Travel Snap Tuesday: Puerto Escondido, Mexico

I just had one of those gut-dropping (can't think of the right expression...) feelings when I searched the computer and couldn't find any of the original pictures from our holiday in Mexico a few years ago. Eek, I hate to think the CD of digitals was destroyed or lost in all of my robust condensing for the move... but it's not the end of the world, I have various ones on facebook and the like. I had this feeling quite a lot shortly after our massive clean out/throw away/garage sale saga. I was so shattered that day (I don't mean to use that word in the sense that I was inebriated, more so that I was pretty shaky and close to falling apart) and left my dear friends and family to clean up the mess while I went to photograph Tim and Judes wedding, which was amazing and beautiful and all relatively smoothe, thank goodness, or else I could easily have burst into tears and melted away. The next few days we were between houses as we no longer had any furniture to sleep on and without thinking I accidentally deleted half of the wedding photos!!! Thankfully I have amazing people in my life and Seb Trovato saved the day! Goodness gracious though, I was close to going mad at that point. It's funny to look back with a little distance now. Sort of.

Not long after our move here I would remember something treasured and think 'oh goodness, I didn't give/throw that away did I?' I would have these terrible pangs of saddness over my silly ex-stuff. I realised this was a very unhealthy habit to indulge and prayed a quick prayer asking God to take away what felt like a heavy (even if silly) burden. I stopped having those terrible thoughts, thanks Lord. I really felt it was important not to let those things haunt me. Anyhow, those possibly missing photos got me off topic...

I liked Little miss Moi's idea of sharing a favourite holiday snap every Tuesday. This is one of my favourites from an afternoon on the beach in Puerto Escondido - quite a famous surf beach my Joshua still dreams about. It is so satisfying to capture something at the perfect moment like this. This website has some funny examples of perfectly timed photos. Photography is funny like that. Sometimes you're in the right place at the right time. Today I saw a beautiful photo opportunity - 3 little girls chasing after each other on a green hill surrounded by cherry blossoms. I could already see the picture in my mind and it was amazing! I was too far away though and my bus pulled in. I was really torn but ended up jumping on the bus, and shortly after playing over in my mind how the bus driver would react if I ordered him to immediately pull the bus to a stop so I could go back and get 'that shot'. But I was also aware I'd missed it. Even if I went back the little girls would be gone and the moment was lost.

Anyhow, back to that sunny Mexican afternoon... I had such a lovely time strolling bare-footed along the beach this particular afternoon watching local families pull in their boats and wade in the water as the sun finished it's shift for the day. I saw these bold young men diving off the rocks and had a few moments to compose myself for the shot as they waited in anticipation for the waves to roll in. Ah Mexico. I do hope we meet again some day.

On a completely different but a little bit related note everyone here in Vancouver is talking about how amazing the summer will be. After arriving in the grey winter, and seeing the signs of spring I am excited about summer too. However a beautiful friend Beth who I met today (hailing from South Africa) reminded me that while summer is amazing for Canadians we have fantastic summers just about all year long in our respective home countries. Very true. Never-the-less, I am sure the change will be greatly appreciated - especially the long twilight hours.

And lastly, (I don't know how I let myself get so carried away...) I had mixed feelings recently when I came accross this site featuring my photo (in it's original form). They have given me credit which is generous, and I suppose that's what is required. It would just be yucky if someone used your work and claimed it as there own. Anyhow, all good press I suppose!

Just Work part 2

Here are some of the finished crosses I have been making after they were fired, glazed and re-fired:

I was also able to glaze some others for firing in the near future. This was all new to me. The glaze colours as you can see them below are very misleading. Some of the pinkish looking ones will become browns, greens and blacks and some of the green looking ones will turn that lovely raspberry red you can see in the picture above. So much science involved in the art of clay and colours!

I have been digging in the garden all day today after Gareth helped Joshua and I pick up about 100KG of manure I had set aside after the sale the other day. It is beautiful and sunny and I love some good, hard physical labour, especially when the resulting garden will provide so much future joy. It is hard-work however so I am having a much needed coffee and halva break. Too nice of a day to eat inside so I'm going back out. Aurevoir!

Falling Falling: A Poem

By Bethely Cameron

bustle and fluster of flurries
falling in bunches
on branches extended like fingers
to catch white ribbons
that lay along their lines

fluff highlighting form
among February’s faint pink buds
and delicate twigs
outlining small leaves
huddled close on their stalks:
small symmetries that stayed the winter’s
edge

falling together in clumps
to cover bush, bike, and sidewalk
falling before footsteps
(with a cushy crunching noise)
revealing the morning’s movements:
records of the small dog’s line of round and
scattered steps

and the snow, falling,
falls still

met by curling clouds
that rise from rooftops:
a net of smoke somehow seeming to
slow the steady stream

out of a foreign gray region
that the trees do not touch
comes endlessly falling
pieces together
fluttering to follow
twisting paths

I claim absolutely no credit for these beautiful words. I met Bethely through Regent and this poem of hers was published in the college publication Et Cetera. I wanted to share it as I think she so beautifully describes the recent big snow we had here in the city not long ago. It's spring here now or at least becoming spring on the West Coast but winter (and snow) still cling on in the mountains and most of the rest of Canada.