And there it was

Last Friday on my way home from teaching my Memoir Writing class, I stopped to take a few photos. As I turned to go back to my car I saw this house. It was as if it had been dropped in by a Hollywood set designer. Why hadn't I seen it before?

It immediately reminded me of our friend Michelle Ward and her love of things Gothic and interesting.

I was amazed as I drew closer -- ravens on the railing?

And the lanterns -- part Poe, part Addams family.


And in the ornamentation around the front door there are bits of mirror. Imagine how they must sparkle and glitter in the lamp light as dusk descends.

And the black wrought iron fence. The perfect Halloween house.

I've been by a thousand times and never saw it before. Do you think it will still be there when All Saints Day rolls around?

Or will it vanish with a gasp of moonglow in the night?

Happy Halloween!

A season to fall for

I've always thought that fall was our glorious consolation as the pleasures of summer ebb.


Friends in Northern California used to point out how much I liked it there and ask, "So why don't you move here? We never have bad winters like you do in New England."


"But you never have New England autumns, either," I'd reply, and wistfully, they'd admit they had always wanted to experience one.


I love having four seasons, although I confess by February I've had all the winter I care for, thanks very much. But autumn can't last long enough for me. As an October birthday girl, I grew up thinking that fall was my personal season.


Wasn't the world decorated just for the occasion?

Random things

I have a code in the nobe.


Fever, aches, cough, sore throat.

Basically the Cold from Hell. Yuck.

But a rare opportunity to share some things random and interesting. A fall tomatillo. A rare, hand-lettered sign fading into oblivion. Gorgeous iron work in a surprising place. Beauty persists even with a fever.

Hope you're faring better this week. Achoo!

Excuse me, I'm going back to bed.

A Wing and a Prayer

These magnificent wings soar over the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut, treating motorists with the eyes to see to a glorious sight.


Fortunately for me, they are not far from my home and on the route I take everyday. Often I've passed them and wished I had the time to stop.


One day I passed them right before sunset and the slanting golden light was so glorious, I knew this was the time of day I needed to capture but continued on my way. For a year, I scolded myself but kept going.


Then last Saturday I met with artist friends during the New Haven Citywide Open Studios and we got to talking about how much of photography was capturing the ephemeral moment. The next day, on my way home from picking up my boy, the lighting was perfect and I was in no hurry.


Hallelujah!

More Inorganic Chemistry

What is it about a visit to artists that inspires?

I am one of those people who never leave home without a camera. Recently I visited a friend I hadn't seen since high school who was participating in the City-Wide Open Studios weekend in New Haven. The studios are in an old factory complex in Erector Square. Out of respect for the artists, I did not shoot their work. But I was entranced by the old building and came away with these images.

Inorganic Chemistry

My friend Julie Prichard recently posted some amazing images from a day in her dad's garage. Feeling inspired, I wanted to share these with you. Thanks for the inspiration, Julie!