dear world

One regret, dear world,

That I am determined not to have
When I am lying on my deathbed

Is that
I did not kiss you enough.

-Hafiz

u. s. of a.

Gabriel's lovely cousin from Germany is visiting for a month. I inquired as to the name of the town she hails from, she says, "Moers, near to Düsseldorf". I looked up the location on Google World but all the sites were in Doi-ch-ah...oh..or maybe that was Deutsche? What's with this 4 Consonants in a row thing? And what of Nietzsche? 5 Consonants? No wonder he went bonkers.

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger"...indeed!














So the grand excursion of 2 days ago consisted of the cousin marveling at how big everything in 'America' is (she needs to visit Texas!) and Gabriel suggests that she pay a visit to Costco, that land of really big food!

...I tag along to take photos! In Germany, one does not buy 10 pounds of grape fruit... or pampelmusen as they are called.


















Wow...its like a warehouse of food!












Shall we buy some milk? Seems the smallest amount is 2 Gallons!!!
Me, behind the camera, "OH! I am so embarrassed to be an American."


















"Wow! This is heavy...do you think you can carry it Gabriel?"













OH!
We laughed so much!

snow sculpture

I recently found a few photos from our excursion to the International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Co.













It was way amazing to see what people can do with snow. Its happening this year between January 28th – February 4th, 2007. See you there...













These photos were taken with an ain-chi-ent Nikon FG that my grandfather, Lyle Daggett, gifted me.

happy b-day lurliebell

Happy Birthday Woman!!!













Fab-YOU-lous Aquari-YUM!!!

shades of gray

Finally got the last batch of medium format photos back. As the world goes digital, its getting more and more difficult to find the 120mm. film for these little toy cameras.


















Because there is not a computer [or even a battery for that matter] to contend with in the Holga [the shutter is spring operated], one can manipulate the exposure quite a lot. I hold the shutter open for what feels like "The Right Amount of Time" and then let it close. I take multiple exposures in one frame or sometimes, as in the photo above, I advance the film only half way. I'm always amazed that it works.




















The school bus was from a Mud Lake photo shoot and the wagon was by the side of the road in Ward, Co. Click on the image, it looks nicer, larger...



















Is this a Pakard? I can't remember...it was located in Ward as well.




















Took this one during the snowstorm last week. I didn't adjust the color at all on this photo. The world really was a bleak landscape of gray.

happy birthday sidney

Today is Sidney's Birthday!
Many Happy Returns of the Day Sir!


















Sidney is my commrad of oh sooooo many years!

He likes dogs, vernacular, NY Times crosswords, Doctor Who, bicycles, dark chocolate, buckwheat waffles, quarter horses, black and white photography, good wine and cheese, ballet, bombastic music...and infinite other amusements!

Here is a poem he recently composed amidst the snowstorms of 2oo7:

NEW SNOW; QUARTER HORSES; January 5, 2007

Cold loose and dry, the horses run to food;

Kicking up the white powder before, like hooved snowplows,

Scutate snow shaped in the air before each hoof.

Icicles formed in the night at the hair ends of fur and manes.

Like giant deer they look at me, and look, and eat and eat;

Loving alfalfa - For the thousandth time I wonder:

How can they eat that stuff?

We are bonded by the animal cold, the giant domestic deer of burden,

And I, the oddly trained giver of dry green summer alfalfa.












And another one from the previous snowstorm:

WRAITHS FROM DENSE FOG: QUARTER HORSES EARLY IN THE MORNING OF
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2006 
Hayflakes put in the empty pasture, my feet padding soundlessly in the
snow;

After a time the tinkle of an icicle perhaps

Or the smell of alfalfa - the dog suddenly alert 

And pointed at what I cannot see -

Has drawn the the big round roan shapes

Looming into substance from the deep whiteout.

Barely visible, they become whole,  

Breathing, heads bobbing from side to side with that quarter horse
ambling walk we all love,

The dog and I fixated by their gentle eclosion from the refuge of night
and fog.

cabin fever

OMGawd! Colorado temperatures have been hovering @ 1 degree for days. Bleak and cold and snow! To say I am looking forward to Spring would be an understatement. Leaving the house these last few weeks, takes a full-on commitment.

I've baked bread, posole, asperge quiche, green tea shortbread, framboise tart, macaroons and on and on...I'm gonna have to take up knitting again just to stave off the boredom... TV certainly holds no appeal. Photography, dance, daughter, yoga and love are all delightful diversions.... I Thank God 4 them all.

I wonder if all the Naga Baba's @ the Kumba Mela know what they are missing here as they prance about on the shores of the Great Ganga Ma in their Birthday suits? Giving it all to Siva!

Hey, my mother's birthday was on the 6 of Jan. She was born on Epiphany, the 12th day of X-mas, the day when the Magi followed the star and all that. Realizing I didn't know squat about the 3 Wise Men, I looked them up. They certainly had nifty names; Caspar, Melchoir, Balthasar.

i ching

In the tradition of Vidyadara Chögyam Trungpa, I invoke The New Year with an I-ching toss. At first glace I was dismayed to see that there were no moving lines but upon reading the description of the hexagram...it all seems quite purrrfect.

Wind over Water-
59. DISSOLVING SEPARATION
Spiritual unity helps dissolve the alienation that keeps people from uniting. Ceremony and ritual bonds people to each other, awakening a desire for fellowship. Community projects unite people in a similar way. By becoming involved in these projects, you will avoid forming selfish motives and soften the rigidity that separates you from others.

godt nyttår

Farewll Old Year!

Chinese (Cantonese)
Sun nien fai lok

Chinese (Mandarin)
Xin nian yu kuai

Danish
Godt Nytår

Dutch
Gelukkig nieuwjaar

Farsi
Aide shoma mobarak





French
Bonne année

Gaelic
Aith-bhliain Fe Nhaise Dhuit

Happy New Year!













German
Gutes Neues Jahr

Hawaiian
Hauoli Makahiki Hou

Hebrew
Shanah tovah

Hmong
Nyob zoo xyoo tshiab

Indonesian
elamat Tahun Baru

Italian
Buon Capo d'Anno

Japanese
Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu

Norwegian
Godt Nyttår

Pilipino (Tagalog)
Maligayang Bagong Taon

Portuguese
Feliz ano novo

Russian
S Novym Godom

Spanish
Feliz Año Nuevo

Sudanese
Wilujeng Tahun Baru

Swedish
Gott Nytt År

Turkish
Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

Welsh
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda


BRING IT ON!!!