NZD 12282009

Seaweed

I love the organic shapes of each of the bulbs in the chain and how they simply curve about.  I love that they are not all one color and the burgundy even seems to fade into the neutrals.  I like how the sand in the back does not distract.  I have cropped and turned this photo on it’s side.  I love how the image drops off from right to left like a wall moving away from me.  I wonder how to recreate that depth in a 2D image.

NZD 12282009

I like the hard straight lines of the stone and even the ridges of the shells in contrast to the curves of the overall shell shapes.  My favorite is the little pop of blue on the shells in the upper right in the shadow.  To me it looks like a good opportunity for me to use all those natural colored yarns I bought in New Zealand!

NZD 12282009

Gotland Sheep

I love the feeling of home and comfort in this one – the content sheep, the grass, and the bright yellow flowers behind the fence.  I love the black faces and legs of the sheep to contrast the grey of the wool.  I love the strong horizontals of the fence and the verticals of the flowers, the posts and the legs on the sheep.

NZD 12282009

I love the haze and the shadows in this one, but also the gleam of the light on the water.  I love the texture of the rock in the foreground and the small splash of blue in the sky.  I also love the vertical of the land versus the horizontal of the clouds and the sea.  Then there is the layers of the islands in the background that draw my eye to look further out.

NZD 12282009

Walk on the Beach

I love the starkness of this picture.  I love the ripples and textures in the sand for themselves, but then how there are strong verticals and horizontals in the greater pattern.  I like how the seaweed breaks up the sand in the foreground.  I love how the seal is on the move “on-all fours”.

NZD 12272009

Hidden Beauty of Keas

The kea is the only alpine parrot and is covered mostly in a dull yellow brown.  But then in flight on can see an entire rainbow under the wings.  Here is just a hint of the color of a folded wing.

I love the varied directions of the feathers and the definition of each feather.  I love the bright colors of the blue-green and the shine on the yellow/brown. 

NZD 12272009

Moon Rising Over Bluff

I am in SC this week and may actually be able to do a bit of blogging.  In any case, I’ll take whatever happens and each entry as a gift!

I love the half moon breaking up the solid blue of the sky.  I love the break up of the land as well with the darker blue of the water.  I love all the buildings being highlighted the the setting sun behind us.  I like the clouds adding interest to the sky close the to the land.

The Forms of Tile

Do you ever feel the closer you get to something, the further away it seems?  With the major construction complete on the house, one would think that we are close to being able to get that assessment and listing, but alas the list is still dauntingly filled with smaller tasks that can be tedious and require a lot of time just gathering the supplies and tools.  Still at this stage, the results are quite satisfying because when the little task is complete, there is nothing left to do, but enjoy the finished product.  Sadly, this is the most beautiful our house has ever been and we’re moving….

Here is the nearly final for the den that is attached to the kitchen.  The dogs are so exited to see the couch again.  Slipcovers on the furniture are a lifesaver! Across from the couch is the see through fireplace we had installed last month.  This past week James took some of our left over slate tiles and tiles the hearth and surround.  If you look closely you can see the coffee table in the living room through the fireplace! I show you that to see how pretty things can be around here, but also to point out they don’t last long.  The very next morning everything was changed to store large items from the kitchen.  Ah….. This was all done for those boxes in the foreground.  James is planning on installing the kitchen floor.  Here’s a before picture…. We’re putting in a resilient plank/tile flooring called allure by trafficmaster from Home Depot.  We chose it for the speed of installation and the price did not hurt either.  It’s a floating resilient floor where the planks have adhesive strips that glue one piece to another.  The biggest issue is making sure the substrate is flat – for unlike laminate floating floors, these planks will show every bump and crevass along the way.  Fortunately, like laminate, it goes down quickly.  In half a day, it was finished.  No curing, no waiting, voila! Now don’t think I was simply watching – while James was on his hands and knees, I was working on the living room side of the fireplace.  The old fireplace had a stone hearth and partial stone surround.  We did keep the hearth and were able to salvage much of the stone from the surround, but there was not enough for the new.  There was no more stone to be found that matched, so we settled on strips of small stones to fill in gaps.  Here’s the before…It took some hands on attention and a flexible sense of playfulness.  It was really rather fun – like playing in a mud puddle and working on some summer camp arts and crafts project.  The stones themselves turned out better than I expected, but the grout really finished the job.  And the after… Much closer and a number of items crossed off the list.  Now the big hurdle is to clean out the James’ shop!

NZD 12272009

Tourist Landscape

In one gallery, an artist painted abstract landscapes in an effort to balance the number of artists who painted “tourist landscapes”.  I smiled, but I still prefer the more realistic in this case.  The landscapes are so different than what I know.

I love the number of colors of green on these mountains and how the ridges are emphasized by a run of dark evergreens.  I like the clouds following the peaks and wish the sky had come out a deeper blue.  It is hard to see in this size, but I love the horizontal green bands of the fields in the foreground that counter the vertical heights of the mountains.

NZD 12272009

Just the Two of Us

I enjoyed how the seals were lounging in “Vogue” poses on this morning.  I love the rich dark browns of this one’s coats and the long whiskers cutting lines across the fur.  I love the greens on the rocks and how they become smaller, more broken and more textured as I look into the background.

Just Us Girls

Sunday I brought Raven up with me to Tennessee. I had thought that I
would be able to have some one on one time with her and maybe even get
her confidence up. Monday was not what I had hoped. She didn't eat.
She even started talking to me.

Today is better. We played tug with a rope and even went for a walk on
the Greenbelt. We just take it one day at a time.

When is a Bedroom and Bedroom?

There is still a lot going on with the house.  These finishing touches are always the death of me!  In any case, in between coats of paint, I’m back in the rest of the house looking at how to declutter and create bedrooms.  We have what we would call 3 bedrooms, but only use one as such.  One good friend made a suggestion that the other two should be converted into bedrooms so there is NO argument on the definition.  He also gave suggestions on how to do so.  I’ve taken his advice using what was readily available.  I’m pretty proud of the results – and there’s even a bit of a weaving angle to it.  If I offend any of the weavers out there – I humbly apologize and my only defense is WE MUST SELL THIS HOUSE!

We have these modular barrister bookcases that fill one of the rooms.  Somehow they must also disappear – or at least part of them.  There’s also two wooden file cabinets that need to find a home.  The file cabinets became the headboard.

 

 

I then dismantled them and placed four sets at the four corners of the box spring.  You can also see the queen air mattress along the wall.  I also now had this wonderful space in the center.  Hmmm, what shall I hide there?Ah, the loom!  And then the cross beams can span the gap to keep the air mattress from sagging!    With the air mattress in place, a bedspread and a few pillows, I think we are well on our way!  Now to find an armoire fro a closet….

NZD 12272009

Glacial Valley

After all the rain the day before, the blue sky was welcomes.  This is the same road that was monochromatic and today full of such color.  I love the daisies in the foreground and the field that fills the valley floor.  I love the clouds that crown the peaks and the bit of snow still on them as well.  I love the curve the glacier has formed and the graceful curve the ranges form as well.

NZD 12272009

Sunset over Stewart Island

I love the intensity of the light of the sun.  How often can one look even at it sideways much less head on?  I love the horizontal clouds versus the vertical reflection.  I love that there is still some blue sky to be seen.  I also like that the water’s horizon is not clearly defined – because of Stewart Island.

Raven's New Friends

We are spending the Memorial Day Weekend in Kingsport, TN and driving around with the dogs we have discovered that Raven wants to bark at cows. We thought we were safe when we headed into town, but these guys still got her going!

Life’s been a blur….

Here’s the latest on the kitchen.  We have countertops and appliances in place.  If you haven’t checked out Craigslist we highly recommend it – we were able to outfit the kitchen for $1000 and that includes a range and microwave combo that have never been used!  Sorry this picture doesn’t show the appliances but the old ones are in the center of the room awaiting their sale on Craigslist!

I must say I was thrilled to get a kitchen sink back and the dishwasher was a great boon, but once I had a range, fridge and pantry in the same room – I felt like I’d dies and gone to heaven!

Most of the push is because I have taken a new position and we will need to move to Tennessee.  I start tomorrow and have decluttered all that I can.  It really quite therapeutic.  I can officially say that I have removed college from my life – particularly all my college notebooks!!!  Fear not all that could be recycled has been!

Tomorrow is a new adventure and today is aimed at getting there.  i have no idea the next time I’ll have personal access to a computer – but know that I’m thinking and hope to catch up one day!

In the meantime – know the puppies are doing well.  They look wonderful in the new kitchen.  Black really dresses up the gateway gray.  The last two weeks between jobs and being at home has been precious.  I will miss them terribly!

NZD 12272009

Unfolding Ferns

I live the curves and curls in this one that reminds me of grapes on a vine.I love the sunlight shining through the open leaves and setting the highlights off.

I will do my best to keep these going, but I may miss a few days and have to catch up later.  I am starting a new job tomorrow in another state and have no idea what computer or access I will have for the first few days and even the first week.  Know I’m thinking about you and wishing you a happy Memorial Day weekend!

NZD 12262009

Milford Sound

This is one of the “permanent” set of falls of Milford Sound that exist rain or shine.  Of course, it was MUCH Larger due to the rain!  I have other pictures that are not so visual of the helm of our boat entering the mist of these falls and James right out on the end getting soaked!

I love the turbulence of the water and mist it creates out into the sound.  I love the relative scale to the boat.  I love the darkness and the sharpness of the mountains plunging into the sound that allows for these falls.

NZD 12262009

Glacial Valley

I love the flowers lining the river – the cool colors against the turquoise of the glacial waters.  I love how the river leads the eye from left to right across.  I love the opposing forest line and mountain range that gives the opposite diagonal to the river and flowers – almost like it’s an arrow pointing to the higher alpine range.

NZD 12262009

Alpine View

Again I love the mystery.  How far do the mountains go up in that mist?  I love the three layers that I can see, the three values of the gray and the opposing diagonals.  I love the bit of snow that allow me to recognize the mountain.  Any less or any more and the surface would likely be lost in the mist.

NZD 12262009

Fly on the Wall

This is an artists depiction of the Blackfly or Te Namu.  Maori legend is this nasty biting fly was created to remind people who visited New Zealand of their mortality and to drive people from lingering too long in this paradise.  It worked….

I like the stark black on white.  I like the details of the fly since this one is larger than one’s head (while the real is nearly invisible to the eye).  I like the slight shadow on the wall and the matte sheen on the fly.

NZD 12262009

Falls in Milford Sound

Most of the falls in Milford Sound only exist when it rains.  These were one of those peeking through the mist the rain also brought.  I love the mystery of the picture.  I love the break in the mist to show the falls, and the steadiness of the falls and the water of the sound.  I love the basic monochromatic picture, but found there is a great deal of blue lost if I let it become B&W.  I think the blue give it a depth.

NZD 12262009

Giant Mountain Buttercup

I love the raindrops all over this buttercup.  I love the pure white and the fresh yellow.  I love the slight hint of green of the stems.  The background was far off and indistinguishable, but distracting, so i let the shadows take it away.  (In case you are wondering – giant in this case is about the size of a daisy – 1.5” in diameter.  For a buttercup, that’s giant!)

NZD 12262009

The Chasm

The Chasm itself is much larger than this waterfall, but is impossible to photograph for where I was permitted!  The rains were heavy this day which allowed for even dramatic side waterfalls.

I love the fantasy world of ferns and moss.  i love the high volume of water that fills up a great deal of the picture and is even able to show movement even in a still photograph.  I like the moving “diagonal” of the falls, the soft verticals of the ferns and the hard horizontals of the rocks.

NZD 12252009

Yellow Rose of Queensland

I love the range of yellows for nearly pastel at the highlights to a deep orange in the shadows.  I love the many curves of the petals and the out of focus continuing in the background.  I love the three petals cupped in the “bowl” of another.  This being the main focus in this world of yellow.  I love the softness.

NZD 12252009

Iris

I love the combination of cool colors – green, blue, purple – with the highlight of yellow.  I love the depth of the shadows.  I love the texture of the leaves that almost give it a hardness like something permanent made out of stone.

NZD 12252009

Stones on Lakeshore

I love the color combinations and how the water has brought them out in all their richness.  I love the different shapes, textures and layers of rock.  Then there’s a child in me that begins to see a nose in the large rock towards the bottom.  Could that be a cheekbone and downcast eye to the left?  What else could I hide in a field of stones?

NZD 12252009

Fjordland Canopy

I love the feeling of stained glass that leaves can give as the sun shines through.  I love the cathedral height of the trees and the strong vertical lines of the trunks to draw my eye higher and higher.  I love how all the lines seem to bend towards one another like I’m a child looking up a a number of circling adults who are looking down at me.

NZD 12252009

Water Lilies

I love the depth of the green and the occasional pool of water changing the face of the leaf.  I love the triad of flowers not quite forming an perfect triangle.  I don’t like the brightness of the flowers – but I’m sure with the right software that could be dealt with.  Now if there were just two eyes poking through that one bit of deeper water – a frog or a fish?

NZD 12252009

Kepler Track

I love connecting the “dots” with the trees.  The path gives one meandering line to follow off in the distance, but the trees do as well – except in a different direction counter to the path.  It allowed me to take in more of the picture and find the ferns to the left.  I love the ferns and the moss.  It reminded me of Appalachia.

NZD 12252009

Rose

I love the richness of the color and the delicacy of the edges of the petals.  I love the highlights of the edges that give softness and movement.  I love he slight texture of the petals and how they overlap.  I’m undecided about the one bright highlight in the center, but I do love the raindrops on the lip of the most central petal.

NZD 12242009

Lakeshore

I love the number of colors and textures on the shore in the foreground.  I also love the shape of the mountain – the folds and slope down to the lake.  I love the blues of the mountains in the background and the turquoise of the lake.  I do like the interest of the clouds in the sky, but I’m sure if the sun were out, these colors would be even more striking.  I also love the winding road on the foreground shore and the highway on the background.  It gives a bit of scale!

NZD 12242009

Glacial Creek

I love the deep clear turquoise of the water.  I love how the rocks break it up with the gray and cause the turbulent white.  I love the different lines in the white – the swirls, the curves, the vertical drops and the straight lines on the surface.  I also like how some of the rock can be seen under the water.  Now there’s a weaving challenge!

NZD 12242009

Reflection on Lake Paringa

I love the stillness of the water and the nearly perfect reflection.  I like the layers of the mountains.  I love the rocks in the foreground.  I wish for a more interesting sky and the corresponding reflection in the lake.

NZD 12242009

Sunset on the Lake

After the picture from the campsite, we just had to go to the lake.  Here is the experiment with the sunset setting on the camera.

I like the darkness of the mountains with the occasional pop of snow at the ridges.  I like the diagonal lines of the clouds and the shading from the sun.  I also like the other lower clouds that frame in the mountains.

NZD 12242009

These were simple flowers on the shore of the lake at Wanaka.  I likes the coolness of the blue and the heat of the pink.  I also like the black and white of the background to allow the flower to stand out.  The evening was overcast and there is the feeling of cold and calm on the shore.

NZD 12242009

Sunset on the Mountains
This was taken from our campsite – I’m not sure it could have been better anywhere else!
I love the drama of the light and shadows.  i love the lake peeking through with it’s blues.  I love the trees in shadow poking up periodically.

Old Mother Hubbard Went to the Cupboard

Here’s where we left it last week – thrilled to see rebuilding to a point of changing the atmosphere…

 

 

We were preparing for the cabinets that James had built and were at a furniture refinishing shop being painted.  The clock is ticking… The cabinets showed up on Wednesday and it’s been a week of installing them, making measurements for the countertop, and glory be – putting in the plumbing for the sink and dishwasher.  In fact, I am just now hearing for the first time in weeks – the hum of a dishwasher! Here’s a better picture without the overhead light to see how the ceiling, crown molding and cabinets all come together. Another big news for the week – while in New Zealand we commissioned a sculpture to make a crèche for us.  It came in this week.  This is by Ian Anderson who lives in Oamaru in North Otago on the South Island.  Ian works in limestone that is from the local quarries.  The crèche stands nearly a foot tall and is out of the multicolored stone.  There are reddish hints that run through it and add a new dimension to the folds in the robes.