Strawberry Season

Strawberry season reminds me of my grandmother Rosalie's strawberry rhubarb pie. She is a patient cook and a great crust maker. Sadly, she lives too far away for me to drop in on her kitchen with two quarts of fresh strawberries from up the road. 

Making pie crust intimidates me. I prefer to just splash a little cream in the bowl. We can't all be good at everything. And the strawberries don't mind one little bit.

Impossible Project PX680 Color Shade Gold Frame Instant Film

Polaroid SX-70 Camera

Plain Beauty

I just returned from a short visit to a place where I grew up. One of the places. I always felt like a visitor there. Good people all around me, but not my people. If you know what I mean.

What struck me on this visit, as always, is the landscape. A German work ethic is applied to the land with a firm hand, and in early spring the whole place is fields of color. And I don't mean planting fields.

Broad expanses of saturated color. Grass green. Sky blue. Earth brown. With sharp edges and angles between. (In fact, Mennonite women bent over edging tools and weed wackers along roadsides everywhere we traveled). No serendipity or happenstance. Orderliness and plain beauty.

It makes this part of upstate New York, which I love, look like it needs a haircut and a shave. And the quick touch of a hot iron.

(Thank god I finally found my people.)

Amaryllis

My amaryllis is a jolt of tropical sexiness right about now. This and the premature hint of spring in the air are turning my thoughts to gardening.

I have a little greenhouse shoot planned for later in the month. Can't wait to be bathed in light and moisture with all those tender plants.

Candy Cane Mountain

Eleven perfect candy canes (number 12 is all over the little boy's face).

Cherry Red

Shooting The Impossible Project's new Polaroid films takes time.

Yes, it's "instant" film. But it asks you to wait.

My over-used digital camera shows me my photo before I even capture it. I can review it, and it looks.... exactly the same. This fuzzy little shot, however asked me to wait. Ten minutes shielded from the light while it developed. About six hours while it ripened. And about a week for it to mature.

I scanned it and sat on it for a couple of weeks. It hadn't really grown on me when I posted it to Flickr. Then people started to see it. And comment on it. And like it. And so did I.

It just took a little time.

Tart Sweet

 Ribbons of sugar.