Saturday's iPhone Polaroids

Back Home

Back home and reflecting on my favorite parts of our trip.

1.  favorite food - key lime pie

2.  favorite mode of transportation - little boat through the old rice fields

3.  favorite historical attraction - Magnolia Plantation

4.  favorite walk - swamp garden at Magnolia Plantation

5.  favorite store - Paris Market in Savannah

6.  favorite moment - sitting with Richard on bench watching the baby egrets

7.  favorite drink - white wine spritzer with mint leaves

8.  favorite fact - Owen Thomas house had indoor plumbing 11 years before the White House

9.  favorite view - from the wooden swing on the waterfront in Beaufort

10. favorite conversation - talking with Richard about our favorite parts of the day and our favorite photographs of the day

Vacation Day 11 - Returning Home

The Things I Packed And Didn't Use 

Actually the only thing in this picture that I used for a minute or two were the scissors to trim my bangs. I had planned on art journaling while on vacation.  I have saved all the bits and pieces of maps, etc and my list of ten and will put them all together when I get home. That "polaroid" is my little pogo printer...very fun to print tiny sticker photos. It's more important "to see" and photograph and play and have hang out time with Richard. I can work on my journal at home.

One more thing I packed and didn't use...long jeans - way to hot and humid.

Today's iPhone Polaroid

Vacation Day 10

1.  thunder storms

2.  leaving Savannah

3.  driving through South Carolina

4.  back to Raleigh North Carolina

5.  the beginning of the end of our vacation

6.  confirming tomorrow's flight

7.  last night at another Best Western

8. I get sad at the end of vacations

9. I need something else to look forward to

10. Paris in Sept

A Parable

These are the two paintings by Cesare Laurenti that I mentioned earlier. They are a diptych and are meant to be hung side by side. Your thoughts? (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Update

Yes J. These paintings certainly struck me as about the life cycle of women. This is a theme that has been on my mind a lot recently. Only lately have I really begun to see myself as an aging woman. It is as if I moved from the left picture to the right picture without really noticing and now I find myself at the top of the stairs going down. Am I becoming that 3rd woman up from the bottom - still looking out at the world and the future, and yet aware of how fast life has gone, and how much closer I am to the end? Why do I feel surprised?

Update

A large part of me really likes these paintings and feels a fondness for all those females, young and old. There's another part of me that feels irritated...Why aren't the women on the balcony of the right picture still dancing? Damn...I want to dance across that balcony and down those stairs! Maybe not when I get to those last few steps...but I want to dance as long as I can.

Vacation Day 9

Needed an iced blended latte to recover from the humidity while walking between museums, shops and town squares. 

Richard and I went different directions today. He went to the railroad museum. I went to the museums on Telfair Square. Here is my list of 10...

1.  Jepson Center For The Arts - Helen Levitt's Photography

2.  Telfair Art Museum

3.  A Diptych painting by Cesare Laurenti called A Parable. Have you ever seen a painting that hit you so hard you had to sit down to look at it? I've seen lots of paintings that are beautiful, or inspiring, or have touched me in some way. I've never seen a painting that hit me as hard as these two pieces...I have to think about this a bit before I post more.

4.  My favorite store in Savannah is called The Paris Market

5.  Chocolates at Wright Square Cafe

6.  Owens Thomas House 

7.  Magnolia Blossoms

8.  Bird Girl statue

9.  Hydrangeas

10.The Famous Mabel Cupcake

Vacation Day 8

1.  southern mansions

2.  humidity

3.  Savannah model for city design

4.  horse drawn carriages

5.  white chocolate and carmel apples

6.  wandering and photographing ornate doors and windows

7.  city market

8. Spanish moss draped oaks

9. 24 shady park squares

10. cobblestones

iPhone Polaroid

Vacation Day 7

Boat on Savannah River

1.  good-bye to Charleston

2. Beufort South Carolina

3. Memorial Day Parade in Beaufort (with Marine Corp Band, I assumed was from nearby Paris Island base)

4. wooden swings along Beaufort waterfront

5. Savannah, Georgia

6. walk along Savannah River in historic district

7. bagpipe players

8. pralines

9. two guys on stilts

10. bought rose (made from palm leaf) made by man sitting along river - support other artists!

Vacation Day 6

1.  Arthur Ravenel Bridge

2. wandering around Charleston

3. old Charleston homes

4. window boxes filled with flowers

5. balconies and front porches

6. The Battery and the waterfront

7. Folly Island

8. beach houses on stilts

9. black shutters

10. old Charleston cottage that's a Starbucks

Vacation Day 5

1.  Fort Sumter

2.  fort flags tell the history of the fort

3.  ferry ride with porpoise

4.  hush puppies

5.  fried okra

6.  Sullivan's Island

7.  low country marshes

8.  beach homes

9.  Low Country Swim Marathon

10.USS York

Vacation Day 4

Gardenia in the swamp garden

I am finding that keeping my regular journal and blogging on vacation is more unrealistic than I thought it would be. So I decided to make a daily list with the 10 things from the day, that stuck with me the most.

1.  Magnolia Plantation

2.  lots of alligators

3.  boat ride through flooded old rice fields

4.  DJ Tucker - living historian - great guide with lots of information

5.  baby egrets in their nests

6.  stunning garden swamps

7.  gullah culture

8.  benne wafers - gullah cookies

9.  key lime cookies

10.beautiful fluffy clouds and light breeze

Vacation Day 3

Morning 

Today we are visiting the Battleship North Carolina (Richard's pick), then to Orton Plantation (my pick), then to Southport (where the pirate Stede Bonnet was caught - for R again), then to Myrtle Beach and on to another Best Western - this time in Charleston.

The above sentence says a lot about who we are. Richard loves history, ships and ports. I love gardens, beautiful old houses (especially the ones with front porches). We both love the ocean, coastal towns and any place cool to take pictures.

No dancing yet, but I am definitely in the happy zone of my mood scale!

Waterfront on Cape Fear River

We spent the afternoon walking along the "River Walk" on the Cape Fear River. I know it's boring to mention what you had to eat. (I read the book No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog) But, I had fried green tomatoes, gumbo and key lime pie for dinner....This southern food is yummy. 

Vacation Day 2 - The Hotel Compromise

At the beginning of our lives together (17 years ago), Richard and I had quite a few arguments when traveling. I liked staying places that had interesting things to take pictures of, were in safe neighborhoods and had comfortable beds. Richard is an alpha male kind of guy, who likes to rough it, feels safe most everywhere he goes and looks more like he should have had a career as a fisherman in Alaska rather than be a "shrink." (And no, he no longer uses his "therapist voice" with me). I am not a 5 star hotel person but I am at least a 2 star. We eventually decided that Best Westerns were good compromises. Richard doesn't feel that we are wasting money when we spend the whole day outside wandering around, site seeing and photographing. I am happy that the place is clean, safe, has good beds and a high speed internet connection.

We just arrived at our Best Western in Wilmington North Carolina and for the first time we have a hotel room with a view. I am ecstatic as the room was just remodeled - is nicely decorated and even has art that I like. I had to take pictures of the room and the view of the river out our window.

We're taking a quick rest, then out to explore the waterfront. I haven't done my 30 minutes of dancing, but I have done several little dancing "jigs" while singing "We're on vacation. We're on vacation." 

If you checked in last night, you will notice that I removed my iPhone Polaroid of the day...I woke up this morning disliking the picture even more than I did last night. I decided that it was better to not put up a picture I disliked than be consistent with my iPhone a Day project. I'll try to do two today. (Note to self - Cynthia you are on vacation - stop obsessing!)

Richard headed out to a nearby Starbucks (what a sweetie - he's bringing me back mine so I can post on my blog this morning). He just looked on the GPS for the nearest Starbucks. Did I mention that Richard is funny? He's very spontaneous in the funny things he says (often making fun of himself) and recently adds "You're not going to put that on your blog are you?" 

----

If you notice the time, it's really not 4:25. I am not up that early on my vacation. It's 7:25 here in North Carolina. 

Vacation Day 1

Richard and I got up at 3:30 a.m. to catch our flight. We flew Southwest and this is what I think...very nice crew, clean plane, crowded, seats too close together. I am spoiled by Jet Blue. I love Jet Blue. I feel about Jet Blue like I feel about my Apple products...they work well and are fun to use. There was no Jet Blue flight where we wanted to go. We flew into Raleigh NC after a stop in Denver and then one in Nashville (somehow I missed the information on the Nashville stop). It's not that Southwest is bad...as I said before a nice crew and they even gave us a handful of peanuts...Southwest is better than United...but they just aren't Jet Blue. 

R and I are both so tired tonight. If we are this tired flying from California to North Carolina, how tired are we going to be flying to Paris?

One really good part of the trip was I got to sit next to a charming young lady who was on her way to Destination Imagination Global Finals in Tennessee. Kids from 40 countries and all over the United States participate. It's all about creative and critical thinking, teamwork, time management and problem solving. There were quite a few kids on the plane going...such enthusiasm.

Tomorrow we're heading to the North Carolina coast. 

Keep On Dancing - I'm dancing around my kitchen and living room for 30 minutes for 30 days

Today I danced...
time of day - morning
for how long - 30 minutes
mood before - 5.75
mood after - 7.5
(mood scale and chart is in the left column under the clock)

I started higher up the mood scale this morning and am feeling pretty darn happy after dancing for 30 minutes. I think I started higher because #1. Richard and I are going on vacation tomorrow and #2 the first email I read this morning was a link to a review of my blog...and it was very kind! Check it out.

Today's Go To Song

I haven't posted a song lately...one that will always gets me up onto my feet and dancing around the kitchen.

So here's a good one from Michael McDonald...Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Vacation

Krissy reminded me in her blog this morning about Wordle. I've had fun playing with it in the past, but kind of forgot about it. Richard and I are leaving on vacation tomorrow. In my "regular" journal I made a list of what I wanted from this trip. I took that list and made it into a wordle to paste over the other. It makes a much more interesting looking list.

Thanks for the reminder Krissy.

Today's iPhone Polaroid

Today's iPhone Polaroid

Keep On Dancing Day 26

Today I danced...
time of day - morning
for how long - 20 minutes
mood before - 4.5
mood after - 6.5
(mood scale and chart is in the left column under the clock)

As I have mentioned before, it is very difficult for me to get motivated if my mood is under a 5 to 5.5. I tend to wake up on the down side. At a 4.5 this morning, it was not easy to get myself to go dance, so I told myself I only had to dance for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of boogieing around the kitchen I was about a 5.5 and was enjoying myself so decided to go another 5 minutes. Then I was around a 6 so decided to go another 5 minutes which brought me to 6.5. Now I am on the "up" side of the mood chart and will do another 10 minutes later today.

I probably would have continued the additional 10 minutes as I was still having a good time. However, I am leaving on vacation in a few days and have lots to do. I want to get my errands run before it gets hot here today (It's suppose to be 92 degrees. What's with all these hot days so early this year?)

Update

time of day - afternoon
for how long - 10 minutes
mood before - 6.5
mood after - 7

I got my 30 minutes in...

Today's iPhone Polaroid

This is from the girliest of little girl places in the wine country. They throw children's parties and have all these really delightful fluffy girl things. It's called Teapot and is cute, cute, cute.

I moved my iPhone sideways when I took this picture to try to get some movement feel into the dress...I wasn't sure it would work on the iPhone, but it did.

Yesterday's iPhone Polaroid

I took this at a wonderful little shop in Santa Rosa called Blissful Home (in the railroad square area of town).

Keep On Dancing Day 25

Today I danced...
time of day - morning
for how long - 15 minutes
mood before - 5
mood after - 6
(mood scale and chart is in the left column under the clock)

Begin Again

I've been thinking lately about the process of "beginning again". Each morning when I wake up...it is a beginning. I know that sounds like a cliche, but it is important for me. I get to choose again...to let go, to hold on, to turn away, to turn towards.

As a photographer/mixed media artist, I have learned every time we create something - a painting, a song, an article, we are beginning again. As bloggers we look at that big white space and start typing. (Of course it is not a total beginning because we are building on the skills and experiences of our earlier days, our earlier posts, but when we look at that empty area on our blog waiting for us to share something, it feels new and for me a little anxiety producing.)

As artists, as bloggers we are becoming "beginning again" experts. I think the strength of that is that we are building muscles to take that expertise into the rest of our lives. Don't like the picture I posted yesterday...don't like what I wrote? Oh well, I'll post something better today (and that old post will soon drop off the front page). Don't like how I interacted with someone yesterday? Don't like that I didn't dance? Well today I get to choose again...I get to do better...I get to begin again.

Inspire Yourself, Inspire A Friend...

...for only $8.95 (plus shipping) you can send one of my small (5" x 5") free-standing canvas wrapped prints to inspire a friend going through a difficult change in their life. I'll even write a personal message on the back for you if you want to send it directly to them. (Click on the picture or the title for more information or to order.)

Butterfly and Palms

Ten Things I Love About Living In The Wine Country

Bicycle In The Vineyards

1.    the vineyards in the summer when they are all green and full of grapes

2.    so many great places to photograph

3.    the wine

4.    the smell of grapes being crushed

5.    autumn - when the vineyards turn gold, orange and burgundy

6.    all of the cute little towns with great little shops and art galleries

7.    family and friends near by

8.    spring when yellow mustard flowers bloom between the vines

9.    a little over 1/2 an hour to the beach

10.  a little over an hour to the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco

Keep On Dancing Day 24

Our days so often feel like juggling acts. I read it all the time in women's blogs and know it to be true in my life and my friends' lives. I am always finding myself saying "I don't have time to dance for 30 minutes." Is that even true for myself? Probably not...but for all of you women out there with kids still at home...I think it is a reality. So I am trying to break it down. What happens if I break that 30 minutes of dancing around my kitchen into 3 ten minutes of dancing?

I danced 10 minutes this morning after feeding Lola...
mood before 5.5
mood after 6

Update

I danced 10 minutes this afternoon

mood before 6

mood after 6.5

Ten minutes goes by really fast when I'm dancing to a few good songs.

Update #2

I danced 10 minutes this evening

mood before 6.5

mood after 6.75

So what have I learned?

It's really easy to dance for 10 minutes.

My mood improves...but in smaller increments

I can dance harder for 10 minutes x 3 than in one 30 minute stretch.

Questions

Which way am I burning more calories?

Would my whole day be better if I got to 6.75 in the morning and stayed there all day?

Which way is best for building muscle?

Do any of you have any thoughts about this?

Tomorrow I am going to do two 15 minutes of dancing...

Today's iPhone Polaroid

And The Winners Are...

Thanks to all who have left comments. The winners of the gift certificates to my web store (More Than A Card) are...

BetteJo from A Bead A Day
Tricia from Thought Threads
Krissy from Thinking Of Blue
Klynch at Land of Dragons and Butterflies
Jenny at Our Nifty Notebook
Tanielle at The Polka Dot Daisy
Jessica at This That and My Blog
Anna at Chef Wanabe
K at Interstitial Life
Joy at Joy To The Blog
Carma at Carma Sez

Sandy at The Adams Family

Today's iPhone Polaroid

Dancing To Lyle Lovett

Here are several Lyle Lovett songs that are fun to dance around the kitchen to...

My Baby Don't Tolerate
Give Back My Heart
Cryin' Shame
She's Hot To Go
Here I Am (This one starts out with Lyle talking...I use that time to drink some water)
Wild Women Don't Get The Blues - This is on Lovett's Live In Texas album. The singer is Francine Reed

Today's iPhone Polaroid Plus One More From Yesterday

Great Mother's Day. Richard, my mother and I took the ferry from Larkspur to the San Francisco Ferry Building. Lots of great little shops. We met my sister, brother-in-law, nieces and nephew at Sinbad's (at Pier Number 2) for lunch. Absolutely gorgeous day in SF.

Today's iPhone Polaroid

Keep On Dancing Day 23

Today I danced...
time of day - afternoon
for how long - 30 minutes
mood before - 5.25
mood after - 7
(mood scale and chart is in the left column under the clock)

Dance First

I have been keeping my mood chart (in left column under the clock) off and on, long enough now to have discovered a few of things about myself.

#1 It's very difficult to be motivated to take better care of myself, if my mood is under 5. I have to get my mood at least above a 5.5 if I expect to eat right, to create more, to get a lot done, to have enough energy for fun!

#2 Samuel Beckett is right "Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order." My thinking is better, my problem solving is better if I dance first and improve my mood before I take on any major tasks or problems.

#3 If I can dance and improve my mood by 15%-20% EVERYTHING is easier, clearer, simpler.

I've Been Thinking About Kristie Alley

I heard Kristie Alley was on Oprah again, talking about gaining her weight back. She says she turned the room with all her gym equipment into a dining room.

If I was Kristie Alley and had her money and that room to work out in, this is what I would do. I would turn it into a dance studio. I would hire a handsome salsa instructor to teach me salsa on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays and a handsome tango instructor to teach me tango on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Now that would put a shimmy in my spirit!

iPhone Withdrawal

I am going through iPhone Withdrawal! My brother-in-law Joe is using it for a few days. He is helping someone with their iPhone app. Why does he not have an iPhone you ask? Because he is waiting for the new one to come out (mid June?). I made him promise to bring it to Mother's Day Brunch tomorrow in San Francisco, so I can visit it and hopefully get an iPhone Polaroid shot to post tomorrow.  :-(

Keep On Dancing Day 22

It doesn't take much...just enough motivation to stand up and move my pointer finger. If I have the right music in my iPod, am standing up and JUST PUSH PLAY, the music will take care of the rest. I can't help but "shake it" if it's the right music.

Today I danced...
time of day - afternoon
for how long - 30 minutes
mood before - 5
mood after -7
(mood scale and chart is in the left column under the clock)

For a list of great music, that works for me when I JUST PUSH PLAY, click here.

Krissy's Grateful for Dancing

This morning Krissy made her grateful list and this is what she wrote for number 8.

8. Dancing
I love the emotions I can deal with when I dance when they feel too overwhelming otherwise. It has amazing healing powers. I'm thankful for how alive and real dancing makes me feel.

Thanks Krissy. Dancing makes me feel more alive as well.

Today's iPhone Polaroid

Yipeeee. I found some peonies that will do well in Northern California. I found them this morning at King's - a great little neighborhood nursery. Below is a polaroid I took of the sign, which explains why these plants are so cool.

Some Summer Songs for Dancing Around the House and Patio

I just picked up some good "boogieing around the kitchen" songs from Heather.
Here are 3 from her playlist. Click on the iTune buttons to listen and/or download.

Saturday in the Park - Chicago
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynryd Skynryd
Hot Fun In The Summertime - Sly and The Family Stone

Today and Yesterday's iPhone Polaroids

Yesterday's iPhone Polaroid

Never got to posting yesterday. We went to Santa Cruz to celebrate Richard's birthday with friends. Is there anything better than sitting around a table, talking politics, telling stories, laughing with good friends ( and of course drinking Petite Sirah from Sones Cellars)? Happy Birthday Richie. I love you.

Amber Filkins is hosting a Friend Makin Mondays where you list your favorite 5 toys as a kid. Tricia at Thought Threads told me about it. So here it goes.

I have to agree with Tricia for number 1 and 2

1.   jacks

2.  roller skates

3.  the game Clue

4.  my older sister's story book dolls (She still hasn't forgiven me.)

5.  my hula hoop

Today's iPhone Polaroid

Today's Go To Song

I love Joe Cocker. Here are several of may favorite go to Cocker songs. (Click on the iTunes buttons to listen and/or download)

Leave Your Hat On
Feelin' Alright
With A Little Help From My Friends