The Art of a Crisp Night

Breathe. Just breathe . . . I had to tell myself that a few times this week. Work was stressful, my husband was out of town for a couple of days (leaving me with the boys), and I have just been feeling generally un-restful. Well, today is Friday. Thank God. Seriously.

So tonight as we got home, I stepped out into the night and took a long deep breathe. Ahhhh. It was one of those winter nights where you feel like you could throw a couple of logs in the fire pit and sit outside as if it were summer. True, it's only about 30º (if that), but there was a mildness in the air. Spring? No. Not yet. This IS Minnesota. But something about the color of the sky and the brightness of the moon just took over. It was so crisp, the air felt so clean. Breathe.

But, back to reality, as the kids are yelling to take baths and play with the Legos. At least the moon is still bright outside my window, and the promise of another crisp night is around the corner.

Cat Eyes

Toward the beginning of this blog, I posted some shots of my kids' eyes. I'm still really fascinated with the beauty of these orbs that nestle in our heads that grant us so much every day. I know I still take a lot of things for granted that I see, but I'm really trying hard to see the beauty in every little thing lately. From the light that glints off my dash, to the reflection on my water bottle, or the shadow that is cast by a fence as I drive down the street. How amazing are our eyes? And then you see the eyes like the ones above. I'm not sure if our cat sees like we do. Most likely a lot better. And the color... oh my the color of her eyes. So green and pure. What a great match to her silky, smoky coat. I wonder if her eye color has any affect on her vision? Ill have to research that...

p.s. The second shot was taken with a plastic Diana lens I picked up a while back, thus the softness. I really love how the gray of the concrete, along with the texture, plays with Chuck's coloring. See the white edges around her feet? (Yes, the cat's name is Chuck, and it's a girl... long story for another post... I'll have to have a post on the art of naming your pets some day.)

Indulgence

For Christmas I got an iPhone. An indulgence, no doubt about it, but worth EVERY PENNY. I use that handy gadget non-stop. It's my very critical musical lifeline, my social media connector, my Ebay-out-bid-you-tool, my Amazon-looker-upper, and more. And oh, yeah, it's my phone. But I did miss one important little tool of my iPhone. The camera. That's how I took the photo above.

Speaking of the photo, this photo encapsulates 2 of my other favorite indulgences. Coffee and reading. I sat for about 10 minutes in the Mom-Van before I picked up my little spunky guy from daycare and just sipped my ultra hot Mocha and lost myself in my book. Ahhh.

Art in the form of indulgence. I certainly have more, but on a day like today, little things meant a lot. And the combination of photography, coffee, and a good read were just what I needed.

p.s. This is straight out of the iPhone. Handy little app I bought makes me look good.

Cold White Stuff

I've been on hiatus. An Art Each Day sabbatical if you will. How stupid was it to do that. I mean, the one thing I looked forward to so much every day, and I go and toss it to the side. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Well, let's just say that if there is any time of the year we all need a little inspiration, it's surely now. The cold weather, the lack of activity, the broken resolutions... all of these make me feel a little inadequate. Well, more than a little actually. So, I hope that these meager photos can give others in my same situation a little pick-me-up. Again, the whole point of this blog is to see art in the everyday. Where you least expect it . . . granted, sometimes it is a neon sign saying, "Hello! Look how gorgeous I am! Take a picture, silly!"

So, either way, take that extra minute and look at that cold, white stuff out the window . . . on the window . . . on the floor . . . in the air . . . heck, it's everywhere, you get my point. It really is pretty cool.

Kitty cat tracks in the white stuff.

In honor of the Olympics in Vancouver, my Minnesota mini-mountain.

My mom-van-that-I-rock-out-in crushed the ice in the parking lot.

The Art of Fair Food

Disclaimer: I DID NOT eat all of this food. I had help from some co-workers. So there.

That being said, isn't fair time the best? The family and I went on Wednesday night, but pulled out the camera and forgot my CF card. Go figure. So yesterday I was able to redeem my need for fair photography, albeit not so much the actual fair, but the FOOD. Oh yum. It's the one time of the year that I indulge in too much deep-fried goodness, and sticky sweets. (Except for Christmas, Halloween, and Easter, but that's just a lot of sugar, nothing deep-fried.)

Anyway, the list of items we ate too much of were: Jalapeño Cheese Curds (highly recommend!), Very Large Bratwurst with Fried Onions, Giant Cup of Limeade, Buffalo Burger, Deep-Fried Oreos (I didn't have one... mixed reviews from the tasters), the traditional Corn Dog, and finally the Ginormous Cinnamon Sugar Sprinkled Monster Ear. Whew.

So again, why is this art you may be asking. Well, the fair only comes to town once a year. Sure you can get a corn dog at the grocery store, and most everything else on the list too, but there is an ambiance about the fair. It's the place where EVERYBODY is walking around talking and eating. It's a community thing. The art of fair food goes beyond the food itself. It's more about the tradition and sensory overload. I love it.

The Art of Getting Dirty

One of my posts a while back was "The Art of Getting Clean." Well, this should have been the post right before that . . . the prequel. I have boys. Boys love dirt, mud, and all other means by which to get dirty. In this case, the rain we have gotten lately has made our driveway a bit sloppy, especially in one low-lying area. It makes a deliciously tempting area for little boys to piddle, splash, and get generally filthy. And me, sitting back and looking on just had to have a chuckle and let them be boys for a while. No yelling to "Get out of that mud!" or "You're getting you're clothes all dirty!" . . . nope. Not this time. The art of getting dirty was in full swing, and who was I to stop it.

Very Fluffy Cotton Candy Storm Clouds

So, you may see a theme here in summer. Nature. Man, is it a glorious thing. I had originally wanted to do a post about rain as art. But then I found myself taking photos of the clouds (again, I know). Today they were not ordinary rain clouds . . . they were spectacular rain clouds. Look at the wisps and curls, dark and light. I hate to say it, but I really feel sorry for the people who don't recognize the beauty that is nature. Driving past Walgreen's I just had the overwhelming urge to grab my camera and take this photo at the stoplight (you may see some sprinkles in the photo from my windshield).


Seriously, what could be cooler than towering clouds that look like giant piles of cotton candy? I am so very thankful that I am able to see these things. It never leaves me wondering what to do next. The art is always there, plentiful.

p.s. Thank you for indulging my creativity here as well. Saturating and curves and sharpening, oh my! Most of the time I don't, but this time I thought it added to the drama. :)