pumpkin heads

My husband Tom and I took a short trip up to the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire this past week.  We love visiting this area and have camped many times before in the areas surrounding the White Mountain National Forest.  This year we brought along our dog Mel and decided to rent a cabin at a local motel instead.  This worked out just fine for our few days of leaf looking, Mt. Washington Auto Road driving, trail hiking, and of course a little rainy day outlet shopping.  When we first arrived we were driving in the small town of Jackson, and noticed the above display of a bed on the side of the street.  With Halloween approaching, I thought it was a very clever and inventive decoration for the nearby inn to have to welcome their guests.  As we drove around Jackson, and the neighboring towns over the next few days, we began to notice what we coined "pumpkin heads", popping up all around, each with a unique theme or message.  Deciding it must be more than a coincidence that "everyone in the area was decorating with pumpkin heads"!....I did a little research to find out that indeed, it is a Jackson Chamber of Commerce sponsored event called, "Return of the Pumpkin People".  This event has been going on for 24 years in Jackson, NH and the surrounding area!  On our last day visiting, the weather was quite rainy, so after lunch, we decided to take a nice drive around and view as many of the Pumpkin People as we could find.  There is a map on the Jackson website, however we chose to make it more of a scavenger hunt, looking at the map quickly once, and then going off on our own to explore the area.  I photographed the ones we found and Tom, Mel, and I chose our favorites.  I noticed also on the website there is a ballot for a "People's Choice" award.  I think I will be printing that out and sending my vote in.  We had a great time checking out all the hard work that went into these creative, whimsical and inventive designs.  Just one more reason to head on up to NH!

Beetlejuice...a classic!

This boat named after Attitash Mountain Resort which is in Bartlett, NH...

I love how they used a tarp for the water!

 This was outside a restaurant we went in....I didn't even notice it at first!

Perfect advertisement for this cleaning service!

Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss?

more classics...

Go Patriots!  It is New England after all :)

LOVE all the mini pumpkin heads in this Gulliver's Travels re-creation!

Disney Princesses welcoming visitors at an Inn.

Out front at the Grammar School...art, music, sports & academics all represented!

The local Ski Club sends a very important message!

Tom's favorite!  Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash at an Inn in Jackson, NH

How appropriate!

Cinderella, out front at what used to be an educational theme park called Heritage New Hampshire.

Heritage is no longer open, but the building is still there.  It is right next to Storyland.

Mel thought maybe he could join this cast of characters.

I'm still not sure which one to mark down on my ballot.  Which one would you vote for?

i ♥ risd

I love RISD (Rhode Island School of Design)...really, I do.  Whenever someone mentions the school, the word,  or even Providence at that matter...my eyes light up and I am instantly reminded of all the wonderful experiences I had as a student there oh too many years ago!  Yes, it has a reputation as being one of the best art schools in the country...but for me, and most of the people I know who went there, it is so much more.  The exceptional teachers, the array of remarkable art classes, the amazing and unique friends I met while spending night after night in the studio to complete project after project....they are all a part of who I am today.  I love to visit the school and Providence.  Living only a few hours away and having family not far from Providence brings me to the area at least once or twice a year.  For many years my closest college friends and I would visit every October for Parent and Alumni Weekend.  The best part about that weekend it the student and alumni sale where RISD-ites show off their talents and sell their handmade goods.  I am never at a loss for something to buy at those sales and sometimes I even participate.  The city has definitely changed since I was a student...but absolutely for the better.  It has gone through a renaissance that has beautified parts that needed help, yet the history and charm of old world Providence seems untouched.  A few weekends ago my husband and I made a quick stop in Providence on our way back from visiting family.  Our time was limited so I knew we wouldn't be able to hit every favorite spot, but I also knew whatever we did see would still be excellent! We had our dog Mel with us so we set out on a little walking tour.   Of course my husband has heard the same stories a hundred times....but I thought Mel would enjoy a peek at what I was doing before he was even born!

One of my favorite stops...the mailroom!

The RISD museum has vastly expanded since I was a student.  It has a fabulous and diverse collection...a MUST see if you are in town!

The infamous RISD "beach".  Most students spend hours on this small patch of lawn, a great meeting place around the dorms in the center of the campus.  Note the tape "installation" on the wall welcoming the summer pre-college students!

Close up of the sculpture on the beach (Tom took this one).

Students selling their goods on the beach overlooking Benefit Street - where the student/alumni sale is in the fall.

The Nature Lab - One of the best places to spend countless hours examining specimens and drawing their likeness.  An amazingly original asset to the campus.

Mel & Tom resting while I shopped a bit at the RISD store!

The lower end of the museum on North Main St. which also features a the RISD Works store - all items are developed and/or made by RISD students/graduates.

This stairwell used to be a small, back alley when I was a student...Mel enjoyed the improvement!

Taking a lunch break down by the canal at Union Station Brewery.  They were so nice there, filled up Mel's bowl and gave us a table outside so he could take a rest while we ate.

Downtown Providence and the canal has gone through a "renaissance" since I was a student.  This bridge leading to the canal has been renovated and a September 11th memorial has been created by local students.

It is called the Wall of Hope.

I looked up and these old chandeliers were looking down at me...I love how the old mixes with the revived and new.

Several times a year the city holds what is called Waterfire Providence.   Waterfire was created by local artists as part of the revitalization movement and is a powerful work of art where fires are lit on the rivers at night as choreographed music plays and firetenders boat past...symbolizing the renaissance of the city.  The dark black orbs you see floating on the river in my photo are where some of the fires are lit.

My husband & Mel did get a treat from the RISD store...a new sticker for Tom's truck.  He has a pretty descent collection of stickers from all places we go...so when I saw the "my dog digs risd" bone shaped sticker...I knew he would find the perfect spot for it!  'Cause after all, Mel definitely shares my love for RISD now!

spring sculpture series

Last summer when I was teaching a few photography classes at SUNY Purchase I posted photos I had taken on my i-phone of some of the sculptures that adorn the campus there.  When I was walking around Washington, DC this past weekend, my husband and I stumbled upon the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden and I was instantly reminded of the photos I took at Purchase.  Of course I always have my i-phone near by, even though I did have my "good" camera as well, I decided to take a series of photos of some of the sculptures using one of my most favorite apps...the Hipstamatic!

overlooking the garden...cherry blossoms line the upper walkway

King and Queen by Henry Moore

Lunar Bird by Joan Miro...I "heart" Miro's artwork

Tom looking at a de Kooning

Barry Flanagan's - The Drummer

I love how the sculpture starts to disappear into the background of this photo

self portrait ♥

beautiful blossoms

My husband and I decided to take a spur of the moment trip to Washington, DC this weekend to see the infamous cherry blossoms.  It just happens to be "peak season" and the 2011 National Cherry Blossom Festival is in full swing!  We booked a hotel in Old Town Alexandria, just outside of DC, and decided to take the metro into the city to avoid the hassles of having to drive and park.  We were fortunate to have a metro stop about 6 blocks from our hotel, however the metro system did take a bit of figuring out.  Special note to all those New Yorkers out there who share subway cards...in DC, each person needs their own card...we found out the hard way!  Once we made our way into the city, we set afoot, armed with maps and trusty i-phone apps, to see the blossoms!  Now you wouldn't think it wouldn't be that hard to miss the over 3000 blooming trees, however if you are a bit naive like me, let me tell you now, DC is huge!  There were crowds of people to follow, and that did help of course, but there is also so much to do and see while you are there, you never really know which crowd is headed where!  All joking and complaining aside from all the walking (make note to wear very comfortable shoes!), the trees are truly magnificent to see.  They line the entire tidal basin, a 2.1 mile loop.  There is also a 4.1 mile river walk where a free shuttle is offered to view some more of the many different species of blooming cherry trees.  After seeing so many beautiful trees in one location, I did begin to wonder if there was a reason as to why so many trees of this type were planted in one place.  Upon further research I found that the plantings of cherry trees originated in 1912 as gift of friendship to the United States from the people of Japan.  Peak bloom dates for this year were estimated for March 29-April 3, however the festival is going on until April 10...so you still have a few days left to catch a glimpse of the fabulous blossoms.  If you can't make it this year...next year will mark the 100th annual festival!  Also, you can check out this online webcam to catch a glimpse of what the trees look like right now...what will they think of next?

view around the tidal basin

a friend with a friendly reminder!

most of the trees bloom white blossoms...

every once in a while there is a pink one!

it was hard not to stop at a few of the historical sites...

this wall in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial was quite remarkable

close-up of a panel - the whole wall/column structure

 was made of tactile relief panels, including the use of braille

another close-up

Washington Monument

Incase you are wondering what to do after you have had your fill of blossoms, check out the official DC tourism website for plenty of suggestions and ideas.  There are more than enough things to do and see, I promise!

valentine labyrinth

This past Valentine's Day I walked a labyrinth for the first time.  I have always been intrigued by them and what made this one even more special is it's unique location of Playa Chiquita, Costa Rica, which means "Rich Coast".  We (my husband and I), just spent the past week on the Caribbean Coast of one of the most peaceful, serene, and picturesque countries.  We were lured in for an early afternoon snack of fish tacos at a sweet little eco-lodge called Miraflores.  While we were waiting for our food, Pamela, the owner and builder of Miraflores, invited us to walk her labyrinth.  It is nestled in the back of the property and "was placed in the medicinal and sustainable organic vegetable and fruit garden, complimenting the 12 year old Heliconia gardens, which Pamela collected from all over the tropical rainforest world."  The Labyrinth Society says "A labyrinth is a single path or unicursal tool for personal, psychological and spiritual transformation. Labyrinths are thought to enhance right brain activity."  It's very informative to read more about them on their website.  Check out this link for a research study I thought was interesting and perhaps worth further investigation.  It also reminds me a lot of mandala study one of my professors was working on in graduate school.  I am very grateful we stumbled upon Pamela's labyrinth...it is a true treasure.

view from afar of the Pamela's labyrinth...up above was a sloth looking down on us!

coral with moss...everything was so lush

close up of ferns growing in the labyrinth

Tom dreaming of fish tacos in Miraflores Rainforest Cafe :)

wish we had some now...we never made it back for a second serving, 

will just have to plan for our next trip!

my beach valentine on Playa Manzanillo...how did you spend your special day?