Awake

O, The Fickle Material Of The Heart

O, the fickle material of the heart:
It seems to change from day to day.

Is the heart a chameleon
Bleeding into background
Hiding discreetly in stillness
From would-be lookers-on?

Or is it a fiery mass of energy
Shining brightly, brazenly, like the sun
Simultaneously warming and blinding
Until it burns out, sucking all life into a vacuous hole?

Sometimes I think it a precious vase
Knocked down quite purposefully
Intentionally, blatantly, and quite rudely
From its pedestal to the ground below.

And then what is the heart
After such a fall
And another and another
And again another after that?

Is it mostly glue now
Mostly cracks
Primarily broken
And only really tentatively put together again?

It seems more resilient than that
Don't you think
Even at times when darkness falls
And things never fail to get themselves broken?

Perhaps it's as the anatomist declares
A functional network of cells
Designed to bring oxygen and life
To a living being.

Prone to injury and disease
But designed to beat faithfully
And happily bring health and vitality
Til every cell in the body is well.

Perhaps it is all of these things
At different times
In moments good and bad
Full of sorrow and bursting with joy.

I only know that the heart
Whatever it is made of
Is full of memory
And overflowing with thought, will, and desire.

So perhaps metaphors are pointless
Maybe analogies useless
Whatever the material of the heart
It is to be cherished, protected, and most of all...

Well, used.

So use it well.

The Sky Was Full Of Magnificence (And Also Some Clouds)

One of my favorite remedies for a hard day is to go find something pretty to photograph. If it's spectacularly gorgeous, all the better. We've had rain all week and so what a delight it was to see the clouds part and show off their colors in the sunset. I wandered a bit, but finally found great vistas of these amazing Spring clouds at sunset. Hope you enjoy.

Happy Wednesday.

Afternoon At The Zoo: In Which The Sea Lions Are Visited And Swim Around And Around

Dear Adalie, Kylia, Zoie, and Maddie Mae (aka, The Best Nieces Ever!),

On Monday I went to the zoo. I wish I could have taken you with me, but since I couldn't, I decided to take lots of pictures of the animals just for you. Today, I'm going to tell you about my visit with the sea lions.

There were two sea lions at the zoo that day. They were swimming around and around in their large deep pool. Did you know they swim with their eyes closed? When they get near the giant window, they rub their bellies against the glass so they know when to turn. Even though they flop around awkwardly on land, in the water, they are as graceful as ballerinas—giant ballerinas with whiskers, that is!

They have smooth fine fur and large whiskers next to their noses. Notice how big their flippers are!

I hope you enjoyed my pictures of the sea lions. Did you know that you can visit sea lions on the Oregon coast as well? Maybe someday we will do that together.

Lots of love and hugs and kisses,

Auntie

Maddie's Not Too Sure About This

But I think she wanted to like it. She really did.

A day at the beach

I'm continuing my quest to catch up with posting pics and such from adventures in December. While Brant, Jackie and Maddie Mae were in town, we, along with Mom, went to Ecola State Park to try and see some whales. We didn't see any, but it was an absolutely gorgeous day at Ecola.

No whales. But there were some very nice rocks there...

...including Haystack and All Its Friends.

And the beach was just beautiful, naturally.

Brant found a sand dollar! We were surprised to find one so well intact.

Jackie and Maddie Mae enjoyed themselves, I think!

Mom was delighted to have the day off to join us.

In fact, I think their whole family had a lovely time altogether.

It was a day at the beach. And it was lovely.

Happy Friday.

Christmas Crochet Projects

This year, I just crocheted two things: a hat and a poncho for Maddie Mae. I made the hat big so it would last her through the Spring. The poncho collar I made extra big too, but sewed a button on the collar so she could wear it now and grow into it, too. As she grows, I may add length to to the bottom or add a fringe. (Or just make her a new one!) The yarn for the poncho was extra yummy: hand-dyed Australian Merino. Yarn was purchased at my local yarn store, The Knitting Bee. The hat pattern is in Kim Werker's book, Crocheted Gifts: Irresistible Projects to Make & Give, published by Interweave. The poncho is in Candi Jensen's book, Candy Babies: Cute Crochet For Wee Ones, published by Sixth&Spring Books.

The Sweetest Thing. Or, Two Happies For the Price of One

Time for a little Grandpa Dale and Maddie Mae bonding time.

Featuring, sparkling blue eyes...

silly faces...

what pacifier?...

and all-around good clean fun.

Happy Sunday. But by the time you read this it will be Monday. So Happy Monday, too. (That's two happies for the price of one!!!)

Inspirational Drop Caps

aily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische is a wonderful and inspiring project that I just discovered this week. Since September 25 of this year, she has been illustrating and posting a new initial everyday. The best part is, she's generously licensed the work under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works, which means we are free to share the work as long as we attribute it properly and don't sell it or otherwise use her work commercially. But adding a gorgeously illustrated drop cap to our blogs? That's exactly what they're there, "for the beautification of blog posts everywhere," she writes on her site devoted to this project, dailydropcap.com.

If you want to learn more about Jessica Hische's artwork, visit her website at jessicahische.com. (Don't miss the tutorial on her blog on hand lettering if you're interested in drawing your own type—as I am.)

Happy Drop-Capping!

(P.S. Maybe this project will spark a loooooonnnngggg-overdue redesign of my blog! Crossing my fingers! Or I suppose I should uncross them and get coding!)

A day to celebrate

couple weeks ago, when I found out the event I would be working late into the evening would be not on the 1st, but, in fact, on the 2nd—Britney Spears birthday!—I spoke to my boss with a clarity and straightforwardness that surprised even myself: "Well, I was more than happy to work the event on the 1st, but, um, well, the 2nd is also my birthday, and actually I was kinda thinking, just considering really, to take the day off, maybe." She marked me off before I could even, ahem, consider the matter fully. God bless people who don't put up with my analysis paralysis. :)

Initially, and even up to the last minute, I thought I would spend the day pondering. At the beach or somewhere equally natureful and pondery. But the more I envisioned the day, the more I found what I really wanted was to spend the day in Northwest Portland. Revisit the home town. Visit places I love or have always wanted to experience. So, it was decided. The day would be spent celebrating my return to Portland. The agenda: Japanese Gardens, Lunch in Northwest somewhere, the Art Museum, Powell's City of Books.

The day began earlier than expected with a birthday call from my dear sweet mother at 7am. Shortly thereafter, my upstairs neighbor decided to run the dishwasher. Twenty minutes later, I was drinking Vanilla Almond tea and reading Markus Zusak's I Am The Messenger (a book I have scarcely wanted to put down since I started it).

Skipping through a few delightful hours of leisure, it's five minutes to ten, my camera is packed, shoelaces are tied, and clothing layers are being gathered when the phone rings: It's Grandpa. Probably wanting to wish me happy birthday. That's so sweet. I answer the phone: "Hi Amber. It's Grandpa. Did you forget about me? Lab tests at 10?" I replied, "Yes, Grandpa. I did forget about you. I forgot to write it down and it's my birthday. I was just out the door. But I will come right now and pick you up and take you." So that's what I did.

An hour later, my camera is packed, shoelaces are tied, clothing layers are gathered, and I'm off to the Japanese Gardens. This was my first visit. (Hard to believe, right?)

I saw some volcanoes...

...a pretty waterfall...

Portland Japanese Gardens

...amazing trees...

Portland Japanese Gardens

...and serene stones...

Portland Japanese Gardens

...(among other things).

Definitely will be going back there soon.

I continued down Burnside to 23rd and decided I really didn't want to parallel park on 23rd (even though I'm an excellent parallel parker), so I continued down to The Pearl and decided to have lunch at the first place I recognized and had parking nearby: 50 Plates.

Love their logo. Brilliant.

Enjoyed my lunch experience immensely, but I think I'll stick to happy hour (a little more within my budget). :)

From there I cut over to the Art Museum...

...and viewed the Raphael portrait (stunning, especially in juxtaposition to the many other portraits displayed in the adjoining rooms of the same period) and the China Design Now exhibit (fascinating...I especially loved the wall devoted to typography, so much that I couldn't pass up getting a book of Chinese typography designs from the gift shop after).

Finally, just missing the Street Car, I walked down to Powell's City of Books. I escaped with a couple of gems that I've been meaning to procure.

After that I met up with my folks for dinner at Chen's then window shopping at Washington Square. (And, yes, we did manage to limit ourselves to the windows.)

All in all, a great day of celebration.

Now back to reality.

Happy Thursday.

Éncore: The Middlest One

he nieces did another little mini-show tonight before bed and I finally got some pics of the "middlest" one (that's how she described herself tonight). :)

Happy Saturday!

Trying out the new lens on Thanksgiving Day

he nieces like to "do a show" as they say, when they have a bit of an audience (and I imagine also when they don't). We were treated to a choreographed Hannah Montana Hoedown Throwdown, storytelling, musical numbers from Annie, Puck-like commentating, and other delightful silliness. As for me, I was finally getting a chance to play with my new fixed 50mm/f1.4 lens (mmm...bokeh!). I've posted the set on flickr but here are some of my favorites. (Need to get more of Kylia, she was a little elusive tonight.)

By the way, the full set of pics is here: Nieces (and their Mama, too)

Happy Thanksgiving.

Under the St Johns Bridge

It was a damp and drizzly day in North Portland, but nevertheless me, my second cousin, and my first cousin once removed in-law were determined to have our photo outing that we've been talking about since the summer. I used a Chico shopping bag to cover my camera from the rain (and a nearby fir tree to cover me). I would retreat to the shelter of the fir tree to chamois away raindrops from my lens, then dash out to capture an image (then dash back under the tree again). We finally decided that it wasn't worth getting our cameras wet (even though one of us (not me!) had a weather-proof camera) and on our way up and out of the park, turned to find this beautiful view of the arches all lined up, that we missed on the way down because there was a portrait shoot going on and we had gone around it when we arrived. Just then, the rain pretty much ceased, except for a few monster drops, falling from the bridge above, and we were able to pause at the top of the stairs and take a few shots of the archways beneath the great St Johns Bridge. A wet trip, but a memorable one.

The end.

Destroyed and Redeemed and Now Beautiful

A storm is coming.

It took a bit to come. We had a picnic and the girls found a fort amongst the trees. There was even time for a little pondering.

(Then the hail came and the motorcyclists had to take cover under trees by the side of the road.)

And The Lake changed colors.

In between rain showers, I would look for wildflowers to photograph.

(Late-July is a great time to find wildflowers at Crater Lake.)

Just as quickly as it came, the storm passed by, and it was time for stops and photo-ops.

And mysterious ships.

And waterfalls protected by legions of mosquitoes.

And little girls with birthdays that always happen during summer family vacations.

And naptimes.

It was a fun summer. A whirlwind. A tempest, at times. But fun, all the same.

Happy Friday. Happy Fall.

My serendipitous encounter with desert gypsies

Or, How I Became Acquainted With The Molehill Orkestrah from Tucson, Arizona.

It was just me and my camera out for a stroll. In the smoldering heat. I thought I may as well find a patch of grass in the park to sit and cool down. A band of musicians had gathered just past the first pond and looked as if they would begin playing soon. Ah. Grass+Entertainment=Perfection.

Having played the violin when I was a student, I was immediately intrigued by the presence of a violin and a cello player. When they began, I was delighted by the sound—a sort of a gypsy-inspired, New Orleans funeral march, dancing in peasant attire around a bonfire sort of sound. It is the sort of music that can evoke memory, stir the soul, kindle desire. Haunting and celebrating—all at once.

Later that evening, I heard them "plugged in" at the Where? House in Ashland, a new venue in the business park at 280 Hersey (#14). I had a wonderful time chatting with the cellist and picked up their CD, "Language of Bones," which I have been enjoying for the better part of today.

So without further ado, here are a few of the pictures I took of the Molehill Orkestrah as they played in Lithia Park yesterday evening.

Happy Friday.

Thursday night at The Park

On Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm during the summer, the Ashland City Band performs in the Lithia Park Band Shell, treating the audience to pop favorites, classical adaptations, and music by local composers.

Apparently there is a pre-show that begins at 6:40 pm, which explained why the grassy knoll was already chock full of already settled-in folks when I arrived just before the show began.

This picture is a little crooked because I was trying to discreetly lean over to avoid the head of the woman sitting in front of me and get a relatively unobstructed view of the stage and the band.

It was a warm night, but overcast. The clouds were dark and I wondered if a thunderstorm was in the works. So far, so good, and I was able to break out the long lens to get some closer-up shots of the band sections. They look like they're having fun, don't they?

I miss playing in an orchestra sometimes.

Well, sure enough, a dramatic cool breeze gusted through the park canyon and a few minutes later, it began to sprinkle. A few people left (obviously from out-of-state) but the tried and true Oregonians stuck it out, which really was the right move, because it was only a few sprinkles and could have actually been considered somewhat refreshing. A few people came prepared with jackets or sweatshirts, which I admit, I had thought about bringing when I walked out of the house and saw those menacing dark clouds.

But as quickly as it came, it left, and a patch of blue sky emerged from behind the forested hills.

All in all, it was a very pleasant outing. There was only one thing missing.

You.

Happy Friday, everyone. Have a great weekend.

Tonight's Green Show: Ghanian Drumming and Dancing

Strolled down to The Bricks to see the Green Show tonight. It was an enthusiastic and even educational performance. Since I wandered in a few minutes late, it took me some time to find a decent vantage point from which to take pictures. But eventually I found a spot.

Here's a little video I took with my phone.

He played different kinds of drums.

And told some stories of how Ghanian music survived Spanish enslavement of Africans in Peru. This drum, for example, is reminiscent of instruments formed in spontaneity out of tables, chairs—whatever was around the house. In this way, music (and with it, traditions and cultural education) could carry on, even though certain instruments were banned from use.

After that, he flew away.

Just kidding. After that, he danced...

...and danced some more.

We thanked him and he thanked us and then the emcee told us to come back tomorrow night for an ensemble performance of the same style of Ghanian music tomorrow. (That is, Friday, July 3, 2009.) I just remembered I will be gone, which is sad, because I so would have liked to hear and see a little more of this delightful Ghanian music and dance.

Epilogue:

On the way back, I stopped to listen to this violin duo playing in front of Earthly Goods (the entrance to which does have nice acoustics, I must agree).

I asked them what song they played and they told me and even showed me the music, but I've forgotten and even paged through 200 results at Sheet Music Plus to try and jog my poor little pea brain. Something with a B. And a E. (I think.) Anyway, they were very good. I quite enjoyed them.

Then, I continued walking down Main and passed by an alley, looking to avoid the large SUV approaching the sidewalk and what did I discover? The occupants of said vehicle knew my name! Indeed it was my friends from Beaverton, The Greenwoods, here in Ashland for the week. I was so lamenting not having time to connect with them this week and so what a treat it was to have a quick chat in the alley (until another car behind them came along, that is).

The end.

Happy Thursday.

Summer Flowers

Been seeing these pink beauties pop up all over town. There were quite a few of them along the path in Lithia Park as well. I paused to take some pictures. Here are the two "keepers."

Hope the weekend treated you right. Mine went by much too quickly.

The Joy of Being Three

My youngest niece (to-date) just turned three. I think she likes it.

I think she also liked getting her wings. (And other things, too.)

She's still learning how to fly.

But that doesn't stop her from looking up.

Happy Birthday, Zo. Auntie loves you.

Memorial Day Flowers from Enchanted Florist

As it happened, I was up early this morning and so was Brandon, owner of The Enchanted Florist newly located in downtown Ashland (formerly on 'A' Street). I am following the shop on twitter (@florist) and thanks to TweetDeck I happened to notice this tweet:

local competition: What was Memorial Day, originally called? First local reply wins beautiful fresh flowers for a loved one's memorial.

With a quick bit of Google-Fu, I discovered the answer, "Decoration Day" and replied back, winning a beautiful bouquet of flowers in memory of my Grandma Faye. Here's how it all went down on twitter...

amberhimes: @florist Decoration Day?

florist: 3 answers came in , but @amberhimes was first :) I'll be in the shop from 9:30-1 today. Flowers or chocolate if you have no flowers to lay.

amberhimes: @florist I will be glad to have something beautiful for my grandma's grave. It will mean a great deal to my grandpa too. Thank you.

florist: @amberhimes I will make something beautiful for your grandmother's grave, it will be my honor. It'll be ready at 10, we close at 1.

amberhimes: @florist If you could have something red in there, that would be perfect. :) She loved red.

florist: @amberhimes Yes we have reds in, I'll make a monochromatic red posy that will make all the grocery store flowers envy their grace and style.

@healthymcm you're right, decoration day! Amber beat you to it though. Just finished making the posy. I should upload a pic! :)

amberhimes: @florist I'll be over soon! Me AND my camera. :)

So, as promised, here are a few pictures of the beautiful flowers I received from Enchanted Florist.

Happy Memorial Day.

Ashland Creek on an Early Evening in Spring

I found a couple of places where I could just sit on a rock and get lost in playing with the camera. Here are a some shots of Ashland Creek in Lithia Park.

I like this one because the water looks like angel hair.

I never get tired of this creek and I love living only a few blocks away from it.

Purples and Greens

There are some lovely purples and greens in Lithia Park this time of year. Here are two examples from my walk in the park this evening.

Gotta love those Spring colors.

An Evening at the Upper Duck Pond

There are few places more relaxing than the Upper Duck Pond in Lithia Park. Watching ducks go down and chow down, wiggling orange feet—well, it's enough to make you forget your troubles, even if only temporarily.

Everybody Duck!

Happy Friday, everyone. :)

Just another walk in the park

I decided to enter Lithia Park by way of Shakespeare and, to my delight, noticed construction is underway on The Green Show stage. The Green Show is free and runs before the evening plays every night but Monday. I am really looking forward to them this season.

The usual things caught my eye on my walk this afternoon. Flowers, trees, and the creek, of course. I hope you enjoy these pictures that I made just for you. :)

Happy Thursday.

I'm supposed to be doing laundry...

But instead I took pictures and talked on the phone and took more pictures while talking on the phone. Very naughty. Should not have done. But it was...

so

beautiful

outside my front door.

I just couldn't resist.

Maybe if I wear perfume, no one will notice I haven't got any clean clothes to wear?

Happy Whatever-Day-It-Is. (Yes, one of *those* weeks.)

Cloud Invasion

This evening I meant to take a nice sunset stroll in the general direction of downtown. Instead, upon glancing in the opposite direction, I noticed an invasion of Altocumulus lenticularis, also known as UFO clouds, raiding the Southern sky. Turning around, I followed the railroad tracks but became frustrated by the lower ground of the Railroad District and the lack of a clear view of the large lenticularis sweeping up the flank of the Siskiyous. As I walked along the pathway, I looked East and observed another evening sky invader: The Wicked Witch of the West. It was only her head and in cloud form, but evenso, I recognized her immediately.

The brisk cold wind blew hard on my insufficiently covered body, but I pressed southward in search of a clear shot of the invading lenticularis. Finally, I found one.

At this point, I could have turned around, but I thought I might as well get some exercise while I was out and continued down East Main to a rural area. I said hello to this horse, who actually did not seem that happy to see me. But that didn't stop me from taking his picture. Sorry, horsey.

I finally reached GracePoint church and headed onto their property and toward the vacant lot behind the little playground there. It was there I waited for the sun to set, which it did, and when my camera's memory card told me (once again) that it was full, I packed it up and realized that my fingers were freezing cold. A mile and a half from home, I walked back with the bitter cold wind in my face wondering why on earth I didn't have the sense to wear a jacket, hat, and gloves. Oh well.

Happy Saturday.

Waiting for water to boil

Spinach tortellini for (late) lunch today. While I was waiting for the water to boil, I popped out back and shot a few pics of the lovely Spring flowers that are blossoming in abundance around my yard...

...and then there's this one from earlier today:

Hope the Spring is treating you equally as well. Happy Thursday.

Cloud Watching on an April Evening

It was another gorgeously beautiful day in Ashland today. Blue sky all day with a smattering of happy puffy Cumulus popping up here and there. But, at the end of the day, a thunderhead boiled up south of us in the Siskiyous.

I left the Y just before seven and headed straight home to grab the camera. Camera as my co-pilot, I headed over to Emigrant Lake in hopes of a view of our One Big Cloud of the day.

I parked at the lot before the boathouse and scampered up the dam. Ooo! Pretty cloud.

While I was snapping photos of the big cloud, the sun was setting. And lest you think I was exaggerating about there only being one cloud, I turned around and took this picture of The Other Cloud in the sky this evening. (See, I was mostly telling the truth!)

And, now, back to the action! The cumulonimbus continues to grow and happy people get one last waterskiing run before dark. Waterskiing in April. Mwahaha. You wish you were here, don't you.

I was beginning to get hungry for dinner. (Sometimes I forget about dinner and just want to go take pictures of pretty things.) So I headed out. I got to the entrance of Emigrant Lake, looked South and...

The Anvil. Duh duh duuuuhhhhhhhhhh.

I had to get a closer look. I turned south on Hwy 66 and found a turnout.

The Anvil Cometh!

Mmmmmmmmmm. Annnnnnvilllllllll. My favorite. (Sorry, I kept missing the lightning. But it was there!)

Ooo. Watch how it Billows. Billow, Anvil. Billow.

Sadly, it was time to go. I took one last look at the Cumulonimbus and it's Happy Tail.

I'm glad the birdies liked the sunset too.

And that's the story of The One Cloud We Had Today (and The Other One, Too).

Happy Tuesday.

Lithia Park's Playground Overseer

Visited our little Western Screech Owl in Lithia Park again yesterday evening. The original shot was fairly dark since I arrived just after the sunset. But nothing that a little Photoshop couldn't handle.

It's always fun and relaxing to visit The Owl.

Spring Wildflowers in Lithia Park

Found a number of wildflowers in bloom in Lithia Park today. If you know the names of them, I'd love to know! The only one I recognized by name was Oregon Grape, but I hadn't seen it in bloom before. Update: The first one Fritillaria. Thanks Carol!

Fritillaria

Oregon Grape

Hope you enjoyed your Sunday. It was beautiful today in Ashland.

Rhody Bud

Super-tweaked the exposure and contrast to create this image of a Rhododendron bud in my backyard soaking in the last seconds of sunlight before the sun went behind the hills.

Happy Friday.

Another batch of favorites from Easter weekend

Here's another small batch of favorites from this past weekend. Enjoy!

Zoie gets a first look at her transformation into a tiger.

Sno-Cone in hand, The Dadoo takes in the festivities at Avamere.

One of the treats of staying at Grandma and Grandpa's...morning cartoons on the Big Bed.

Just before the sun set on Friday, I stole away to the backyard for some close-ups of the blossoming trees.

Waiting for Cupcakes

This is one of my favorites from the pictures I took over the weekend.

More to come...in a trickle, instead of all at once this time.

Cross raised at new worship center at Village

DSC00057
Originally uploaded by villageonflickr

Glad to see pictures of the cross-raising at the construction site at Village today. Wish I could have been there! More pictures of construction at villageonflickr's photostream and in the photo pool, Village Baptist Church Construction Photos. (I'm admin of that pool and I invite you to add your photos of the worship center construction to that group! So far it's just me (and I don't even live there!) and Patty (who takes the pictures for Village). The more the merrier!

Spring Walk on Helman St.

Took a very long exploratory walk around Ashland today, kind of following Ashland Creek and ended up going down Helman Street all the way to the dog park. On Helman, I found about 20 or more deer hanging out, some lovely flowering trees, and even some lambs. Put the pictures in this set, Spring Walk on Helman St..

Here are a few favorites:

Find the rest here.

Hope you enjoy. Happy Weekend.

Sunset on Dead Indian Memorial Road

A little after six this evening it was looking like there might be a pretty sunset, so I grabbed the camera and hopped in the car to scope out a good place to take some pictures. I went south and turned on Dead Indian Memorial Road, a road I had not yet explored (and wasn't exactly sure where it would take me). Well, it took me *into* the hills. Not exactly awesome to be surrounded by (albeit very pretty) hills when what I was looking for was a clear vantage point of the valley north with sky and clouds, etc. But, just when I was about to turn around, the road gained a bit of altitude and lo and behold, a turnout, some nice branchy trees, and a sun, setting behind the hills.

And a car wreck.

Later, I stopped off at the Railroad District Park, but none of the pictures turned out the way I wanted, so, it turned out to be more of a learning experience instead of a sharing experience.

The small set of photos that made the cut can be found in my flickr set: Sunset on Dead Indian Memorial Road. Enjoy.

Happy End-Of-Friday.

Spring's Silhouette

After my trip to the bank this afternoon (yay!) I went searching for higher ground to capture Ashland's hills in the midst of a classic April shower afternoon. I found some, but struggled with my beginner's knowledge of exposure and how to balance light in a dramatically lit sky and a shadowed foreground. This one turned out pretty good:

After trying my hand at the hills, on my way down aptly named Mountain Avenue, I stopped in at the nature center for this shot that I spotted on my way up.

After taking this, I walked around the grounds looking for interesting subjects, but it's still a little early in the Spring for an abundance of color and life. Even so, I found this fine tree and admired it's silhouette (a word I just properly learned how to spell, thank you Google) and it is the inspiration for today's post. I hope you enjoy.

Happy Friday.

A Tea Cozy

Just finished a tea cozy for me (of all people)! Hooray for hot tea seconds!

Not (Yet) Spring, Pt. 2

Added a few more pictures to my Not Yet Spring flickr set...Spring is almost here! Yay.

Not (Yet) Spring

I was out running an errand on the south end of town when I spotted some brilliant Altocumulus lenticularis hovering over one of the Siskiyou hills. But by the time I went back home to fetch my camera they had dissipated into the blah stratus mass that had settled into the valley. (At least it didn't rain.) Driving southward, searching the skyline for any remaining lenticularis to photograph, I decided to explore around Emigrant Lake a little bit, which is just off of Hwy 66, only a couple of miles outside of town. I pulled over at one of the waysides and decided that since I'd come all the way out here to take some pictures, I might as well find something interesting to photograph. In the Not-Spring on an overcast day, the colors were less than radiant and I struggled to find inspiration. But finally, I spotted some trees with nothing remaining in their fractal brambles of branches but bunches of mistletoe. This picture below is my favorite. I love how the edges glow. This pic is straight out of the camera. (No photoshopped glowing edges here! ;-)

You can find the rest of the pictures I took at the wayside here, in my flickr set, Not Yet Spring. I plan to go out and take more pictures of in this intermediate season I call "Not Yet Spring" tomorrow. Hopefully, in the Not-Rain. ;-)

The View From Here Is Quite Nice

Took advantage of a gorgeous day and drove up to Crater Lake to take some pictures. Still learning to use the new camera but that didn't stop me from taking lots of pictures, many of which are posted on Flickr and stashed in my set, Crater Lake March 2009.

On my way back, I ventured a bit down Hwy 230 and snapped some photos of some favorite haunts (well, those I could get to, anyway).

I hope you enjoy this set!

Oregon Junco (in my backyard)

Link

Ami Duckie

Just finished this for my friends' bebe girl. Used yard and thread for eyes instead of buttons cuz she's a chewer. :)

Link

Daphne

Link

A Photographic Field Trip

As soon as 4:30pm came around (i.e. The Magic Hour), I put on a warm jacket, scarf, stuffed some mittens in my pocket, grabbed my camera bag and walked to Lithia Park in hopes of finding a pretty thing or two to photograph with my new digital SLR camera. Upon entering the park, I noticed one of the theatres reflecting in the First Pond. Walking up from there, I squealed with anticipation at the thought of capturing the famous owl perched high in a knot of a tree overlooking the playground. Sure enough, the owl was there and I switched to my 70-300mm lens and zoomed in on the sleeping prowler. A couple walked by wanting to see how the pictures turned out (knowing exactly what I was doing there) and I figured out how to zoom in on the picture to make sure the owl was in focus, and sure enough he was! (No tripod, even!) I was thrilled. It's always fun to share a "local's moment." :)

I did my usual "short walk", past the Parks building to the Lily Pad bridge (well, there weren't any lily pads there at the moment!) and back, experimenting with different light settings and shutter speeds. I love that I can take those pictures of water where the water is blurry but everything else is in focus. I always wondered how that was done. :)

So, the pictures are posted in my Lithia Park set on flickr, starting here. I hope you enjoy them!

Happy Friday!

mmm...helvetica

New Music

Finally broke down and bought some new music last night. For some reason, I've had "The Moldau" in my head for the better part of week. It's one of my favorite songs but I've never owned a recording of it. This song is actually associated with one of my earliest memories of classical music. When I was at Rock Creek Elementary, one time in music class, our music teacher had us sit at our desks with a blank piece of drawing paper and some drawing utensils (can't remember what exactly) and he instructed us to listen to this piece called "The Moldau" and draw what we heard. I don't remember exactly what I drew, but I remember the feeling—that amazing feeling—of drawing the music. It was this wonderful yet simple amalgamation of creative expression. It felt like freedom to me.

My nieces love music. So I found an album with a recording of "The Moldau" along with a bunch (well 30, in fact) of other known and not-so-well-known classical pieces. The tone of the album makes it perfect for quiet reading time in the afternoon and it'll be great exposure for them to some of the great music of history. Not to mention excellent dancing material. So the first album I bought was 30 Toddler Classical Songs, Vol. I.

The recording of "The Moldau" on 30 Toddler Classical Songs (Vol. I) wasn't as nuanced as I prefer, so I picked up an album of Smetana and Dvořák, too. It has all the pieces of "Ma Vlast", including, of course, "Vlatava" (aka "The Moldau") and, as it turns out, the very enjoyable Dvořák symphony piece that I heard the Oregon Symphony play after the intermission on Monday night. So the second album I bought was Smetana: Má vlast; Dvorak: Symphony No.4. The album is quickly becoming a favorite.

My brother, Brant, has a friend from SPU, Lacey, who is a musician and fellow percussionist (she also plays a mean timp). She is, I'm proud to say, my facebook friend. One day, she indicated that she was a fan of Arvo Pärt. Knowing Lacey to be a talented musician and as such privvy to musical knowledge I can only dream of, I added an Arvo Pärt "station" to my Pandora Radio (click here to listen). I found myself repeatedly giving the "thumbs up" to his "Fratres" pieces and have been meaning to pick up an album featuring them for quite some time now. So the third album I bought was Arvo Pärt: Fratres. I am quite convinced that James Horner was inspired by these pieces when he wrote the soundtrack for the movie "Sneakers". Perfect parts eerie tension and beauty.

Finally, I have repeatedly mentioned that I attended the Oregon Symphony's performance on Monday night featuring Edgar Meyer. I had heard him but not known it and so for me, he was a new discovery. I enjoy bluegrass and am leaning strongly toward learning that style on my violin. I think it would be fun to learn how to improvise and play from a chart, instead of just from musical notes on a page. So once again I have Pandora to thank for helping me to discover a new album. I bought Telluride Sessions not only because Edgar Meyer plays, but because it is an amazing collaborative work of Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Mark O'Connor, and Edgar Meyer. (More about the album in this wikipedia article, "Telluride Sessions".)

So now I have some new music. Sigh. I feel better now.

Mid-week weekend wrapup

Spent last weekend up north in Lacey and Portland/Beaverton. We celebrated Jackie's birthday at Seth and April's home in Lacey with a photo scavenger hunt that April very creatively organized. Some of us wore (at her request) our fishing vests to go with the "adventure" theme and she made little backpacks (filled with snacks and water), paper binoculars (for finding the clues, of course), and a paper compass too (very handy, it was). Everyone was assigned roles (I was "Tracker Chic") and we split into teams. (Even Grandpa Doug tagged along in the car and got out for for photos, too.) Jackie got to open one of her gifts before the hunt. What was it? The long-awaited fishing vest, of course! (And from Cabela's, no less!) Jackie chided that *now* she really feels like an accepted member of the Himes' clan. (I'm a little jealous! My vest's pockets have holes in them from overuse...looks like I'm just gonna *have* to go to Cabela's myself and get a new one! Darn it! ;-)

I drove up in my car, separately from Mom, Dad, and Grandpa so that I could stay an extra night with the Fun Squad. I finished crocheting a duckling for Kylia and I took Adalie to the Wal-Mart to pick out some pink yarn for her bunny, which I started on Saturday night and finished on Sunday evening. Seth and I played a lot of Indiana Jones on the Wii, which was a ton of fun. (Can't remember the last time I lounged around playing a non-Mario-Kart game with my brother. Man, I really would love to own a Wii. Someday, perhaps. New camera first.

Drove back to the Homeplace (mom'n'dad's) Sunday evening (late) and spent the next morning with Grandpa and my Dad at the construction site at Village. (Pictures over here.) They tilted-up nearly all of the walls for the new worship center that day. It was quite a sight to see:

On Monday evening, I went to the Schitzer downtown (Portland) to see the Oregon Symphony and Edgar Meyer perform. It was a great concert. I enjoyed every minute of it and discovered new music as well. I had just decided last week that I wanted to go and when I bought my ticket online, asked for the cheapest seat. Well, being single and a last-minute concert-goer does have it's advantages, because as it happens there was a single seat in the 5th row on the Orchestra level! I was in such disbelief, that I actually walked all the way up to the Upper Balcony. But the usher said, no, you're down there. "Down there?" I replied. So even though I love the acoustics in the upper balcony at the Schitz, it was great to be so close to the soloist! What a treat. I hadn't been to the Symphony in years. It was so refreshing and exciting to be downtown going to the Symphony again. Went up to the stage at intermission and said hello to my former junior high and high school orchestra conductor (she plays in the first violin section). It was a lovely night and made me miss being in the big city. (Even though it's just a city that thinks it's big.)

Maybe it's time for a change. A new adventure, perhaps?

Classical Bass Concert This Weekend

Decided to indulge in an unusual little treat this weekend: a classical bass concert featuring Edgar Meyer and the Oregon Symphony.

America's best-known master of the double bass, the charismatic Edgar Meyer, joins the orchestra in a pair of concertos never before performed by the Oregon Symphony: one by the great 19th-century master of the instrument—and one of his very own. About the concert

I've never been to a concert featuring a double bass. I expect it will be equal parts unique and enchanting. More about the program (the music, composers, etc.) may be found on the Oregon Symphony website.

haiku.

even tears that streak
down high zygomatics
will dry in good time

Morning reading

Today's random assortment of morning reading includes: Tiltshift Photography, First Principles on Working on Stuff That Matters, A Briefing of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, and The New Airport Terminal in Medford.

Via Drawn!, links to the fun world of Tiltshift Photography—or how to use Photoshop to make a regular photo look like a miniature scene. {Link}

Tim O'Reilly outlines his insights into working on stuff that matters with his thoughts on working on something that matters more to you than money and creating more value than you capture. {Link}

On Reuter's AlertNet, I went looking for a briefing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and found one. AlertNet exists to "alert humanitarians to emergencies" and is an excellent source of news and information on the crises and conflicts happening in the world today. {Link}

Finally, in local news, Medford's new airport terminal opened yesterday. Now the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, it features an observation deck, actual gates (you have to know your gate number now!), and in February, a restaurant and pub designed to serve both the lobby and the secure waiting area. I'll have to find an excuse (and some $$) to fly out of here next month, it would seem. ;-) {Link}

Happy morning reading.

Seth's newest video: Karen Kingsbury On the Set

For those of you who haven't seen this yet, here's Seth's latest production, a short video on the set of Like Dandelion Dust featuring Karen Kingsbury's visit to witness production of her book into film.

Now Playing

Now playing on my "singles mix"—a random assortment of individual tracks from my meager music collection...(links open in iTunes...when I could find a link).

• Mighty to Save {Hillsong}
• Snow (Hey Oh) {Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Think I'm In Love {Beck}
• Brightness {Lanterna}
• Unconditional {The Bravery}
• Satellite {Guster}
• Over My Head (Cable Car) {The Fray}
• How It Ends {Devotchka}
• Fade Into You {Mazzy Star}
• Hallelujah {Jeff Buckley}
• The Trapeze Swinger {Iron & Wine}
• Orange Sky {Alexi Murdoch}
• Please forgive me (Live) {David Grey}
• Please - Live From Rotterdam {U2}
• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Live From Rotterdam {U2}
• Such a Lovely Thing {Devotchka}
• La Femme d'Argent {Air}
• Everything Is Alright {Four Tet}
• Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) {US3}
• Ring of Fire {Johnny Cash}

Happy sampling...

Snow in the backyard

Snow in the backyard
Originally uploaded by amber_is_i

An invasion of tiny parachute flakes began early this afternoon. The snow has just begun to stick on the ground and the branches of the trees. This picture was taken of the backyard around quarter after three on Sunday afternoon.

Any snow in your backyard?

Announcing Chair Massage at First Friday at the "A" Street Arts Building

Just this morning I arranged to be at the "A" Street Arts Building for First Friday offering chair massage! "First Friday" is Ashland's gallery tour night (akin to Portland's First Thursdays). If you're in Ashland, the "A" Street Arts Building is on "A" Street and First across from the hardware store. I'm told there will be a Blues band there as well, so I'm sure it will be a great place to be on Friday, February 1st. I'll be offering chair massage in the upstairs hallway for $1/minute starting at 5pm. Hope to see some familiar faces (and meet new ones, too)!

Link: Amber Himes Massage, LLC

Like Dandelion Dust Movie Teaser Posted to Highwater Pictures Production Diary

Seth has created a promo video for the upcoming movie Like Dandelion Dust based on the novel by Karen Kingsbury.

Go check it out! Here's the link: Like Dandelion Dust Movie Teaser.

Library of Congress photos now on Flickr

Operating a hand drill at Vultee-Nashville, woman is working on a "Vengeance" dive bomber, Tennessee (LOC)
Originally uploaded by The Library of Congress

This past week, Flickr launched The Commons, a place for public-domain photos and the public's chance to help make those photos findable by the rest of the world. Flickr says:

You're invited to help describe photographs in the Library of Congress' collection on Flickr, by adding tags or leaving comments.

This is an amazing opportunity to be a part of making historical photos accessible to the masses. Browse the LOC's collection here and start tagging! (What are tags?)

Photos By Adalie, Age 4

My niece, Adalie, who is 4 now, is quite taken with my digital camera. After all, she's been able to navigate through photos (at least unidirectionally) since she was 9 months old. Her little fingers are now strong enough to hold down the tempermental shutter button (which has to focus first) and take a picture. So now, I let her have at it and I've discovered that she has quite a knack for perspective!

I've organized her photos into four albums. They are:

• The Baby Doll Series
• The Everyday Objects Series
• The Faces of Stuffed Animals Series
• The Tic Tac Toe Series

I hope you will enjoy Adalie Grace's first installment!

Link to The Gallery at Sleepyhead City :: Photos By Adalie

There's a bear on this beach

Who can tell me what beach this is? (Excluding persons who visited my parents for the holiday.)

Update! Trisha and Stephen were correct! The bear is a shadow of a ginormous bear kite flying during a kite festival a few years back in Lincoln City. (Bonus fact! Grandpa Doug's dark gray Tahoe is in the parking lot. It's the 3rd car from the bottom in the row adjacent to the beach, next to the white tent.)

Click here to visit the Google Map/Satellite photo.

Click to enlarge:

And what is the bear?

Mysteries in Mystery

Just finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, my favorite of the series. And oh the sweet sadness! The last few pages explain many mysteries of the Harry Potter myth and create even more. Here are a couple of passages that have lingered in my mind even since the last time I read this book (Over a year ago, I think, maybe two.)

From Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Lost Prophecy, page 835-856, hardcover edition:

[Headmaster Albus Dumbledore speaking to Harry] "But I knew too where Voldemort was weak. And so I made my decision. You would be protected by an ancient magic of which he knows, which he despises, and which he has always, therefore, underestimated — to his cost. I am speaking, of course, of the fact that your mother died to save you. She gave you a lingering protection he never expected, a protection that flows in your veins to this day. I put my trust, therefore, in your mother's blood. I delivered you to her sister, her only remaining relative."

...and... (later in the chapter, on pages 843-844, Dubledore continues...)

"There is a room in the Department of Mysteries," interupted Dumbledore, "that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the many subjects of study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all. That power took you to save Sirius tonight. That power also saved you from possession by Voldemort, because he could not bear to reside in a body so full of the force he detests. In the end, it mattered not that you could not close your mind. It was your heart that saved you."

I really do enjoy these books—for the characters mostly—but I do find these themes of sacrificial love as death-defying protection and queries into the powerful content and nature of the heart resonate with me in my own journey of faith. These mythical stories help me (my mind, my heart, my soul) explore the mysteries of the Gospel. The mystery of Christ dying on the cross, a willing sacrifice, and in the small but eternally significant matter of an uttered confession and decision of the heart...this sacrifice somehow applies an eternal protection over our soul enabling fellowship with God regardless of bodily life or death, new Earth or old Earth, Kingdom Now or Kingdom to Come—there's a lot of mystery there! I like to read fiction and fantasy because somehow I think it trains my imagination and I strongly suspect that the strength and character of my imagination has everything to do with how I process the mysteries of faith and come to believe in them wholeheartedly. So while some sharing my same faith confession might choose to burn and scorn Harry Potter books, I will continue to borrow them from my Grandpa and read them, alongside Tolkien and Lewis, and L'Engle, and oh yes, David, Paul, Moses, Isaiah, Daniel, Peter, and John and I will continue to look for revelation in the most unsuspecting of places.

So thank you for writing these stories, Ms. Rowling. My sincerest thanks, indeed.

Elegance in Skill (Defined and Documented)

Got four minutes? Check out this amazing juggling performance: Chris Bliss: Must-See Finale

Pavarotti's Opening Ceremony Performance

Audio with slide-show-esque video of Pavarott's performance of Nessun Dorma is available on the NBC Olympics site. It was a magnificent performance.

Here's the link:
Pavarotti ends Opening Ceremony

The Making of an Independent Film

Have you ever wondered how those independent films got made? Ever wanted to know about a movie BEFORE it got posted on IMDb??!? Well you too can be a part of independent filmmaking history. Head on over to Seth's blog for The Allegiance and who knows...maybe your ingenius witticisms will make the DVD!!

Check it out:
VowYourAllegiance.com

Bonhoeffer airs tonight on PBS

Filmmaker Martin Doblmeier profiles Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young Christian theologian who was hanged in a Nazi concentration camp.

In Portland, it's on at 10:00 pm on PBS (Channel 10) tonight (Monday).

Bonhoeffer (2003) - Program Details - Yahoo! TV

Rich Fuller: Spirit Guide Me

Melanie points out that Rich's song, Spirit Guide Me, is now on bob.blog.

It's a prayerful, meditative, wonderful song. Check it out.

Copy and paste this URL: http://bobhyatt.typepad.com/bobblog/files/spirit_guide_me.mp3
(I'm working out a bug and had to take down the link for the time being...)

(Let me know if I'm stepping on any toes spreading the word on this. And Bob, if you are reading and want me to serve this link on my server, drop a line in comments.)

Clippings Roundup

I've (finally) started using Bloglines to read/scan/skim updated blogs, zines, newspapers, etc. and one of the features is "Save to Clippings Folder". I've been meaning to post these as I go, but what a surprise, this task has been neglected. So here goes:

Techy stuff

• 43folders: Three OS X Timers— alarm clocks and timers that run on a Mac
• del.icio.us'd by vj (my office mate), PDX Super Crafty: Getting your creative business off the ground—applies to crafty-creatives not necessarily movie-making-creatives, interesting ideas though
• Posted on Macromedia Consulting Weblogs, a mashup of Yahoo! Maps Beta and some Webcams of the programmer's favorite skiing spots—mashup is the buzzword for creating something unique out of two or more existing (usually) digital things.
• Here's another Yahoo! Maps Beta Video mashup [Macromedia Weblog entry]
• Yet another Yahoo Maps! Beta mashup: Ivan Todorov of BLITZ | Blog: My Daily Traffic Report (as of this post, site took a while to load)
• If you want to dive in to developing a Flash app using the Yahoo! Maps Beta API, here's a simple example of how to do so. (Saving this for a snowy day...)
• Discussion of Safari CPU hogging issue, via MacInTouch
• Discussion of router problems, via MacInTouch
• Beta: Interrogate 0.7—a visual MySQL database manager for OS X, freeware. I'm using CocoaMySQL and I like it, but it seldom hurts to try something new
• For the iTunes glutton in all of us: Switch between two iTunes Libraries, via Mac OS X Hints dot com
• Via LifeHacker.com: Micro Persuasion: Ten ways to use Bloglines
• Also via LifeHacker, a nod to Atomic Learning's free online video tutorials for Tiger (OS X 10.4), Taming the Tiger: An Orientation to Mac OS X 10.4—mmmm video tutorials. I'm going to start producing these after the New Year. I've got my Snapz Pro, I'm wishing for a Logitech Desktop Microphone, and I've got Movable Type and Mac tutorial ideas aplenty to share...
• "Computer, What Day Is It?" Just discovered Tiger's voice command utility Speech. Very entertaining. Oh. And useful. Probably. ;-)
• Geek to Live: How to fix Mom and Dad's computer
• try ruby in your browser—ruby is a programming language I'm highly desirous to learn

Around the world

• BBC: Women resist 'honour' marriages—Five women from the same family in Pakistan's Punjab province have refused to be "united" with their prospective husbands as ordered by tribal elders.
• BBC: Girls Still Miss Out on Schooling—New figures show the UN has fallen well short of its target of getting as many girls educated as boys. (Maybe that's because it's a ginormous problem that needs widespread attention and coordinated strategy.)
• BBC: US firm to fight Somali pirates— I just thought it was somewhat ironic that there seems to be a comedic renaissance of pirate culture afoot in Internet-Land and here on the BBC is a story of US firm who's managed to score a contract for fighting pirates off the coast of Somalia. Who knew?

Fun(ny)

• Homestar Runner: Download All Our Playsets and Toys! ("cheap as free")—what will they think of next? I've only recently claimed victory over my random.bat Button Addiction

• Flickr Pool: MLK Blvd's around the world—who'll add photos of P-town's MLK Blvd.? (more about the project here)
• via Drawn!: animated shorts done in watercolor! La Papillon
• Of course you already knew that the third installment of X-Men is coming May 06: X3 Announcement Teaser, X3 Official Website

Thus endeth the linking extravaganza. Until next time, adieu and farewell.

Movies promoted in one theatre share a common cinematic past

Principals in the following upcoming films all starred together in which 2004 film?

Lady In The Water

King Kong

Walk the Line

Syriana

***Answer***

Yes, it would seem that M. Night Shyamalan's The Village served the careers of its primary players well, not to mention his own filmmaking career. What prompted me to write about this was that on Sunday, Dad and I went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and with the exception of Walk the Line, which was of course playing in the same theatre we were in, I noticed that films featuring the primary actors, actresses or writer/directors of The Village were promoted in some fashion before the feature. Shyamalan used Bryce Dallas Howard ("Ivy Walker" in The Village) for his upcoming Lady In The Water (whom we don't actually see in this first trailer). Adrien Brody ("Noah Percy") plays in King Kong, Willam Hurt ("Edward Walker") is in Syriana and Joaquin Phoenix ("Lucius Hunt") fills the role of Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (which Matt succinctly recommends).

The Bible in Legos

This guy is illustrating the Bible using Legos. He calls it The Brick Testament.

What I think is interesting about that is that Legos, little plastic interlocking pieces of perpetual fun and activity for all ages is spelled the same way as the Greek work legos, which can be translated the Word of the Lord. So he's using Legos (TM) to bring the Legos (Gr.). Hmmm. (Wow Amber that was deeeeeeep.)

Anyway lots of Bible-learning, lego-building fun over at The Brick Testament.

Awake Art

Here's a slideshow of a small handful of photos on Flickr that posess some connotation with the word "awake."

A slideshow of agentolivia's favorites on Flickr

Another New U.S. Nickel

I'm not usually a coin geek, but I'm loving the new Westward Journey designs of the U.S. nickel. Jefferson's head now "bleeds" off the five-cent piece and a couple weeks ago I noticed also a buffalo design on the tails side. But today, what a treat. I was digging in my coin purse for change to get a pack of gum and found another new design, inspired by Lewis and Clark, again on the tails side of the 2005 U.S. nickel:

A link for the interested: The United States Mint: Westward Journey Nickel Series.

Neat, huh?

Matrix Pong

This is awesome.

New music, new movie, new(ish) blog

Head on over to Dan's blog, The Nerdery to listen to two songs by the band Devotchka. One of the songs is from the trailer for Everything is Illuminated, of which Dan parenthetically remarks, "a trailer that is well worth watching." I concur.

On a technical note, Dan used CastPost which created a very nice interface for playing the songs within his blog post. Looks like something to check out—especially for you guys who like to blog about music. Linking to iTunes is fine, but I liked the elimination of that extra step of the computer explicitly opening up another program. You press play, and play it does. Nice and simple.

(For those of you who haven't met Dan yet but know Alonna, Dan is Alonna's husband. If you still don't know who I'm talking about, well then this note isn't really going to help you, is it? ;) Dan is also a tremendously useful person when one is planning the technical support of a short-term team to, say, India, for example.)

Difficult Times for Harry, Good Times for Us

It's the nature of the entertainment industry, I suppose: excitement and anticipation about dramatic hardship of fictional characters. Is it wrong to be excited about the difficult times that lie ahead for Harry? Well, right or wrong, I am excited about the movies coming up this fall.

I got thinking about this because last night I went and saw Batman Begins at the new theatre in Tualatin and spotted the movie poster for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (based on book 4 of the series). This book plunges deeper into the more serious aspects of the story and its characters and I liked how this poster captured that mood. The movie will be in theatres in no time (this coming November). And with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe coming this fall as well (December 9), I'm looking forward to the holiday movie season this year. No post-Lord-of-the-Rings-depression here (although a extended-DVD marathon of all three movies is in order for the near future, I think). It's a good time to love the fantastical.

Links:

• The Official Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Website
• Official Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe Website

It's also a good time to get cracking on reading up on the series of both Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia, at the very least reading the books of the upcoming movies. Maybe I need to move farther away so that I would have more time on the train to read. =)

Happy blockbuster movie anticipating.

A 2005 Buffalo Nickel

A few minutes ago I found something completely new in an ordinary everyday object: a newly designed U.S. nickel.

Markers!

What *could* it be?

Hmmm...what is it?

'Awake' in North Portland

Photo credit: VJ

Thanks VJ!

Are we ready to battle with evil?

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a book that leaves me with an impression that evil should be approached with purity of heart; friends, prepared, armed, and ready; and a focused driven attitude—even to the point of sacrifice.

Though what I love best about the books in the Harry Potter series are the endearing protagonists, delightful setting, and engaging plot, many times in the series, especially in the last three books, I have paused to think about the due diligence (or lack thereof) evident in my own life as I walk with the current of the Kingdom-Come flowing swiftly and surely in and around me.

Am I prepared for the seemingly fantastical battles ahead? Is my soul ready for the heart-wrenching decisions I will face? Despite the content of witchcraft and wizardry which some oppose (though they may not object to it in LOTR), I believe the service J.K. Rowling renders to her readers, young and old alike, is the comingling of innocence and guilt, lightheartedness and forboding, safety and danger, truth and lie, illumination and obfuscation interwoven in a context of fictional story, characters, and setting.

Though rendered in the realm of fantasy, does this not inform, if not warn us here in the Real World and in the Church that though it may be too heart-breaking to acknowlege, to difficult to comprehend, to frightening to ponder, we are, as with all creation, headed toward a new world, a new earth, yes, a new creation—a place of victory—only preluded by epic battles of war, death, torture, separation, fire, destruction, monsters and beasts, and creatures that we perceive to only exist in Faerie?

I believe that Rowling, along with many other writers of fiction and fantasy, can prepare the imagination for the truth revealed in the Word of God. To me, we seem too ill-prepared for the days ahead. I am thankful to the writers, filmmakers, and other creatives who create a bridge from Reality to Another Place, so that when we close the book, walk out of the theatre, or power off the DVD player, we can return to our World, perhaps more prepared, or at least inclined to get prepared for the "real" magnificent stories awaiting us in the days to come.

L.A. weekend pictures posted

Posted my pictures from L.A./Alex's graduation {finally}.

There's a sub-album in there with several shots of Alex's friend Grace's installation. The story is that Alex used some elements from Grace's pieces, digitized them, 3D'd and animated them for her fine arts installation (which turned out very cool, btw.)

As in life, people move on to different opportunties, environments, and geographical locations. I thoroughly enjoyed hangin' with Alex and her friends who have supported her and loved her through four grueling years. Thanks for taking care of my friend!

Noah's Friends launch

We launched the Noah's Friends site over the weekend. This is the brain-child of my brother, Seth. He's written 12 episodes of the adventures of the animals who stuck around after the flood and turned the ark into their own personal clubhouse and home. A team of animators has been working on the characters and background designs — I've been amazed by the incredible talent. I did the web site working from a start from Seth's friend and am pretty happy with how it turned out. It was a fun project to work on, especially with all the incredible art to work with. Seth's pitch on the site casts vision very well, I think, and hopefully someone will catch that vision and enable Seth to run with it.

I set up a design gallery for the site as well. The animators have been working hard over the last year or so and Seth wanted an easy-to-update, professional, and organized way to display the various designs. Its powered by the same program (Gallery) that runs my photo site, The Gallery at Sleepyhead City. There's a little tweaking to be done on the design gallery's stylesheet, but it's getting there.

Check out the pitch for Noah's Friends, an animated series ...coming soon to DVD (God willing!!!)

Go Seth!

Nooks, crannies, and scalloped walls

I started reading this book on church architecture today and after reading a few pages, I flipped to the back of the book to look for drawings and floor plans. I saw this drawing and it immediately resonated with me because we're in the midst of envisioning a "sacred space" for corporate worship that is inclusive and participatory and allows for varied forms of worship. I felt that this layout had some potential for providing what we're referring to as "alcove spaces" that might accommodate some of these various forms (that is, beyond a band, a sound board, and worship aerobics).

One of the things I like about this layout is the scalloped walls. On the building committee and with the architects, we've been talking about the idea of alcoves, nooks, and crannies, kinds of secret hiding places for prayer, worship, drawing, painting, conversation in the midst of big church worship...and places for these same kinds of activities throughout the week, unscheduled, unprogrammed, unrehearsed.

Found in the book Liturgy and Architecture by Peter Hammond (Columbia University Press, New York, 1961.

Red Ball Project

More about the Red Ball Project here...

On Friday, VJ and I are talking. I'm looking through her Flickr pics and she's talking about this guy who keeps inflating this ginormous red ball all over portland. at the schnitzer, city hall, somewhere on the bus mall and i'm kinda half-listening, half-looking through her pics. about a minute later, i look out our office window and there this giant red ball in the world trade center right across the street. i say, "oh, is that why you brought up the red ball guy?" she looks out the window, "oh my god!" the whole time she was talking about the red ball, it was right outside our window.

mike h. next door says it was a perfect place for a giant red ball. almost like it was made for it. we all feel dumb for not thinking of it first.

oh well. ;-)

Red ball in the World Trade Center

Of note: symphony commissioned to honor 1945 Nagasaki victims

Excerpt from the Oregonian's Kyr will write a symphony honoring Nagasaki victims:

The symphony is entitled "Ah Nagasaki: Ashes Into Light" and will present four vocal soloists, a chorus that includes children and full orchestra. The work, Kyr's 10th symphony, incorporates Western music, Japanese taiko drumming, and Noh chanting to depict the devastation and to offer a prayer for peace. A brief section of the work will be performed on the 60th anniversary next August. The full work will debut in two years' time, Kyr said.

The text of the symphony is a collaboration between Kyr and Tanahashi, and is written in both English and Japanese. "The entire project is intercultural," Kyr said.

Full article here: Oregonlive.com | Kyr will write a symphony honoring Nagasaki victims

In the sun

I picture you in the sun wondering what went wrong
And falling down on your knees asking for sympathy
And being caught in between all you wish for and all you seen
And trying to find anything you can feel that you can believe in

May God's love be with you
Always
May God's love be with you

I know I would apologize if I could see your eyes
'Cause when you showed me myself I became someone else
But i was caught in between all you wish for and all you need
I picture you fast asleep
A nightmare comes
You can't keep awake

May God's love be with you
Always
May God's love be with you

'Cause if i find
If I find my own way
How much will i find
If I find
If I find my own way
How much will I find
You

I don't know anymore
What it's for
I'm not even sure
If there is anyone who is in the sun
Will you help me to understand
'Cause I been caught in between all I wish for and all I need
Maybe you're not even sure what it's for
Any more than me

May God's love be with you
Always
May God's love be with you

~Joseph Arthur, "In the sun"

Commuter Reading List: Argentina, Tolstoy, and the Corporate Soul

Today's commuter reading list is inspired partially by a grant from chapter one of Dallas Willard's book, The Divine Conspiracy which has been the most timely, inspiring, and refreshing book I have read since yesterday (as I am concurrently reading Richard Foster's Streams of Living Water).

So Mr. Willard says that one of the most important books in two centuries is Tolstoy's Confession ; so, I picked that up at the library at lunch today. Incidentally, there was a concert going on Arts and Music floor (which also houses the books on religion) so after I found it, wandered around the literature section a bit, waiting for a pause in the program, and found a book that I thought Grandma might enjoy while she is recovering at the skilled nursing facility: a book of Christopher Marlowe's poems. Hopefully she'll like it. She's been wanting a book of poems to read.

And yesterday, I picked up David Batstone's book, Saving the Corporate Soul which they also had at the library and as of this morning's commute am finding to be a great read indeed. (Good stories, so far, too.)

But I think the most exciting thing I will read today is the College of Arts and Craft's Fall Course Schedule pamphlet which I picked up at The Real Mother Goose (at the MAX stop which is nearest the library). Would you believe they have a class on Celtic calligraphy on Monday evenings this fall? And the school is just around the corner from my new place. Brilliant. I am very excited. Now to save my dollars for the tuition. Maybe I oughta start charging my clients for web hosting...hmmm...also most brilliant idea.

Also on today's commute, a couple of articles on Argentina and one on Venezuela. Argentina's economic situation is proving very interesting and will probably have far-reaching consequences to countries all over the planet currently indebted to the World Bank and the IMF. (Don't know yet. Have only read the 2002 article. I'm in so much suspense right now!) The Venezuela thing is actually the testimony of Mark Weisbrot (of CEPR) "On the State of Democracy in Venezuela." But the real reason I decided to print it out was <sarcasm> because I was deeply and profoundly intrigued by the name of the subcommittee he was testifying to: "Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs". The PeaceCorps guys are trafficking drugs again, huh? </sarcasm> But I digress.

• Argentina's Crisis: The Costs and Consequences of Default to the International Financial Institutions
• Argentina's IMF Agreement: The Dawn of a New Era? | (Printer-friendly PDF over here)
• Testimony of Mark Weisbrot On the State of Democracy in Venezuela before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs, June 24, 2004 [It's a PDF]

And finally, today's verse is:

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

Happy wisdom-gitt'n!

Fuse Factory: Um. Wow.

To do: check the Fuse Factory. First glance? Looks *very* interesting and inspiring. Can't wait to give a better look this evening.

Hat tip: TallSkinnyKiwi

This week's commuter reading list: PHP, Sustainable Economics, The "Emerging Church", and Calligraphy

Here's this week's commuter reading list: articles on the web printed out on the blank side of former printouts for my light-rail commute-home reading pleasure.

• PHP From The Command Line, Part 1 (SitePoint)
• Web Exclusive: Wendell Berry interview complete text (Sojourners Magazine)
• When We Stop Emerging (TallSkinnyKiwi's Weblog)

And then of course, there's The Illuminated Alphabet: An Inspirational Introduction to Creating Decorative Calligraphy, which I checked out from Central the other day.

I am happy reading.

Surviving Creative Burnout

How to survive creative burnout - UIWEB.COM

Hat tip: Kevin (from work).

Disease A-Wear-Ness

Plague (Navy/Gold)This is very strange. And weird. And strange. (Did I mention that it was strange?)

Get your infectious disease designer ties here.

Time for Art

Quote of the day:

"Art cannot be measured in time. You are the owner of your time," said Antonio. He and his brother had similar answers to how long it took to finish a project. "If you want to make something, there is not a determined amount of time. It's not like in the United State [sic] where you work for a determined amount of time."

—El Hispanic News, "Oregon's Purépechas," December 3, 2003

The showing of the "Our Ways: History and Culture of Mexicans in Oregon" exhibit has recently been extended and will be showing until April 2004 at the Oregon Historical Society. Also, the OHS will host a hands-on workshop on the Mexican folk art of retablo painting (painting on wood) on December 13 and 14. According to the OHS Web site:

RETABLO PAINTING WORKSHOP

December 13 (10:30am to 4:30pm) and 14 (12:30 to 4:30pm) Bend artist Cristina Acosta will lead participants on a journey to articulate their inner expressions in ex-votos (devotional paintings) as her abuela (grandmother) taught her. Each person will complete a retablo (painting on wood, another name for ex-votos) Workshop cost, $60.

Good stuff.