painting

192:365

----->photos by Elaine A. Russell


Today I posted about 1/3 of our furniture on Craigslist. I listed bedroom and living room furniture. It is stuff we no longer need... and hopefully it will all sell. If not, I will probably find a charitable organization to donate it to. The point is... the process has begun.

I am not taking this lightly... and I am taking my time. I am going thru everything we own, and really trying to decide what it is we truly need or want... and what we can easily do without.

My hubby is working on a big project... and needs more space... so I am going to concentrate this week on organizing him an office space. And... I am needing a more clearly defined space of my own to do my art in ... so I am taking over the garage.
Ideally... I would paint the entire interior of the house first... but I can't afford to do that right now. So... I am moving on ahead anyway. Sometimes you just have to go for it.

80:365

-----------------------------------a collage of photos taken at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital today



Today was one of those weirdly busy days... I ended up driving alot of people different places... to the store... to get groceries... to get movies.... out for dinner.....to the hospital and back... just different things. Kind of a "hurry up and wait" kind of thing at times.....
The hospital that dad is getting his rehab at is Charles Cole Memorial Hospital. It is the closest... and basically.. only ... hospital in the area. The next closest is about an hour away. And the one that dad had his surgery at is about 3hrs away.
CCMH is a good hospital. It has undergone sooooooooo many changes since I last worked there in 1990. But then, that is to be expected.
Dad had a bad day today. Alot of pain... still alot of swelling.... poor appetite... and generally not feeling well. He promised to take some pain meds tonight and try to rest......



........................................................................... a couple photos from one of the few alleyways in Coudersport. The mural was painted on the back of this building when I was in high school, by some fellow high school students. I think it still looks pretty cool.
I also love the brickwork on the buildings here. Alot of the downtown area features buildings built around 1880... so they are all brick... with Gothic and Victorian touches here and there. This is the backside of one of the buildings... and I just love the old iron staircase....



For dinner.... Kristin and I went down to Fox's Pizza... (formerly the Tastee Freeze when I was a kid). It still looks exactly the same as it did in the 1970's.... only the food has changed ever so slightly. You can still get pizza, burgers, fries, and soft serve ice cream and sundaes... but now they also offer Gyros and sub sandwiches, mozzarella sticks and other "fast food" items.
When I was a kid... they actually had a brown bear in a pen out back for "tourists" to gawk at... fortunately... they do not do that anymore. It's one of the few places for people to hang out at.... and the ice cream is still pretty good.....PLUS... ya gotta love that they still have gumball machines with cheesy toys in them.....



And then there was this guy... just taunting me from his perch on a porch in town. Nothing screams EASTER... like a plastic light-up bunny . My mother-in-law would've loved it... so in her honor, it became my photo for the day.....
---------------------------------------------------> all photos by Elaine A. Russell


Links:
Charles Cole Memorial Hospital: here
Fox's Pizza: here
Info on Coudersport, PA: here

19:365


Today was pretty much a perfect day. I will admit... I have been fairly "down" for awhile. The holidays .. generally speaking.. are not the best time of year for me... although I am gradually getting better about it over the years....
But today.... I had lunch with my daughter at the BrickYard Pizza on Central Ave (http://www.brickyardpizza.com/) .. and had what was probably one of the best veggie calzones ever. Coupled with an ice cold Coke... and some great conversation... it was fab.
Plus... the decor was very inspiring to me.. and I came up with some interesting ideas for some new jewelry pieces... so TOTAL BONUS there...



Then I got to spend the afternoon roaming about the university area... taking in the sites, sounds, and all things cool (there was even a guy playing the violin in front of Satellite cafe!)... and I got some fab photos of some murals. I believe this one was done by the artist known as NESE and another artist known as AEON. Nese's art is incredible.. and he has some fantastic pieces in and around the city here. I have been following his work for a year or so now.. and I am always impressed with what he can do. I am not familiar with AEON... but I will have to look around and see if I can find some more of his art....


Tonight I got to make a fabulous dinner (a tender piece of London Broil .. with butter and mushrooms... fresh asparagus...cracked seeded rye bread.... and some coffee). ... and now I have spent the evening working on some of my photography.

As many of you know...I have been shooting exclusively with a small point and shoot Kodak Camera since last summer. Last summer... I had to part with all my pro photo equipment (which was old and very well used)... and I was able to sell the remains for just enough money to get the Kodak ($140). Having been a pro photographer since 1986... I considered it a challenge to see what I could do with a simple, affordable, mainstream camera. What a learning experience for me this has been! I have discovered that I can be just as creative.. if not more so... when limited (so to speak) by the constraints of a point and shoot. This new burst of creativity and enthusiasm; has in turn; opened me up to many more possibilities than I ever imagined.
I am sure that I will be able to share more on this ... down the road.... but for now-- I encourage you. Don't give up on your dreams. Believe in yourself. Believe in that wonderfulness that can come in the form of surprise and change. Believe that you are meant to be a creative soul.

Share. Hope. Wish. Dream. Believe.


*all photos by Elaine A. Russell

an interesting view

.....................................photo by Elaine A. Russell


everything often boils down to a matter of perspective... how we; as individuals, actually see things. how we perceive things to have transpired.... how our past experiences alter things and how we remember them on a daily basis.



photographing the railyards on Saturday was an awesome experience. What some people would see as urban decay in it's most unpleasant forms.... most of us there viewed with awe and wonder. The beauty of the architecture. The sun streaming through the windows... the light shadows on the wood brick floors....the graffiti ( which I personally LOVED)... the puddles and feathers and signs of time passing.. .weather beating down... people wandering through in the middle of the night....



So much of life is like that. You hear: "... don't move there.. the neighborhood is bad".... or ..." it's nothing but a slum in that section...don't go there..." Some of the best places I have lived have been in areas where people warned us not to go. Traveling is like that as well... people will recommend certain sites to visit... not realizing how much they are missing by not exploring and discovering neat little places on your own.



Sometimes it's a matter of clearing your mind of all previous expectations and perceptions to really really see what's in front of you... what's down that winding dirt road... what's off the beaten path. ...but it's worth it.



Los Poblanos Ranch


This weekend, I went to the Los Poblanos Ranch with a couple friends. I have never been there before.... wow... what a shame. This is the kind of place that you could spend years at, and never get tired of. ((http://www.lospoblanos.com/)) While there, we saw the poultry area, the lavendar fields, a gorgeous sitting area amidst the cottonwoods, the farm shop... there was even a plein air class going on.(http://painting.about.com/od/landscapes/a/plein_air_paint.htm). Words cannot adequately express how beautiful the place is... so I will leave you with some photos. I will show more photos over the course of the next few days.




*photos by Elaine A. Russell