Saturday, January 30, 2010

Some Senior Pictures

Last Saturday, I had my picture taken (again) by my friend/photographer. Despite being somewhat chilly, the day was perfect.By the rocks on the Swan River path...

In the gazebo by Bridge Street Cottages...


By the beautiful section of the Swan River locally refered to as "The Wild Mile."

Thanks Ridge, you (and your coffee) are fantastic! You've made this a lot of fun for me.

Pretty


Thursday, January 28, 2010

Dream Boots


The perfect balance between tough and girly.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

What I'm Up To

You might have noticed that I don't post about my own life very much. Well, here's a bit of what I've been doing.....
What I'm reading:
Susan Wise Bauer writes so well, it's engaging as well as thorough. The timelines are also very helpful.

I've barely started this one. It came with my logic curriculum and I think it will be a great (albeit slightly dry) read.

What I'm knitting:
This is a pattern from one of my vintage books. Since I'm not very good on the needles, I chose something rather simplistic. One thing I like about knitting in the round is that I never have to turn my work. It's been so much fun, I'll probably make another pair out of angora or mohair once I finish these ones.
What I'm sipping:

Yama Moto Yama has been making fine Japanese teas for upwards of 300 years, and they sure know what they're doing. I drank a lot of festive, flavorful teas over the holidays, but lately I've been craving a milder, more understated taste. Made with green tea and brown rice, this is just the right one. Not sweet, strong, or spicy, just soothing. And perfect accompniment for my reading and knitting.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Grey Gardens

I recently watched a most intriguing documentary on the lives of two eccentric women, who defied the status quo and sequestered themselves in a ramshackle mansion. Grey Gardens, the story of "Big" Edie and "Little" Edie Beale, and filmed in 1976, begins on an off-kilter, lightsome note, with "Little" Edie welcoming the Maysles brothers, and confiding in them that she is wearing "the best costume for the day." (which includes a brooch-adorned turban, turquoise high heels, and an upside-down skirt securely fastened to her girdle)
Cousin to Jackie Kennedy, she never married, and at 56, had been living with her aging mother for the past 20-odd years. Though it isn't specified when, they both turned their backs on wealth, fame, the socialite life, to reside on their East Hampton estate, gradually slipping deeper into a time warp where past and present somehow bend and merge.
As the film progresses, Little Edie's passion for life grows more apparent. She describes herself as a "staunch character," and tells of her longing to join Broadway. In the meantime, she spends her time reading horoscopes, ("that's what I need, a Libra man!") feeding raccoons, dancing on the porch, and answering her mother's impatient calls of "E-E-E-die!!!"
Although, at first, the documentation of these lives seems amusingly cock-eyed and near Suessian, it unfolds into a beautiful portrait of a different humanity than what we are most familiar with. It made me laugh, but it also made me pause and think for a moment. Life is not as prescribed as what it is often cast to be.

*note: The film is only rated PG; however, I would advise some prudence in watching it. There is some {what I would consider to be} mild language, and several of the Beale's outfits are more revealing than is proper.