Trees in Downtown :-)
Interesting architecture
Classic shops and fun lamp posts on old Route 66
More flowers that I don't recognize...
25 August 2014
California Poppy ~ Beginnings
I grew up surrounded by California Poppies; every Spring, that first glimpse of gold lifted my spirits and brought a smile to my heart.
When we moved to Costa Rica, I made sure to bring one along - on a bag that became my favorite for shopping, vacations, and picnics.
As my horizons expanded, I started to paint. It became one of those things your mind can sink into, almost a meditation; time passes, focus narrows, and the world is apart.
Now I have a painting of a flower* that has been there for so many beginnings
~~~~~~~
And guess what? This is my third beginning of this one!
* Thanks for the original photo from François Raynal.
When we moved to Costa Rica, I made sure to bring one along - on a bag that became my favorite for shopping, vacations, and picnics.
As my horizons expanded, I started to paint. It became one of those things your mind can sink into, almost a meditation; time passes, focus narrows, and the world is apart.
Now I have a painting of a flower* that has been there for so many beginnings
~~~~~~~
And guess what? This is my third beginning of this one!
* Thanks for the original photo from François Raynal.
21 August 2014
Asilomar
When I first started slow traveling, I decided to leave myself open to trying new things. One that really caught my interest - painting!
Here's my latest - Asilomar beach, near Monterey, California, watercolor:
Here's my latest - Asilomar beach, near Monterey, California, watercolor:
11 August 2014
Sunday Afternoon in Old Town
We had a *lovely* afternoon in Old Town (Albuquerque, that is)! Our excuse was a late lunch at La Crêpe Michel - that's right, a casual French resto in New Mexico. And yes "casual" means I can wear jeans while sipping my champagne :-)
This time, our after-lunch stroll took us through courtyards
To the statue garden of the Albuquerque museum,
Out the gates
Back around through the mural
With it's squash blossom mosaic
Through more courtyards
(I would really like one of these!)
Back by the central park (in a corner of the churchyard), we saw something we hadn't noticed before - a carved and painted Mary in a tree stump
On the way back home, I just had to stop for another flower!
~~~~
The Plus:
We also confirmed the best place to park - the lot North of San Felipe Plaza off Mountain Rd. (free every day, unless there's an event)
This time, our after-lunch stroll took us through courtyards
To the statue garden of the Albuquerque museum,
Out the gates
Back around through the mural
With it's squash blossom mosaic
Through more courtyards
(I would really like one of these!)
Back by the central park (in a corner of the churchyard), we saw something we hadn't noticed before - a carved and painted Mary in a tree stump
On the way back home, I just had to stop for another flower!
~~~~
The Plus:
We also confirmed the best place to park - the lot North of San Felipe Plaza off Mountain Rd. (free every day, unless there's an event)
09 August 2014
Rio Grande Open Space II
It was a *gorgeous* day in Albuquerque!
...A perfect excuse to go back to the open space and check on the shy flowers...
...A perfect excuse to go back to the open space and check on the shy flowers...
07 August 2014
Sparkly! (per the Spin Doctor)
I recently realized that I had not had the responsibility of cleaning my own home for about the last 2 decades.
Yeah, my first thought was "Aaaaaahhhhh!" :-)
But in that time, I definitely got used to coming home to a nice, SPARKLY house. That, and these several other things made me decide to start a do-it-yourself project:
So, my project! We actually bought a vacuum cleaner (and soooo many other cleaning tools we hadn't needed before)! I looked up cleaning checklists (yep, can't get away from it - I AM an engineer, after all). I put my weekly and monthly schedule* in my calendar (wheeeee!). And, downloaded lists in hand, I got started.
Mindset is everything: on cleaning day, I wake up, throw on my workout clothes, and go to my "club," to play a few sets of "tennis," followed by a session with my "personal trainer." Every once in a while, I throw in a "power walk." ;-) Then I come home, walk in the door of my clean house, and relax with a cheese plate and a glass of wine (nope, no quotes on that sentence).
~~~~~~
* so far, this is the *only* thing in my "retired" calendar I have stuck with
Yeah, my first thought was "Aaaaaahhhhh!" :-)
But in that time, I definitely got used to coming home to a nice, SPARKLY house. That, and these several other things made me decide to start a do-it-yourself project:
- I'm in the "retired" phase of semi-retired, and plan to be so for the next year (at least)
- In this phase, the everyday budget makes a difference; I want to spend on what matters
- I need some structure in my life
- I need some built-into-life exercise
- We have significantly downsized our housing over the past several years
- And, I reeeeeally like sparkly!
So, my project! We actually bought a vacuum cleaner (and soooo many other cleaning tools we hadn't needed before)! I looked up cleaning checklists (yep, can't get away from it - I AM an engineer, after all). I put my weekly and monthly schedule* in my calendar (wheeeee!). And, downloaded lists in hand, I got started.
Mindset is everything: on cleaning day, I wake up, throw on my workout clothes, and go to my "club," to play a few sets of "tennis," followed by a session with my "personal trainer." Every once in a while, I throw in a "power walk." ;-) Then I come home, walk in the door of my clean house, and relax with a cheese plate and a glass of wine (nope, no quotes on that sentence).
~~~~~~
* so far, this is the *only* thing in my "retired" calendar I have stuck with
02 August 2014
ABQ Grower's Market
Summer Saturdays are the days for the Albuquerque Grower's Market, so we ambled down to Robinson park to check it out.
I had dreams of something similar to the Ferias of Costa Rica - you go to these for (1) produce that you can't find easily in grocery stores, (2) fresher produce, (3) cheaper produce, and (4) a fun outing, talking with vendors about their produce.
Well, it was a long-shot. Certainly, there were some oddly interesting items available, and they definitely looked fresh, but the posted prices meant we weren't tempted to show enough interest to start a conversation about them - I am only comfortable doing that if I am open to buying.
What this market did have was an entire row of arts and crafts, lots of kid and family activities, and plenty of seating and open space
Heirlooms:
Rattlesnake beans?
Plants on a truck
Food stalls (this guy was making a dessert crêpe)
I was pretty tempted by this one:
Kindly notice that I took this picture with my cell phone - I guess I'm no good at boycotts...
I had dreams of something similar to the Ferias of Costa Rica - you go to these for (1) produce that you can't find easily in grocery stores, (2) fresher produce, (3) cheaper produce, and (4) a fun outing, talking with vendors about their produce.
Well, it was a long-shot. Certainly, there were some oddly interesting items available, and they definitely looked fresh, but the posted prices meant we weren't tempted to show enough interest to start a conversation about them - I am only comfortable doing that if I am open to buying.
What this market did have was an entire row of arts and crafts, lots of kid and family activities, and plenty of seating and open space
Heirlooms:
Rattlesnake beans?
Plants on a truck
Food stalls (this guy was making a dessert crêpe)
I was pretty tempted by this one:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
