Bench and Fall Grasses

You'd never know that this bench sits on the edge of a bank parking lot, thirty feet from a very busy street. Walking home from the bus stop on a gray, drizzly day, I grabbed my camera and trotted back down there, enamored with the way that the bench seemed about to be overtaken by the raindrop-clad grass. Two days later, the grass had been shorn down. Now the bench looks lonely and exposed. The remaining foot-high patches look like a series of 1950's-style brush cuts on blond heads, buried in the mulch.

Night View, Amsterdam

Arriving in Amsterdam at dusk, we took a walk along the canal near our hotel. Leaning my camera on top of a small bridge, I shot this picture---and lifted my camera up too soon. That mistake gave me one of my favorite images from our time in Amsterdam. Here it is, a magical scene with accidental shooting stars falling into the Reguliersgracht canal. This is the image that was chosen for "Eye of the Quilter II" the beautifully mounted photo exhibit that was on display at the International Quilt Festival in Houston earlier this month. Now I am sharing it with you.

Foggy Window Sunrise

The Houston Quilt Festival is always a marathon, of sorts. Most mornings, I left the hotel well before sunrise, headed down to the convention center and prepared my classroom for the day’s creative adventure. Daylight eluded me. I spent most of my time in windowless rooms full of sewing machines and eager students. After each class, I took the elevator down to a colorful world of awe-inspiring quilts. One morning I had a later schedule. We drew back the curtains and there was the sun, just rising over the downtown Houston skyline. The foggy window made it look so vague and romantic, like a painting by Monet or perhaps Whistler. Hello sun. Hello daylight.

Beach Fences

Laying on the beach is not my thing. So it doesn't really matter if the sun isn't out. In fact, I prefer moody days with unpredictable skies. I like the beach fences. Each fence is tilted at a slightly different angle. The fences combine to form patterns that change and almost make you dizzy if you stare too hard while walking by them. Lake and sand and sky get broken up in little slices. That swooping diagonal curve makes this my favorite beach fence picture---so far.