summer

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"...to everything there is a season"... and often quoted bible verse... brought to mind as it will be recited at my father's memorial service tomorrow. I thought about this all day today as my mother and I were taking our daily drive in the countryside... evidence of summer life all around us, even as the sadness of death has been weighing on our hearts...

...and so on it goes...



(photos by Elaine A. Russell)

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Today was filled with the fine details of the memorial service... arranging songs and verses and such in order for a program to be printed, ordering and paying for the flowers, and gathering photos for a video that is being made by the funeral home as a service for the family. It is frustrating... because certain photos we had wanted to include... we just can't seem to find copies of.
In 2005, I had made a point of copying all sorts of family photos that belonged to my parents, and also of my sister's family... and arranged all the photos into boxes at my parent's house. Copies were made and distributed to various family members. It was a huge expense at the time... but well worth it.
Somehow in the interim however... things have gotten wonky and mixed up.
Such is life I suppose... but it is annoying when you are looking for something in particular.
One of the things I hope to do over the course of this coming year, is to (once and for all) get all my photos onto digital files. I have tons and tons... and sorely need to get them organized. Times like this remind me how important it is to me to have photos such as these readily available if they are needed/wanted.


In other news... we went on our daily drive today... and explored some of the county back roads. We saw lovely fields, cows, pigs, sheep, horses.....lots of farmland... we even stopped at a roadside stand and got fresh tomatoes and cucumbers which we ate for dinner.
The photos for today's post are from this drive...

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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(you can click on this photo; and see it larger )


I've heard the phrase..."God never gives you more than you can handle..."... and yet, I have to wonder. My mother is devastated. I have seen grief... in so many different forms and stages over the years... as a nurse.... as a family member.... as a friend.... I have seen so very much of death in the past.
Some people handle it with quiet resolution, others anger... but with my mom; the tears just keep coming... shaking with sobs... unable to calm herself... unable to eat... unable to sleep. She has always been a nervous/ anxious/ restless personality.... but this... there is no fixing this. I feel so helpless.

And I seem to be at the opposite end of the spectrum... missing my father... and yet... relieved that he is no longer in pain... satisfied in the knowledge that I will see him again some day.
I believe that she feels that way too... it's just that her way of showing emotion is so very different than mine. Neither way is better... neither way is worse. It just is.

I mention this only because it was casually mentioned to me that I must not care or some such... because I was not falling apart with grief.
Needless to say, I know this to be far from the truth.

Today; after we had appointments making preparations for services on Friday... I took my mom to eat at a local burger shack type place. The owners are friends of my parents, and it was nice to visit with them. We got to talking about cars... and the owner went and got his 1959 Thunderbird to show me. He is only the 2nd owner... and the car has only 62,000 miles on it. Pristine! Gorgeous! Classic!

And I thought of my dad... who soooooooo loved vintage cars... and could feel him smiling...


*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Today was an interesting study in contrasts. Went to the doctor's (which I hate)..... but then had a nice break at Barnes and Noble where this ultra cool musical duo were playing outside for tips.


Ran some errands... but then had a nice visit with friends.....


Had sort of a crappy lunch.... but then had dinner at Cocina Azule... and it was fabulous!


It began raining... then just as quickly

..... it cleared up and there were these stunningly beautiful clouds overhead.



On the way home..... I saw these interesting sky colorations. I remember reading about this phenomenon once... but I can't remember the name of it now..... so incredible!

~~~

Life....like in photography... is all about the contrast sometimes... the yin to the yang... the up to the down... perhaps just another way that the powers that be "keep it interesting....."

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Having dealt with debilitating illnesses before... you'd think that I would know when to slow down. Or stop. But I don't. I think sometimes that illness (at least in my case) can therefor sometimes be a good thing; in the sense that it forces me to take time and rest.
This whole past month I have been working up to a "good" case of bronchitis. And now, for the past several days... it has consumed most every moment of my existence.
Stupid stuff completely wears me out.

I have been trying to sort thru the house ... and this past weekend I sold some of the stuff off of Craigslist. The stuff that didn't sell.... I loaded up and took to Goodwill this afternoon. It was all I could do to basically drive it up there... and somewhat help unload it (fortunately... I very nice guy helped me out). By the time I got home... I was ready for another breathing treatment... and some Tylenol for a killer headache.

One thing that never seems to wear me out though... is taking photographs. Both of the shots for today's post I took on the way home from Goodwill. They are sunny.... and remind me to keep "looking up".... and keep on keepin on....


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

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I went up into the mountains late this afternoon in celebration of Summer Solstice.
I was trying to clear my head... as I've been feeling really "off" lately.

Many traditional celebrations on this day include hiking & camping... generally being out in nature... and bonfires.

"Solstice (pagan) festivities in Europe were "Christianized" when the Church set June 24th as a holy day celebrating the birth of St. John the Baptist. Jesus referred to John as "A burning and shining light" and so traditional pagan customs of lighting bonfires were easily appropriated for the Christian holiday."

"In Summer Solstice (Native American celebration) --we enter the Season of Shawnodese, the summer, the time of the Noon-day Sun. This is the time of the Coyote - the trickster aspect of Creator. During this season we are again presented with an opportunity to heal the doubt and fear blocking our heart's function. Growth, Trust, and Love make up the spirit path, the path of power of Shawnodese, from the outer circle of the Wheel of life to the inner circle where the power of life is focused in the elements of Creation..."

Links about Summer Solstice:
here
here


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

Summer BBQ at the Factory on 5th



--------- photos by Elaine A. Russell, taken after the Factory on 5th -Summer BBQ

This past Saturday, there was an artist "meet and greet" as well as a fabulous Summer BBQ at the Factory on 5th. Lots of people arrived early in the afternoon and stayed long after sunset. Amongst the delicious brats, dogs, and even steak... potato salad, tabbouleh, chips.... fruit salad and desserts ( and of course, drinks of your own bringing )..... there was lots of conversation, laughter, enthusiasm, and stories............. Excitement about the resurgence of shows at the Factory. A Grand Re-opening !!! coming on July 24th.
More info to come...