Dashing through Schenley Park

On my recent visit to Pittsburgh, the cold winter had just settled in. At Schenley Park, we needed to run a bit to get warm! We took turns pretending to be a monster, chasing the others. Later, we found some icicles and broke one off to goof around-- it became my fang, Amy's long nail, Aaron's unicorn horn, and a drippy nose!...

friends / twins

I've thought for a long time that it would be fun to photograph friends who dress alike, probably without realizing it-- they have just "rubbed off" on each other. I don't have the guts to photograph strangers, so this one photo will likely complete my project!

Spotted at Razzy Fresh in Pittsburgh:

One more

Raquel and Tom

Thanksgiving

I had a lovely Thanksgiving at the Vogls. There is something about this house that is entirely unique, I was wondering whether I could capture something of it in these photos. The coziness of the lighting, seating, and textures of fabric are part of it, but there is also the aroma of coffee, rhythmic and soulful music, tasty food, and good conversation with dear friends. Not to mention the puppets!

Franke


Puppets!


Raquel


Anne's store


Self-portait

green yellow orange red brown gray

These images are two weeks old, from a walk along the trail at Charlottesville's reservoir. I returned a week later, and this green beech tree (below) had turned completely yellow! Since then, we've had some hard rain, so looking out over the hills now I see many gray, bare branches. I can't complain, it has been a long and beautiful fall here.

Nathan celebration

Allegra and Bill hosted a dinner to celebrate our friend Nathan's move to Seattle for a new job at a landscape architecture firm (unfortunately, I did not get a good picture of the guest of honor). It's amazing to think that only three years ago, we were all struggling through our first design drawings together (and sharing a lot of laughs as we did). We are looking forward to visiting Nathan, our new UVA outpost on the West Coast.

Suzanne and Maggie


Chloe and Tim


Maggie, Lauren, and Chloe

first frost

House show

Here is our group, now a trio, performing at our friends' house a few weeks ago:

fall festivity

Taylor's family hosted an Apple Butter making party at their home near Richmond. Taylor's aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and Grandma chopped apples, made chili, smoked the barbecue, baked cookies, and stirred the apple butter over the course of two days. Somehow we were exempted from the heavy-lifting and instead greeted friends, walked the schnauzers, snapped photos, and enjoyed eating.

textured light

The old glass windows in the house where I am staying (built in the 1890s) were recently replaced. Before the energy-efficient windows arrived, I took some photos of the amazing textured reflections from the old glass.

country brunch

I invited friends over for brunch last weekend and we had a glorious fall afternoon. We played a little bocce and a little music too-- favorites were "Ol' Joe Clark," "The Crawdad Song," and "O Shenandoah."

The side lawn / bocce court


Gathering around the Casio


Maria and Rachel laughing


Rachel's itchy nose

au revoir, Salubria

Last weekend Taylor and I drove to Salubria to return my keys and borrowed documents and for a picnic and stroll. It was a beautiful early fall day, as warm as summer.

Living in the country

Perhaps when you live in Virginia, you have to spend some time living "in the country." This is my time, and this is the view out our back door.



This horse just appears sometimes, it surprises me when I look out the kitchen window and see him out there.

It is fairly open to the east and west, so the sunrises and sunsets out here are more of an event. And, I am usually driving east into town in the morning, and west toward home in the evening.

driving through Virginia

On my way home from the beach, I stopped by a farm in northern Virginia to drop off some papers I had borrowed for work. It was a lovely morning drive through the late summer landscape of rolling green fields.

beach days

I had a great time joining Aaron, Amy, Camille and Luca for a late-summer beach trip. The weather was beautiful and we played day and night. Thank you all for sharing your vacation with me!

C + L snoozing on the beach:



Even when you lose, sometimes you win a stuffed animal...


Funland!

Swannanoa

Who would think that this Italianate mansion and garden is actually on Afton Mountain in the Blue Ridge? The cool afternoon mist made it seem even more like a visit to a faraway place and time.

cozy dinner

Chloe and Maria enjoying Adam's homebrew...

a summer walk

Maria and Adam and I hiked last weekend in Sugar Hollow to Big Branch Falls. The falls were more of a trickle than a gush, due to the recent lack of rain. We had the trail almost all to ourselves, and we found a small swimming hole in Moorman's Creek that was just big enough for three. It was refreshingly cool, with little fish nibbling on our toes.

Boston part 3

Katherine and I took a lovely walk through Drumlin Farms in Lincoln, a Mass Audubon site and working farm. Along with crop fields and pasture, the farm includes land set aside for habitat, all surrounded by trees.



As we walked up the drumlin (a glacial mound) we spotted the sheep! Katherine accidentally touched the electric fence and got a little shock. We think that's what inspired this silly photo series, culminating in an album-cover shot for when I record some introverted folk songs.

Boston part 2

We also re-traced Aaron's recent steps by walking through the North End for a bit. At the famous Mike's Pastry, Dad spied his heart's delight-- marzipan!




Here I am re-enacting what Mom and Dad tell me was a highlight of each journey from the daycare co-op. The ball in this lion's mouth moves, so if you reach up, you can try to get it out! (How long have people been trying?)

re-visiting

Mom and Dad and I re-visited our old haunts in Boston, including the Harvard campus. Here they are near the Science Center at the Tanner Fountain, designed by landscape firm Peter Walker and Partners. At one time, Walker's work was very much influenced by minimalist art. I am not sure when this Fountain was installed, but it seems to suggest those influences-- a space shaped by a circle of stone, water, air, and light.

http://www.pwpla.com/prj_project_details.php?prjid=44

birthday!

thanks Mom!

playing a show

I played a show with my new music friends on Saturday at the Blue Moon Diner. We had practiced a few times on Taylor's porch, which had the benefit of a breeze, and friends and neighbors coming by to listen (and sometimes join in!). We didn't have a big crowd, but some good friends came out and we were pleased with our playing.