fresh pair of eyes

tumble over

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:46:00 +0000

Maybe one day I'll post something on this blog again...

But for now, I'm concentrating on my tumblr.

Please find me there.

Lodekka double decker dress shop is located on the corner of N. Williams and N. Failing in Portland, Oregon. I took these photos in August, 2011.

staring at the sea

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:21:00 +0000

I love the reverse perspective of Iain McKell's documentary collection, Seaview. Shooting at the British seaside from the outside in, McKell catches those who have driven down to see the sea and snaps them in their car. Expressions range from bemusement to surprise and irritation.

how to talk texan

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Just in case you ever find yourself in a Texas Honky Tonk surrounded by local folks using foreign words and phrases that you can't comprehend, you'll need this Texas Alphabet Flash Card deck.

This deck by creative studio Public School, includes a set of 3-by-9-inch cards with each of the 26 letters (and one extra "F" for "Feeder," an east Texas word for access road) and a "Texan Sayings intro to our euphemisms" card. You'll be talkin' Texan in no time. YEEHAW!

evolution

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Located in Manhattan's Soho district since 1993, The Evolution Store has everything you need for stocking your cabinet of curiosities. Shop for fossils, stuffed birds, human skulls, insect specimens & more.

I was lost on their website for a good hour.

Proceed with caution.

Disclaimer: The Evolution Store is licensed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Fish and Wildlife. The New York State Department of Health's Tissue Resource program has licensed Evolution as a Non-transplant Anatomic Bank. Our specimens are obtained from paleontologists, entomologists, anthropologists and others who supply museums and private collectors from all corners of the world. All of our items are legally obtained and can be legally sold in New York State.

flying wishes!

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

write your wish on a piece of wish paper
roll your wish paper up and light it on fire
watch as your wish takes flight!

Amazing Flying Wish Paper!

sun

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Even
After
All this time
The Sun never says to the Earth,

You owe me.

Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the whole sky.

Hafiz

ecola state park

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

At Ecola State Park, we took the Clatsop Loop Trail, a segment of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and Oregon Coast Trail. The hike is a steep, 2½ mile loop path through lush forest and along steep cliffs with magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean. The loop trail starts at the Indian Beach parking lot and ascends 800 feet to Hiker's Camp, part way to the top of Tillamook Head. From the half-way point at Hiker's Camp a short trail takes you to an overlook with a view of Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, also known as Terrible Tilly.

Here are some of the sights we enjoyed along the way.

beach bonfire

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Finally!

We experienced our first ever beach bonfire.

My hubby started the fire for us just after sundown on a beautiful stretch of beach in Arch Cape, Oregon.

seagull on cannon beach

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

This is the tasty crab our crafty seagull friend nabbed for his lunch!

Once upon a time in Oregon

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

...a law was passed that declared the entire

363-mile-long coastline to be public land forever.

Sounds amazing, huh?

Yes.

Between the Ewok-esque forests

and sand dunes,

the misty mornings

and scenic vistas,

the w i d e s t beaches I've even seen,

and the roaring ocean itself,

it's impossible to say

what we loved best about

our 5-day sojourn along

the Northern Oregon Coast.

Pretty enchanting stuff.

That's a grove of trees above in the Oswald West State Park. Trees grow fatter and taller there than almost anywhere in the world thanks to productive soils and plenty of winter rain.

The beach shots you see are of Manzanita Beach - 7 miles of pristine sand, stretching from the base of Neahkahnie Mountain to Nehalem Bay, between the dunes and the Pacific Ocean.

Pure Magic.

Please stay tuned.

I have more to show you.

{click to enlarge}

wanderlust part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

A couple from Seattle took four months off to travel around the world. This stunning video was the result of their travels through South America, Europe and New Zealand.

Wanderlust from Thinklab on Vimeo.

wanderlust

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

It would be good to live in a

perpetual state of leave-taking,

never to go nor to stay, but to

remain suspended in that golden

emotion of love and longing; to be

missed without being gone, to be

loved without satiety. How

beautiful one is and how desirable;

for in a few moments one will

have ceased to exist.

-John Steinbeck,

The Log from the Sea of Cortez

Raise your vibration!

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

And the world is made of energy

And the world is possibility

And the world is made of energy

And there's a light inside of you

And there's a light inside of me

(Energy by Apples in Stereo)

Everything in the universe is made of energy. What differentiates one form of energy from another is the speed at which it vibrates. For example, light vibrates at a very high frequency, and something like a rock vibrates at a lower frequency but a frequency nonetheless. Human beings also vibrate at different frequencies. Our thoughts and feelings can determine the frequency at which we vibrate, and our vibration goes out into the world and attracts to us energy moving at a similar frequency. This is one of the ways that we create our own reality, which is why we can cause a positive shift in our lives by raising our vibration.

We all know someone we think of as vibrant. Vibrant literally means “vibrating very rapidly.” The people who strike us as vibrant are vibrating at a high frequency, and they can inspire us as we work to raise our vibration. On the other hand, we all know people that are very negative or cynical. These people are vibrating at a lower frequency. They can also be an inspiration because they can show us where we don’t want to be vibrating and why.

There are many ways to raise your vibration, from working with affirmations to visualizing enlightened entities during meditation. One of the most practical ways to raise your vibration is to consciously choose where you focus your attention. To understand how powerful this is, take five minutes to describe something you love unreservedly—a person, a movie, an experience. When your five minutes are up, you will noticeably feel more positive and even lighter. If you want to keep raising your vibration, you might want to commit to spending five minutes every day focusing on the good in your life. As you do this, you will train yourself to be more awake and alive. Over time, you will experience a permanent shift in your vibrancy.

Taken from DailyOm

"everything isn't everything."

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

A new collection of never-before-seen poems and drawings (145 in all) by Shel Silverstein will be released in September.

The book is titled Every Thing on It.

The poems and drawings in the book were selected by family members from his archives -- Silverstein died in 1999 -- and care has been taken to echo his best-known works.

YESEES AND NOEES

by Shel Silverstein

The Yesees said yes to anything

That anyone suggested.

The Noees said no to everything

Unless it was proven and tested.

So the Yesees all died of much too much

And the Noees all died of fright.

But somehow I think the Thinkforyourselfees

All came out all right.

From Every Thing On It

*blog title quote by Shel Silverstein from Lafcadio, The Lion Who Shot Back

PS: Did you know shel silverstein wrote Boy Named Sue?

c'mon fall!

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Dreaming of capes and ponchos and nearly floor-length sweaters to wrap up inside this fall!

Free People Ribbed Up Cardi

Free People Snow Nymph Cape

Free People Rolla Coaster Cardi

Free People Spending Time Pullover

Velvet by Graham & Spencer Saida Sweater

Famous

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

The river is famous to the fish.

The loud voice is famous to silence,

which knew it would inherit the earth

before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds

watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom

is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth,

more famous than the dress shoe,

which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it

and not at all famous to the one who is pictured.

I want to be famous to shuffling men

who smile while crossing streets,

sticky children in grocery lines,

famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,

or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,

but because it never forgot what it could do.

beach bonfire

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

According to the Facts & FAQ section of the Oregon Coast Visitors Association, you are permitted to make a fire on the beach, otherwise known as a bonfire:

Use small pieces of wood only. Large logs are prohibited. The fire must be west of the vegetation line, NO EXCEPTIONS. Build your fire away from the beach grass & piles of driftwood. Extinguish the fire with water. Don’t just bury it. Doing this will allow the fire to remain hot and continue to smolder for hours. This could also cause someone to get burned.

Fantastic news! And probably the #1 activity on my to-do list for our Oregon beach vacay coming up soon. Lucky for me, I'll be traveling with my campfire savvy hubby.

How to Build a Bonfire on the Beach

Dig a fire pit one to two-feet deep. Dig down so you keep most of the fire surrounded by sand so that the sparks will have more trouble jumping out.
Put a duraflame log in the center of your pit, then pile smaller logs, sticks and twigs around it.
Use a lighter or matches to light your pile.
Enjoy.

Photo credits here, here, here, here & here

When there is nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire.

An egg is...

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite books for storytime sharing is An Egg is Quiet, an elegant introduction to eggs for children. From tiny hummingbird eggs to giant ostrich eggs, oval ladybug eggs to tubular dogfish eggs, gooey frog eggs to fossilized dinosaur eggs, it magnificently captures the incredible variety of eggs and celebrates their beauty and wonder. Besides all of that, I had no earthly idea that lobsters hatch from eggs! Did you?

After we finished our story, it seemed the perfect time to create an egg of our own. I've yet to meet a child who doesn't completely LOVE to paint ... especially mixing colors and splattering!

now i become myself

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Now I become myself. It's taken
Time, many years and places;
I have been dissolved and shaken,
Worn other people's faces,
Run madly, as if Time were there,
Terribly old, crying a warning,
"Hurry, you will be dead before--"
(What? Before you reach the morning?
Or the end of the poem is clear?
Or love safe in the walled city?)
Now to stand still, to be here,
Feel my own weight and density!
The black shadow on the paper
Is my hand; the shadow of a word
As thought shapes the shaper
Falls heavy on the page, is heard.
All fuses now, falls into place
From wish to action, word to silence,
My work, my love, my time, my face
Gathered into one intense
Gesture of growing like a plant.
As slowly as the ripening fruit
Fertile, detached, and always spent,
Falls but does not exhaust the root,
So all the poem is, can give,
Grows in me to become the song,
Made so and rooted by love.
Now there is time and Time is young.
O, in this single hour I live
All of myself and do not move.
I, the pursued, who madly ran,
Stand still, stand still, and stop the sun!

now i become myself, by may sarton

from Collected Poems 1930-1993

I wanna take a picture!

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

My friend Ellie recently led a free photography workshop for children at my library. She taught the kids all sorts of things about the art of taking pictures. Most importantly, how to use a camera, but other things, too, like the elements of composition and macrophotography. Ellie even introduced the youngsters to a camera that uses, of all things, FILM! (How do you see your pictures?)

Each workshop session, there were 3 in all, included classroom instruction along with picture-taking time. Guess which part was everyone's favorite? It's a marvelous thing to see children so excited and engaged by the realization that taking pictures is really so much fun!

Here are some beautiful moments from the workshop.

soul mantra lockets

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

SO lovely! These vintage brass lockets by Liz Lamoreaux contain a whispered soul mantra on the inside. Each piece is an invitation to pause, take and breath, and connect with your now.

As you wear your locket, I invite you to see it as a reminder. When you feel it against your skin, notice it on your dresser before you put it on, hear it slide across the chain, see it resting against your neck in your reflection, give yourself permission to bring awareness to your breathing. Inhale and internally speak your mantra. Exhale and let whatever you need from this mantra settle over you. ~Liz

For myself, I selected the locket you see pictured below. Hand stamped with the mantra ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE and adorned with new and vintage glass beads in various shades of green and blue, my locket hangs on a 36" chain of raw and plated brass.

It's raining stars!

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

An annual rite for many stargazers, the Perseid Meteor Shower, is set to peak tonight with a flurry of shooting stars. The official word is that this year's cosmic fireworks will be somewhat dampened by the full moon.

Says Jim Todd, astronomer and planetarium manager at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland: This year, while the moon will wash out some of the more dim meteors, we should still get a good show with around 10 to 20 meteors an hour.

In general, meteors are produced when small dust grains from space impact Earth's atmosphere at high speeds. Trickles of wayward meteors are visible year-round in any clear night sky. A meteor shower happens when bunches of them fall over a few particular nights of the year. In the case of the Perseids, Earth regularly slams into leftover pieces from the comet Swift-Tuttle, plowing through the debris trail at 150,000 miles (241,402 kilometers) an hour. The planet hits this orbiting debris stream around the same time every year, and the dust cloud is consistently thick enough to put on an impressive sky show. (source)

If you are lucky enough to find yourself away from all the light pollution of the city tonight, be sure to gaze upward!!

A Perseid meteor enlivens a green-tinted night sky

in Quebec on August 12, 2008

A meteor steaks over the Stellafane Observatory in Vermont, on August 7, near the start of the annual Perseid meteor shower

Perseids streaking through the sky over the

Canadian Rockies' Banff National Park in August 2009

A meteor above a ruin in Hungary on August 8

Perseid meteor over West Sussex, U.K. on August 12, 2009

Take this Quiz and found out if you're a Meteor Shower Mastermind

minding your mind

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

What is the best use of each day of our lives? In one very short day, each of us could become more sane, more compassionate, more tender, more in touch with the dream-like quality of reality. Or we could bury all these qualities more deeply and get more in touch with solid mind, retreating more into our own cocoon.

Every time a habitual pattern gets strong, every time we feel caught up or on automatic pilot, we could see it as an opportunity to weaken our habitual propensities. But that’s hard to do. When we realize that we are hooked, that we’re on automatic pilot, what do we do next? That is a central question for the practitioner.

One of the most effective means for working with that moment when we see the gathering storm of our habitual tendencies is the practice of pausing, or creating a gap. We can stop and take three conscious breaths, and the world has a chance to open up to us in that gap. We can allow space into our state of mind.

The pause practice—the practice of taking three conscious breaths at any moment when we notice that we are stuck—is a simple but powerful practice that each of us can do at any given moment. Pause practice can transform each day of your life. It creates an open doorway to the sacredness of the place in which you find yourself. The vastness, stillness, and magic of the place will dawn upon you, if you let your mind relax and drop for just a few breaths the storyline you are working so hard to maintain.

Pause, connect with the immediacy of your experience, connect with the blessings; liberate yourself from the cocoon of self-involvement, talking to yourself all of the time, completely obsessing. Allow a gap, gap, gap. Just do it over and over and over; allow yourself the space to realize where you are. Realize how big your mind is; realize how big the space is, that it has never gone away, but that you have been ignoring it.

Find a way to slow down. Find a way to relax. Find a way to relax your mind and do it often, very, very often, throughout the day continuously, not just when you are hooked but all the time.Take three conscious breaths. Just pause. Let it be a contrast to being all caught up. Let it be like popping a bubble. Let it be just a moment in time, and then go on.

Condensed from Waking Up to Your World by Pema Chodron

poolside chic

noreply@blogger.com (Lara Strother) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Richard Neutra-designed Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, 1970

Cee Zee Guest and son at their pool in Palm Beach, 1955

Babe Paley by the pool in Round Hill, Jamaica

Racquet Club Pool, Acapulco, 1968

Another shot of Kaufmann House

Socialite Alice Topping poolside in Palm Beach, 1959

Cat-shaped pool at Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami in 1955

Guests by the pool at the home of Wayne Beal in Arizona, 1973

El Venero in Marbella, Spain, 1971

A formal party by a swimming pool in the Algarve, Portugal, 1973

As a chronicler of the good life, Slim Aarons has no peer. Born in New Hampshire in the early years of the century, he was a classic outsider looking in, and as such he idealized the rich. The women are beautiful and exquisitely dressed, the men handsome and poised. The houses, shown in detail, range from European palazzos and castles to Palm Beach to suburban and Southhampton castles. Slim Aarons brought a photojournalist's eye to the art of formal society portraiture, posing his subjects as still life, in their magnificent environments. (source)

fresh pair of eyes

tumble over

staring at the sea

how to talk texan

you are here

evolution

flying wishes!

sun

ecola state park

beach bonfire

seagull on cannon beach

Once upon a time in Oregon

wanderlust part 2

wanderlust

Raise your vibration!

"everything isn't everything."

c'mon fall!

Famous

beach bonfire

An egg is...

now i become myself

I wanna take a picture!

soul mantra lockets

It's raining stars!

minding your mind

poolside chic