Day One Hundred Thirty Three. 5.22.11

Day of the Beast

This is the dinner Will made for me tonight.  Delmonico steak, braised in ramps (wild leeks) and topped with ramp pesto, steamed potatoes and ramps, and a beautiful salad with greens from the farmers' market.  This was after I had spent the day at a Crossfit competition called the Beast of Barre.  Having completed the competition (ranking 6th out of 7 in my division), I now consider myself a Beast of Barre.  Among the many things I did today, I flipped truck tires, ran a mile with a 25# sand bag on my shoulders, and lifted many pounds of weight up over my head.  Here's a visual:

Day One Hundred Thirty Two. 5.21.11

Color

I just can't help myself.  I love the colors in this photo.  I also love spring, have I mentioned that yet?  I really feel like we're emerging from something this winter.  Perhaps it's because it was my first serious VT winter (last year didn't count because we got so little snow).  I love that I live somewhere that makes me appreciate each season for it's strengths.  And because they're so intense, I become immersed in each so deeply that the change of seasons brings a feeling of discovery and newness each time.  Cheesy?  Maybe.  But true!

Day One Hundred Thirty One. 5.20.11

Petals on the Sidewalk

More flowers, but in a little bit of a different way.  Gosh, I love spring!

Day One Hundred Thirty. 5.19.11

Bud

This is actually the same tree that I photographed through the window yesterday.  Here's a much closer look at it.  Too bad I can't share the fragrance with you.  Get ready...I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of flower pictures in the coming days and weeks...

Today is my parents' 38th (I think) wedding anniversary.  Wow.  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! 

Day One Hundred Twenty Nine. 5.18.11

Spring

This was such a nice thing to see outside my window as I did yoga this morning.  Bright flowered light!  It really is spring.  Really.  It is.  Even when it's cold and rainy.  See? There are flowers!

Day One Hundred Twenty Eight. 5.17.11

My view

It was hard to capture the detail I noticed today.  My guitar looks really beautiful when I look down from above -- my view when I'm playing.  I didn't actually succeed in capturing the view as I wanted to, but I still like this photo.

Day One Hundred Twenty Seven. 5.16.11

Commodities

These are commodity pieces from a game we played tonight called Empire Builder.  It's a really complicated game, but we both agreed that it would be fun if we knew what we were doing.  The game board is a map of North America.  The goal is to build railroads and deliver commodities.  That's the basic idea, but there are a lot of intricacies.  We had fun, though, and I really liked the design of the game.  Cool pieces, huh?

Day One Hundred Twenty Six. 5.15.11

Cryptic

Can you tell what this is?

Hint: It's a symbol you probably see quite often.

Day One Hundred Twenty Five. 5.14.11

More Moss

Just can't get enough.  I can't wait to see how it does!

Day One Hundred Fifteen. 5.4.11

Oops, I missed a day as I was posting these.  But I actually took the photo on 5/4, so it's legit.

Rainy Day

This photo just about sums up the day.  Gray, rainy, gray and rainy.  But the raindrops looked beautiful on the window.  And I know it's good for the greenery.

Day One Hundred Twenty Four. 5.13.11

Moss Garden

This is a detail that I've created for my home.  I did a lovely project today -- it's something I've been talking about doing for at least 6 months, and I finally did it!  I love moss, so I wanted to create a moss garden.  When I grow up and have a house of my own, I plan on making a nice big peaceful one outside too (if I have a spot for it).  Anyway, I went to Antiques on Main in Montpelier and bought a bunch of supplies, including this glass dish and Avon VW bug shaped cologne bottle.  I bought some potting supplies and went to the river to collect some stones for the bottom.  Then I collected some moss from around my house, lifting it with my kitchen spatula.  Finally, I added it all together, and voila!  A little  potted (or plated) moss garden.  I'm very proud of it.  And I look forward to seeing how it does.  

Day One Hundred Twenty Three. 5.12.11

Birch buds

I photographed this birch that sits in the parking lot at school sometime this winter.  It's a really cool looking tree.  And now it's budding.  Unfurl, little leaves!

Day One Hundred Twenty Two. 5.11.11

Daisies

This is the same Gerbera Daisy plant that I photographed a week or so ago.  Now the flowers are a little droopy, but still full of color.  I like the lines in this photo.

Day One Hundred Twenty One. 5.10.11

Holes

This is a photo of a sign post.  I like how the holes line up differently depending on how close you stand.  Ah, the simple pleasures.

Day One Hundred Twenty. 5.9.11

Prism

Will recently hung a prism from our living room window.  It had been hanging in the kitchen window, which doesn't get much light.  Now at about 5:30 pm these days, our whole living room is covered with little rainbows.  I tried to photograph the effect in various ways, but this is the only one that does it justice.

Day One Hundred Nineteen. 5.8.11

Buds

How cute are those little buds?  This tree is at a mini golf course we went to in Essex.  It's too bad, because I wish I could see what these buds turn into.  I have no idea what kind of tree this is.  Anyone know?

Day One Hundred Eighteen. 5.7.11

Bug

On a walk to town, we saw this super cool turquoise VW Bug.  I love the color, and I love the reflections you can see in the hood.

Day One Hundred Seventeen. 5.6.11

Spring Daffodil

This photo reminds me of the short and very transient nature of spring in VT.  All of a sudden this week, daffodils were everywhere - in yards, in bouquets, and along the side of the road.  They're so beautiful.  And will be gone very soon.  

Day One Hundred Sixteen. 5.5.11

Ball Jar

I know it's kinda trendy, but I really love Ball Jars.  And jars of every kind, really.  I have a growing collection in my basement - everything from pasta sauce jars to jelly jars to mustard jars.  I'm planning on using them for wedding decorations, which is what started (or justified) the collection.  But I don't know if I'll be able to bring myself to start recycling them after the wedding.  They're just so darn sturdy and useful!  This is a photo of a ball jar filled with a tea that I concocted from bulk herbs at the Co-op.  Does that make me a hippie?

Day One Hundred Fourteen. 5.3.11

Flood

I often notice details when I'm driving, and I rarely actually pull over to take pictures of them.  I drive by Wrightsville Reservoir every day on my way to work, and there's a break in the trees along Rt. 12 on the boat ramp.   It's a really quick glimpse, and it's a beautiful view - I always slow down and peek through. Sometimes there's a thick fog covering the whole area that makes it look mysterious and awe inspiring.  In the fall, it's the amazing color reflected in the water.  Today, it was the incredibly high water.  You can see that this tree is completely surrounded by water.  It sits in the parking lot of the boat ramp.  The water went all the way up to the bottom of the ramp which leads to the parking lot.  Seriously high water.  And worth pulling off the road to take a closer look...and a photo.  

Day One Hundred Thirteen. 5.2.11

Table

I've been so busy that I'm in a little bit of a rut.  You may or may not notice, but my photos/details seem rather uninspired right now.  However, I trust that I will see this through to the other side and feel inspired again.  It's happened before.  This is a close up of our kitchen table.  Will's mom had it custom made, and now we have it.  It's an interesting table, made of interesting wood. 

Day One Hundred Twelve. 5.1.11

Spring Plants

Does anyone know what plant this is?  I love it.  It reminds me of little cabbages.

Day One Hundred Eleven. 4.30.11

Gerbera Daisy

I took this picture and the flower looked so red that it looked like I had way over edited it.  So I took the color out, and I found that it was a much more interesting photo.  Who woulda thought!

Day One Hundred Ten. 4.29.11

Lunch

This was the remnants of my lunch.  Broccoli and egg scramble with sesame seeds.  I thought the little broccoli buds looked particularly pretty.  I also liked the combination of colors. 

Day One Hundred Nine. 4.28.11

Trash Can Lid

Yep, that's what it is.  It's the lid for our outdoor trash can.  But it looked beautiful in the light.

Day One Hundred Eight. 4.27.11

Speedometer

It's funny to think that it was somebody's job to pick out the font of these numbers and letters for my Toyota Yaris.  I quite like them.  

Day One Hundred Seven. 4.26.11

Green

Yes, GREEN!  

Day One Hundred Six. 4.25.11

Kirk in Lotus

I was doing yoga and looked over to find that Captain Kirk was doing yoga along with me.  No wonder I was having a particularly good time on the mat!  This is Will's Star Trek figures collection.  A detail I love about him is that he continuously rearranges them.

Day One Hundred Five. 4.24.11

Oops.  I blew it again.  Didn't even take an oops I forgot photo.  Sigh.

Day One Hundred Four. 4.23.11

Seedling

I got this tomato seedling as a Passover gift.  Talk about signs of spring!  You can even see the first two suckers.  Can't wait for summer tomatoes....

Day One Hundred Three. 4.22.11

Crocus in a vase

We had a late Passover Seder at our house last night (late because Seder was supposed to be last Monday and Tuesday).  It was a lovely time, and our friend Bella made up these very sweet vases of crocuses, which she cut from just outside our front door.  Ah, spring.  You are coming after all.  Slowly, and in fits and starts, (it snowed this morning) but you really are coming!

Day One Hundred Two. 4.21.11

Graffiti

This is in the parking lot of the Hunger Mountain Co-op.  I like the colors in this photo and how the background paint fades on the right side.  I also love how you can see the grain of the wood throughout.

Day One Hundred One. 4.20.11

Sink

This photo for some reason reminds me of the art deco vibe of the inside of the Empire State Building.  Don't know why -- perhaps an art historian would be able to tell me why.

Day One Hundred! 4.19.2011

Day 100!

It seems a little ironic that I missed my 100th day.  But also maybe appropriate.  It causes me to reflect a little on the commitment that I've made.  I've missed 4 days, I think, since the beginning of this project.
I could look at that and say, "That's the 4th day I've missed, I need to get better at sticking to my commitments."  (Notice how I generalize there from this to all commitments).

But missing 4 days also means I've stuck to the goal 96% of the time.  That's a solid A.  And I'm pretty pleased with that.  So the second interpretation is how I'm choosing to look at it.

May my next 265 days also result in an equally high commitment, and an equally forgiving self when I err.

Day Ninety Nine. 4.18.11

Train Bridge

I took this out the window of our berth in the sleeper car on the way home.  If I was smitten with train travel before, the sleeper car pushed me into true love.  It was so luxurious and fun to sleep horizontally in our own room on the train.  

The room was so tiny -- maybe 6.5' x 4.5' -- but it fit bunk beds (which turn into 2 chairs), a totally not smelly toilet and a fold-away sink.  It was pretty amazing.  

I can't resist sharing some pics of it.  These were taken when we boarded at 3:30 am, and I must say we look pretty damn good for having spent the first half of the night in the Toledo train station with several screaming children (literally) and a man hacking his lung out (maybe not quite as literally, but sounded like it).  Must have been on account of our true excitement for the train.  We promptly fell asleep shortly thereafter.

He's sitting on the seat that lifts into a toilet in this picture.

Here you can kind of see the two bunks.  The top bunk lifts all the way up to the ceiling when you convert the bottom bunk to two seats.

Here I show off all the luxuries of the sleeper cabin...complimentary spring water, a Sunday New York Times, a bed to lay down on, and you can sleep (hence the closed eyes).  Not pictured here: two complimentary meals in the dining car!  I know, right???

Day Ninety Eight. 4.17.11

Tasty Details

This is the chocolate case at Zingerman's delicatessen in Ann Arbor, MI.  You should go there.  It's quite an amazing place.  I didn't partake in any of these tasty details, but I did have an amazing bagel sandwich, which is not easy to find in VT!

Day Ninety Seven. 4.16.11

Freesia

My sister-in-law-to-be had these beautiful single vases of freesia lined up along the mantle in the living room.  So very spring.  The detail I tried to photograph, but was not able to appropriately capture, was that there were 6 or 8 vases in two different sizes, all of which had exactly the same level of water in them.  That's a level of detail that I rarely accomplish on my own...which is part of why I'm doing this project!

Day Ninety Six. 4.15.11

Blinds

They weren't actually blue, but it makes a much cooler photo!

Day Ninety Five. 4.14.11

Sunset at the beginning of a journey

I took this picture out of the window of the train.  We had just boarded for our overnight ride from Albany to Toledo to Ann Arbor to go to my partner's father's memorial service.  Quite a journey.  It was a pretty sunset, and I particularly like the silhouettes in this picture.  Not long after I took this photo, we went to the dining car and had a lovely dinner -- I had a leg of lamb and my partner had baked trout.  It felt quite luxurious.  I am smitten with train travel.

Day Ninety Four. 4.13.11

Vermont in the Spring

This picture perfectly encapsulates it -- snow, mud, puddles and just a hint of the promise of green.  This massive puddle is on the playground at school.  I couldn't help but also include two more photos I took today.  Neither of them was my detail because they were both human made and set up, but I like them both a lot.  The first one is a swirly puddle of mud that was stirred up by a child in rain boots.  The second is ripples in a puddle made by a child with a stick.  You can kind of see his reflection too, which is cool.

Day Ninety Three. 4.12.11

Sunset

This was not the kind of picture I thought I'd be taking when I originally came up with the idea of noticing details.  The macro function of my camera was off, and it's a large landscape view.  But sometimes details aren't little.  The detail I noticed was that the sun was only just barely beginning to set when I left my Tuesday night yoga class a little before 8:00.  I've been driving home from that class in the dark for many months and it made me incredibly happy to have a beautiful sunset at my back instead.  

The other detail I'm grateful for in this picture is the place where I work - that's the view just outside the front door of the school and it's a beautiful view, sunset or otherwise.  

As a final note, I would like to point out that I did nothing to enhance the color in this picture.  

Day Ninety Two. 4.11.11

Ice

I love the pattern of layers in this ice cube.  It looked especially cool in the seltzer because there was a contrast between the trapped bubbles in the ice cube and the moving bubbles of the seltzer.  It was hard to capture that movement in the picture, but you can kind of see it in the blurry bubbles in the lower left corner.

Day Ninety One. 4.10.11

Pouring

I took this as we walked home from seeing a movie on an incredibly rainy Sunday night.  There were lots of very cool rainy night details, but they were very hard to photograph. I like the way the light calls attention to the water pouring off the roof.

Day Eighty Eight. 4.7.11

Oops.  Missed it again.  And I didn't even take a silly oops picture.  I'm slippin'.

Day Ninety. 4.9.11

Moss on a wall

Today really feels like spring.  We went for a walk and it felt so good to be outside.  This photo is taken looking up at a stone wall along our walk.  I love moss.  And spring.

Day Eighty Nine. 4.8.11

Numbers on a telephone pole

I wonder what they mean...?