Category: Uncategorized

We have just returned from a trip to Petaluma, California to gather with friends to celebrate the life of our dear friend, Georgia. Georgia passed away October 23 after a shockingly sudden and brief illness of only two months. Although I know she was at peace with dying, I also know that her family and friends are left with a huge hole in their lives. I am only beginning to process the loss of such a vibrant, intelligent, passionate, talented, loving, and exceptionally witty person- a true friend.

I met Georgia in 1976 when we moved to Petaluma. I was looking for a play group for our 15 month old daughter- but also for adult friends for myself. Little did I know that I would find friendship that would last almost 50 years, despite our family moving three times. Our group of 8 women, calling ourselves the Rapunzels, began as a parenting class and a playgroup, but ended up being not only our social network, but a support system for us and our families as we navigated the joys and hurdles (great and small) of family life.

Georgia’s home was central to our group. While I was still adjusting to being a stay-at-home mom, Georgia could have taught a master class in the subject. Her cooking, baking, sewing, home-decorating and entertaining skills were at a level you could only see on the food network or HGTV if there had been such a thing back then. Plus, she was so much FUN! We all have such wonderful memories of the children’s parties and the ADULT parties- and the impromptu gatherings on her patio accompanied by strawberry daiquiris!

And then there were the cookies- and the decorated cakes! She made our daughter’s wedding cake! Have I mentioned how smart she was? She was a fantastic writer of letters, funny sketches of memorable events, and memoirs of her childhood and beyond. She was an exceptional gift giver- my favorite being a book of her recipes, which I use to this day.

All the Rapunzels have similar memories- and many were shared at her memorial, led by her sister, with heartfelt speeches by her two sons, her husband, her best friend- and her oldest grandson. Her spirit was captured by each of the speeches- what a fantastic job her family did with the memorial! Lonnie and I both felt her presence as we listened to the talks and later visited with her children, the rest of the family and all the Rapunzels and their children who were present. It was a day we will never forget.

We have gone from 8 to 7 to 6 and now 5 Rapunzels. Vicki. Marie. Georgia. Losing each friend has been heartbreaking. Growing older and accepting the loss of a dear friend is a challenge- and a life lesson which I am trying to learn.

What I will miss most about Georgia is her friendship; she was one of those people that make you feel like you are one of the most important people on the planet. And, more than the cookies, I will really miss the laughter- gosh, she was so much fun!

***********

About the photo: It was taken in her backyard the last time I saw her in May 2019 (pre-pandemic…). She and her husband, Jerry created a beautiful sanctuary in their backyard, filled with flowers, and I always think of Georgia when I see roses. Because it’s a cell phone shot, I actually don’t know if I was the one that took this photo- but I think so! Apologies if it was Darlene or Claudia- or maybe Jerry. But I think it was me…probably…

Last in the series of abstracts from our visit to Tumacacori Mission

Another appointment in Phoenix meant another few days of photo ops (and restaurants…). This time we drove out to a couple lakes in search of poppy fields and were not disappointed!. This photo has two of my favorite things to photograph- wildflowers and…barbed wire.

This is from last Fall’s trip to Newport Beach. The angle of the surfboard and and the curve of his arm attracted my eye as we walked by this surfer on the way down to the beach.

Newport Beach 2022

Wishing you all the JOYS of the holiday season!

When we were driving across Kansas a few months ago, I was taking iPhone photos out the window as usual when I spotted this row of silos. I get excited for any silo or grain elevator- but to see a whole ROW- wow! I snapped a few shots and told my husband it looked like the Tin Man’s village (we were in Oz country after all…).

We stopped at Liberal to walk around and photograph the grain elevator and saw signs for an Oz museum. It was closed, but I took some shots of a giant tin man statue. And thus an idea was born.

My photo group always comes up with ideas for topics for the assignments. I suggested FANTASY for the final- and used my Tin Man composite to create the book cover below. So much fun!

And now back to real life!

This is the last post in my Downtown Details series. We always take photos of Courthouse Square in Prescott. Above is a view of what is UNDER the square!

I’ve also taken many photos of Whiskey Row over the years, so I wanted to do something different. Below is a multiple exposure composite- Whiskey Row Impressions. I didn’t use this for my photo group, but used photos shot for this topic to create the image.

We have been to see Chihuly glass exhibits at the Desert Botanical Garden at least three times since we’ve lived here. We visited the gardens again in May, and I’m still going through my photographs. I had fun this time creating a multiple exposure image of an agave layered with Chihuly glass.

This photo is from last year’s Alaska trip- a view of Kachemak Bay before the sun set

I can happily report that we are having a good monsoon season this summer. We have had many days where we got some rain, and have had several big storms. Today’s storm was dramatic and beautiful. We were awakened in the night by LOUD cracks of thunder, lightning, and lots of rain. In the morning it was clear and beautiful with white puffy clouds. We drove up to a good vantage point to see the beautiful sky over Prescott, and I took the upper left photo of Prescott, with the veteran’s hospital in the foreground, and the darkening sky over the Thumb Butte in the background. As I stood there, it began to thunder, and lightning bolts shot down from the clouds (no, I couldn’t manage to snag any shots of the lightning). We went downtown for lunch on the patio of one of our favorite lunch places, and the thunderstorm continued. The rest of the photos are from home. In the last photo, you can see the sky was darkening enough in the early afternoon that our driveway light came on. Later, heavy rain began, the storm continued, and flash flood warnings kept coming on my iPhone. I love the drama of a great monsoon storm!

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! Whether you are a mother, a grandmother, or just know some special mothers- wishing you a wonderful day!

I’m still remembering Winter today with this scene from Willow Lake.

Yes, this was winter- but not THIS winter. This was taken in 2018, which, as I remember, was a pretty average winter here. There were several significant snowfalls, which provided lots of opportunities for photographing snow against the red rocks. We are still waiting for winter this year; we’ve had several dustings but nothing to write home about- or blog about. I’m already thinking about spring!

Tonight’s full Wolf Moon in a cloudy sky