more sparkly emerald city

yes, bohemian was having a perfectly lovely day in the city! it was a resplendently beautiful sunshiny day and she was prepared: sunglasses, sweater... oh wait! didn't need that sweater after all! but oh, she wished for her flip flops!!! her feet got tired and sweaty in her comfy but hot black vans...

the flowers were delicious little color explosions everywhere she looked...

and she so loved all the sparkly windows!!!!

oooohhhh!!! in the flowerpot! delicious blue eplosions!

and WOW! very tall buildings, most all of them gray. but their glorious blue windows flashing sunlight made up for the whole concrete effect.

the bohemian's only regret was that there was no time to stop and play at her favorite parks, or play inside the science center, or visit the public market, or drool in any art galleries... maybe next time.

wishing lovely travel adventures to all...

ooohhhh...sparklies!!!

what a fun day our bohemian had!! it was one of those sparkly bright days in the emerald city... the sunlight danced on the water of the bay and reflected off the glass buildings of the city. she saw the glistening, white shining arches of the science playground: while 600 feet up above the city, visitors took advantage of the chance to view the city from a bird's perspective:

and the bohemian and friend dined on halibut and chicken waldorf salad while the scenery flowed past their window:

far below the stately tower, visitors and citizens alike gazed up in awe:

as the bohemian friends drifted back toward the ground, they could see the twin stadiums in the distance:

it was a fabulous day in the emerald city... but this was not ALL the wondrous things the bohemian saw on this adventurous day there. maybe she will show you more tomorrow...

happy wishes to all and hoping for a very merry adventure tomorrow for everyone...

colorful world

ahhh...the bohemian mountain: a palette of blues and a contrast of shapes... i am so in love with the colors of my world!!

one of the challenges for my card-making group is "black and white". my theme is:" i'm glad i don't live in a black and white world".

so here are some of the colors of my world...

RED:

i don't love the color red. most of the time i don't even LIKE the color red. but splashes of it wake up your eyes and your senses. and my fairy chimes are red!

PURPLE. AND ORANGE:

i DO however LOVE purple. and orange. so of course these pansies called out to me.

unfortunately, they did not survive my black thumb. every time i buy plants then kill them, i tell myself, " i'm never buying plants again!". then the colors call out to me. they don't realize i'm a plant killer... so they gladly come home with me. yes, i always feel remorse...

BLUES:

blues are not my favorite but i do love indigo. and sometimes the sky is soooo blue it makes me want to cry. i love the ocean but our pacific ocean up here in the northwestern-most corner of the country is usually a gray-blue. in costa rica, however, the ocean is this lovely teal blue color i can't even begin to describe! and none of my pictures ever do it justice!

YELLOW:

and these gorgeous yellow flowers that bloom out every early summer... they herald summer for me!

MORE BLUES:

the blues in the nearby lake change every moment. and the texture is ever-changing also. sometimes smooth as glass, sometimes choppy as the ocean with gleaming white caps on every wave... PURPLEY-BLUE: (yes, mr. spellcheck, of course that's a real word!!)

these flowers grow in my sister's tuscan garden. (yes, the picture is sideways but all i want you to notice is the color!) this color, i love.

well... i managed to accidentally delete the other pictures of color in my world i wanted to show you. it is one of those technically challenging days for me. i have them quite consistently. one thing about me...i am quite consistent! *big sigh*

don't pass by the colors in your world today without noticing them...

as Alice Walker said:

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it." wishing a rainbow of colors to you today...

partytime...

the bohemian awoke and heard the whispered voices.... at first she could not make out what they were saying. but they grew more insistant. "awake, awake... it's partytime!!! it's the Mad Hatter's Tea Party day over at A Fanciful Twist! we've been waiting for weeks for this partytime!"

" it's tea party time," the elvan queen whispered to the bohemian...

"dress up in your party clothes,"the sprite whispered shyly...

" fairies are near," tinkled the fairy chimes... "come a-partying..."

the back door fairy simply giggled with glee...

" partytime," the gingko leaves shivered in delight!

oh! see yonder! fairy party lights!!

have a great and fabulous time partying all over blogsville this weekend!

and one last piece of advice:

off to the party...

gray thoughts/silver lining

what a gray day today! guess it's a good day to play the "glad game" (disney movie: pollyanna)... what do i like about the color gray? hmmmmmm... let's see... well.... *gray/grey...you can spell it two ways. that's kinda fun. *gray is close to silver, which i like because it's shiny and metallic. *umm... *did you know the pavement in Red Sqare is not red? i know. really random...

*i like ice, snow, and frost (at least to LOOK at!) oh, and dew drops. especially when they're sparkling in the early morning sun. and sitting in a spider web...

*i like the gray color tones of my weathered-wood shaked house...

(okay... so this picture looked grayer when i was loading it)

*DUCT TAPE...I LOVE DUCT TAPE!!!!!!

*mercury. i love the scientific qualities of mercury. it fascinates me! and so pretty-shiny! *and gray is a great color for tabby kittens...

*silver dollars. my grandmother gave me a (real) silver dollar every year for my birthday for a few years when i was small.

*mud puddles are kinda fun. when you have your rubber boots on. and you're in the mood to get wet. and maybe you have a brightly colored umbrella. and a friend.

okay. exercise over. i'm off to bohemia because i KNOW it's sunshining there.

have an awesome day, no matter what the weather is in your neck of the woods. and don't forget to play the "glad game"... yeah, i mean today. do it today!

a collection of things that make me smile

i doodled a page in my Morning Pages that told of things that make me cheer me up and make me smile... smiling makes that little bubble of joy burst softly inside me. no matter how dark the clouds are, no matter how hard it's raining, no matter that it's only 51 degrees on the second day of summer... smiling makes it better. so the more i smile, the better it gets... THIS is why i fill my life with things that make me smile.

God painting the sky at the end of the day with colors of purple, rose, orange, fiery red, and gold... that makes me smile.

looking at Johnny Depp makes me smile. come on, did you SEE HIM in Chocolat?!

hanging clothes on the line, the smell of clothes hung on the line, other peoples clothes dancing in the breeze on the line... yep! makes me smile. clothes out on the line in the rain...makes me laugh out loud. (a little northwest humor...)

working in my morning pages, re-reading my morning pages... that such easy happiness can be found in simple little things like glue, paper, old magazines. i find it simply amazing.

the view of my bohemian mountain majesty... simply makes me stop in my tracks and breathe in the joy and awesomeness of the sight. and yes, it really does make me smile every time.

my daughters bring me such joy and happiness and amuse me to no end. (s0 d0 my sons but they are not in this picture...). AND, the ocean IS my favorite place on the planet. i love tropical beaches and warm tropical waters but the Oregon coast is without a doubt unequaled in my heart's desire and affection. when i am here, i cannot stop smiling.

black cat makes me smile and almost always laugh out loud. his antics are just so amusing! life is just one big frolicking adventure to him. and that outlook is so contagious! he brings joy to my world.

...and the kittens!!! who can resist smiling about kittens? aren't they just adorable?! i would have to add to that: babies and any kind of baby animals...

again, a two-fold thing... sidewalk chalk gets me down on my hands and knees every time with a giant grin on my face!!! here on a sidewalk in Costa Rica i tell My Honey how i feel about him. it made me grin and it made him smile, too. i love 2-for-1 bargains!

i am totally infatuated with henna tattoos. i can't explain it but something about the intricacy and swirls and being on your hands and feet and not being permanent... it is a fabulous art!! and i love doodling them in my Morning Pages...

by "big fun" i mean kid-sized fun. the kind grown-ups are afraid to have... silly, over the top, goofy, free, and wildly imaginative... dress-up, bubbles, belly-laughing, tree climbing, skipping, hula hoops, make believe, living-out-loud kind of fun. makes me smile watching it. makes me smile doing it. hope there is BIG FUN in your day today... let your smile loose, to show up on your face over every little thing. smiles are contagious so pass them around lavishly.

collect: to bring together in one place; assemble;to gather from numerous sources...

another day of cloud and hidden mountain grandeur. but the drama of the wind-swept cloud, and the incredible range of blues... the gypsy was entertained all day just watching the ever changing sky screen...

when, in this gypsy's life did she become such a collector of collections? the whole of the gypsy lifestyle is living simply and with light possession, to be able to pack up at any given moment and move on... after 30 years in the same house, it would be quite impossible. examples of this girl's collecting (hey! it's genetic. it goes WAY back in her family genes!!):

example #1: her collection of Anne McCaffrey's Dragons of Pern series sitting beside her Zenna Henderson's People series (which she also has in the hardback edition with all the stories included...?!)

example #2: just because she has window niches, she believes she must FILL them with collections... this is one of her (too) many teapots, nestled in with some ceramic and porcelain pieces made by her and some of her friends. and tiny bubbles from a wedding reception (see the tiny champagne bottle?) DON'T ASK WHY!!!

example #3: the teapot and honeypot she made out of ceramics...

example #4: another teapot sitting atop a chinese tea set (boxed) with an assortment of oddments surrounding it...gifts from children, valentines leftovers,etc. how could one part with such things?!

example #5: the yellow and purple shelf. sigh. need anything else be said?

nestled into this yellow and purple (mess) assortment is her favorite quote: "Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it you can." -Danny Kaye

here's to all the collectors out there................. CHEERS!

besides, where would all my dusty bunnies live, without all the collection? Huh? just think about that...