Silence May Be Golden, but It's Quirky Too

We're currently in Portland, having just finished setting the booth up (in record time, I might add) for Lake Oswego. Two hours flat in case you were suffering from severitas curiosimus. That's faux Latin for severe curiosity. Here's another picture from the lost voice expedition I've been on.

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Graywolf

Happy beginning of summer everyone! My speaking voice is finally back, just in time to take our traveling gallery to the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts in the Portland area this weekend.

The last few weeks have been very interesting following a visit from a tribal leader, Graywolf, up in Spokane. I don’t know if the two are connected, but one did happen right after the other: I became sick and lost my voice. 

What I discovered, however, is that when I wasn’t diffusing my energy with words, words, words, I found my voice in other ways. My photography has taken a curious turn as has the jewelry. Thanks, Graywolf!

More photos to follow in the next few days.

Simple as Cherry Pie

Alignment, Harmonic arrangement, Things lining up. In playing the slot machine of life, what’s better than seeing three cherries (or bicycles) in a row?

Because I mention it often enough, it’s no surprise how much I delight in alignment, such as the date yesterday. Opening for the Eugene Saturday Market started April 2 which made yesterday, 6/11/11 the eleventh Market of this season. Alignment!

Yesterday morning Groom grabbed the camera and snapped this photo shortly after we arrived. I was not aware he had it aimed in my direction, so he caught the moment I noticed somebody I liked and hadn’t seen for awhile.

Often, it’s the simple things that gratify us, from the way the light hits something and makes it even more beautiful to interacting with friends.

Simple, uncomplicated, easy. Jackpot!

Visual Silence

I lost my voice in Spokane and I still don’t have it back. It was raining all week, or all year apparently according to the locals, including Thursday when we had to set up for ArtFest (oh the many, many joys of setting up a booth in the rain…).

Fortunately, the sun came out Friday and lasted the entire three days of the show. So did the pollen. You see, I learned that pollen needs to be dry in order to do its thing, so with the first warm, dry day of the year, every pollen-bearing flower, plant, shrub, tree, hedge and bush let go with a celebratory whoosh and covered everything. Did I mention everything? 

I must have had an allergic reaction to the stuff if my sudden coughing, sneezing, wheezing, hacking, sniffing, dripping and stopped up nose, headache, sore throat and loss of voice are indicative factors.

Why tell you about it? Because I’ve had no voice now for several days and it’s been an entirely new experience to spend time in virtual silence; quite unusual for this talkative spirit. But as always is the case for me, I am learning something new from it, and I’m feeling comfortable in my solitude, expressing myself visually with pictures instead of all my words words words.

Ogling The Gargoyle

The last few weeks for us have been about Washington. We went to Seattle for the U-District Street Fair and turned right around and drove to Spokane for ArtFest.

ArtFest is one of our favorite shows to do. Set in a beautiful park, surrounded by stunning Victorian architecture, it is a camera addict’s dream.

On the first day of the show, I met a budding photographer and we instantly hit it off. Groom watched the booth while she and I ran away from the circus with our cameras and practically drooled over all the turrets, transoms, and entablatures.

The next day we did it again, ogling the gargoyles, gables and cobblestones. 

What felt great about the experience (besides playing hooky from the booth), is that we were both open to how the other one viewed the world. The lens was our magic door. I watched what animated her while she noted what sparked my attention. 

There was no competition, only pure inspiration at play.

While I can’t speak for her, I feel that she helped me raise my game, and for that I offer a Thank You.