Every year, I have the good fortune of helping families to spread holiday cheer by crafting portraits for their holiday cards. Below are a few of my favorites from 2010.
This triptych was a small tri-fold, and I thought the colors were so cheery! I also loved photographing Barney the dog.
Yesterday morning, I flew into Cleveland Hopkins Airport from New York, to spend Christmas at home with my parents. It was an eventful morning – getting out of New York the Monday after a blizzard, during which many weekend flights were cancelled proved difficult, although not impossible. I’d never seen LaGuardia Airport so busy, let alone at 5 in the morning! Upon landing, I was interviewed for a story on travel delays by Cleveland’s local Channel 5 News.
Admittedly, I’ve taken quite a few “field trips” to my hometown (Cleveland, Ohio) and surrounding area. As I grow and change as a person, I find I get more and more out of these returns home. My relationships with each of my parents and my brother, who all live there, each become more nuanced with time. I have grown to appreciate them immensely, and the relationships are flourishing!
Continue reading “Ohio Field Trip – July 2009”
I just stepped in off the fire escape, where I was watching the twilight fade to black in its barely-perceptible, summery way. From the third floor, I could see all around the courtyard of this block of brownstones, of which my home is a part.
The building next door has been vacant for awhile, as the tenants moved out, and the building was sold to new owners. The small yard behind it is a jungle of green – trees and weeds, and big-leafed plants that have sprung up effortlessly. At the back of the yard is a fence, and set of low-hanging wires. Climbing the fence and sprawling over the wires, is a honeysuckle plant, and tonight from my metal cage of a perch, I got the slightest hint of the flowery fragrance dancing on the breeze, which was utterly subtle.
The soft feel of the air on my skin, and the fading pink light (at precisely what moment, I wonder, does it turn to purple-y blue?) reminded me of my childhood in Cleveland, Ohio, knowing that that change of light is the indication that I’m pushing my limits on how late I should be out roller-skating, bike-riding, turning cartwheels on people’s lawns, as I try to squeeze every last morsel of fun out of the evening as it becomes night.
Back to My [Garlic] Roots
This summer I was fortunate enough to have some time to relax at my parents’ house in the country outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Ohio is beautiful this time of year! It’s so green and lush. Back in June, my 2-year-old niece from Colorado had gazed into the forest behind my parents’ house and said, “Ooh, look at that jungle.” That’s how lush it is!
Being there, enjoying nature, made me want to capture some of the fresh, full feeling of summer. This blog entry is packed with photos of the beautiful summer plants I noticed there. What I was observing was that I like the stillness I sense in plants. I find that there’s something magical about sensing their quiet aliveness, knowing that they’re growing all the time, while seeming to remain so steady and still. There is a lot of peace in nature, and plants are stunning examples of that – little pieces of peace tucked into small packages that collectively make a plethora of peace.
My mom is a wonderful gardener – these photos were all taken in her gardens – and she gardens just like a mom! Nurturing, supplying sustenance, and then stepping back and just letting things run wild. For instance, her mint went crazy and took over 1/4 of her herb and vegetable garden. It’s so beautiful and fragrant, I don’t blame her for leaving it that way. When she talks about it, she makes it sound like it has a mind 
of its own, “That mint just decided to take over this whole corner!”
And the way she says it is half aghast at its audacity, and half proud. Just the way she parented me. (A loving joke, Mom.)
She also has a garlic patch that she started from the bulbs of my late paternal grandfather’s garden. Grandpa Sloboda used to yank the garlic out of the ground, peel it, and eat it right there! He claimed it
was why he never got a cold. My mom gave me some seeds from the top of one of the garlic plants so that I can have some of Grandpa’s garlic for my own windowsill herb garden. The very same garlic that my Grandpa used to eat has now spread its seeds from his garden to my mom’s and soon mine. I love the idea of this! I love that these plants passed on their own genes just like my ancestors did to me. We can observe the circle of life in a real, living – not to mention tasty – way. And hopefully now, I’ll stop getting colds. (Grandpa’s spirit is alive!)
My trip was a delight. I got to spend time with the richness of the lush plants in the cou
ntry, with my parents, my hilarious brother, and with happy memories of the sunny Ohio summers amidst which I grew up. And my mom sent me back with garlic and fresh lettuce from her garden, so I’ve been enjoying the tastes all week back in the city!
Photos, Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Mint, Grapevine + Sky, Snapdragon, Misc. Flowers, Beetles Mating on Grape Leaf, Mint Forest, Grandpa’s Garlic Seeds + Tiny Bee, Queen Anne’s Lace Running Wild I + II.
More Ohio photos on my flickr site!
Summer is such a glorious time of year! The sun’s intense energy is high, and it seems like the whole wide world is in full bloom with possibilities.
Below is a shot I took on my recent trip to Ohio – it is a pathway in the garden surrounding Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, Ohio, the historic mansion belonging to the Sieberling family (Mr. Sieberling was the founder of Goodyear, the tire company). Look how lush the trees are!
Even the night air is warm in the summer time – one of my favorite delights is taking a walk through the city on a mild evening after dark. This year, there is some flowering tree that must have had a good season, because everywhere I go, all around New York, I can smell its brilliant fragrance. I don’t know what it is, but it is sweet, and fresh, and strong – inspiring qualities, if I say so myself!
Summer is the time for little excursions and adventures, as well as putting projects into full swing. Somehow, it seems like everything is heightened all at once. I both want to go on more little vacations, and also work my hardest this time of year. Is it because the days are so long? Is it because the weather is so pleasant that I want to maximize it both for pleasure and for productivity?
Whatever it is, nature does it again, always knowing exactly the right season for everything. Summer’s energy is so big, it’s hard to ignore nature this time of year, as it provides gift after gift of pleasant sights (blue skies, plants in bloom), pleasant feelings (soft air on skin, warmth), pleasant smells (flowers, plants, fresh air), and pleasant tastes (strawberries!). I’m no hippie, but the summer sure makes me think I could have been one.
