Citizen posted advertisements ... for jobs and livestock. Colonial Williamsburg.
(Click picture to enlarge) 
"The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium." ~ Norbet Platt
Beautifully hand written Christmas cards addressed with style, small notes tucked away between the sandwich and cookies in a loved one's lunch, letters between friends to keep up with happenings far away, hand written signs offering "LEMONADE - 5¢ A GLASS" on a hot summer day; all reminders of a time now long past when things did not move with the speed of digital and "you've got mail" was what your mother said when a card came from Aunt Mary Katherine. Then we watched for the mailman with anticipation. Now there are e-mails, texting, e-cards and all things instantaneously sent back and forth. Technology is "grand", but there is still something to be said for a hand written note or card with neat and lovely penmanship that is special... personal... you can tuck it away in a keepsake box and experience the joy over and over. Yes, there is something warm and endearing about a few words written by hand.
These notes, worn by rain and wind and all the elements appear as they would have in Colonial times.. on a board outside the general store. They are symbols of the Photo Hunt for this week... "written". I also love how the wood grain stands out in the sepia monochrome look.
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Saturday Photo Hunt
Carmi's Theme ~ Sepia
Sepia Scenes #111
Sunflowers from my sunflower, for Mother's Day "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~ Melody Beattie
Thanksgiving was a quiet day of reflection and personal gratitude. I am grateful that my parents, while elderly and sometimes exasperating, are still with me and able to go, albeit slowly, out and about. Sometimes a simple ride in the car to a beautiful scenic place is enough to be thankful for.
I am grateful that my sweet dog Daisy is feeling better. Yes, she has an enlarged heart and slightly elevated blood pressure and is probably at least five years older than I thought she was, but her breathing is better, she seems a bit more energetic and interested in food and even her cough is better, although the medication really shouldn't help that. She has no tumors and she has no evidence of pulmonary edema from the heart failure as yet. Perhaps I have a few more good years to help her make up for those horrid, frightening days in the gassing shelter and out in the elements on her own. She is sleeping right now, draped across Nyssa's giant stuffed teddy bear; a favorite spot I might add.
I am grateful for a brother who is without a doubt, my best friend. This was not always so. But we both outgrew our differences and now he has done so much for me, I would never be able to repay his generosity. I wish he could be here for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that is the life of a world class opera singer... this year it is Thanksgiving in the air and Christmas in a performance of Tristan and Isolda in Tokyo. The time thing really confuses me. He has gone from being six hours ahead of us to thirteen hours behind us but a day ahead. Therefore, I have absolutely NO idea as to when he was to get there.
I am grateful for a beautiful daughter who works hard to further her education and has chosen a field with many different possibilities for gainful employment. She is kind and giving and while she doesn't call me as often as a mother would like, she surprises with gestures such as these beautiful sunflowers for Mother's Day. I tried to take several different shots to make an Van Gogh-ish arrangement of things and some turned out quite nicely. But this one in a monotone is one of my favorites. I love the boldly dark centers and shadows and how the petals stand out from and blend in with the brick at the same time.
I'll post the colored artsy pictures another time... probably when you least expect it and hopefully at a point in time when a breath of sunshine is just what you need.
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Carmi's Theme ~ Sepia
Sepia Scenes
It takes a large latch to bolt a heavy door. Las Palmas, Grand Canary Island “Knowledge of 'what' is does not open the door directly to what should be.” ~ Albert Einstein
I love the look of heavy doors and in the Grand Canary Islands with architecture styles that show a blend of Islamic, Portuguese, Spanish and Flemish influences, there are a wide variety of doors and latches. Many show the curved arches and ornate decorative bolts through the heavy wood. I will probably never get to see these sights in person, but fortunately I can experience the beauty of the area through my brother and his pictures. He laughs and tells me he isn't any good at photography and I try to give him hints and direction before his next adventure. He did pretty good with those from the Canary Islands although I have to chuckle just a bit at his angles. A lot of his pictures are at odd angles..... his take on that is that it makes the picture look more "artsy". For some things this is fine, but for others, it simply strains the neck to look at them. He has a small point and shoot type of digital camera that is quite good and the more pictures he takes, the better they look. I am in charge of the post-production and in this particular case I thought this lock and latch were so elegant and interesting... not something seen on doors anywhere in this country.
By the way, has anyone else noted that the sepia pictures reveal even more of the metal texture and more of the wood grain than the colored versions? Perhaps color distracts the eye from the tiny details of the picture. At any rate, I loved this picture in its sepia tone for Sepia Scenes.
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Sepia Scenes
Dwarf Asiatic lily, after the rain.
(Click picture to enlarge) "Everywhere water is a thing of beauty gleaming in the dewdrop, singing in the summer rain." ~ John Ballantine Gough
All the lovely blooms on our dwarf asiatic lilies are gone now. I've left the foliage intact and now there are multiple seed pods at the tips and the leaves are turning yellow. They were lovely in pastel shades of pink, hot orange and deep red this year; but even in this monochrome sepia shot, the beauty comes through. I think the lily looks best just after a spring or early summer rain with the small droplets beading up on the thick petals. They seem to lift their heads as if to catch the rain and hold it close.
Even though it is still hot and humid here, the change in the seasons is real and is coming. It is not quite as hot... lower 90's to upper 80's rather than flirting with 100. And it is now quite as humid... there are days where the humidity hovers around 50% rather than 80%. And the nights dip into the 60's rather than remaining in the upper 70's. The plants know. The butterflies know. Even the birds and bees know. There is a major increase in bee activity after a small lull in August. The caryopteris with their clusters of bright blue blooms are open and a few of the re-blooming daylily are still in shape; but the lily is spent and waiting for winter.
This year I will attempt to collect the seed and see what we can come up with. Perhaps more beautiful lily to grace the garden and entice the butterfly to return even earlier next year.
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Sepia Scenes
Watery Wednesday
