Photography

I've been snapping pictures here and there around my mother's house.

Morning coffee. Sculpture of native man, thinking.

Bedroom window bathed in dusk light. Manzanita sticks.  Hanging onions.  Cowboy hat.

Growing

Babies do grow fast. Makes me want to hit the pause button for a little while. Impossible. Time is flying. It's inexorable.

Spotted: Cities and their typography

Now that I have started shooting pictures, I find myself drawn to artists who can create new art from old, overused techniques. Take Gokhun Guneyhan's  latest shots. They are brilliant typographic art directions used as design covers for his photography sets.  Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. Just brilliant.

Potpourri

Mother's Day was yesterday and the family got together over the holiday.  It was a long, rewarding day.  Emilu played with several cousins, and even rode a tricycle.  Part of the celebration included exchanging gifts and I couldn't help but take a few snapshots of the envelopes Emilu and I painted with watercolors.  She was so excited with the paint.  I was surprised to see her dip the brush into the small paint containers and take her brush to the paper.  She's a natural, and apparently a lefty, like her father.

Have you had auyamas before?  These are from my grandfather's farm.  They grow basically anywhere, and they are extremely useful in Dominican cuisine.  This variety of pumpkin is used in soups, stews, as a side, desserts, and specifically in sancocho, a signature dish here. It could be eaten in breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Speaking of sancocho, I love these two cookbooks in my mother's kitchen, especially the state they are in. They belong to my grandmother actually, but she doesn't cook anymore, and now they sit in my mother's kitchen.  There are dozens of recipes inside, organized into several categories, including desserts, appetizers, main courses, sweets, stews, etc. Dominican cuisine is very versatile; and has been influenced by many cultures, including African, European, Mediterranean, even Asian.

Have a fun filled weekend

This Sunday is Mother's Day here.  We are celebrating with both families:  My mom's and dad's.  From my mother's side, four generations will mingle with each other.  Exactly one year ago (plus a few days) I became a mother.  Becoming a parent is the hardest thing I've gone through. It has its highs and lows, yet the highs are so incredibly high you feel you can touch the moon. But is also incredibly tiring. This amazing, lighthearted but extremely poignant article sums it all for me.  Parenting is a pandora box with no expiration or shelf life.  It's the thing that keeps on giving. Do you remember the first four years of your life? Probably not, but don't despair, children give the first four years of your life back to you.  I hope you have a nice, fun filled weekend with your loved ones.  A few links to inspire your weekend.

the scent of fresh lilacs

Cute painted snapshots 

good advice is timeless

a perfect simple pantry 

a riveting video on the art and heart of story-telling!

i want a bite of this strawberry coffee cake 

i love this entire collection

A new beach in Sosua

Remember when I told you our vacation destination was a relatively new beach in Sosua?  A quiet and relaxing beach, with yellow sand, blue-green waters surrounded by gentle mountains. If I close my eyes, I can still hear the waves purring at night. The trip was also a chance to snap pictures with my new Nikon D3100. Discovering photography has been a fresh of breath air in my domesticated life.

Cool bookshelves

Remember the Seinfeld episode where Kramer decides to publish a coffee table book about coffee tables?  The new Bookshelf book totes with same concept behind Kramer's idea:  A book about bookshelves to put on your own bookshelf!  The book celebrates the creative ways in which people who love and own books store or display their books around their home or office. And the people who help them reinterpret the humble yet, extremely prized, bookshelf.

Gratitude

I have so many things to be grateful for.  I have a loving husband; a beautiful, vibrant daughter; a loyal, and pernickety dog, and loving and generous parents.  Here's a few more things I'm really grateful for.

the opportunity to live away from family, makes us more appreciative and affords us the need to achieve personal growth, emotional maturity and to balance family life.

the chance to experience all four Seasons is something I'm grumpily but eternally grateful for.

a gregarious and happy 90 year old grandmother.

the ability to feel compassion, and respect for animals and people alike, with equal footing.

a love for words, pictures and imagination.

a mother that reminds me what's important and essential to be happy.

a father that accepts the shortcomings of his learning brood.

my fears, shortcomings, and self-doubt because their shadow makes certain parts shine brighter. 

raindrops and sunspots, birds making their nests, late-at night moms who breastfeed, my dog's stinky breath, my daughter's rice teeth, my hobbit's feet, cow's milk, inspiring commercials, patina-stained picture frames, and warm morning coffee.

{Photos by me}

And you? What are you most grateful for?

Back from the seaside

We got back today! And I'm still tingly from all the relaxation and memorable moments we spent these last few days. Yesterday was Election day here, and so it was unusually slow at the beach.  But luckily for us, we spent our beach days in a quiet, sunny haze that will live in my memory for many weeks to come.  Here are a few pictures of our first moments upon our late afternoon arrival on Thursday.  We decided to walk to the beach that same day even as the sun was lazily going down, and ended up having dinner at the waterfront restaurant. More pictures coming soon.

div c