Bouquet

First I took a picture from the east.

Then I took a picture from the west.

Then I took a picture from above.

Then I got fascinated with the detail.

At last I got lost in the abstract possibilities.

I am getting drawn deeper and deeper in the detail that is in my small world.

Shadows

Last night, before sunset, the light in the back garden was glowing. I went out with my camera in the hope of catching that glow.

Alas I did not succeed. I was distracted by the play of the shadows, and the negative spaces they altered.

The study of negative space is something I should play closer attention to. You may see more of my explorations.

Cinco de Mayo - Part II

At the 2006 Cinco de Mayo Festival I took picture after picture. The mixed media piece shown was taken from one of those pictures. The heads, limbs, and shoes are colored pencil on fabric, the bodies are appliqued, the entire piece is machine embroidered and machine quilted. It is called show time. The Mother in the picture was reassuring the daughter that she would be "right over there watching".

Cinco de Mayo

It is the 5Th of May, or Cinco de Mayo; a day not noticed by people living in Mexico, but celebrated in New Mexico. In 2006 Deming held its first festival; a small local affair, held in the parking lot of the bank. It was great fun with Anglos and Hispanics in attendance.

The powers that be in town saw $$$ and each year since the festival became bigger, and more professional; entertainment was less and less local, the number of vendors increased, a parade was developed, and fewer of the locals attended.

This year the festival seems to have imploded; there have been no preparations that I can see, there are no announcements in the local paper. I feel a sense of loss.

Bread For One

I have found a fabulous book on bread baking "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.

The ingredients are mixed together, but not kneaded, and allowed to rise in a covered, but not sealed container. The dough is then stored in the same unsealed container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

When you want a loaf of bread you just tear off a chunk, form it into a loaf, and bake it. Now that I am alone I tear off a small chunk and form a small loaf, so small that I can bake it in my toaster oven. I get 4 or 5 loaves per batch of dough.

Fresh, homemade bread on demand. Yummmm

The World Reveled

This is the source of yesterday's pictures. It is the root portion of the stump of an apricot tree. The tree was cut down several years ago and the stump left to rot. It had rotted enough that I could pull it up with ease.

I had disturbed a whole universe of bugs. After letting the stump dry out for one day in the desert sun, it was empty of most of its inhabitants. I turned it upside down, placed it on a table in the backyard and photographed it from a number of angles.

I saw beaches, caves, mountains, and sheer cliffs in the landscape of this small world.

There are miracles and marvels happening around us.

A Different World

Do you know the subject or these pictures? (The only computer changes made was to crop them.)

The answer will be in tomorrow's blog.