Tracey in Maine

 

 

I do wonder if people think I’m crazy as I walk through downtown Boston and other city centers picking up leaves and sticking them in any available pocket.

I keep thinking I should plan a specific leaf-picking adventure with a proper bucket or plastic bag as container.  But somehow it is more fun to be walking along to work or to shop and to be open to the possibility of finding … something … along the way.

Of course it is easy to behave that way when the sun is shining and autumn leaves glow like jewels falling from the sky.

I’ll be curious what’s to be found on the ground this day.  Hope your day goes well wherever you are in the world. 😉

 

 

… because I am having an orange day.  At least that’s how I’ve decided to define this day, by the color orange.  I mean, I didn’t expect it to be a green day or a blue one. I knew that I would work with the color orange at least for a bit.  On the list of to-do’s that I created last night, I had planned to post the following image with the title “a bit of autumn colors on a plate.”

Yet the day began with me finding a funny bug on a window so I posted that picture instead and likewise little else has unfolded this day as I imagined it might last night.  Nothing horrible has happened.  Just the beautiful unexpected complexities of life that can leave one breathless. But as I raced about, my eyes kept being drawn to sunlight striking orange items.  And finally, as I…

I love to travel, but it feels good to be back home. 😉

…my traveling companion and I of course had to follow the arrow pointing to the National Print Museum.  I’m not sure if the arrow was meant for people in a car or on foot.  Regardless, for us two pedestrians, the museum took a while to track down.  Many locals did not seem to know its location and warned us that sometimes young people like to twist the signs around to fool tourists.  Well, we eventually determined that the  sign was pointed in the correct direction.  Hopefully, more people will visit this wonderful hidden place.

After seeing the Book of Kells exhibit earlier in the week and being reminded how precious books and the written word have been throughout human history, it seemed apropos to visit a museum focused on the evolution of the printing press.  The main floor of the museum has several operating machines with trays of moveable type…

… I found beautiful blooms …

… and even a bird or two …

… and of course a few more leaves.

FYI, you can learn more about St. Audoen’s Church via this link.

While in Dublin, I visited great cathedrals and amazing galleries, and even attended an intimate music performance.  The people were friendly and always willing to share a tale or two.  Sometimes the accents were so thick I could not understand a word but I didn’t care because the flow of the words were like music as well.

In addition to music, Dublin is a city noted for its great literary heritage and perhaps that is why I did not often pull out my camera (along with the rain and wind and such).  I was too busy listening, or even sitting down on occasion with pen and paper myself.  When I did pull out my camera, I found myself less photographing churches and more trying to capture nature.  And in particular I felt compelled to try capturing the leaves in Saint Stephen’s Green, a public park located near the hotel.

What…

As I prepare this post, I sit in a hotel room in Dublin, Ireland.  Rain falls pretty steadily.  The air is chill and the sky is the color of smoke.  I should be cold and grumpy and yet I am warmed and made cheerful by the fractal images of Robert Grzybinski.

I was first introduced to Mr. Grzybinski at a company picnic.  Somewhere in the course of our brief conversation, as I talked about my photography, he shared that he produced fractals.  Well, if you follow this blog at all, you know how much I love shapes and colors.  I asked if he’d share some of his images with me, and thankfully, he agreed.  He also shared the creative process and inspiration behind his work.  It is my pleasure to share his words and images with you.  Enjoy! 😉

How do you create these images?  I use an…

Just a few images from my constitutional walk through the Copley Square farmers market on Friday.