Moody Monday: Close

Brand New Day

EMPS #75: PEACEFUL PLACES - Let's enjoy a photography assignment this week that celebrates the PEACEFUL PLACES in our lives.

If I have to pick a favorite, meeting the new day with the sunrise is the most peaceful of moments for me. The sunrise never fails to inspire in me a deep sense of hope and beauty--a beautiful reminder that life is good and that every sunrise signals a new day to try again.

The following is an excerpt from Fernando Ortega's uplifting song, On This Good Day. (Click on the link to listen to the song.)

This goody day
It is a gift from You.
The world is turning in its place
because You made it to.
I lift my voice
To sing a song of praise
On this good day.

Welcome to my first EMPS post.



“One’s destination is never a place,
but a new way of seeing things.”
~Henry Miller

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ELLIPSIS MONDAY PHOTO SHOOT

Into the Time Capsule

Entrance to the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. St. Augustine, Florida. January.30.2010.



"We wanted color and lushness.
We wanted a red, yellow and blue palette.
It's very much a burst of color from spring through fall."
~Brian Fun

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MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY

Fountain of Youth

Fountain of Youth. St. Augustine, FL. January 31, 2010.



“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

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BLUE MONDAY

Looking Up

Inside the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum in St. Augustine, FL. January 31, 2010.


“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

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ODD SHOT MONDAY

American Puss and Boots Spec Costume, 1978

Taken at The Circus Museum inside the Ringling Estate in Sarasota, FL.

Don Foote,
American Puss and Boots Spec Costume, 1978
Fabric, sequins
Found in Collection

Spec wardrobe is among the most lavish costuming produced for any cirucs. Since the nature of the spec performance is colorful, extravagant and exciting, the wardrobe was always specially desgiend. In the 1960s, Don Foote's marvelous creations brightened the floors of arenas around the country.

After a period designing for shows from Las Vegas to Broadway, in 1970, Don Foote became the official costume designer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. He spent fourteen years costuming performings in wardrobe noted for its vivid colors and heavy sequining.

This Puss in Boots dress was designed by Foote for the fairytale portion of the 1979 Ringling spectacle, Circus Toyland.

"There is no blue without yellow and without orange."
~Vincent Van Gogh

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MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY

The "Blue" Madonna

Taken at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, FL.

Carlo Dolci, attributed to
Italian, 1616-187, active in Florence

The "Blue" Madonna, c. 1670
Oil on Canvas

Bequest of John Ringling, 1936, SN 136

In this painting, the popular subject of the Madonna of Sorrows, or Mater Dolorosa, is endowed with a physical presence and simplicity that has affected many pious viewers. The combination of sweetness and melancholy is typical of the religious pathos of Carlo Dolci's works. The artist was particularly well known for his paintings of solitary figures, as seen in this work. His skill as a portraitist informed his religious pictures, as his religious figures frequently hvae the feeling of psychological portraits. This personal approach to devotional painting echoed the demands of the Council of Trent (1545-1536) for clear decipherable religious art.

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

Pick your next Blue Monday destination at
BLUE MONDAY

OSM01 - A New Day for a New Life

Welcome to my first Odd Shot Monday post!

[From my Picasa Web Album: Beach Walk at Sunrise]



“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

Pick your next Odd Shot destination at
ODD SHOT MONDAY

MYM03 - A Morning Promise of Greatness to Come

Morning sun and morning glories
pouring down the hill
Through my window, I can feel the ocean breeze

...

This good day
It is a gift from You
The world is turning in its place, because You made it to
I lift my voice to sing a song of praise
on this good day

(Excerpt from the song, "This Good Day", by Fernando Ortega)

Listen to the song on Lala.

[From my Picasa Web Album: Beach Walk at Sunrise]


"There is no blue without yellow and without orange."
~Vincent Van Gogh

Pick your next yellow destination at
MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY

MM03 - Excuse Me. I Live Here.

[From my Picasa Web Album: Beach Walk at Sunrise]



“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

Pick your next macro destination at
MACRO MONDAY

BM03 - Flyin' the Friendly Skies

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

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BLUE MONDAY

Macro Monday #2 - Mint, Anyone?

Known commonly as spotted beebalm, spotted horsemint, or simply horsmint¹, this wild plant is not so pretty to look at from a distance. It grows in ho-hum places like the side of the road, where it's easily mistaken for an uninteresting flowery weed. Close up, it proves to be an intriguing vision of shapes, color, and texture—and it's a medicinal herb to boot.

Native Americans made a tea from the leaves of spotted horsemint to treat flu, colds and fever. It increases sweating. Essential oils from horsemint are high in thymol, which is an effective fungicide and bactericide and also used to expel hookworms. Today thymol is manufactured synthetically.²

I don't know why it's called horsemint, though. :?:

Taken in Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Sources:

• ¹ Wildflower Center
• ² Floridata

“A photograph is memory in the raw.”
~Carrie Latet

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MACRO MONDAY

Mellow Yellow Monday 002 - A New Life in a World of Yellow

I saw this pretty sight on the side of the trail and immediately fell in-love with it. It's a small sapling, only about a foot high. I don't know what plant this is. I'm interested to see what it has metamorphosed into. It's been ten days since this shot. I'll try to look for it when I get back from my trip next week.

Taken at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Florida.



"There is no blue without yellow and without orange."
~Vincent Van Gogh

Pick your next yellow destination at
MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY

Blue Monday 002 - Great Blue Heron

A metal sculpture of the great blue heron by the equally great Paul Eppling, a local artist in St. Petersburg, FL. Two more of his metal sculptures can be found in the preserve.

Taken at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg, Florida.


“A photograph is memory in the raw.”
~Carrie Latet

Pick your next Blue Monday destination at
BLUE MONDAY

Macro Monday #1 - Oopsy Daisy

Welcome to my first Macro Monday post!

No, it's not Oopsy Daisy; it's Sea Oxeye Daisy. :D  Taken at Solider's Hole Nature Trail at Fort de Soto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Sea Oxeye Daisy is a common plant along the trail. This plant flowers most prominently from March to August, however, it is not unusual to find some blooms at almost anytime of the year.

I took this shot last May.



“A photograph is memory in the raw.”
~Carrie Latet

Pick your next macro destination at
MACRO MONDAY

Mellow Yellow Monday #1 - Candy!!!

I took this snapshot at a candy/novelty store in historic Virginia City, Nevada. Entering the store was like entering a cave full of treasures! :D


"There is no blue without yellow
and without orange."
~Vincent Van Gogh

Pick your next yellow destination at
MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY