my neighbor and an incredible illustrator.  His work reminds me of Shel Silverstein and you can see it on his blog here.  Happy Bday Roy!

Aging Architecture - Cincinnati

This building was in the middle of the industrial wasteland I was telling you about last entry.  I feel mixed emotions every time I see one of these old buildings slowly decaying in Cincinnati.  I always feel sad that such a masterpiece was let go.  Someone spent years carving all of these incredible ornaments and they are slowly crumbling to pieces.  At the same time I also absolutely love the state of decay they are in.  One would be hard-pressed to recreate this incredible patina.  Just look at the  colors... the gold and green and rust show through the paint in the most wonderful way.

Of course I can't help but think this building embodies the essence of wabi-sabi and I will leave you with a great quote from Leonard Koren's book "Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets, & Philosophers":

"Wabi-sabi represents the exact opposite of the Western ideal of great beauty as something monumental, spectacular, and enduring.  Wabi-sabi is not found in nature at moments of bloom and lushness, but a moments of inception or subsiding.  Wabi-sabi is not about gorgeous flowers, majestic trees, or bold landscapes.  Wabi-sabi is about the minor and the hidden, the tentative and the ephemeral... The closer things get to nonexistance, the more exquisite and evocative they become."

Riveting - Industrial Cincinnati

Last week I had a photo shoot in Price Hill and on my way home I stopped in the flat area between Price Hill and I-75.  Some people might consider this expanse an industrial wasteland, but in my eyes it is a photographer's paradise.  There are old rusting bridges, decaying buildings, and piles of industrial materials in barren, gravel fields.

When I got out of the car to take these photos the day felt like a typical mid-western grey winter day. It was cold, the wind was whipping right through my coat, and the sun was only a suggestion of white haze through the clouds.  The feeling was definitely post-apocalyptic and as I wandered around taking photos I thought, "this metal, concrete, and rubber will be here forever - it's indestructible and lifeless."

But if you look closely you see that everything is always changing and the rust was slowly but surely having it's way with these objects.  The lively transformation was at different stages everywhere, from a tiny spot of rust breaking through the peak of a painted rivet to a healthy patina coating an entire bridge.  The effect was undeniable and quite beautiful...one might even say "riveting".

Steamboat Springs

The color of the sky in Colorado is something altogether different; the blue is so intense you feel it in your bones.  In early February we took a trip out to Steamboat Springs to go skiing and we were lucky enough to have several clear-blue, sunny days.  I stopped halfway down the mountain to look for the porcupine we saw the day before and when I looked up this is what I saw (above).  The white aspens out there are so striking against that crazy, blue sky.  I took this photo with George's iTouch and used PhotoStitch to put it together.  It turned out Photostich is not as seamless as I would like, so I ended up fixing some blurry seems in Photoshop. 

Steamboat has a covered gondola which was nice to keep out of the wind.  It is also less scary.  Every so often when I am sitting in the uncovered ski-lifts I get the willies.

The photo below was taken from our room at the Torian Plum.  It was a nice ski-in ski-out location.  I took this photo because the air was filled with glitter.  I guess it was so cold the moisture in the air was freezing.  You can see a bit of it near the bottom of the photo, but the photo doesn't do it justice.  You know how sometimes when the sun shines just right and you can see all the dust floating in the air?  Well, imagine that all that dust is sparkling glitter and filling an area the size of your room.  The effect was dazzling. 

I actually lugged the big camera up the mountain one day and took a series of photos from the upstairs terrace at the restaurant (below).  I hand "stitched" them together in Photoshop.  Click the image to see it larger.

I wasn't so sure I wanted to go from cold Cincinnati to cold Colorado.  After three flights, briefly losing my luggage, then hauling skis, helmet, goggles, boots, and poles you begin to wonder if it's all worth it.  But once you start skiing you remember, "Oh yeah,it's like skating on the ground!  No, it's like flying! This is incredibly exhilarating!"... it all becomes worth it.  

Homemade Kindle Cover

Last week I finally got around to the dreaded task of cleaning out my closet when I came across the shirt below.  I have had this shirt since college and have not worn it in over a decade.  Every year when I try and get rid of it I just can't!  Why, you ask?... when it is wide enough to fit an elephant and short enough to bare my midriff.  Because there is something about the fabric that I love... the waffle texture and the color of the stripes are just too awesome. 

But this year I decided it was time to either give it to Goodwill or make something out of it.  So voila!...I made a homemade Kindle cover out of it.  Basically I measured my Kindle (4.5''x6.5'') and added a 5/8'' seam allowance.  In the end I cut two pieces that were 6''wide by 10'' tall (back), and 6'' wide by 7'' tall (front).  I then zig-zag stitched the edges to prevent fraying.  Next I put the good faces together and sewed around the edge and then turned it right-side out and top-stitched it to finish.  I had wanted my flap to be a bit longer but I lost some length when I lined up the stripes on my two pieces of fabric.  It always amazes me how a seam allowance gets eaten up and the final product ends up smaller than anticipated.  If I had to do it over again I would add an extra half inch all around and maybe a whole inch vertically for the flap.

In the end it turned out a bit wonky but I am happy with it.  There is something so satisfying about having an idea and enacting it.   And I am very pleased to finally find a good use for this old shirt, although it only encourages my hoarding habit.  C'est la vie.

Hotel Grano de Oro

Our final night we stayed at the Hotel Grano de Oro in San Jose.  It's an interesting old building that has been restored with modern touches.  This hotel was a bit of a splurge and I was disappointed we weren't able to spend more time here.  We arrived late afternoon and left early the next morning but at least we were able to eat in the beautiful restaurant in the courtyard (see below).

This trip was certainly a different side of Costa Rica than I had seen before (a more luxurious side).  I loved seeing tropical interior design in the places we stayed and being spoiled by rainfall showerheads.  But there is always a part of me that enjoys trudging in mud to the top of my boots and getting soaked by rainfalls from the great showerheads in the sky above.  I guess roughing it and luxury both have their perks, it's all in your perspective.   

Hotel Playa Hermosa, Bosque del Mar

Our final destination in Costa Rica was Playa Hermosa along the Golfo de Papagayo.  We stayed in the Hotel Bosque del Mar and I loved it!  One of my favorite things about the hotel was the open-air main building that housed the reception, restaurant and bar.  The best part about the building was the amazing architecture with trees "growing" through the building.   

The other thing I loved about this hotel was the paper lanterns everywhere.  It is such a small thing, but I am absolutely crazy about them!  They give such a festive feeling and we totally lucked out because the day we arrived there was a party on the beach with a marimba band.  We ate dinner in the open-air restaurant listening to incredible music and watched as the lanterns began to glow in the fading light of the sunset.

Below is the view from our room.  The day we arrived there were howler monkeys in the tree above the pool and you could just look up at them from our deck.  There were also a couple giant iguanas that lived in that tree and it was fun to watch them (below).

The last day of our trip we had planned on taking a snorkeling trip with Capitán Adolfo.  He came recommended by several other guests at the hotel.  Unfortunately my dad was not feeling well that day and we had to cancel.  But if you get a chance to visit Playa Hermosa his rates were quite good.  His telephone number is 8830-8489 and his email is elpar64@yahoo.es.  I told him since we cancelled the least I could do would be to mention him on the blog.  If anyone out there has gone on a trip with him please feel free to leave comments.  Someone also said he came recommended on tripadvisor.com.

If I ever go back to Playa Hermosa I would definitely stay here again.  The hotel is right on the beach and the beach was clean, not-rocky and beautiful.  My dad and I spent one whole day just lounging in chairs on the beach while George went to la Reserva Biológica Lomas de Barbudal. He not only saw their famous capuchin monkeys but also long-tailed manakins.  He had a great time but I wouldn't have traded places with him for the world.  That night we saw a white-throated magpie jay while sitting in the restaurant.  Awesome bird and delicious ceviche at the same time... now that is my kind of birding!    

Monteverde, Hotel Belmar, Costa Rica

We stayed at Hotel Belmar in Monteverde.  At first I was disappointed that we didn't have a room that faced the beautiful view, but after spying a mot-mot from our forest-facing room we realized our room had its own benefits.  If you are a birder I recommend staying in room #14, the "canopy room" in the chalet because you can literally lay in bed and bird at the same time.  I also loved eating breakfast on their open-air terrace shown below.

On our one full day we drove up to the reserve and hiked over to the continental divide.  Although we didn't see a quetzal, I did love finding these ghostly fairy mushrooms above.  George and I also hiked the trail up to the radio towers behind our hotel, but I do not recommend that hike.  It was just a road that went up and up and more up.  Usually you can at least glimpse some interesting birds on such a walk, but our only rewards for all that effort was a crazy black caterpillar with spiky yellow "hair" (see below) and two pairs of extra sore legs.    

Drive to Monteverde

The third day of our trip we headed out of Chachagua towards Monteverde.  This drive, although beautiful, is arduous and took over five hours (the last two on a rough gravel road).  The beginning of the drive was around Lake Arenal on a crazy, curvy road that offered some breathtaking views of the volcano.  We stopped at Café y Macademia for lunch on the western edge of the lake.  The food was fresh and delicious, plus the restaurant had nice views of the lake. 

Once we got around the lake and through Tilarán we started heading up the gravel road to Monteverde.  I suggest getting gas in Tilarán as there is nothing until Monteverde.  The closer you get to Monteverde the more rugged the road, and the more you begin to wonder what you've gotten yourself into.  But it is breathtaking country and something about those crazy roads makes you feel very alive and present (you'd better be present as you might meet a huge tourist bus or semi around any corner). 

Be sure to stop along the way and look North as there are nice views of Arenal along this drive.  You can see it in the photo below peaking over the hills in the distance.