The Third Act: August 2016

Long time no write! Well, unsurprisingly, this summer has sped by. I helped out at almost all the kids' nature camps, took a class, made some art...repaired the garden, harvested veggies and herbs...etc., etc. All the while my mind's eye has been on my daughter's wedding coming up in just a few weeks! That milestone has been a big contributor to the perceived velocity of the past few months.

There are still a couple things I want to accomplish before my trip out to California on September 1st. I intend, or at least have been musing such, to offer a pinhole class some time in the fall. Late October seems to be the best time for this endeavor. That being said, I need to map out a game plan and spread the word. Additionally, I'm super enthused about working with encaustic on my photographs. The class series I took in the spring was a great introduction to encaustic painting in general, but last Saturday I had the good fortune to attend a workshop that was specific to photo encaustic. I came away with a few pieces which turned out so well that I'm very excited to work the technique into a new series or two (using mainly Holga and pinhole images). In the next couple weeks I'll plumb my archives for imagery.

The garden is doggedly trudging along. There are plants that never fully recovered from the hail back in, July was it? But there have been oodles of squash to pick, plenty of cucumbers, and quite a lot of tomatoes, of which many are sadly rotting on the vine. The hail damage plus unbearable heat and humidity have contributed mightily to a not entirely sound tomato crop. Still, I have harvested lots more than in the past two years. The eggplant took a break but is starting to produce again. A few of the okra plants are producing, but I have to admit to having planted them mostly as specimens this year. All but one kale plant have bit the dust. I did scatter some seeds for a variety of plants back at new moon, but most haven't fared very well...still too hot and humid. After I return from the BIG TRIP out west, and the weather starts to cool, it'll be time to make autumn plans for the garden and eventually consider how I want to put it to resting over the winter.

And...I'm ready for fall. This summer has been productive and educational, but also exhausting. The weather this year has been more typical, I think, than I've experienced my first two summers. While I'm certainly operational in the humidity, I have to admit to feeling fatigued almost all the time. The mosquitoes pretty much make me crazy...I'm a magnet and my body reacts strongly to the bites. That being the case, I've used a lot more DEET products this year than ever. It's no wonder I feel kind of crappy...there's a lot going on that my body isn't used to. Plus, I deal with all the other chronic pain and tendon related issues by simply pushing through...another fatigue booster. I suppose I should be proud of myself for accomplishing what I do, all things considered!

On the emotional front...well, I keep working at that too. I do my best and will leave it at that for now!

I realized a week or so ago, I really hadn't been taking any pictures with anything other than my phone. I don't like going for a long time without using my cameras, so I pulled out the Lomo Instant and took a few of the garden...enjoy!