Synecdoche - What Do You See?

Sometimes I like to let the part stand for the whole. 

I like the visual effect of a tighter composition.

 I like to encourage your interpretation.

I want you to think "what's that?"

I've been reading lots of research and books about the brain lately. The brain is truly fascinating.

Did you know that your brain routinely interprets just pieces of information sent from your senses? 

Using selective attention, the brain discriminates between what is perceived as important and what is irrelevant. 

Our brains also interpret based on expectancy, past experiences, culture, and biological makeup. 

What do you think this is?

Here it is again in a larger scene.

The brain is a master at creating a whole from fragments of information.
Sometimes we get it wrong - we interpret signs and signals sent to the brain as something they're not. 

Two people looking at the same thing might see something completely different.

Often "right" or "wrong" is just a matter of how our brains interpret a situation.
It would be great if we could remember that the next time we feel affronted
 because someone doesn't "see" it our way!

Spring in Denver, CO - My World

In the mountains of CO, it may say "spring" on the calendar, but there is still plenty of snow on the ground.

Ninety miles away, in Denver, it's a different story:

Bulbs are blooming.

Bees are drunk with nectar.

Delicate flowers somehow withstand fluctuating temperatures.

Succulents form bright colonies.

Thorny Cacti bask in the warm sunshine.

Golden switches of Willow sway in the breeze.

Hidden beauty abounds.

As I watch spring unfold in the city,
I remember that in Japan a crisis continues.

 My World 

Thoughts of Hope

I am thinking of the people of Japan.

I visit the Japanese Garden in Denver Botanic Garden on a quiet afternoon
much like the one just before the earthquake and tsunami hit Sendai. 

We never really know from moment to moment where our path might lead.

I enter through the gate thinking of my Japanese Friends.

I can feel the serenity of the landscape.

Who can imagine the sadness and fear of the Japanese people? 

I sit quietly.

Snowdrops bloom at my feet.
I send thoughts of hope to my Blog Friends in Nara.
I wish for their continued safety in the aftermath of tragedy.

A Confession

You think you know me, BUT...

I have to confess:
I'm a stairs junky.

I love steps!

While everyone else is posting about flowers, birds, landscapes -

I'm awed by all kinds of stairs:
rocky, moss-covered, steep, spiral, ancient, or modern

Wherever I roam, steps get my full attention.

Here in Blogland, I enlarge some of YOUR photos if there are stairs.

What is it about them?

Maybe a sense of possibility.

An aura of mystery.
The thought of a journey.
A feeling that you can start low and end high. 

 This is one of my all-time favorites.
I bet you think that's a rose in a vase up there on those steep steps.
It's what you HOPE I'd photograph.
Well, it's actually litter - an aerosol can.

But - I love how it looks on the stairs!

Is there something that fascinates you that you like to photograph?
If it's  STAIRS, I hope you'll share!

Photos of stairs taken in Sausalito, CA, May 2010.
(Sausalito is built on steep hills so there are plenty of stairs to photograph!)

Responsibility - A Reminder to Myself

A new day - a dazzling dawn.

Later, storm clouds gather.

In each moment, a possibility.

It's up to me - how do I react?

What will I decide?

What happens - Good or Bad?  All - up to me.

Sometimes, the right decision - sometimes wrong.
My success.
My failure.

Through all the years, still learning the lesson:
Life's accountability distills into individual responsibility.

Child's Play

When our Grandchildren visit us in the mountains, we spend lots of time playing.

After an early breakfast, we head down a ski trail to the lifts.

Grammy and Children off Imperial Lift

This winter, Ben, Jack, and Amanda can go up high.
The views from 12, 840' above sea level are panoramic.

Amanda skiing down ridge.

My granddaughter is dwarfed by the landscape.

When our son, Jim, does an aerial stunt, the boys don't hesitate to try one, too.

At home, my rock garden makes a steep winter climbing wall.

I go onto the upper deck to warn Jack not to break the window with his sled.

What a great smile he has!

Finally, I lure them inside with a promise of hot chocolate.

Pop Pop challenges them to endless games of Parcheesi and Checkers until dinnertime.

Lucinda doesn't mind helping with homework.
Even the adults are exhausted by 8PM!