Possibilities

 Two months until the end of the year and I've already chosen my word for 2011. Possibilities. 2010 was the year of Courageous, a word that I often wished I hadn't chosen, but has proven to help me through some difficult times. Helen Reddy's 1970's anthem, "I am woman, hear me roar," often comes to mind when I'm feeling less than courageous.  I have traveled alone three times including San Francisco, treated myself to dinner in restaurants, become friends with a neighbor, started to conquer my fear of going to the dentist, and numerous other things that I'm proud of. Courageous was a good word.

But, there are too many days when the world seems to be out to defeat me. Enter possibilities. We always have them if we choose to remember that they are endless

For a long time I've wanted to create a book of some of my photographs but it wasn't until I started collecting quotes about possibilities that the two came together. I'm pleased with the small book that I created to celebrate my youngest daughter's birthday; she'll be 40 next month which means that both of my daughters will be in their 40's. How did that happen?

"There are many spokes on the wheel of life. First, we're here to explore new possibilities," by Ray Charles is one of the thirty-eight quotes in the tiny collection. These are three of the photographs in the book shot in the 1980's using slide film with an SLR Nikon camera. I have boxes of slides and until I purchased an Epson scanner that has the capability of scanning slides it seemed that the slides were merely quaint artifacts. Artifacts that aren't aging as well as Kodak guaranteed.

 Both the top and bottom photos were contrast tweaked. The center photo is PSE8 manipulated. All of them were shot on the Monterey Peninsula, Pebble Beach, Big Sur, and Point Lobos State Park.

The book is perfect for gifts, including yourself, and is available at Blurb, see the side bar.

Quote: We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat. They do not exist. Queen Victoria

Faux Ink Drawing

I love the look of ink drawings even if they're faux. Simply change the photo to black and white and pump up the contrast, then play with levels; all done in PSE. This is another version of the Back Bay.

I'm trying to get the art grove back, it's been MIA for way too long. The calender looks a bit crowded to fit enough days in to suit my needs for creativity, but then can't creativity be found in everything we do? Hm, not exactly what I had in mind. I need paint and fabric, and I need them now!

I'm attempting to clear the decks for more fabric art and in order to do that quite a few items in the etsy shop are now marked down. The clearance prices are good until 11/22. And I've added a few more vintage portraits.

Back

 Did you miss me? Two weeks ago I was in Redondo Beach keeping my grandsons out of trouble while their parents celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary in NYC. Last year they were in Norway when my guy had the debilitating strokes, so its been a year since that devastating event.  

After my daughter and SIL returned I had a day to myself, one without an agenda. I drove down PCH, aka Pacific Coast Highway, and stopped in the
renovated and now very upscale town of Huntington Beach. Why you might ask? We lived in Huntington Beach in the 60's. I graduated from Huntington HS, Stacy was born in HB and Corey in Newport Beach. From HB I continued south to Fashion Island and in my opinion all malls/shopping centers should look like this one, though, here in the desert it would be a ghost town all summer due to the intense temps that rarely go below 105.

 I wandered around the mall for a couple of hours and ate lunch outdoors even though it was a bit chilly, in the 70's.

 I forgot to take photos while I was on the other bay side of the mall. Oh well, these few photos gives you an idea of the architecture and landscape.

 Just below Fashion Island, to the north, is an area called Back Bay. We lived on the other side of it in Costa Mesa in the 50's. Could I be that old? Back then there weren't any houses on the cliffs. The one-way road that skirts the bay is quiet, so much so that I sat and enjoyed the peace before turning on the GPS. I had no idea how to get on the freeway from there. When I was a kid most of the freeways hadn't been built. Once I was on the 405 I was back in Redondo Beach in about 45 minutes; it took over two hours on PCH to get to Fashion Island.

 More of the Back Bay. And below is a shot that I knew was destined for PSE manipulation.

So, the tooth that caused horrendous pain over a week ago was cracked below the deep filling. I've now had two extractions in five weeks which I believe is more than enough tooth loss.

Exciting.

Check out this! A thermofax screen made from one of my photographs is now for sale.

I'm out of commission right now due to dental problems. I hope to blog again soon, in the meantime check out the screen and the other ones that Lynn offers. I can't wait to use it myself!

Piccola Arte

Components: background is a mono-printed discharged piece. The embellishment is a piece of re-purposed jewelry that is attached to painted fusible web. The trio of burnt orange is hand-dyed fabric. The piece is 4x6 inches. Available at etsy

     Will the brutal temperatures ever end? Even with monsoonal storms for the last few days the temps have remained over 100 degrees.

Quote: I am never wrong when it comes to my possibilities. Placido Domingo