I Heart Red...

Today people around the world are paying tribute to the color red as part of the American Heart Association's "Wear Red" campaign. February ~ a time of valentines, roses and words of love ~ is a wonderful time to remember those we have lost to heart disease and to give our support to those who are living with it ~ those who are fighting it and those who are standing beside them.

Be sure to also check out these places of love: Recovery from a Life Not Lived and Spudballo. They will not only make your day but they will also surely lead you to others who share in their affections and passion. They will all have you seeing red!

Here's some of the red that I see on a daily basis and am learning not to take for granted:

Berries in the woods,

beckoning me to walk just a little further...

The red stripes in our flag

reminding me of those who make

the ultimate sacrifice...

A reminder that

we sometimes just need to slow down

and that I have the power to stop

doing things that are not healthy...

Stairs to climb

which bring me to the heart of my home,

reminding me to be thankful for the roof over my head...

Rainy days that make me take pause

and see the beauty right outside

my own front door...

Learning that seeing the good side of things

is not only refreshing but healthy...

The marvels of medicine

and how they keep progressing each day...

Simple knots that can hold things together,

when everything seems to be falling apart...

A kiss

that can touch the soul and make the heart soar...

Fruit that can add color to my table

and nourish my family...

Signs of faith

to remind me that I am never alone...

The bounty of beauty

offered by mother nature...

And most of all

friends and family,

the ones who make

my heart beat stronger...

Dedicated to my dad

whose heart is now failing him physically,

but hanging in there enough to keep sharing

the little things each day that make us happy...

C is for Clock Tower

C is for Clock Tower. This is quite a familiar view for me ~ it is right across the street from my home. The clock does not always work (it has to be wound on a weekly basis and the rafters are getting old and dangerous), but it is my barometer by day since I can tell what the weather will be like by the sky behind it and the colors of the brick and my sextant at night as I track the stars that shine in our dark, country skies.

A more complete view of St. Lukes

This church is of particular interest to me because its history is related to our theatre. The land upon which both buildings sit was donated by James Duncan in 1820, one lot to be used for religion, another for education. This church was built in 1824 and remains in use today by the Millheim United Methodist Church. Our lot, across the street, originally had a log school house, which was then replaced by a municipal building that got so much use that is was torn down to be replaced by our building in 1923.

Reflections of St. Lukes are captured in many of our windows, depending on where you are standing. From afar, it looks like a giant puzzle with pieces of the reflections shining in each of our of windows. From up close, you get hints of its majesty. This image shows St. Lukes from across the street welcoming us to our front door...

B is for Barns!

I don't believe there is one place in the 250 square miles of Penns Valley where you can go without having the view of at least one barn. Whether from the top of a mountain ridge, along any of the highways, hidden in any of the many hollows or even right in the middle of our towns, our bounty of barns has a wide range of history, color, and use.

As I was driving around just a small part of the Valley today, I was reminded again and again just how lucky I am to live in this beautiful place. Besides all of the incredible views, there are amazing people who live here, and each of us is but a stitch in this wonderful tapestry of community. I am no farm girl, but I know a good thing when I see it. How lucky am I to live somewhere where the land is respected, the mind is educated (by the influence of three nearby universities), and somewhere in between is a level of appreciation that we must preserve this for future generations to enjoy.

Here are just a few barns that we drove by this afternoon (as always, you can click on each image to see more details):

Now I Know My ABCs...

It's February!! While that means a lot of things to me, it includes celebrating that I completed one month of posting a picture a day at the photo project 2010 Blog Camp 365. I have added a Flickr badge to this blog page if you would like a sneak peek of my pictures, but you can also go and see the full pictures and their written descriptions here if you like. I can't believe how much I have learned in the last month. Not only by posting my own pictures, but also by looking at the wonderful contributions made by the other 50+ members. We offer each other constuctive criticism along the way, pushing each other to get better with each shot. It is like taking a class with your peers as the teacher. Very cool...

For February I have decided to embark upon a special project of posting a picture each day that depicts this lovely central Pennsylvania valley that I call home. I will be capturing and posting pictures using the alphabet as my guide. I have already made a list of the possibilities, finding it interesting how some things fell on the perfect day to be captured. I am looking forward to finding out if having assignments will be easier than being spontaneous or if it will be more difficult because I will have to accept whatever I have that day (weather, schedule, good or bad shots). That will be the first 26 days. For the last two days of February I have a special surprise planned. Sorry, no more hints.

As an added bonus, I thought I would also post my alphabet project here, too, although I might not get to it everyday. And, of course, I reserve this space for those pictures that captured my heart but did not make the cut or for the ones that just did not fit the alphabet theme, either because of the date or the nature of the subject. But today worked out well, so here is my first post...

A is for Amish, a very prominent group of people who live in Penns Valley. Their lifestyle is not wasted on us. They teach us to love and respect the land, to try to keep things simple, to be active in the community, to work hard, and to celebrate our differences. In their community, they have many sects and orders, distinguishable to us "English" often by the type of buggy they have. The ones I know about are white tops, black tops and yellow tops. The white tops are the most conservative group and they live the most simply. For instance, they have gas lights on their buggies instead of battery operated reflectors and turn signals. At night, those soft blue lights barely glow as the buggy lumbers up and down the roads, often illuminating the breath of the horse, eerily outlining the image. While you may see some of the other Amish (or Mennonite folks) doing things that you might consider "modern," you can pretty much count on the white top families to keep to themselves, sustaining their community through their own farms, keeping tradition as dictated by their elders.

A couple of years ago, I needed help with a quilt that I was making as a gift. I was introduced to a family who not only completed the task beautifully in just a few days, but they also gave me an amazing price because they said they could tell it was a gift of love. (I'll have to write more about that someday ~ the whole project was an amazing experience). I went to visit the area today where that family lives. I hope you can see through my images what a simple, yet beautiful life they live...

(click on image to see more detail)

A Spoonful of Sugar

Today Christina of Soul Aperture

is hosting an event with bloggers uniting to write

about the simple things that make life special.

For each person that shares, she and her family are

donating $1 to Doctors Without Borders, to help with the disaster in Haiti.

At first thought I wanted to write about Christina, for reading

her blog is one of the simple things that makes my day, everyday.

She sings a song of love, one love, producing poetry in every line she writes,

making you feel so welcome when you arrive, refreshed when you leave.

As she would say, SWOON!

But Christina would most humbly reply,

"Nah, don't be writing about me!

Tell me a good story! Gwan!"

So, this, Christina, is for you.

It is simple, but it is true...

A couple of nights ago a friend called to ask for help. Her car broke down and she needed a ride home. As she and her kids piled into my car, I offered that we could take care of their car...or, we could just forget about it for the night and go to my house for some pie. They all voted for pie without hesitation.

It was late and my house was a wreck, but none of that mattered as I looked at these tired souls. I warmed up some cherry pie and toned down its tartness with some sweet vanilla ice cream. We enjoyed our simple treats as we squeezed onto the couches to join my kids who were watching Mary Poppins. The first scene we all shared together was when everyone was laughing so hard they started to float up into the air. Suddenly broken cars, messy houses and weariness were all a distant memory.

Although the evening was not practically perfect, it ended in the most delightful way...

Venomous Vortices

WARNING: The Surgeon General has determined that smoking cigarettes is hazardous to your health (I think the word that is actually used is "may," but we all know the truth.) Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide and causes cancer. In short, they are bad for you. The best advice I ever gave my kids was that the best way to quit smoking was to never start. I know. I have been doing it for far too many years, and I can't wait for the day that I can say, "I used to smoke." Society is making it easier since it is so difficult to light up anywhere in public, but it is still a struggle.

But I am not writing today to ask for advice or for anyone's support. Instead I am going to ask you to put aside your feelings about cigarettes and take a look at some images that I captured today that despite the source, I truly do believe are art. Art in the sense that my camera lens captured a moment in time that I saw beauty. I realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if you don't see that, then perhaps enjoy the light and how the colors glowed. Or appreciate it for the sheer nature of physics and laws of thermodynamics. Air, temperature and even sound created a sense of motion that I cannot believe my point and shoot camera detected.

So open your eyes with your mind for a moment and see if you can see what I see...

This was the first image that caught my eye. The vortices and helices

were amazing! The edges were so well defined by the light and color.

The three dimensional aspects created by the shadows and contrasts

were incredibly picked up by the lens.

This is a cropped image of the image above (the top right corner).

This part reminded me so much of a calla lilly, it sheer beautiful

lines flowing and bending with the light and air.

The edges were incredibly sharp, enhanced by the darker background.

This shot reminds me of petals on a flower stem or leaves from a branch.

This vortex and waves were created when I clicked my camera.

Whether it was the sound, or perhaps the camera releases

a puff of air, it definitely changed whenever I took a shot.

I like how this looks like a seashell with the center light burning bright.

This was the last shot and it was totally different.

Now there were tubes and rings. Even the colors were

starting to change, picking up hues from surrounding objects.

After this shot, the light was gone and the air had changed.

I was unable to reproduce the effect. This image reminds me

of outer space. Can you see worm holes and planetary rings?

Thank you for indulging me. I hope you enjoyed them as much as me. And, hey, at least you did not have to smell or breath them!

I Love...

I love cannolis! If you ever want to thank me, bribe me, or take me to my knees, just bring me one ~ or six. My husband surprised me with some of these confectionary delights the other day ~ no strings attached ~ with the exception to share in my delight!

I also love...

... tye-dyed t-shirts. And I love boiled wool sweaters and tweed blazers. But I am always blue jeans.

... to collect and read cookbooks. Yet, I am not a chef or gourmet.

... being a mom of five children. But I also like my solitude.

... the idea of turning off my satellite tv, except that I would miss live sports too much.

... to read: novels, news, cereal boxes. I also love to write: stories, blogs, letters.

... any music, except perhaps country western.

... to capture time through my photos. I hope someday my photos will be captured by time.

... to be outdoors appreciating Mother Nature's beauty, but sometimes the openness overwhelms me.

... my husband. He is my business partner, the father of my children, my best friend, my soul mate.

... to create, to explore, to learn something new everyday.

But I must admit that all of these are easier to love while enjoying a cannoli!

Tunnel Vision

This weekend my youngest and I took a walk in the woods. After a whole day of being indoors the day before, I felt we both needed some fresh air and sunshine.

Just down the road is a place named Coburn where a railroad used to run in the late 1800's, creating a supply line for the lumber industry along Penns Creek. Being in the midst of mountains and streams, there was the need to build tunnels and bridges to get the best access. The demand for that railroad ceased to exist at the turn of the 20th century and the tracks soon became a part of history. Although overgrown with nature, there is still a definitive path that shows where the line ran, and the bridges and the tunnels still stand strong. It is a great place for a winter walk with the sun breaking through the forest canopy and then shining upon the water, ice sculptures forming on the rocky cliffs, and quiet trails welcoming the footsteps of visitors.

My son loved finding tracks of various animals and checking out the icicles that hung like stalactites in the old tunnel. I really loved the peace and quiet and the plethora of photo opportunities. The colors and shadows changed and grew as the sun dipped behind the mountains, creating an eerie blue glow on the snow and ice. Because of the numbing cold temperatures, we were only able to last just over an hour. We finished the day by grabbing some hot chocolate and taking a ride in the car, chasing the lowering sun as it glowed in the western sky.

These are my son's favorite pictures of the day.

(click on image to see more detail)

Loopy for Hoops

I never was a big fan of basketball. Until now. Seems that over the past few years when my sons starting playing that I really started to enjoy it. Maybe it is because it is a relatively quick game (compared to hours at the baseball fields or long nights on the football sidelines), or perhaps it is because it is played indoors (out of the weather with a good kind of noisy), but I am liking it more and more each year.

Even though it is a lot of back and forth, up and down the court, there are lots of moments when an amazing shot somehow finds it way through the air, reaching over stretching arms, and swishes into the basket, sometimes with a dramatic swirl that has everyone in the stands holding their breath. Or, my favorite, a great defensive move when a shot is blocked, stuffed, with an incredible force that not only denies the play but also gets the crowd on its feet, roaring. I am that lady who is always shouting, "Rebounds, boys, got to make them," or, "Follow your shot, they don't all go in!" and "Move your feet, move your feet!"

This week I had the unprecedented opportunity to enjoy a game alone with my daughter. No sons. Just us girls. The boys all had games or practice and were unavailable. So we spent an evening with a small crowd at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center (school is not is session, so the seats were filled with locals rather than students) and watched the Nittany Lions take on the Wolverines of Michigan. It was a good game, even though Michigan made an incredible comeback in the second half, overcoming a 15-point halftime deficit to beat the Lions by nine points in the end. I was glad to see some improvement from the Lions' sorry performance against Wisconsin a few days before, and we were seated just rows off the floor right next to the pep band and the Nittany Lion mascot's station, so it was all good. I love Penn State sports ~ I drank a lot of the blue and white kool-aid in college and am hooked for life!

Our next two months will be filled with more hoop action, from the high school courts to the community league gyms, juggling schedules to try and make all of the games. Each of our boys play different positions, and the level of play between the leagues of course varies, but there will still be the sounds of squeaky sneakers, ref whistles and loud buzzers, shots coming from completely out of nowhere, perhaps a dunk or steal to please the crowds, and I am hoping a lot of rebounds and stuffs. Got to love a good defense!

In March, to celebrate the end of the season, we will be traveling to see the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Boston Celtics, our first NBA game. We'll be seeing some of the best players perform, and even though our seats are high up in the "nose bleed" section, I am sure the game will still be thrilling! And I bet LeBron James will follow his shots and Shaquille O'Neal will block the best of them! But I will probably still be shouting "C'mon boys! Move that ball around!" just the same.

Here's my Nittany Lion Basketball postcard.

(click on image to see more detail)

I did not include much of the hoop action,

but you can see I am influenced easily by the PSU icons.

Love ya Lions!

My 12 Days of Christmas

I am a big fan of reduce-reuse-recycle. Okay, well, maybe just of reuse and recycle. I am also a sentimental fool for tradition. Combine those two traits, and, yes, I have for your reading pleasure, once again, a Christmas carol and some photographs. Some of the pictures are new to this blog, but the song, I am afraid, is one that annoys many, mostly because of its length and repetitive phrases. To spare you any anguish, I will just share the final verse of my version of The 12 Days of Christmas. See! I can reduce when necessary!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

twelve roses glowing...

eleven berries topping...

ten fingers helping...

nine hours driving...

eight plates awaiting...

seven days bone-chilling...

six letters laughing...

five pewter things!

four chimes that sing...

three stars glow...

two skates that wait...

and a cozy pink attic blankie!