5-Day Black & White Photo Challenge, Day 4 (already!)

MAY 19, 2015 IN GENERAL, PHOTO CHALLENGE

These are Concord grapes grown at Georgetown Vineyards in Cambridge, Ohio—about 30 miles west of Barkcamp. Concord is a native grape that produces jelly and wine. Most of the time Concord wine is fairly sweet, though I’ve had some less sweet that is very good.  

Believe it or not, Ohio was the leading wine producer in America’s first 50 years. Land along the Ohio River east of Cincinnati was the prime spot. Blight destroyed most of the crop in the late 1850s, however, and the Civil War took the workforce. The industry didn’t “take root” again until the mid to late 20th century. Nearly all of today’s 110+ wineries are smaller and family-run, but Ohio ranks 10th in US wine production. Wineries and vineyards are located throughout the state from the Lake Erie shore to the banks of the Ohio River.

In Belmont County, Vino di Piccin is owned by six siblings who grew up with a wine-making father from Italy. They use his recipes and order grapes from Ohio and California to make some really nice Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as blends and whites.

Black Sheep Vineyards is on the border of Belmont and Jefferson Counties in Adena, Ohio. John and Becky Black bought an old sheep farm and planted several types of grapes. The tasting room is in the big, old barn, and the wine is made downstairs. They set high standards for their wines, and it’s quite good. They have music and dinner events regularly.

Georgetown Vineyards grows some estate grapes and orders grapes, juice and fruit from various sources to create some nice wines. Their Cranberry and Rhubarb wines are kind of fun. The site is beautiful—on top of a hill overlooking the town of Cambridge.

Beyond Cambridge, west on I-70 lies Terra Cotta Vineyards near New Concord. Their wines are hand-crafted, also, and they have a nice port called Hummingbird. North of Cambridge on I-77, you’ll find Ravens Glenn Winery in Newcomerstown just a few miles west of the freeway. This is a very popular tasting room with a restaurant, a large selection of wines to try and a sizeable gift shop. It sits right on the banks of the Tuscarawas River, and they host a lot of weddings and special dinners.  

5-Day Black & White Photo Challenge, Day 3

MAY 18, 2015 IN GENERAL, PHOTO CHALLENGE

Some people may recognize this Candlewick from Imperial Glass. These are pieces from my mother’s collection—it was her wedding china pattern. Aside from steel mills and coal mines, this area was known for its quality glass like Imperial, Fostoria and Fenton, and there were many artisans crafting hand-blown and hand-painted pieces. Two of my grandfathers worked for Imperial, but the factory is gone now. However, the Imperial Glass Museum is located in Bellaire, Ohio, along the Ohio River. Zanesville Pottery and Roseville Pottery were located about 60 miles west.

In fact, Belmont County has been historically significant since before the Revolutionary War when it was considered the wilderness, a sort of no-man’s-land. Many of the settlers were soldiers and their families who received plots of land in exchange for their service. In Morristown (near Barkcamp) several soldiers’ remains rest in Pioneer Cemetery.  

Before, during and after the Civil War Belmont County was a gateway to points north for the Underground Railroad. A few miles from Morristown, in Flushing, Dr. John Mattox hosts visitors at the Underground Railroad Museum Foundation. The thousands of artifacts he has collected are fascinating, and he is a great storyteller.

In Barnesville, the Victorian Mansion Museum is the preserved and restored residence of one of the town’s prominent families. Beautiful  hand-crafted woodwork, furniture, period collections and special displays are well worth a look.

The county seat, St. Clairsville, has a new museum next to the County Courthouse. It’s a converted Sheriff’s Residence (and jail) with information on many of the local museums I’ve mentioned and on upcoming events.       

5-Day Black & White Photo Challenge, Day 2

MAY 17, 2015 IN GENERAL, PHOTO CHALLENGE

Since I don’t have current camping photos, I thought I would share some of the local attractions that may be of interest to RVers in the event that you decide to visit this part of the Ohio Valley. I stopped at Barkcamp State Park yesterday, (a few miles north of my house) where my brother and sister-in-law set up their giant travel trailer when they bring it down from Michigan.

Barkcamp is a local favorite for hikers, fisherman, and hunters. It has horse trails and equestrian camping areas, an archery range and miniature golf, playgrounds, a stony beach, picnic areas throughout, and, I believe, family movies are shown during the summer in one area. This is the “quintessential Barkcamp photo” of the lake that everyone would recognize. One of the boat launches and a dock are just out of the photo, to the left.

Sites seem to go quickly since it’s a state park. I do know that locals camp here because I’ve walked there as training for a 5k (a combination of hills and flat roads with limited traffic) and chatted with people from nearby towns. There is also a popular and difficult trail run every fall called--wait for it--the Barkcamp Race founded by a friend of mine. Sometimes I take a chair and book and my pup Zsa Zsa on summer Sunday afternoons and sit in a quiet picnic area under the trees. I’ve been here in all four seasons, and it’s always beautiful.   

5-Day Black & White Photo Challenge, Day 1

MAY 16, 2015 IN GENERAL, PHOTO CHALLENGE

Thank you, Chris Hughes of CUontheRoad.net for naming me in this challenge and for your kind words. I’ve really enjoyed your black & whites this week, and I always like reading posts from the RV Happiness community.

As Chris noted, I’m not currently an "RVer,” but my family began camping in a 17’ Scotty (?) when I was around 10 years old and moved to larger campers from there. We stayed mostly in Ohio and Pennsylvania but did travel up through New England to Maine one summer. In my teens, my parents decided to lease a “permanent” space in PA’s Allegheny National Forest/Kinzua area, and they kept that location until after they retired.

I was thinking about Chris’s challenge standing at my kitchen window this morning getting breakfast when I had a flashback of my camping mornings. I would be the first up (of my parents and brother) so I could get ready and dressed and out of the way. I would make a cup of tea and sit outside in the quiet, cool, fresh morning air. In the high forest it was often a bit misty, but that burned off by mid-morning. I always enjoyed the sounds of birds singing, the breath of a breeze rustling tree leaves and other campers stirring. So I'll start at the beginning with this first photo of my morning coffee on the deck. It takes me back to those days and has me considering the possibility of experiencing those simple pleasures again. 

Eyeing Some Fish

MAY 11, 2015 IN GENERAL

I haven’t meant to neglect this blog. Life is always changing. I’ve been doing work-related projects for the most part, but also some house things and an artsy project. I’m trying to decide whether to remain in the Ohio Valley for a while longer or go somewhere else. If I move, where will I go? Or will I travel for a bit and work from the road? My little pea-brain spins when I start pondering all of the possibilities. These last two weeks the “busy-ness” is catching up with me, and, as of this morning, I’m quickly developing either a sinus/allergy malady or a blasted summer cold.

At any rate, Saturday I visited my cousins, who are working on the decorative pond in their front yard. We went up to Wet Pets in Pittsburgh’s South Hills looking for new pumps and plants and fish. While they hashed all of that out, I meandered through the aquarium aisles watching neon colors in various shapes and sizes dart through bubbled waters and fake coral.

The fish life in an aquarium: no big decisions on packing it all in to unpack somewhere else; daily food in a temperature-controlled climate; observing the observers on the other side of the glass (what is glass?) I did note, though, that while some are lazily, coasting back and forth, others make their tanks look like the subway at rush hour. What are they thinking?   

Are they content, or do any of them, like the goldfish in the Public Television commercial, long to be a wild salmon swimming upstream in the excitement of the rapids?  

(These, by the way, were taken with my phone not my DSLR, so the quality is a bit lacking)

Playing Favorites

APRIL 19, 2015 IN GENERAL

In 2013 I spent nearly every Saturday morning walking some of the trails at Oglebay Park, just about an hour’s drive away. Last year, not so much because I was working on my parents’ house. This year I hope to get back on track, so to speak, and I definitely wanted to get some photos of the tulip gardens around the Mansion buildings--so beautiful and featuring one of my very favorite types of flower. This morning I was able to scoot over from Shadyside early, before the rain. Visitors come from all over to see the flowers and grounds, and—pleasant surprise—I bumped into the Ebbert family strolling through the amazing tulip displays, too. If you aren’t able to make it before the season ends, this will hopefully inspire you to visit Oglebay next April.

Instameet in Wheeling

MARCH 25, 2015 IN INSTAMEET

Sunday, March 22, I had the opportunity to participate in an InstaMeet in Wheeling. Photographers/Instagrammers from the region gathered at Wheeling's Heritage Park on the riverfront, picked up the list of subjects, and took off throughout downtown with phones and cameras. Subjects included Rust, Stranger, Doorway, Alley, Faded Building Advertisement, Window and Church, and a couple of others. 

If you'd like to see what everyone posted, go to Instagram and search #wwim11_WheelingWV. There are a few from yours truly there with other shooters' takes on the town. If you'd like to see my other Instagram work, check out my IG account, @g.valenti.photo. 

Saturday Photo Op

FEBRUARY 28, 2015 IN GENERAL

I have a new lens for my camera and am still learning how to use it. I think it will be fun, though—a Holga—with its retro, gritty, grainy look. Working on my new websites has taken its toll this week. I needed to step away from the computer and get out of the house into the sunshine before the weather turns again tonight. So I drove to Bellaire.

I definitely need to keep practicing with the lens, but this was the first outing. If you are exploring the web, check out my new site www.ArtSoulWine.com (and its Facebook page.) I'm busy updating and upgrading my photography website, too, still at www.GlynisArt.com. 

Passing (through) Some Time

FEBRUARY 16, 2015 IN GENERAL

Last week I had to shoot photos of vintage items for a news article. I went to the Barnesville Antique Mall, and it was pretty cool. My head was spinning after perusing three floors crammed with all kinds of items, big and small, Depression glass, pottery, lots of jewelry, handbags, knick knacks, kitchen items—you get the idea. The people were very nice and had set up a display for me to photograph. I purchased a pair of earrings, restraining myself with all of my willpower against buying a large armoire (that I don’t need, and, truthfully, couldn’t get into the house if by chance I could find a way to get it home.)

Tucked away among the bowls, plaques, baubles and linens, there were a couple of odd items. I posted the “duck o’lantern (?!?)” on my Instagram account. And, truly, I'm glad I was a good little girl because I can't imagine how I would have turned out if Santa Claus had brought me a baby doll like the one forever-screaming, pictured below. I had the strangest thoughts about how the other two dolls have just tuned that one out; they’ve become jaded, numb and stare blankly into their own worlds, day in, day out. Which led me to think about how we, witnessing or experiencing similar constant noise (violence, crying children, barking dogs, maltreatment of animals or humans, etc.) eventually tune it out or adopt it as part of the daily landscape.

But I was on sensory-overload at that point, had totally missed lunch and hadn’t even finished my morning coffee.

I think I’ll be going back, though. I just got a Holga lens, and this might be a good test location.

Snow Day

JANUARY 27, 2015 IN GENERAL

I’m not a fan of winter, at least the cold, snowy kind of winter.  I have always sort of hibernated during January. It’s such a dark month, the one glimmer of hope being that the daylight grows steadily longer.

Last January was brutal with below-zero temps and lots of snow blowing around. I have to say we’ve been lucky this year, and the snow has been minimal with short cold snaps. In Rochester I would listen in the middle of the night for the snow plow, and I find myself waking here, too, to the scraping as it comes up the hill. When it comes. This is not the city. When I don’t hear traffic going by in the early morning I know the road is covered.

But Winter found us at last, and we’ve had about six or so inches over the last three days. This is okay. While I can’t embrace the weather, I am resigned to accept it as it is. And I even made time to shoot a few photos on my way to the office today because, without the wind, the snow has settled on the trees, and it’s very pretty.  

I’m still working on my new websites, and, with any luck will have one up and running in the next two weeks.  It’s exciting to be working on a couple of new art projects, too, and preparing a new photo class. Off and running for 2015.

A Christmas Card for You

DECEMBER 25, 2014 IN GENERAL

It is Christmas, and, since this is an unusual Christmas for me, I’ve been thinking about tradition, specifically about cards. I sent photo cards out again this year, and I think most have arrived safe and sound. But I’m sharing with you another card tradition that has always meant much to me.   

When I was going through my storage unit last month, I packed a sealed box marked “Christmas” and “Glass” in one of the moving boxes, wrapping it in a blanket and placing pillows and skeins of yarn all around. Upon opening it last week, I was delighted. It was my framed Christmas cards, garland, a couple of odd-lot ornaments and some favorite holiday videos. But, ah, the cards.

The majority of the 21 cards were given to me by my ex-husband, Rich, during our 10 years together, and, with the exception of a couple of painful post-divorce years, these cards have always made me smile. They are beautiful—so beautiful that I decided to frame them, and they became part of my Christmas décor. Eventually they decked my mantle in Rochester and my bookshelves in Oregon, which became my Christmas trees of sorts—displaying ornaments, garlands, lights, the cards, memories.

I love looking at them, small works of art. All have a touch of nostalgia and a touch of magic. I think that is what Christmas was--or is--to Rich and to many of us. It, far more than other holidays, is about wishes and goodwill. A benevolent, jolly spirit sweeping through a starry night distributing gifts throughout the world is nothing less than magic. We want to believe; we want to believe in good.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. Happy Christmas.

A Change of Scenery

DECEMBER 09, 2014 IN GENERAL

Well, here I am. I thought that my trip to California and Oregon might make things a little clearer as far as next steps, but it didn’t. I did make some excellent wine contacts in CA to try to get something going here, but found myself feeling exhilarated by the Oregon beach air and seeing friends and familiar places again.  This was unexpected.

I was overwhelmed by Sedona. I’ve not experienced mountains like those or the type of energy at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It was serene and yet vibrant (almost tangible) at the same time. I don’t recall ever feeling anything like it. I had to go outside because of the power.

The Oregon coast is always amazing. There is so much natural beauty. It’s breathtaking. And even as sheets of rain were whipping off of the ocean on Friday as I was out and about, I felt comforted by it, especially when I stopped to say hello to Bob and Lenore at EVOO and Suzanne and Jim at Icefire Gallery and it was all cozy-warm inside. As I drove back to Nadine and Van’s (where I was staying,) I thought, “This is winter on the coast. Wind, water and warm.”

I cringed at the memory of last year’s stretch of below zero temps in Ohio (and New York and the whole Great Lakes region.) Blech. But here in Ohio opportunities are beginning to crop up, and I just need to focus and push myself ahead with some of the possibilities. I’m unpacking the boxes and furniture that I had shipped here from my storage unit. The first thing I noticed was that the contents smell like the coast—fresh and evergreen-y. I almost want to seal up the boxes to keep that wonderful scent close by. And so it goes.

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you’ll have seen a few shots from the road, but these are some additional. My newspaper column on Sunday also talked a bit about the trip, so I’ll post that here, too.  For now, sit back and enjoy the ride.

October--Change is in the Air

OCTOBER 03, 2014 IN GENERAL

And here we are in October, one of my favorite months, full of transition. That description is more appropriate than ever this particular year. In four weeks, trees will be bare, temperatures will be cooler, clouds greyer, days shorter. By the end of the month furniture and extraneous possessions here will have found new homes, and I’ll be reevaluating whatever is left.  

The month that begins with today’s sunny blue skies will end with the dark night and flashes of candle light that is All Hallows’ Eve.  But the fog I’ve been in seems to be clearing, and just over the past week this has all come together in my head—and online.

I seemed to be on a Path in Oregon, making plans, moving along. Then I took the detour to Ohio, which sort of shook it all up. Since my parents’ deaths I’ve had this urgency to start moving again, but lost my sense of direction.

I think I’ve tentatively gained a bit of it back. I’m starting (again) with my photo work. I’ve been trying to get to the place in my head that led me to Oregon, and that was the desire to create and teach art. My first steps on this path are 1. currently teaching a pilot online photo class; 2. a new photography website—now in progress--with the same domain (glynisart.com) that has updated content and a fresh look; 3. a photo project on Instagram/Facebook that has me shooting every day this month, see #gvoctoberproject. I’m also creating a totally NEW website incorporating my favorite things. I will, of course, keep you posted about all of that. Very exciting.

I love this glass pumpkin. It, too, changes—elegant, then funky, silvery, then dark, glowing full of sunlight, or an antique just cleared of cobwebs in an old Victorian. As October begins it’s a bit early to ask myself where I’ll go from here. But I know that by taking some new steps to move forward, I won’t be in the same place at month’s end.  

Your Road is Your Own

SEPTEMBER 21, 2014 IN GENERAL

So now that I have been through the house, examining and weighing the remnants of my parents’ lives, it is time for my own reckoning.

Yesterday I started in my corner of the garage. Several Rubbermaid bins have been sitting there since I moved from Rochester to Oregon. The three or four that I went through (those bins not buried under hypertufa supplies and my Oriental rug) still yielded paperwork to be shredded and things to add to the giveaway piles. I brought my silverware into the house to use.

I was surprised at how detached I was as I methodically glanced and tossed. Not wearing my glasses was probably a good idea. Once in awhile something caught my eye, and those few things were placed in a “review” pile.

Though I would prefer “spring” as a metaphor for growth and rebirth, there is change in the air today. I heard Canadian geese this morning, getting an early start. I was hopeful when I heard a brief rain as I woke up, but that was the beginning and the end apparently. The blustery wind has blown the clouds and any chance of rain east for the foreseeable future. Color is creeping through the trees, and we know what’s next. I looked over my curious pile of memories this morning. Change is imminent.

1.  In my “office” bin, I found this program from a Bobby McFerrin concert. NEAD, the agency where I worked at the time, gave me two prime tickets for my birthday. I was so appreciative. The people in that office were kind and giving and funny. Everyone was on the same mission and worked as a team. So proud and blessed to have been a part of it.

The letter is from an acquaintance. I felt guilty when I pondered this because I truly had no idea who this person was, yet I am “dearest Glynis.” I finally figured out that he was a friend of a friend whom I met once or twice with my friend in Cleveland. Other than that, I know nothing about him.   

The notebooks were entirely different. There were logs from one of my part-time jobs for a market research firm along with, surprisingly, notes to someone I was seeing at the time. I don’t think I ever sent these notes—a good thing, I’m sure. It was upsetting to read some of them because this wasn’t a good time in my life. The words are not angry, but in fact overly caring. It was difficult to read because I know how unhappy I was, and I used all of my strength to cover and push that pain down. Live and learn. Well, sort of.

2. The wine bottle is something I brought back from Oregon. It was in a basket with other more pertinent things. Clients—five brothers--at my wine shop meet in Cannon Beach every year from different parts of the country. They came into the shop and grilled me about wine, did some tasting and talking and bought a couple of bottles for the weekend. As they were leaving town, they stopped in to say goodbye and presented me with a half glass of this premier Bordeaux ($200+ bottle.) I was touched and flattered to be included, and it gave me a little confidence, too. The bottle shattered on the garage floor when I dropped the basket.

In one of the bins I found my father’s sunglasses from the 1960s, which, after he said I could have them, I wore occasionally. He came into the garage just after I broke the bottle. I thought he would be mad that 1. there was glass all over the floor and 2. that it was a wine bottle. Instead he seemed genuinely concerned that I not hurt myself cleaning it up and sorry that I broke something that I valued.  

You never know for sure how people will react.

3. This other notebook had a different “theme.” In it I explored different path choices. What was the comparative cost of living in Santa Fe or Taos? What were my skills? My marketable skills? And this page, for some reason left blank. “What I would do if I could do anything.” That is the question, isn’t it?

The framed card is one that sat on my desk in Rochester. It reads, “Your road…is your own.” True again. I find myself trying to determine what I want to do next and where I want to go now, but this time I’m releasing things I don’t want to carry on the next leg of my journey. My road IS my own, and I can DO anything I want. I have figured this out at this point.

Each of us has a path, and, if you’re moving along it, the scenery is always changing. I feel like I’ve been here before, but not. This time around I’ve let go of things, of the past, and am continuing that work. Maybe that’s what this is about: releasing, shedding like fall leaves, finding one’s essence and truth within.

Archeology

SEPTEMBER 01, 2014 IN GENERAL

I worked on the house this weekend. My brother had to postpone coming down until next weekend, but, since it was my first weekend at home in awhile, I took advantage. I accomplished about two-thirds of what I wanted to do, but that’s okay. I’ll keep moving my parents’ things into the basement and moving my things upstairs. This will clear out rooms and closets (I hope,) as I get ready for the next steps. There is just too much stuff of theirs and mine.

I want to bring a desk upstairs, but a living room loveseat will have to go. I cleaned out six of the seven drawers in the desk on Saturday. The last drawer is stuck, and I’ll have to keep chiseling away at it. The photos show what is making this clear out a monumental task: all kinds of bits and pieces, random papers, obsolete paraphernalia. It all appears in every drawer in dressers, chests, envelopes and boxes.

This assortment includes normal desk supplies with a china hand that belonged to a now-unknown knick-knack; screwdrivers, screwdriver parts, a folding ruler, a classic flashlight and a toothbrush; boxes of razor blades and rubber bands sold by the pound (still usable;) family history that starts with my great, great-grandparents and ends with my mother’s handwritten memories for a reunion and a stray puzzle piece.

Is there anything more endearing than children’s art? My brother’s class (kindergarten or first grade, I think) sent some cheery notes to my father, who was in the hospital with a kidney infection a few days before Thanksgiving. Many have flowers or cars or turkeys, but one of these has a “pome,” another has a penny as a present, and my brother crafted his own card for “Mr. Ault.”

The excavation continues.

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho

JULY 07, 2014 IN GENERAL

In spite of the fact that I cut my hours back at the paper to spend more time working on my parents' estate and getting my new life together, I ended up working on FOUR features last week. In fact, I worked all holiday weekend. Not happy.

I'm stressing now about getting everything done at the house. My brother is on his way here as I type, and we have much to do with the contents and attorney this week. I have a project at the County to finish and turn in Thursday, and another feature is due Friday.

That feature, though, is something that I am happy to write. Local artist Cathy Carpenter has designed a line of beautiful necklaces and earrings incorporating poly-clay with vintage buttons, findings and pieces of jewelry. All money from this line, called "Giving by Design," will be donated to the Schiffler Cancer Center at Wheeling Hospital. She invited me to her farm last week to do photos and talk about the project.

Three of her family members lost their battles with cancer within one year. Art was her therapy throughout and after. Now she is completing the circle by giving to other families. Donations will go toward grocery cards, gas cards, restaurant cards and other expenses that patients and families face while in town for treatments or appointments. I'll post the article here later this month.

Her farm has been in her husband's family for at least 150 years. The house itself is 140 years old and is still full of his grandparents' furniture. There are no cows or sheep anymore, but birds and butterflies are all around. Lucy the rescue kitty lounges on the patio, taking it all in.

Though I was there for work, it felt like a brief respite, far away from the craziness.

Rescue Me

JUNE 28, 2014 IN GENERAL

I accepted an invitation and assignment for this afternoon. The feature will appear in the newspaper (and probably here) in late July, but I'm looking forward to telling this story. I thought I was covering a new equine therapy business, RJ Ranch and Riding Center, but as I spoke with people today, I realized it was a rescue story: preserving a local historic farm, saving animals literally hours from death and turning an autistic child's life around.

I did get some photos for the article today, but these are "artsy" ones of the old barn that Julie Larish, owner, says they've "pretty much rebuilt." Broken horses are mending and thriving as therapy animals brightening the futures of their clients. The email address is "rjranch911."

Meditative Mushrooms for Monday

JUNE 23, 2014 IN GENERAL

I am still working on the house, cleaning and boxing and purging.  After posting this I will be downstairs moving boxes closer to the door to take to recycling and Salvation Army or Goodwill. I need to take knick knacks off of shelves and move some of my things to the garage. I’ve posted ads on craigslist for a couple of things, but I would really like to just open the doors for an estate sale or have the Salvation Army truck back up to the door and load it all up. This, of course, is a lesson to me to travel lightly. We don’t need nearly as much as we have.

And I am getting rid of my own stuff, too. Part of the issue is that I don’t know where I’m going from here, so I don’t know what to do about furniture. I think selling the house is the right thing to do, but then what? Put what I’ve kept in storage and go to Italy or France for a month? Purchase a house in the Ohio Valley?  Rent? Go to Oregon and retrieve the rest of my belongings? I do have to do that. But will I stay there? More meditation is in order.

These mushrooms have been in my camera since October, and I don’t know why I didn’t download them. There is something very “still-life-y” about them, and they are calming my mind today. Though they were taken in the yard, I feel the woods, the cool, quiet woods with soft earth created by and covered with damp leaves that don’t crinkle but muffle.

The Next Chapter

June 1, 2014

Well. Here we are, and here we go. If you’ve been reading my blog, you are aware of the “themes,” the “mantras,” the “riffs” that run through my thoughts and life.  The Universe has been at work again, and I have a new blog site. GoDaddy discontinued their blog product and told everyone they had to move, so I packed up all 250+ entries from the past seven years, and here I am.

I, of course, am at another plateau anyway. Since last year, I have been “releasing.” I copied all of my years of blog posts into a Word doc—1,101 letter-sized pages of photos and words. Scanning through those entries reminded me why I moved to Oregon and what I can do when I’m working creatively.

As the world at large moves into its next phase, my world is shifting, too. There are new causes to explore and priorities to rearrange. Sorting through the house after my parents’ deaths in November is teaching me much about release. Let go of the sets of Time-Life books; one only needs so many throw blankets; keep my grandmother’s jewelry box. As it happens, my niece is moving into her first solo apartment, so she will be able to use some of her grandparents’ furniture, dishes and pans. This is good.

I’ve turned inward to release habits and thought patterns that no longer work for me. My focus is on evolution and re-finding my purpose, though I suspect part of it does include the journey here to help my parents these last four years. Now, though, I feel myself running in place, excited to move on, yet not quite knowing in which direction.

Just last week a friend posted that her “overworked and overwrought” husband is leaving his job “to take time to smell the roses. And to fish.” I say, “YES! Do it!” I’ve leapt off that cliff in the past and feel myself moving toward the edge again. Writing, photography, teaching, consulting, wine—I’ve done this before. The hard part is honing in all of the possibilities to develop something doable that makes sense. 

These photos are from a field trip I took recently with high school art students. It was great to be at the Carnegie Museum with them and to wander amidst art and creatures from other eras. The pot in the first photo is decorated with the archetypal swirl that appears in nearly every culture throughout millennia, always symbolizing change, transition, birth, growth. I've been drawn to the swirl for a long time and used a version of it for my first business logo in Rochester and Oregon. This pot is more than 5,000 years old. Fascinating. These objects are ancient, but the beauty and drama of their energy live on as the world continues its story.