My Dad's Gift

Just stumbled across a wonderful post about my Dad on Anali's Blog . Has me wishing I could see my father's exhibit at KALEIDOSCOPE - A Child's Face (Infinitely Varying and Constantly Changing) at JPLicks in Boston. I love living in Seattle, but sometimes I feel like I am missing out on some of the best moments with my family back east.

The thing I love most about my father's portraits is that he is so good at capturing more than just visual information. You look at one of his photos and you can see the personality of the person. You know instantly if they are playful, mischievous, sad or inquisitive.

My father is funny, witty, brilliant but slightly introverted. I think his skill at photography comes from his ability to sit back and observe others and the world. Some people are very good at speaking, others at listening... I feel that my father is a master of observation, something that directly translates into his photography.

High Tech Art

Okay, this is definitely not the best picture, but the idea is so cool I had to share. Saw this at the Seattle Flower Show... This giant Koi is made up of discarded CDs that shimmer just like fish scales... All the containers in this display were shiny new trash cans...

We used trashed cans as containers in front of our old garden store. They were affordable (less than $20 each), highly durable (outside all year long) and stylish (they have a modern and whimsical flair). In fact, we received request for trash cans pots quite often... and it just about killed us to admit we bought them at a chain hardware store.

I have an old magazine clipping that shows an entire vegetable garden designed in trash cans. I love this idea and hope to replicate it to some degree in our new backyard. The cans keep the soil warm and are perfect for tomatoes. Plus if you wrap a thin copper wire around the base you can keep slugs at bay. I am hoping to use medium size cans on either side of our patio filled with

Scarlett Charlotte Chard from Renee's Garden Seeds. It will be decorative and delicious.

My other big idea is to do a flower border totally inspired by coral reefs. I have been toying with this idea for a while. I think so many succulents resemble coral. No stuffy English flower borders for me... I want something other worldly and tropical...

I am just in the sketching phase now, but as soon as I have more of a plan and plant names, I will share...

Peace from the Faucet

"There is peace in water if you listen"

These are not my words, but rather something that popped into my head one day as I sat staring out at the water and missing
my mother who had recently passed away. I have taken the words as a gift, something my mother wanted me to have
in her absence.

The sound of water is something that has always calmed me. Bubbling fountains, running faucets, steady rains and even the sound of pouring tea relax me like few things can...

Several times a day, my dear cat North insists I turn on the faucet so he can drink fresh running water. I have come to look forward to our little ritual for both the pleasure it brings him and the sense of peace it gives me.

Sometimes he knocks the soap in the sink other times he insists I fill the bowl up so he can splash... Then of course there are his daily full body showers... (North is a little odd)

At any rate, I am thankful for the abundance of clean fresh water we have here in Seattle. I am thankful that I have such a crazy cat in my life. And I am thankful for the peace I can fill myself with, simply by turning on a faucet or listening to the rain.

Aqua Boomerang

We are in the midst of a budget remodel of our kitchen. The house has lovely 50's style cabinets in pristine condition and the kitchen features a wonderful open design with room for the cook and seating for 8. Everyone said do Granite... but of course we choose exactly what we wanted. It really wasn't much of a search... Our eyes were both drawn to this amazing pattern, Formica was cool and affordable... and with a name like Aqua Boomerang, our kitchen counters are destined for greatness.