Engineer by day, beadweaver by night (mostly), I like to look for answers to questions.
How do things work? What inspires you? What do you wonder about?
Explore the journey to creativity together.


Sunday, October 24, 2010

In the Mood for Halloween



Sometimes the stresses of everyday life can make difficult to be in the mood for the holidays. I have a demanding day job, and lately I have been having trouble getting into the spirit. I find that time spent with family can sometimes get me to relax and see the inspiration that is all around me.











My oldest son and I went for a walk and took pictures of some of the neighborhood in autumn. These pictures show two of his favorite discoveries. He liked the flower because it is his favorite color - scarlet. He liked the leaf because it looked rusted to him. We also had a good time playing "camera tag". I would try to take his picture and he would try to dodge.

Later in the week we carved pumpkins at my parents' place. They have a large garden and grow the pumpkins themselves. Spending a little downtime in the country and pumpkin carving really put me in the mood for Halloween. I'd like to share some that mood with you.

The pumpkins in the garden


and after they've been picked and cleaned:
















Mums and turning leaves...





























...the neighbors' giant pumpkins...
















... giant mushrooms in the yard...















... and the main event! Pumpkin carving!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Crater Lake

Well, I promised to post some more pictures from our camping trip, and now I will finally deliver. We spent one day up at Crater Lake, one of the most spectacular, spiritual places I have ever been.

Crater Lake is the remnant of a mountain that erupted about 7700 years ago. After the eruption, the mountain collapsed and the lake formed. Wizard Island is a cinder cone that rises up from the floor of the lake, which is almost 2000 feet deep. Wizard Island is on the western edge of the lake.

The water in Crater Lake is extremely pure. It is an absolutely brilliant blue color, as you can see in the picture above. Access to the lake is limited to protect the water purity. The color and clarity of the water is amazing.

The water was smooth and clear in the morning, reflecting white fluffy clouds in the sky. As a rain front began to move in, the lake formed ripples in the breeze, making it less reflective. The blue color became more grey.


The sheer scale of Crater Lake is amazing. In post places, the rim towers about 1000 ft above the surface of the lake. The lake itself is 4 to 6 miles across.

To see something so pure and beautiful on such a large scale is sublime. Very inspiring!

These last few pictures show one of my favorite features on Crater Lake - the Phantom Ship. These rocks are actually the remnants of of a very old lava dike that survived when the mountain collapsed. They are the oldest rocks visible above the surface of the lake.























Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Etsy Beadweavers October Challenge is out! The theme is "autumn falling of leaves".

There are 59 entries - stop by to vote for your favorite. Voting is open until September 15.

Even if you choose not to vote, please stop by to see the entries. This is some fabulous beadwork!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

A Rainy Day


It is an overcast, rainy day where I live. This is the kind of day that makes you believe the winter rains have come to stay, and you will not see the sun again for several months.

This is actually really good weather for photographing my jewelry because the light is bright, but diffuse. I can get good, well-lit pictures without sharp shadows. It's also a good day to enjoy a quiet, hot cup of tea.

I grew up with this kind of weather; I usually find it relaxing. But sometimes I'm a little wistful for summer.