New Schedules + Favorites: Covered Parking

Covered Parking

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2009

I only have three more days of "favorite" pictures left on the schedule and then I've got to get myself back onto the regular blogging bandwagon. You can probably tell I've scheduled these posts on Italy time and then I'm writing them as I can. For some reason, I'm reluctant to change my blog back to Pacific Standard Time. I know, I'll get over it. It will be too confusing not to change it.

So what will my blogging schedule be? The same as Italy, where I write in the morning? Do I change it up to write at night? Do I write whenever and schedule? How is it all going to work out? To top it all off I'm going part time at work (yay!!) but not immediately, so that means it will be a while before things settle out.

I was chatting with a friend at work today about my work schedule and said, "It's fun to figure it all out!" I honestly didn't know where that comment came from. I mean, it doesn't feel very fun right now. I'm a bit overwhelmed and tired. And then I stopped and realized, my statement was totally true. When I stop focusing on my tired/overwhelm of the moment, I am excited to figure it all out. Even though I don't have a routine right now (and I looooove routine), I have the possibility of figuring out something new. I have the possibility to combine some of the best parts of my Italy schedule with my Corvallis schedule and see what happens. 

Add ingredients, shake well, taste. Stay tuned to see how it comes out!

The Power of Persistence

Nothing in this world can take the place of Persistance.
Talent will not; nothing is more commonplace than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistance and Determination alone are omnipotent.
                                                   - Calvin Coolidge

Isn't that a wonderful messsage? Persistance is the key. You might not be the most talented, a genius, have the "right" education... but none of those things in itself is the key to success. It is true isn't it? So when we tell ourselves that we don't have what it takes to reach our dreams, when we compare to others and say "I don't have the education" or "They are so much more talented," we need to stop and remember this message:

"Persistance and Determination alone are omnipotent."

And continue working onward, upward toward our dreams.


P.S. Today is one of those "out of the blue" blog posts, that I find myself drawn to writing instead of what was planned. Maybe I'll be inspired to write about Oktoberfest tomorrow. :)

'Tis the Season

Ah, summer. A time of grassy green fields and abundant flowers. A time of heat and humidity; long, lazy days exploring the world. This image is a summer vacation image, from outside of Amsterdam last year. I love the peaceful, country feel of it. Don't you just want to find a patch of grass under a shady tree near here and enjoy the afternoon? Maybe with a book along, a cool drink and of course, a camera. That is happiness.

Summer is also the time of vacations, and we are going on one yet again. Tonight we leave for a week in Switzerland, so I'll be disappearing from here for a bit while I go capture new images of new places. I love it! So much creative fuel. I've scheduled a couple of posts for next week so check back - or sign up for the site feed if you haven't already, since that's the easiest way to get updated when there are new posts.

Until I'm back, happy travels to all!

Organized Chaos

Ah, Amsterdam. The jumble of bicycles everywhere you turn was marvelous. I love the organized chaos, the repeating lines of them all together. Trying to pick one bicycle, one focal point out of many, was a fun exercise. What do you think, did I succeed with this one?

Inspiration is in the Wind

Inspiration is all around us, we only have to see it, to feel it. The shape of things, the light, the patterns, the analogies they hold for our lives. Notice. Archive. Tap into it. Create. Share.

Why share this photo of a windmill in Sloten, Netherlands, with this message? No idea! It's just what came to me today as I looked at what image to post. I am working on bringing awareness and exploration into my everyday life, similar to what I experience on my travels, and what inspires my photography.

What might this image or these words inspire you to do? I am curious. You don't have to answer this today. Archive it away, and let me know someday.

Beauty is Everywhere

One amazing lesson from this journey I am on through Europe and life - Beauty is everywhere around us, we only have to see it. We only have to stop and notice. In our hurried, everyday lives do we do that?

I didn't, until I completely uprooted myself and my family and moved across the ocean temporarily.
I didn't, until I started carrying a camera everywhere and noticing more about the world around me in a different way.
I didn't, until I started sharing what I found with others and recognizing the amazing joy that sharing beauty can bring.

All of these things have made me "see" in a different way. Helped me see beauty everywhere, in so many ways.

Is something beautiful if no one notices it? Our American (English?) saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" has been used to mean that beauty is completely personal. But does it also mean that it requires a person, a beholder, to see it and name it beautiful?

If so, we have a big job! We have so many things around us to find beautiful. I encourage you to make something beautiful today, just by seeing it. Notice what is around you. You don't need the move to the foreign place to change your viewpoint like I did, learn from me.

(Image is a stair railing of a townhouse in Amsterdam.)

Unexpected

Where do you think this picture was taken? Holland perhaps, in a display of how they make wooden shoes? No. It was taken in a flea market in Bergamo, Italy, a town about 30 minutes from where we live.

You never know what you are going to come across when you are out and about, you never know when you are going to run across the unexpected. That's why I love to have my camera with me, to capture these little finds!

Light and Dark

Many of my photos include lines, and this image of bicycles is just a different type of lines. Alternating light and dark, the rows of bicycles with the light coming through set them off perfectly. One of my favorites from Amsterdam.

Graffiti or Urban Art?

Occasionally we run across something on a building that is more art than graffiti. I wonder, was it intended to be there? Or did it just come out so cool that it became art and was left alone? This urban "heart" art is in Amsterdam. I love to convert these images to black and white except for the graffiti, it really makes it pop!

Back to Amsterdam

I've had this photo of Amsterdam stuck in my head lately, so this weekend I went and found it to share. This photo to me says "Amsterdam" maybe in a way that no other does. It's the bike, the architecture. But not only that, I love that the bike is personalized. In a place with so many bicycles, a few people went a little step beyond to make theirs recognizable. With flowers, ribbon, special paint jobs. Bicycle as transportation, but also as a means of personal expression. I love it!

One Red Scooter

I'm home! This morning (night, depending on your time zone!) I flew through Amsterdam on my way home to Italy, so I decided to post this picture from Amsterdam. This is one of the images I created to decorate our living room. I love the red scooter! A line of scooters parked is sooooo European. Everywhere here, nowhere in the US (at least that I've seen, maybe someone from the big city can enlighten me). I want a scooter now. A red or orange or pink one. But I'll probably just settle for taking pictures of them!

Now that I'm back in Italy I'll get back up to speed on my photo a day. I was just waaaaaay too social in Corvallis! Almost every minute was scheduled between work and shopping and visits with friends. It was a ton of fun! More to come on thoughts about the visit when I'm lucid. Right now I just want to crawl into bed...