February 2018

Thursday, February 1, 2018

The LaZoom Room is Asheville through and through and home to Jason Scholder's Talk About Funny Comedy show. The room was packed, the laughter loud and the feeling warm.

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Life can get so overwhelming at times. We try to close our eyes to make it all go away. All the scary dreams, mistakes we wish we could erase, hurts that have landed hard. Sometimes it actually works - for a while. But eventually all those things we have run away from find their way back to us and beg for our attention. It's usually easier to look them in the eye as they appear. It gives us the opportunity to face the other inevitable obstacles without looking behind our shoulder for the ones chasing us.

Sunday, February 4, 2018

This car struck me as I was driving by. I imagined the owner's dismay when they were hit. Cool, red, sports car - maybe the top was down and they were playing their tunes loud and singing along. Then, out of nowhere BAM! Whatever went through their mind in the moment was resolved with imagination, creativity and humor. I love that! It's a reminder to me that shit happens and we need to find creative ways to make those times just another part of our story.

Monday, February 5, 2018

Abstraction, with shadows, lines, texture, color. So much of my life is tasks, getting things done, taking care of. I long for the vast space of abstraction.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

I often wonder what it is like being a teenager today. There are so many opportunities right at their fingertips. But there is a price to pay for their luxury of knowledge. Harmful information seeps in before they are able to responsibly discern. That information can really fuck with a kid's already impressionable and chaotic mind. In comes the Therapy Animal. A living creature that demands responsibility, compassion, and love in a virtual world of texting, cyber bullying and distance. We're going to give it a try. While this little guy isn't THE ONE, we're on a journey to find that special companion.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

As I watch this Middle School basketball game I think about how unfair Middle School is. I drove by a Middle School the other day and they called it a Transition School. Isn't that the truth! Three years of "We don't know what to do with you so we'll clump you all together and hope you come out the other side in one piece." This game had a crew of big fast strong eighth graders against not so experienced 6th graders. I was super impressed with the determination and sportsmanship of the smaller kids though. This picture features the smallest guy in this game with the biggest enthusiasm. I can't wait to see him as he emerges out the other side of the Middle School transition.

Thursday, February 8, 2018

We found THE ONE. There is a reason there are about ten billion kitty videos on YouTube. They are just so cute! This little guy comes from Asheville Humane Society. I think he likes his new home.

Friday, February 9, 2018

I have found a new muse. I will try to refrain from dressing him in costumes but I make no promises!

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Sipping Chocolate is a new discovery for me. The first time I had it was at Chocolate Fetish. I was hungry and cold and the impact of the hot thick liquid was remarkable! In that moment I felt like I had never really tasted chocolate before. With that memory in my mind I went to another chocolate establishment with great anticipation. The experience was far from remarkable. While initially disappointed, I somehow love the idea that there is that one place where I can go to have the perfect cup of sipping chocolate. It makes it even more special. In a world of Starbucks and other such franchises, it's nice to have uncommon, one of a kind, places. Don't get me wrong, I love my predictable coffee fix, but it's nice to get off the road of routine and have an experience.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

The most profound schooling I have ever been engaged in is parenting! A disastrous misconception is that a parent teaches their children about life. It is quite the opposite. I pray every day that I can be open enough to take in the wisdom my kids have to bestow upon me.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Saturday night Bluegrass and Sunday Worship, all at the local Feed and Seed. On one hand that is just ridiculously funny to me. On the other hand, it's just community. Why is it so strange to listen to some good music, throw back a few beers and thank God for the blessings in life with the same people at the same place? I just might check it out one of these days.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

I found a light box at a consignment store that I bought on a whim. I later found out that it is used for Seasonal Affective Disorder - people who get depressed in the winter because they don't get enough sunlight. I can see how it could help with that. My purpose though was for photography. The quality of the light is really nice, I'm not sure why really but I'm looking forward to playing with it. And Leo seems to like it!

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Sleep: rest body and mind without ordinary thought or movement. I am one of the lucky ones who can sleep soundly most of the time. I call it my super power. And while I would love to be one of those people that get by on 4 hours of sleep - because who wouldn't like more hours in the day?! - I cherish my sleep. Art by Lynn Karegeannes.

Thursday, February 16, 2018

Masks. I've been thinking a lot about the masks we put on every day to go about our lives. They protect us, make us feel safe, less vulnerable, more in control. But there's a price to pay. We wonder why no one understands us, why we feel so alone. Sometimes we even believe that is who we are and lose the Self underneath the disguise. The container of the mask limits all that is real and authentic and honest and true. I wish we could teach our children to appreciate who they really are instead of stressing the need to perfect their mask.

Friday, February 16, 2018

I love street photography. I don't get out there much. It takes a lot of time. There's a mode you have to get into to capture street scenes. It's a combination of being completely into yourself and completely merged with the environment. You have to make the environment a part of you. The buildings, the people, the signs - you have to take it all in AND you have to spread yourself out into what you want to capture. It all has to be intimately connected.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

I wonder what it feels like to be lost in one's own body. Alzheimers, dementia. People who can't remember day to day, minute to minute. Is it lonely? Is it scary? Is it freeing? This woman spent hours sitting here, looking out the window. What was she thinking? Remembering? Pondering?

Sunday, February 18, 2018

When I was a kid I use to play a game with myself when I was in the car. I would look into other cars and wonder what it was like to be them. To be a part of their family. Their life. I would sometimes make up stories - sometimes grand scenarios of a full happy life - sometimes terrible scenarios of abuse and sadness. I think back on that and wonder if I was actually feeling into them or if the thoughts were completely based on the mood I was in. As an adult my mind is so full of my own concerns and tasks that it doesn't wonder so far into other lives. Pictures can help a mind slow down - get off it's hamster wheel - permit it to wonder.

Monday February 19, 2018

I spend a lot of time in the car. I'm not sure why it always works out that way. I don't mind it really but it's refreshing when my travels take me someplace different - off the beaten path of my routine. I came across Jackson Steel and their unique ferris wheel-turn-advertisement sign. It made me smile. To me, that is design. Original, serves a purpose, stands out. I love it!

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

As this little guy becomes more a part of our daily lives, I find myself thinking about how new things, experiences, events keep our minds curious and engaged - how important it is to feed our minds in this way. It's not a unique thought but like all impressions, if they strike us a certain way at an opportune time they can create a change in our lives. We have to honor that - to acknowledge those moments of openness when we allow wisdom to connect to our hearts.

Wednesday, February 23, 2018

A common scenario among every older generation is to complain about the emerging generation. Kids today are entitled, spoiled, don't know how to work for something. I have certainly been guilty of expressing my views on the work ethic, or lack thereof, of children and teens today. Times are different - priorities, needs, demands - they all require a new way of interacting. While I can't bring myself to buy into the concept that everyone deserves a trophy, I am beginning to soften my ideas about what kids need to do to be self-reliant and accomplished in this world. We always talk about how kids need to be respectful of their elders and learn from them. Of course. But we have a lot to learn from these kids too.

Friday, February 23, 2018

I wonder what the differences are in the brain of a 5th grader today and the brain of a fifth grader in 1980. The amount of time kids spend staring at screens is ridiculous. Be it a tv, a phone, iPad, computer, Nintendo, Playstation, etc. It's awesome the opportunities they have to learn but is it actually good for the brain or detrimental?

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Off with the hair! I LOVE the new look. Skip at Ananda Hair Salon worked her magic and Kirana feels like a new person!

Sunday, February 25, 2018

I might be posting pictures of Kirana more than usual as she shows off her new do. I think she loves it even more now than yesterday. I know I do!

Monday, February 26, 2018

So many walks of life out there on the streets. Young, old, rich, poor, happy, sad. And not one of those people is any more important than the other. Every person has a story. A story of love, pain, desire, insecurity, the whole gamut of human emotion. The moment one person thinks he is more significant than another is the moment he moves further away from himself.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

I hope that when I am 91 years old I will still be able to work if I so choose - whatever that looks like for me. It's not about making money, it's about feeling useful - sharing experience that comes from a long life. I saw my father quickly decline after he stopped going in to work. He was very fortunate in that he was able to keep his office long after he stopped teaching. He would go to the University, sit in his office and write, then go swimming, eat lunch, walk around. He still felt a part of his profession. Eventually he was unable to keep his office and so he stayed home. Besides driving my mom crazy! I think he started to feel that he wasn't contributing. His memory started to fade. I think he got depressed. I wonder what his later years would have looked like if he had someplace to go, if he had the opportunity to give something that was received with appreciation.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

It has been the warmest February in Western North Carolina on record. And I am not complaining! I am ready for darkness to descend later, for the flowers and trees to begin to bloom. I want to sit outside and people watch at cafes. Oh wait, it's still February!