Acacia wood

photo
Originally uploaded by jhhymas

New hardwood flooring. Hope to help avoid asthma problems. . .This wood was prefinished and is very hard, and so far is very easy to keep clean. This was uploaded from my Christmas-present iPhone and I guess the default is to make photos private, so I have to change that if I can and and make these photos public so my family can see them.

Out the window, or how time flies

Out the window
Originally uploaded by jhhymas

Dmitri Shostakovich just came back from the dead and took a bow for me while his Tenth Symphony was being played on satellite radio. When I think about the difficulties of his life and compare it to how easy mine has been, I am ashamed that it has been six weeks since I touched my blog. Of course I have excuses: S got me an iPhone for Christmas, and it would be possible to spend all one's waking hours playing with this device. Actually, since the screen is backlit, I can read my Kindle books on it in the middle of the night without turning on the light--and often do so. It is also ridiculously easy to spend money for new books, or iPhone applications, or apps, as they are familiarly known. And then to spend more time with photos, painting, puzzles and suchlike.
Plus, we had Christmas company for three weeks. And we are almost through with the installation of new wood floors in the main room and one bedroom, in the hopes it will cut down on dog dander for asthmatic visitors. It was a lovely Christmas, our tree was very pretty, thanks to a quick visit to Home Depot, where we got lights and red and gold ornaments in a remarkably uncrowded Christmas Store.
They even had porcelain houses with a light inside. My favorite was a replica of a Home Depot store with skylights that let the light come out. Sure, at home I have churches, an Oast House, and even a Carnegie Library, but I never thought my collection would include a modern store. The favorite of my grandchildren was a small train that goes round and round in a landscape while Christmas music plays.
Some people went snowmobiling or snowboarding, the little ones made cookies, and we had feasts on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. All our descendants were here, except our two daughters and one grandson. So that was about as special as it gets.
Still, I could have posted.
This is an etching I made long ago, in my now lost printmaking class. I based it on a photo I took of a window in the San Jose Museum of Art after Nathan Oliveira's lecture. What a nice man he was and how sweetly he talked to people afterwards. I love his art, too. More and more I am interested in art and music. I'm having trouble with politics, government, global warming, loss of habitat, business overreaching and monopolists emerging from under every rock. But so are we all.

Into Portland by Air and quickly out again

Perhaps the touches of gold are bright autumn aspens. Three bridges, lagoons, wetlands, freeways, industry. A stunning variety of interesting shapes which makes me (again) want to be an artist. The HAND OF MAN where the water meets the land is interesting from a distance. It seemed odd to change planes in Portland to fly from San Jose to Boise. but hey . . . The airport was nice, but the change was so fast (unload and the next plane is loading across the aisle) that I didn't really get to experience Oregon. I have been thinking a lot about writing and photography, but sorrowfully not writing it down here. And we are now close to the dreaded holidays. . .

Snow covered glory

Somewhere between San Jose and Portland, I looked out and saw this glorious volcanic beauty. I had decided that the light wouldn't be good and I wasn't going to bother to take pictures on this flight. Now I changed my mind and grabbed the tiny scarlet Lumix that S got me for Christmas two years ago. It lives in my purse in a neoprene sleeve. (This year, I want an iPhone, but alas, not an iPhone bill.)
What do you want for Christmas?? My family keeps asking . . .

Light through the tender leaves

A glowing Japanese maple in the garden of my niece; I spent Thanksgiving Day there with my visiting brother, her father, and my sister and lots of other lovely people. I had to write on a construction paper maple leaf what I was thankful for. I wrote I was thankful for BROTHERS and SISTERS. And that is true. It was a lovely meal on a gorgeous table. Thank you, Heidi!

The beauty of water vapor

Tonight we had a wonderful time at my writer's group.
Heavenly, you might almost say. I've missed them and will be missing the December meeting as well.
Sleep tight.

Autumn Flight

Coming into Reno in gorgeous light. No place is more beautiful than the great intermountain west of the good old USA! I had a lovely flight on Southwest. The aircraft had the cleanest unscratched window I have ever had on a flight. I refreshed myself with hundreds of pictures of clouds, canyons, cities and mountains. And now it is time to go to bed. Good night, golden trees.