Sperlygirl

"crocodile -- right there"...

kai's favorite thing to do right now is point out crocodiles (croc-a-dowel - as per kai) (not that we own or live near any) but it's the constant phrase he's repeating. so when our dear friend katy and her family gave me this cuddly fellow and his very special story for kai today it was simply perfect. this evening, kai, was sure to cover the croc with his woobie while we went out for a bit - and let us know, "shhh, crocodile sleeping" and has since carried him all around the house repeating "'ello crocodile, lalu crocodile". looks like this is one lucky croc who has found a perfect home with this little boy.

much needed adventure with girlfirends...

yesterday set out to be some shopping therapy with girlfriends and turned into a true adventure. the first potter we visited took us on a tour of her family's studio with the kiln room and kiln that dated back to 1812. as we toured the floors and peered into the various nooks and crannies she filled our heads with stories. on the way to our next stop, we pulled over to take a photo of theses bee hives only to have the men wave us up. we soon found out that this was a family business - with the father in law (man with his hands on his hips) working with the bees since the 1940's and the son in law since the late 70's. we stood off to the side as they showed us the queen bee. our final stop was with this potter - who showed off a studio of traditionally glazed products as well as some very funky creative pieces. all this shared with good girlfriends who keep you laughing along the way. these are the moments that stay with me here - the stories of artisans and the people here - and the generosity they impart.

from in the shadows...

sometimes i am most comfortable in the shadows -  for it's in the shadows i can observe the world - taking in its wondrous tiny details and watch it unfold before my eyes.

it's from here that i glimpse moments of pure beauty. the world moves slower in the shadows and provides a shaded reprieve from the glare of the bustling day.

navigating this life...

by 34, i figure i should have much of life - at least as far as how i navigate through it - figured out. but i continue to encounter circumstances where i think, question, or roll my eyes and say 'i should have handled that differently; said something else, been more clear - whatever.' and that little inner critique kicks in. in the middle of one of these critique sessions tonight, i stumbled across this quote and it seemed to speak in some way to how i am feeling.

"you can't be at the pole and the equator at the same time. you must choose your own line, as i hope to do, and it will probably be color."
~vincent van gogh

a teeny chef...

as we prepared to celebrate spring with our dear friends...a teeny chef made his way into the kitchen to help out with the dessert.

a lovely easter was had by all - egg hunts, coloring eggs,  a feast of a supper, and the company of friends that we enjoy and kai adores. what a lovely way to greet an early easter!

(photo by j)

buon pasqua...

wishing you and yours buon pasqua (happy easter) - and abundant spring tidings.

"All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar."
~ Helen Hayes

sandy love notes...

if you look very closely you will see the heart he drew in the sand with his stick. oh, he didn't realize this is what he did of course - and i know that. but some days when i am around this little boy of mine - i seem to discover hearts all around me. thank you kai, for inspiring my heart to grow, dear one.

a glimpse of sunshine...

truly, george sang it best... and after a weekend and then some of gray, damp days -- a beautiful glimpse of sunshine does wonders for a girl's disposition or then again perhaps it's just a simple dose of spring fever.

"Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy'd the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought, to have done..."
~Matthew Arnold

begin...

when i was pregnant with kai, my dearest friend paige, gave me a little egg with the word "begin" inscribed on it...this little mantra has stayed with me ever since. it carried me overseas to live - calming my thoughts and anxiety along the way; it comforted me many times toward the end of my pregnancy when i started to wonder what laid ahead; it soothed my insecurities many times when i looked the lens thinking  what story can i  tell - or looked at a blank paper waiting for words to emerge - or it's called back to me from a blank canvas in the voice of the dear friend who gave it to me "what are you waiting for....begin."

"The camera is an instrument of detection. We photograph not only what we know, but also what we don't know." ~Lisette Model (b. Vienna) American photographer

do you remember when...

i have to laugh sometimes at the fact (and just surrender to it) that i don't remember the same details of life as j. he can tell you where we went, when it was -- all the factual information one would need and should recall fairly easily.

but i just don't work that way, i wish i did. i remember things that aren't as factual but somehow they imprinted into my memory...or in this case my heart. i try to snap this 'pieces of kai' because i want to remember those tiny details that i hold so dear. for this one - it's the warm sunbeam that he's standing in one evening as we walked to the sea to watch the sun set. i can recall how the wind felt that evening, how the salt hung in the air like a heady perfume and the rhythmic meditative rush of the tide rolling in...but please don't ask me what day it was because i will never know.