Saturday, July 28, 2012

Retail Therapy



Good ol' Tar-jay has it all.
Even something for every Scavenger Hunt clue!

Shapes

Paint

Green

Eyelashes

Clouds


"The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread 
and coming out with only a loaf of bread 
are three billion to one."
Erma Bombeck

Linking up with Tabitha for Sunday Citar
Linking up with Ashley for Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Friday, July 27, 2012

More Nostalgia

Lost: Too many high school memories
Found: Two boxes of slides from
a junior year trip to Europe.






{thanks to Radnor Archives & Mary Anne Morgan}

Linking up over at
July's word: Found

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Accept One Another {Bigger Picture Moment}


There are times I want to rant and stomp
Most days I just want to cry
This church, that church
Your church, my church
Right church, wrong church
Black church, white church
Traditional?
Revolutionary?
The few, the many…the lost, the saved
I reject it all. Deep, deep down, I really do reject it all.

Not Him. Never Him.
And not the kind among us, or the believer in the pew
Not the open hearted, or those who’ve been made new
Not the one with questions, or the bible loving few
Not the weary seekers,
And most especially not the one who'll walk a mile in my shoe

But I do reject each loud, convicted cry
Each sure-footed and intolerant one
Who can look at another, can look at a brother,
And proclaim, “I’m better than you!”
Or I know more than you
Or my church is better than yours
Or this is the only way... 

I’ve been there, I’ve lived it
Righter than right
Better than good
A soul in the fight
Yet now, as a tear falls over my cheek,
I long to belong, to sing and to pray
To worship with those who don’t know if they’re right
And don’t gain strength from thinking others are wrong
Who find joy in this journey that God's set us on

Today I bow, I ask, I pray
Why can’t we all just….just all get along?


Sharing at Alita's place today

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Under


It's all below the surface.
Sadness, I think. Mostly.
Although it's murky below the surface...so I'm not always sure what's under there.

It was hard to say good-bye to my dad last week. And it's impossible to watch the news. I've got a "who I've let down" list and a "what I'm not accomplishing list" running through my mind. On repeat. Throw in a few hormones, some fatigue and a dash of humid, summer heat....and let me tell you....I've been pretty tough to take.

Do you have those days? Those weeks? When the smallest hint of sentimentality in someone's blog post...or a corny television moment brings tears to your eyes? Tears that surprise you? And are definitely over-the-top-out-of-proportion to the emotion called for in the moment....well, I've had a few of those moments. Murky moments...when things come bubbling out from under.

But I'm coming up for air.
Breathing deeply and seeking to enjoy the calm, clear waters from above the surface.



Just Write
     Link up Here



Saturday, July 21, 2012

Inspiring the Student


We called ourselves Radnor Actor's Workshop.
From my freshman moment Wrapped in this bandit's cloak....


...through four years of spending lots and lots of Time Together....


...time Telling Stories...


...lots and lots of different stories.


 We were a Couple (well, more than a couple) of crazy kids
who LOVED the theater...their rehearsal time, their performance time
and their cubby-holed classroom.


But there was nothing - absolutely nothing - that any of those crazy students
loved more than their teacher.
This mentor and friend who was good and kind and talented and so generous.
And who could NEVER EVER be Duplicated!

“What is a teacher? 
I'll tell you: it isn't someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to give of her best in order to discover what she already knows.” 
― Paulo CoelhoThe Witch of Portobello

Sharing quotes for Sunday Citar at Tabitha's place.
And sharing photos for the Scavenger Hunt hosted by Ashley.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Nostalgia


On Monday, I wandered around the
Willows Estate and through the lovely
old house that crowns the hill.
Many years ago I attended a
prom here...junior prom, I think.


And out in the mansion's courtyard
there was a Radnor Actor's Workshop
production of Storybook Theater. When I
was home this weekend I found
photos from back in the day.





The courtyard hasn't changed. At all.
The players? We're a bit older
 and wiser....well, mostly just older!


Linking up with Melissa.
In July, we're finding things.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Unfading Glory {Bigger Picture Moment}


Flying high above my father's front lawn is this faded, slightly tattered flag. Nestled under the great trees that tower above my childhood home, she never fails to catch the breeze and to remind us that we stand, not just in a front yard, but in the land of the free. It doesn't matter that the winds have howled around her and, over the years, ripped at some of the fibers that made her. It doesn't matter that the scorching sun has, over the years, dulled her vibrant colors. It doesn't matter that at first glance, she may appear to be worn out and worn down and old. No, none of that matters. Because her essence - all that she is and stands for - is unchanged.

As I watched my dad {and his bad hip} struggle to walk down the driveway to his car, old glory caught his eye.

"That flag has seen better days," he said. "I really should get a new one."

I smiled to myself.

Because, like that flag, my aging father is a bit faded and tattered. He's not as agile or fast as he once was and the storms of this life have taken their toll on him.

Yet, somehow he still dances on the breeze.
And stands tall and strong - getting up each and every time life has knocked him down or kicked him around.

Maybe the flag has seen better days, but I hope he lets it keep flying just the way it is.




Sharing our simple moments
at Sarah's place today

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Our Long Weekend - Instagram Style

We enjoy this drive ~ about six hours, lunch stop included.
Nice to have the time to talk and we love just cruising along, listening to music.
I'm lucky ~ Brian does all the driving!

Sunday was our trip into the city.
We spent hours in a beautiful museum ~ The Barnes.
An amazing eclectic collection that includes an almost overwhelming number of Renoirs.
Magnificent. 

Then there was lots of time to relax.
Visiting the little town of Wayne, a few restaurants and
easy drives through beautiful, old neighborhoods.

Walks on the streets where I played as a kid.
There's a story about a tricycle accident that happened on this particular street....


I spent one of my mornings looking
through memorabilia in my
high school's archive room.
There are boxes of photos and
programs from our old theater
department....just waiting to be
gone through, identified and put into
albums. I hope to help the woman
who volunteers her time to
keep track of years of history for my 
school - a school that celebrated its
 centennial year in 1997.

This was my yearbook photo. 
I don't still have my yearbook - so I
took a minute to look through the archive copy...and scanned my photo!
The trip home was smooth sailing.
Clear skies, more good music and a roadside diner.
We had a really nice four days in my old home town.


Linking up with
for Hump Day Dump

Sunday, July 15, 2012

On the Road for a Scavenger Hunt

To pass the time during yesterday's road trip from Boston to Philadelphia, I used this week's scavenger hunt clues to keep me distracted along the way. Our clues from Ashley at Ramblings and Photos this week were:
Petal, Water, Eight, Calm and Fresh

Scavenger Hunt Sunday


Wildflower petals provided blurred flashes of color along the sides of the road.


The Tapan Zee bridge stretches over the water of the Hudson River.


Ironically...almost every route we followed had an eight in it's number!


Inside the car? Perfectly calm. Good music, lively conversation and just the right temperature.


And this? My favorite photo from the trip.
Our car, reflected in the wheel of a huge truck.
Fresh perspective, don't you think?!!?


Friday, July 13, 2012

{my} Paradise Found






My first steps around Horn Pond
were through the snow and wind
and winter's cold. I didn't know 
that spring would bring swans. Or 
that I'd enjoy so many sunsets.
I didn't know that summer would 
bring a narrowing of the paths ...
paths now lush, wild and green.
I didn't know then what a
refuge - what a treasure - I'd found.






Linking up with Melissa
and my Six Word friends HERE
July's word? Found.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Firsts


I learned something this morning.
A little bit of history...
and I was reminded of something that I love about my brother.

That's my brother, on the far right, in the jeans....with the guitar.
And, yes, the photo was taken almost 20 years ago.
At the time my brother worked for CERN
{an international organization who's purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory}
Some of his co-workers, spouses and friends had a band.
"Les Horribles Cernettes"
Turns out that the
VERY FIRST PHOTO TO BE PUT UP ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
was of the band's female vocalists.
Here's a GREAT ARTICLE about that first photo.
Take a second to read it - it's worth it!

What I learned from this article
 is that next Wednesday (7/18) marks the 20th anniversary 
of the day the first photo was put up on the web.
And that my brother was there.
Actually there. And actually knew the people that were in the photo,
took the photo, edited it and sent it out. 
"as a test!"
He worked with the earliest versions of so much of this computer stuff that we use today
{and blog with!}
and take so much for granted.
I remember him talking about all of it, and telling us a bit about what it was going to be....
Truth be told, I rarely understood him!

So, all that is very interesting - for sure!
And one point that the article about the photo makes is that, often,
"firsts" are just accidents....or nothing too monumental.
And, it's only when put in historical context that they become so astounding.

For me, though, the bigger picture in all this has to do with my brother.
My brother is a very gentle, understated kind of guy.
Physicist, musician, athlete....philosopher!
He follows his heart through life - which we all say we'd like to do, but he really does.
And, without any fanfare, or need to show off his accomplishments,
he {quietly} sees and does many remarkable, cutting edge
and adventurous things.

It's refreshing - in a culture where "bigger is {often seen as} better" and 
money seems the goal for many and "firsts" are now tweeted, facebooked, blogged
and otherwise trumpeted world wide...
that there's a man who considers that the being there...
the living of the moment....
is really what counts every day.

And I'm really glad he's my brother.



Sunday, July 8, 2012

Symphony in Green

"The world is full of magic things,
patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper."
W.B. Yeats

As the summer days have grown hotter and more humid,
all that grows around the pond has become dense, rich, full
and {oh} so green.
I'm sure that green has been as luscious
every summer of my life.
But I can't remember ever loving all the many shades
and buds and leaves and blades of grass 
as fully as I do this summer. 

As I went "hunting" this week, here's what I found in the greenery
along the path
around the pond.

Patriotic color greeted me on the grassy hill at the beginning of the trail.

This is the View from Above this leafy plant that hugged the ground. 

The lily pads created a beautiful Mosaic on the pond's surface.

This Tiny vine delicately wound itself around this delicate stem.

The leaves turn Vibrant under the bright summer sun.



Linking up with Tabitha for Sunday Citar.
And with Ashley's friend Sarah for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.