Springtime in Washington D.C.

It has been many years since I saw the quintessential cherry blossoms

in the heart of Washington D.C.

This year I had the great good fortune to be invited along with friends of mine and WOW

What a Day!

It was, as you see, all blue skies and blossoms at their peak.

Even if all the things one can say have been said about this experience,

it is still so absolutely marvelous and enchanting.

I loved seeing the people taking in the loveliness of the day and its visual treasures.

Thank you once again to Japan for this tremendous gift.

Beauty and drawbacks

I photographed this very long icicle out my bathroom window early one morning last week.

I have never seen such a large icicle on my house in all the time I've lived here.

There were other large ones that formed as well, but this one, a real beauty, presented

problems that developed over the days of our very intense 2-punch blizzards here in the northeast.

An ice dam formed, jutting out over top of the icicles.

Oh oh.

Several years ago before the new roof went on, there was water pouring down the INSIDE of the bathroom wall. Was this to happen again?

Yes.

BUT it only last a short while and it did not run down the walls, just dripped from the window onto the window sill.

I am told the the insulation needs checking.

Next job.

This is the life part of life and art interwoven.

I know, I didn't have to tell you that...

Gifts of the very best kind

This is a thank you to my son for helping me over the holidays. He stayed a week longer than originally planned and made sure all was well here before returning to his home.

This gorgeous stargazer lily is a gift he brought me on one of those days.

I call this blog Art and Life Interwoven and that is

what this is to me.

The art of living,

of celebrating what is beautiful

interwoven with love and caring.

Gifts, beautiful loving gifts

I have been regaining strength after getting a new hip.

Throughout this somewhat lengthy and intense process,

I have had many blessings.

Friends and strangers were truly there for me - were kind and loving and supportive during the challenge of these weeks.

Above you see a beautiful lady in front of a graceful tree that echoes her loveliness.

These are both gifts to me and like everything that I have experienced,

they compliment each other and yet were not planned to be so.

I think it is a life lesson to receive what others give you from the deep kindness of their hearts.

It is a treasure in my life to experience this.

I am deeply thankful for such blessings.

Before its entirely over

One of my neighbors across the street had their lights down by New Years Day. But yet another still has their small white twinkle lights gracing the cold winter nights we've been having lately.

As for me, I have candles in the windows and my wreath still gets lit by

a spotlight that is on for several hours each dark winter's eve.

I usually leave my candles in the windows until the end of February. Things are so bare that I feel it all needs a little visual warmth!

This image is one I made while playing around with my digital camera as I photographed our Christmas tree.

I almost like it better than the realistic photographs I took.

Artists - they play around! Here's to a year of happy playing around to us all!

New Year Moon tonight!

I confess that I took this photo last year, but it seemed so perfect because tonight, as 2010 arrives, we will also have a rare blue moon.

A blue moon means there are two full moons in one month.

Where the name comes from I have no idea....something to google!

I wish the very best for each one of us for the coming year.

Should everyone actually achieve the very best, then we all win!

Happy New Year!

Beauties of the Season

The first snow has come before Christmas this year.

On the mid-part of the East Coast of the USA that is unusual!

It was a perfect sort of snow. It blanketed the trees and not the streets!

This morning the sun was out again and as I looked from

my window at the tree out front, I saw a ROBIN!!!!

What the heck!