Opening My Eyes

I was checking out the Huff Post Arts page yesterday and found a really inspirational article I just had to share. It's called Relish the Art That Surrounds You by Agnes Gund. The main premise is that we should take time to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us wherever we are. This line sums it up nicely, "I'm talking about the ubiquitous examples of the lift, the alert, the surprise and small thrills that come from acknowledging the loveliness that is both momentary and constant in the every day, ordinary encounters of our lives."

I was actually thinking about a post like this for awhile but just didn't have the foundation until I read this article. She says exactly what I was thinking far better than I could so I do hope you check it out. Ever since I took up photography as a hobby/new obsession I really feel like I've begun to see the world differently. A day doesn't go by that I don't frame an image in my mind as I'm walking down the sidewalk or driving down the street. I used to be so much more in my own head, not noticing the world around me as I do now. I see the world in images now and am constantly amazed at the beauty I encounter in my own little world.



She talks about places that she goes to explore beauty where she lives in New York City. I don't have the diversity of this local but I think I have just as much beauty to explore in my own neighborhood. So here is my own list of places in St. Charles, MO that I have photographed and can go back to time again to discover more beauty:

• St. Charles Frontier Park. This includes the docks and riverfront views in the top shot. There are also countless festivals and gatherings held throughout the year that are not only great photo ops but just lots of fun.
  
• St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery. This old cemetery was founded in 1856 and has some of the most important residents of St. Charles buried in it. It also has lots of really cool old statues and headstones that I love to photograph. I caught it right at sunset with the big cross for one of my classes earlier in the year.
• Busch Wildlife Conservation Area. This is only 20 minutes from my house and is a wonderful opportunity to explore nature and discover beauty anytime of year. I definitely need to get out there soon to capture the season change and some fall colors. The goose in flight is one of my favorites that I've shot there.
• Lindenwood University campus. This is my alma mater and is one of the oldest schools this side of the Mississippi. I can practically walk to the campus from my house and there is some amazing architecture and walking paths with beauty to explore right next door.
• Frenchtown. This is the old Main Street of St. Charles and in addition to great antiques shopping there are also beautiful old buildings, a working trolley, horse drawn carriages, and other seasonal opportunities with people dressed in costumes.

These are just the ones that came to my mind this morning. I didn't include anything on the other side of the bridge which opens up a whole other world of possibilities.


I know it's a cliche, "to stop and smell the roses", but I guess that is what I'm really trying to say. I'm really thankful for all of the beauty I'm lucky to have around me. I love our little corner of the world and as much as I wonder about what else is out there beyond my neck of the woods I really wouldn't change things one bit.

Weekend Wrapup

The items above are the miscellaneous, and weird assortment of items that I accumulated this weekend. First I went to Hobby Lobby Friday night to get a new white display board to use for pictures and they had a whole assortment of colors so I also got a great red and black. I once again didn't have the time or energy for a photo shoot of my new items but I hopefully will get a chance to put them to use next weekend.

Last night Mike and I went down to the Delmar Loop, ate a nice dinner and walked around. The Loop is an interesting part of St. Louis, at the epicenter of the colleges and universities, with lots of funky shops that sell tie die and tobacco. When I was in high school and craving to get out of my little town I told myself that someday I would be able to hang out at the loop whenever I wanted. Well, since living here for well over a decade, I've probably been there no more than 3 dozen times, but such is life. Mike isn't crazy about it since parking is a nightmare, it's no more than a stone's throw from a really bad part of town, and he says it's full of pretentious wanna-bes. From the Vintage Vinyl store I got the Margaret Cho used DVD. From a graphic novel and comic book store I got a couple of cool goth graphic novels.

Today my sister and the girls came to St. Charles and we spent the afternoon shopping and walking around down on Main Street. Jess was so cute as we were walking down the old cobble stone, she said, "Is this their mall?" Not exactly but it is full of fun independently owned shops and restaurants. To the right are a couple of street performers that thoroughly entertained the girls, and me too. We went to my favorite local yarn store, Knit and Caboodle, and I was able to support the girls burgeoning yarn habit. There was a whole wall of buy 3 get one free and I let them pick out whatever they wanted, within reason. My sister couldn't believe how much yarn cost, and I told her that you get what you pay for. I got myself 4 skeins of Antuco's cotton variegated yarn. I just bought a bunch of Chilean yarn on-line on sale in some single shades but I couldn't pass up these gorgeous colorways, and they were on the BOGO wall. I also got the huge size 35 Bamboo needles. The girls asked me if I knew how to use them. I told them that they are just like normal needles just a lot bigger. I will use them to make some wild scarves with four or five yarns held together. Talk about fast knitting.

The belt/scarf of many colors is a finger knitting masterpiece that Jess gave me. My sister said that she's been working on it for weeks. She used up all of her scraps and sewed them all together by herself. She said she knew I was the only one who would appreciate it. I couldn't have been more pleased. Oh, and the troll doll is something the girls got me at a garage sale. They are always giving me trolls because they say they remind them of me. I can't argue with that. This last shot is one Kate and I took of ourselves while we tried to stay entertained during Jess's soccer game. I am going to seriously miss those girls when they move...