zoom in

To start the year off on a good note, I thought it would be best to do only those things I really like doing.  Early morning was spent on Pinterest. (no need to disclose how long because today anything goes)  My next indulgence was coffee at Gelateria del Leone, my favorite morning stop.  I swung by Black Bear Bakery for an expresso biscotti. Now I was fully prepared to spend a few hours cruising the neighborhoods. Pictures of doorways captured my interest for awhile. I had to remove a flyer rubber banded to this doorknob before I could take the picture.  The bright green of this one seemed so cheerful, I couldn't pass it up. And this one was so sweet and welcoming.. I just had to Zoom In. Simple square wreaths on these doors struck me as interesting, creative, and PERFECT! Doors with this much character do not need adornment. This neighborhood has no shortage of painted doors. So I walked the streets taking lots of pictures. I won't show ea...

My daughter and son-in-law found out recently they are having a boy so choosing a name now begins in ernest.  It started me thinking about the whole naming process.  Of course we all name our children and our pets.  But some carry it a little further.  I had an uncle who called his car Nellie and my brother named his sunny yellow pick up truck, Sandy Beach.  Other modes of transportation are named as well.  We have Air Force One for a jet;  "Christina O", for Onassis' yacht and "Splendour" for Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner's yacht.  There was the submarine called Red October and a World War II plane called "Enola Gay." Other than names for modes of transportation, we have names for castles like Castle Penela and Carlisle Castle. We have Hacienda Luisita and the famous plantation, Tara, from Gone With The Wind. Those who have country homes or summer cottages often name them as well.  I believe the Queen calls hers Balmoral....

What allows the shoulders to drop a smidge and the breathing to be less shallow when we arrive home? Whether we are gone for 5 hours or five days the relaxing sigh when we walk through the door is the same.  For me it's being surrounded by things I have chosen, things that are familiar to me.  Those choices are an outward expression of my personal taste.  So when I am surrounded by those choices I see and feel my inner preferences reflected back to me.  In a short radius from my own home, I photographed places that speak to their residents in a similar way.  I wonder why they think coming home feels so sweet.                                                            ...