I'm back from my long sojourn out west, which went quite successfully. I'll post pictures from the trip soon. I ended up seeing so much more than planned which doesn't say much since the trip was never that well planned out to begin with. I haven't blogged in so long that it feels strange, but I really can't wait to get back to it full throttle. I missed it so, but it was very difficult while on the road. And my new laptop seems to dislike unsecured hotel networks, so internet connection proved to be more frustrating than worthwhile.
Yesterday I thought about posting something about the road trip I took, but it didn't seem right. I wondered what my next post would be and it didn't hit me until a few minutes ago. I came and sat down at the computer and wanted to find a nice Shaker quote to read before bed, but instead I typed "shaker tradition" into the google search engine, and what I found was more than I ever could have asked for. A link to an invaluable website called
Folk Streams. This site I found years ago and then lost the ability to find it again! This was meant to be, as they have a
30 minute video on the Shakers that I have been longing to see again ever since the first time I came across it.
It features historical accounts and narrative excerpts from the 1800's, Shaker dances and song, and rare photography of Shaker dwellings and farmland. I am so excited to have found this again.
If you watch and enjoy the video you might also be interested in Ken Burn's interpretation of Shaker religion and lifeways, called
"The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God". You can find used
copies online for purchase ... but sadly the DVD is becoming more and more difficult to find in good condition as it is no longer being produced by PBS. I recommend buying it before it becomes impossible to acquire! There is great insight into the Shakers as a people, not just about their fine furniture! :0)
We sell fresh organic produce at my mother's health food store, and tomorrow we're going to be receiving crates of these beautiful wonders! I'm not sure if they're heirloom variety tomatoes, but I do know that they're grown locally and from a wonderful gentleman named Gary Childres. He has provided us with some fantastic asparagus, and unforgettably sweet strawberries this year so far. Go Gary!
I took this picture recently in the meadow across the way ... what a delight to find that upon uploading the photo to my computer, there was not one beautiful sun, but five! I love the symmetry, and the glow of the evening.
Meet Sally and Charlotte, two sweet dolls made completely out of wood. Jointed shoulders, arms, hips, and neck too! The artist's name is Eva Beyerle-Traubinger, and she lives in Germany. Visit her site to see more of her amazing work!
For this week's Illustration Friday topic I drew a tornado, destroying life as it weaves across the land. Kind of a dark take on the assignment, as the word for the week is "Drifting". But tornado's have been drifting, jumping, and tilling their way through my thoughts this Spring. Indiana sees a lot of them, and as a matter of fact, we had a few tornado watches just last night!
My sister Eva has been hiding a secret! She has a tomato named after her ... called "Eva's Purple Ball", this heirloom dates back to the late 1800's and was first grown in the Black Forest region of Germany. 
The man who wrote "Fast Food Nation" Eric Schlosser is now in a new film about the meat industry, and industrial farming in general. Directed by Robert Kenner, the movie is called "Food Inc." 
I found this truck while driving to a greenhouse near Indy. I had never seen of such a thing as Lung Gases advertised on an automobile before today. After hacking and coughing from the fumes he emitted, I thought about hailing him down for a puff of clean oxygen!
The other day at work I saw a beautiful rainbow! Thankfully I had my camera with me to share it with you all. I picked out so many colors in this one, the photo doesn't really do it justice ... but all the same ... RAINBOW!
The splendid art of Respighi! His Pini Di Roma, or Pines of Rome, is a thrilling and festive musical ride I have just discovered. Ottorino Respighi was born in Bologna, Italy in 1879. Here he is pictured with his wife Elsa. He composed Operas, Ballets, Choral, Orchestral, Chamber, and Concerto works. In Pini Di Roma, each symphonic movement portrays the location of pine trees in the city during different parts of the day. Also something new I found out through researching this particular composition is that it was the basis of most of Star of Indiana's 1991 Drum Corps International world championship repertoire - based out of Bloomington, Indiana. Huh!
It features historical accounts and narrative excerpts from the 1800's, Shaker dances and song, and rare photography of Shaker dwellings and farmland. I am so excited to have found this again. 
If you watch and enjoy the video you might also be interested in Ken Burn's interpretation of Shaker religion and lifeways, called "The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God". You can find used copies online for purchase ... but sadly the DVD is becoming more and more difficult to find in good condition as it is no longer being produced by PBS. I recommend buying it before it becomes impossible to acquire! There is great insight into the Shakers as a people, not just about their fine furniture! :0)
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