Close to Home: Play

Posted on by Annie

Yesterday felt like a really long day, for some reason. I decided last night before going to bed that I was “taking the day off” on Friday. I’d sleep in, read a book in bed perhaps, eat a late breakfast, and do whatever the heck I wanted. As it turns out, all I really needed was some play time. And for me, play time often involves my camera and a willing subject. The irises showed up again this morning, so I snipped one off and let it float in the little puddle of dirty water that is the backyard birdbath…

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Close to Home: Perspective

Posted on by Annie

Today, I listened to an interview with the astronaut Christina Koch, who recently returned to earth after spending 11 months in low-earth orbit as a resident of the International Space Station (ISS). When Trevor Noah asked her how she thrived in such a tiny space as the ISS, she answered: “It’s all about how you frame it, and your attitude.” To illustrate how we can change our perspective, look at this sky photo. Isn’t it beautiful? Guess what? It’s actually a photo of a puddle of muddy water on the ground. All I did was flip it around and crop…

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52 Frames: Line from a Song

Posted on by Annie

I’m in week two of official Alachua County lockdown and, for the most part, people are staying inside, away from crowds, and not congregating in public places. As I take my daily walk every morning, it feels a bit like a ghost town: way less cars, no school buses, no kids. There are three schools and a park within a half mile of where I’m staying, so the absence of kids and their yells and bikes and all seems particularly noticeable. So when the challenge for last week was unveiled as “line from a song” it wasn’t too hard for…

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Farewell, Old Friend

Posted on by Annie

On May 2, 2015, I bought a Subaru Outback 3.6R. It was the first step in my nascent plan to retire early, buy a tiny trailer, and travel the country. As you can see by the photo on our first day, I was happy to meet Bella. If you must know, her full name was Isabella, the Blue Bird of Happiness, although Bella was what I called her most of the time. In April 2016, Bella and I drove from Seattle to Quebec to meet Breeze and complete another big step in the vagabond plan. Fitted out with a Torklift…

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52 Frames: Books

Posted on by Annie

Last week’s theme of “Books” was way easier than triangles. Whew! Books I have, and books my housemates have, so first I played around with the piles of books in the den. Some are mine, but most are theirs, although it’s hard to sort by owner since we all love traveling and the book titles show it. I played around with color saturation, trying to get the book in the middle, Biological Exuberance, to be the center of attention but I had too many other blue-hued books to make it work very well. I thought it would be a subtle…

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