I’m taking many flower photos right now; the most colorful ones come from the iPhone (below), and the softest and most artistic ones come from the Leica. The brightness and sharpest work well in the morning as we get up to work. I’m enjoying figuring out what the cameras and lenses do differently and experimenting with all of them.
Here are a few to brighten my morning and, hopefully, yours.
I don’t know what most of these flowers are, the red below is a rose.
This time of year, countless flowers begin to bloom.
I’m leavning that my heart can also bloom and two things have made that happen – love and flowers.
They just open something inside of me when I photograph them they are ever beautiful and spiritual to me.
They help to open up my heart, and my heart helps me to open up to the world.
Love is always possible, I wish I could convey that to others.
I was afraid of it, and when I stopped being afraid of it, I found it. Love is essential in life, and I learned that if in the past I suffered because of love, I could learn to love again, and have. Thanks to a lot of things, but flowers are one of the most important. Hearts can bloom too.
See you in the morning.
Shot in sunlight with my Leica SLR. Good night, see you tomorrow.
Today, Maria caught me singing to Zip. Yes, I was and am embarrassed. Openness is openness. I was singing the “Zip” song, which Maria did not even know. I need to keep my eyes open. Life is good.
I have no comment. Except he did fall asleep.
Before my brace, I could not walk much for over two years.
Since the brace was made for me, I have been walking again, building up slowly but regularly. I love walking; it’s my sport, and so does Maria. We almost always walk together.
Saturday, on a sunny Spring Day, we decided to walk down Main Street, the preserved and older center of town. There are no malls here or Hedge Fund ghouls to destroy the center in the city (they are gobbling up a lot of houses and turning them into expensive rentals.)
We rain into Jean, the friendly and hard-working co-owner (with Todd) of the Cambridge Diner, our new Sunday brunch hangout (Jean’s is just a bit too far and is always mobbed on Sundays). The very popular diner hosts special dinners eight times a year, and last night was one of them.
This is Jean, co-owner of the Cambridge Diner. We’ve come to love the Cambridge Diner; the food and service and the people are very nice. I’m hooked on their omelets. This, Jean said, was the farmer’s special night. She was planning 80 dinners, and brunch the next morning.
Jean came out to greet us, which kicked off the walk. Along the way, we met some friends, took pictures, sat on a bench or two, and talked about the beautiful architecture built during the 1880s all around us. This is a photo album of the walk, a special event for me.
This is one of my favorite houses in Cambridge, funky and full of color.
This is my other favorite house; I’ve wanted to photograph it for years. I’d also like to have this painting on my wall. I love the lines and design.
In my town, older people often sit out on their lawns reading. This captured the spirit of the down on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
This has always been a religious town. It’s full of big, old, beautiful churches, some emptying out. St. Luke’s has the design I like most.
The big merchants of the 1800s built several gorgeous mansions, including the Rice Mansion, which had just been granted a grant to paint and refurbish the building. It’s in the middle of town and stands out like an old jewel of history. They sure do not build them like that anymore.
Maria and I stopped at a surprisingly upscale consignment store on Main St. While she was upstairs looking at clothes (too expensive for her), I was browsing downstairs. I loved the colors in the bird bowl.
Usually, I would have bought some of these $2 apiece painted paper birds, but I’m on an extensive and so far successful campaign not to buy things on impulse; they lie around the house and end up getting thrown away. It’s a big step for me, and I like doing it.
It was usually anxiety that prompted me to buy things I didn’t need. I’m getting past that.
But I would have liked to get one or two of these birds to photograph. I won’t. It was a sweet end to our walk on Main Street; I’m glad to share it with people who read the blog.
Two years ago, Casey bought an old and descript horse trailer in Vermont and brought it back to New York. She has spent those two years repairing, fixing, and painting it with the help of Dan Rogers, a gifted craftsman. She’s worked hard planning the next step in her ambition to make good food for people.
I helped paint it one morning but was fired for incompetence at painting. No surprise there. I’m fond of Casey; she works hard and is one of those dreamers who doesn’t quit. She is intelligent, creative and determined.
Today marked a significant milestone in Casey’s entrepreneurial journey. She unveiled the newly renovated horse trailer at the Farmer’s Market, and to her delight, the response was overwhelming.
The line was long throughout the day, a testament to the quality of her offerings and the anticipation surrounding her future plans.
This dream would have been good enough for many people, but not for Casey.
She has plans for the wagon but even bigger dreams. She just signed a lease with Hubbard Hall, our arts and theater center, and will occupy the space inside that was a Round House Cafe Restaurant until the pandemic shut it down.
Casey’s dream goes beyond the confines of a horse trailer. It turns out that is just a first step.
She envisions a charming cafe reminiscent of old country stores tucked in the heart of our community. The space, now occupied by the Round House Cafe Restaurant, has lots of excellent and fresh food. She’s working with farmers and coffee makers.
Her planned menus will include morning coffee, teas, donuts, lunch sandwiches, and maybe even a wine bar at night.
I’m eager to get hot chocolate, coffee, and muffins there, so I’ll stop for lunch. Casey is planning to open sometime in June. As the dream gets more extensive and more ambitious, so does Casey. It’s wonderful to see dreams come true. She has no illusions about the challenges of starting a small business in a small town.
If anyone can do it, she can.
