Serendipity

Sometimes little special moments crop up at inconvenient times, when it doesn't fit our schedules to stop and enjoy them.  I had a situation like this last week.  I was running late to my car pool.  I needed to get my kids to the sitter and get going to work.  I had just gotten everyone herded out to the car when my youngest said, "Look, balloons!"

At that moment, I had a choice.  I could say, "That's-nice-now-get-in-the-car."  Some days I do.  This day, I ran back into the house and got a camera.  There were four hot air balloons that appeared to be landing at an airfield near our house.  I took a few moments to enjoy them with my kids and snapped some photos.  Then I stuffed the camera into my purse, and off we went.

Fast forward to the evening, when I finished work.  I work in the center of a large building.  Whether I am at my desk or in the cleanroom, I generally cannot see a window.  This day was not uncommon; I had worked 9 or 10 hours without stopping for breaks or lunch.  When I first step outside into the parking lot, it is such a release to see the outdoors again.  We have a beautiful campus (I really should take more breaks).  I often see some scene that just seems breathtakingly beautiful and think, I wish I had a camera.

Well, this time I did have a camera!  I took some photos of the way the light was slanting across a dry field and through a copse of trees.

If I hadn't stopped to enjoy the balloons with my kids, I wouldn't have had the camera to capture this scene after work.  Two happy moments for the price of one :)

Have you had any moments of serendipity?  I'd love to hear about it.

The Sky's The Limit

Have you ever walked outside, looked up at the sky, and thought "Wow!"... This happens to me all the time. The sky is full of light and always changing. It is a real source of inspiration. The photos to the left are of clouds in the Willamette Valley. They often look like this in spring and fall, when the weather is alternating between sunny and rainy. Clouds like this always make me want to run home, pull out my silver-lined matte grey beads, and make something cool.

The sky can have incredible variety, though. Years ago, I went to graduate school in Alabama. Sometimes the sky down there became so dramatic it looked otherworldly. Sadly, as a poor graduate student I didn't have a camera, so I don't have any pictures to post for you.

I've put together my first treasury - a collection of Etsy Beadweavers Team pieces with the theme "sky inspired". I encourage you to click on the link below to take a look and enjoy these artist's vision. If you like what you see, you can even leave them a comment.

>>> Click here to see "The Sky's The Limit"