Socket Set

Summer is for exploring. The beat-up Honda has kicked up dust in our local blueberry fields, baked in the sun at mini-golf, and waited patiently at the curb while we ate big bowls of noodles. Even though it's near 90 degrees most days, I'm hauling along a bag full of cameras. Trying to keep the little boy and the film cool is challenging, but Vietnamese iced coffee helps.

When I pulled out my old, leather Polaroid SX-70, there was an audible flutter among the noodle eaters. You can't be shy and shoot vintage Polaroids. (Luckily, I'm not.) And the golden glow of this DIY chandelier was worth a shot.

Impossible Project PX680 Cool Instant Film

Polaroid SX-70 Camera

Independence Day

Independence is a good thing, but let's not forget that interdependence is what makes us tick. I hope you are with your own unique tribe, grilling and swimming and lighting bottle rockets today. Have a great Fourth of July!

Impossible Project PX680 Cool Color Shade Instant Film
Polaroid OneStep SE AutoFocus Camera

Bigger Every Day

Today is my little boys' sixth birthday. When he woke up today, the first words out of his mouth were, "I feel taller!" And when I visited his Kindergarten class this morning with a plate full of cupcakes, he was so excited that all he could do was stand there big-eyed, like a statue. (A slightly taller statue.)

Little toys like this one are slowly being replaced with soccer balls and Legos. It's a little wistful to pack up these old things, but man, it's exciting to see where he'll go next.

Happy Birthday, Jimmy J!

Impossible Project PX680 Cool Color Shade Instant Film

Polaroid SX-70 Camera

Monk with Chrysanthemums

When I lived in Thailand, garlands of silk chrysanthemums and plastic jasmine blossoms were draped respectfully over every Buddha statue, Thai spirit house and Bodhi tree in my little city. Spiritual practice was woven into the fabric of daily life. We burned incense at our gate to keep wandering spirits at bay. We made food offerings to statues of Thailand's first kings to show respect, and we gave morning alms to the monks who walked barefoot past our house in the early morning.

My son, who is half Thai, has only our little Buddha statues at home and this life-sized statue of a seated Chinese monk to ponder in our Hudson Valley home. Perhaps because of this, each time we go to our favorite local market, we visit the Chinese monk seated quietly in the window of an unrented shopfront nearby. We bow respectfully to him to honor the practice of mindfulness and the teachings of the Buddha.

It always makes me a little homesick for my beloved Chiang Mai. (Not too homesick, however, because there are no raspberries, good chocolate bars or affordable bottles of red wine there!)