“Hope” is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson
P.S. Looking ahead to the next four years, I am trying to choose HOPE, despite all appearances of dark days ahead.
Looking back to last winter- I hope to see some more of this white stuff in the coming weeks.
Wishing you all the absolute BEST in 2025!
. . . a White Christmas- although this ICM photo I did several years ago looks more like a blue Christmas! We are having a relatively non-traditional Christmas celebration in Phoenix, which is becoming our traditional Christmas. We will have our kids and grandchildren with us- which is the best thing ever! No snow, but some warm days and lots of downtime to spend with our loved ones! We can’t think of better Christmas than that!
I took this photo several years ago at a Ruby’s in Southern California. The light was right, and I tried to capture the waiter as he went about his duties. I went back and edited it a bit, had it printed, and took it to my camera club’s Christmas party. There’s something about photos I take at the beaches that end up being among my favorites- I need to get back there!
Guess where we went?
Yesterday I took a day off from my to-do list. I know I am retired, but I keep pretty busy with photo group work (editing a monthly newsletter, photo club decision making, meeting, more meetings, creating presentations, taking and editing photos) and genealogy (leading a group, more presentations, and actually researching my own family). I’ve had some computer issues lately which have taken a boatload of time as well, so, after finishing 3 recent projects, I decided to take a day off (Labor Day!) and do whatever I wanted to do in the moment. I did some genealogy, but then opened Lightroom and started looking for photos to edit.
Somehow, this is what I came up with- very different from my usual creations!
To explain- I am fascinated by space and regularly view the latest images from the James Webb telescope. And I have absolutely NO understanding of any of it. That’s OK with me, because the mystery of the universe is what fascinates me. This started out as an image of the inside of the dome of a church in Kansas- and somehow evolved into the image above almost before I knew what was happening! I added the sunset I photographed a few days ago, an ICM image of Alaska clouds and rain, and some photoshop brushwork.
It is what it is- however you want to interpret it.
When we visited Kansas, we drove out to the tiny farming community where my husband’s father grew up and where my husband spent large chunks of his childhood. His grandparents had died forty years before, and we had heard that the town had fallen on hard times and was no longer the same. What we discovered as we drove by was that the family farmhouse had burned to the ground and all that was left was the detached garage. I was thinking about this recently and ended up creating this composite of the garage and a photo of my father-in-law as a young teenager- with the 1940 census layered over. Just a few years later my father-in-law was off to the Navy and World War II.
This is a shot taken from our patio to the upper level of our side yard. It’s not a great shot and it’s hard to figure out what is happening here. My version of the story is that the bunny was up there munching on grass- and along came the quail (there are two in the photo). The bunny froze in place as bunnies tend to do (if I don’t move, you can’t see me!). The bunny was immobile for as long as I watched, and the quail moved on. Backyard drama for us retired folks…
The memorial for the 19 Granite Mountain Hot Shots who were killed in the terrible wildfire, just as we were moving to Prescott eleven years ago, has been put in place in Courthouse Square. It was worth the wait, as it is simple and elegant, a poignant tribute to the men who died in this tragic event.
Remembering all those who gave their lives for our country.
We went down to the Courthouse Square today for the western art show and watched at noon as the Scottish military group laid the wreath and flag at Prescott’s memorial for all who were lost in war. With bagpipes, an honor guard, and local dignitaries, it was a very small but moving tribute.
Such a sweet face!
I went on a field trip with our photo club a week or so ago- to an ALPACA farm! It was a wonderful experience learning about the alpacas- and feeding them. I will never forget the feeling of those soft alpaca lips on my hand as I held out the food. In an alternate universe, I raise alpacas and spin their wool/fiber into yarn. I would have to be a very different person to live on a farm, but one can dream!
And here is the last imaginarius image for now. It was suggested that these would be good backgrounds/textures to combine with other images. I love the minimalism of these images on their own, but have worked a few into other images. Stay tuned!
My mother, who was definitely a fashion plate, emphasized the rules of dressing properly during my formative years. For example, she never wore jeans, but did find a pair of stylish “frontier pants” that she wore to events where the other women wore jeans. She allowed me to wear my beloved cut off jeans during my teen years, because she knew it was important for me to fit in, but her own style remained elegant. One of the rules that stuck with me, was the one we all know- Don’t wear white after Labor Day! But she also taught me the great exception to the rule- winter white. Think of soft white angora or cashmere sweaters- not white cotton pedal pushers or white patent leather heels.
I thought of my mother’s use of the term winter white, when trying to come up with a title for this post. I think she would be pleased.
Below is a different crop of the same image- just to test out the reliability of using the “Large” setting for blog photos. Fingers crossed that we can see both images on our phones!
As always- click here to go to your browser if you can’t see both images correctly.
melinda anderson photography 