Amazing Minds

I've always loved art. Loved the creative process, love seeing how others interpret and view the world around them. One of my favorite things to do is visit art galleries when I'm traveling. (One of the best? Mountain Trails Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, which features artist Dale Terbush. Stunning!) So when someone shares a new art form with me, I'm not only delighted, I want to share it with others. So that's what I'm going to do!

My friend, Shannon, sent me an email about Emily Valentine's "feather" dogs. What a fascinating and beautiful mix of mediums. Now this is creativity!

Hope you enjoy it!

Karen

Moments to Savor

I heard a quote in a movie yesterday that I've always liked, that always makes me stop and think:

"Live for today, for yesterday is gone forever, and tomorrow may never come."

Do you savor today? Do you take time each day to stop, even just for a moment? To look--really look--at the world around you?

To recognize the gift of each day?

I can't say I always remember to do that. But today, I did. Today I stopped. Not for long. Just for a few moments. I sat in our yard swing and looked around. And saw so much beauty!

In case you didn't get a chance to do the same today, here is a taste of what I encountered. May you find in these snapshots what I did: a reminder that the God of the universe loves beauty. And He loves to share that beauty with His favorite creation of all time: you and me.
Peonies, in all their splendor!



A peony visitor, and Columbine



Last year the woeful lack of honey bees meant almost no peaches or cherries. This year, the honey bees are back! And with them, our peaches and cherries! Yippee!



Don't know what the red flower is, but love it. And aforementioned honey bee visiting the lavendar.



California poppies went to town this year! Along with most of our other flowers. SO pretty!


Peace, all.

Karen

An Airport Oasis

If you travel a lot, as I do, you long for peace in the midst of the chaos. Travel today, regardless of the mode, is way too stressful. By the time you reach a destination, you can be so exhausted it's hard to appreciate that you're FINALLY off the plane or out of the car or off the train. So I'm always looking for ways to relax in transit. And boy howdy, did I find a great one!

I fly through the Denver aiport a lot. During one especially long layover there, God gave me a gift. He nudged me to wander to the upper level of concourse B, where I happened upon a wonderful photographer's gallery called Images of Nature. The artist, Thomas Mengelsen (www.mangelsen.com--tried to make this a link but blogger isn't cooperating!) is a nature photographer, and just walking into his gallery makes you feel as though you've left the hectic and frustrating world of commercial flights behind and have found an oasis of beauty and rest. The staff there are warm and welcoming, and don't mind at all if you've just come in to sit in one of the comfy chairs and soak in the beauty of Mangelsen's work.

So if you're ever in the Denver airport, give yourself a real treat and visit Images of Nature. And to whet your appetite, here are a few samples of his work.

May beauty surround you today.

Karen

Get Wild!

I found a cool thing while surfing the web tonight: Live Webcams at the SanDiego Zoo! You can watch the polar bears, apes, elephants, and pandas in real time. It's a blast, especially when the animals are active.

So give it a try.

I can hardly wait 'til they put on in the tiger enclosure!

Karen

More Word Fun!

This is just too fun! On the heels of discovering the Wordle site, a friend sent the following link:

Visuwords

It's another great way to see words from a new and creative perspective. I typed in a number of words, including God. THAT was amazing.

I love that people are so in love with words they come up with things like this. No, it won't change the world, but it brings those of use who are logophiles great joy. And anything that gets people deeper into words is, in my opinion, a blessing!

Peace to you today.

Karen

The Beauty of Words

Okay, if you're a writer, a reader, an editor, or just someone who appreciates words and beauty, you've got to check out this cool site. It takes your words, whatever you type in, and creates these amazing Word Clouds.

I typed in my life verse:

"Slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3

and it made this beautiful picture (click on the picture itself to see it larger)

and this one...

and another!

After doing my life verse, I tried typing in a bio. Then I just typed in a bunch of words from my bio, uppercasing the works I wanted to stand out. Here's what I came up with:

and

You can change layout and colors and font, and tell it how many words to put in. If you repeat a word several times, it makes that word larger than the others, so you can put emphasis where you want it. Fun!

So give it a try and celebrate the beauty of words!

Karen

Nature: A Window Into God's Creative Genius

How can anyone look at the beauty of nature



and doubt it came from anywhere but the hand of a loving Creator? Astonishes me. The intricacies, the interconnectedness, the simplicity...no way it came from a blob of ooze crawling out of a pond. And we see that Creator's heart reflected in people who create beauty as well. Be it classic or contemporary art, or a unique and playful way to bring beauty and imagination to life, the urge we feel to create stems not from some evolutionary development, but from the truth that we are made in God's image, inside and out.

My older brother sent me a video that illustrates this...well, beautifully. The beauty here is twofold: the nature of the surroundings, and the engineering brilliance that created a path through it. I don't generally mind heights, and I've got a bit of an adventurer's spirit, but I gotta say, couldn't pay me enough to walk this path.

Take a look, and be awed at the wonder of creativity, both from God's hand and the hand of His children.

Peace to you today--

Karen

Open Your Eyes

When's the last time you stopped and looked around you--really looked--at the beauty nature has ready and waiting for you? I was sitting in a hotel in the Seattle area not long ago, sipping my morning coffee, mind occupied with what I was going to say at the workshop I was teaching that day at a writer's conference. I glanced out the window, not really focusing, but a splash of vibrant color just reached out and grabbed me. I focused in on the flowers bobbing in the wind and rain--hey, it was Seattle--and discovered an entire ballet taking place. Huge, full tulips danced atop slender green stems, bowing and rising, tapping one another and backing away, all perfectly in step with each other and the weather.

It was beautiful.

I set down my coffee--a miracle, that, considering it was my first cup of the morning--and made a beeline for my room. And my camera. By the time I got back downstairs, the rain had passed, so I went out and shot the following to share with you.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. And that you open your eyes to whatever beauty there is around you today.

Peace, friends.

Karen