Getting Back to Blogging

The old bridge located in Clinton, Tennessee.  A new one is currently being constructed.






Once again, here it has been so long since I have written on my blog.  I don't want it hijacked by unknown sources.  Hopefully how to blog will all come back to me.  Apologies to those who have clicked on a link to my blog and were greeted by  nothing.  I admit, this is going to be a bit of a "test" run to get my Cindy Ellison Blog up to speed.

Peony Beauty

Our neighbor Cheryle grows stunning peonies.  She shared this beauty with me a few days ago.  I placed it in an antique etched glass compote.  Clint and I have really enjoyed seeing it on our coffee table. A special gift.

Thank you, Cheryle!  You have a gift of growing beauties such as this peony. 

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Teeny Faces

Recently I discovered I had collected little figures and had not even realized it.  These little friends were discovered in a corner of  my leaded-glass-front cabinet.  Yes, some of them are little Christmas figures.  

Yesterday I was arranging them a bit for making a photograph.  Got a little practice in regarding metering and trying to hold the camera very still.  I was lazy and did not use a tripod.  (We all think we are all masters at holding the camera very very still.  :-)

While I was placing them in different angles, I found myself thinking of Laura in "The Glass Menagerie", Tennessee Williams's famous play.  I remember seeing the movie as a child, I would love to see it now at my "advanced age", it would have so much more meaning for me.

There are no unicorns in this bunch so there will be no breaking off of any horns.

The most important reason I am doing a post is I have been away from my blog since July.  A shame, I know.  I am here to tell you, it took me hours to "recover" this blog.  It was very difficult to get back to my dashboard.  I was also surprised with a different format.  I think I will stick with it and start blogging more.  Just me rambling on about this and that and really just for me.

Thanks to anyone reading this!

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Guitar Lessons

At least I am now able to practice one of my all time
favorite songs.  Please Come to Boston.

A year ago, actually it was July the 5th, Clint and I went shopping for a tripod for my camera. After we left Best Buy, we stopped by Guitar Center on Kingston Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee.  Clint has played guitar since his college days, self taught I might add.  I always enjoy going in to the Guitar Center and admiring all the guitars.  I jokingly remarked to Clint, if I ever played guitar, I would want "that guitar right there", pointing to a beautiful black lacquered electric guitar.  Of course I was kidding, or so I thought.

Later that day I remarked I had seen some good looking (to me) used guitars and blurted out someday I might like to learn to play the guitar.  Clint said I did not need to purchase a guitar, I would just learn on his Ovation.  I did start my lessons from Clint and have learned a lot.  Practice, practice and more practice are in order.  I admit I have taken a three month break from practicing but plan to get back to it.  I had not realized when I started this post that tomorrow is the anniversary of beginning this wonderful journey.  This afternoon I plan on practicing chords.  Whew!  That darn C chord was something else!

A long way from making a YouTube, I am still amazed that I have come this far.  Thank you Clint for your patience and helping me so much.

(It has been months since I have posting anything on my blog,  I am hoping this publishes without any problems.  I need to get back to my blog.  Thanks to anyone reading  this far.)




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Playing on a Rainy Day

It drizzed rain all day yesterday.  I spent some time practicing with my camera and playing food stylist wannbe.  Oh, and just had to show off my recent church sale rummage treasure of these beautiful three pear candles.  It was almost painful to light them, they won't keep that pear shape forever.


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Simple Sunday Scene

Yesterday at church we had an "All Saints' Service".  I made this photo of the church after we left while sitting at a traffic light.  The sky was white at this moment which showed the intricate silhouette of the barren tree.



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Bear with Me with Fall Memories 2015

Saw these wonderful bears right outside our car windows.  There is just something very exciting
about seeing a bear!  This took place during the first week of September, 2015, in Cades Cove
of the Smoky Mountains.

Earlier by a month or so I was making photos from the
Primitive Baptist Church in Cades Cove.  I was attempting to
photograph the sun illuminating the leaves in a brightly lit way.
Later at home I zoomed in and my gosh, it does appear
to be a bear in the photo!

Great food memory from late summer, apple pie and vanilla ice cream.  Thanks
to our neighbor Don for sharing this delicious pie.

Just an early morning photo of a candle back lighting a
floral arrangement.

View from my church while attending the ladies Bible study.  Such
a beautiful church and grounds.

Another late summer memory while I was grilling our cowboy burgers from our deck.

Not the best quality for a photo but enough to preserve a memory from October while enjoying
our neighbours' fire pit.

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We like our predawn mornings with lit candles as we drink our coffee
and enjoy the rising sun.

A Corner of My Studio

For several days I have been working in my studio.  Many years ago I bought this art deco cabinet or book case.  I knew when I bought it the doors would not open.  I had tried different keys to no avail.  Different times in past years, I had tried to pry open the doors. Several months ago, I had made the decision to go get the cabinet from storage and take it straight to a locksmith.  Right before I took the cabinet to my SUV, I tried one more time to open the beautiful leaded glass doors.  My gosh, what a surprise, THE DOORS OPENED!  

After this happened, I was thinking of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.  She was told by Glinda, the good witch, "You've had the power all this time, my dear."   

All those years we could have been enjoying this beautiful piece of furniture!

An Adorned Wall

For years I had collected vintage prints.  Recently I painted my studio the Benjamin Moore color, "Serenity Blue".  So far I am totally satisfied with the color.  As we all know, choosing a paint color is not easy sometimes.  When I make a color choice for the walls of a room, I never look back.  I spend a lot of time making the decisions until I am well acquainted with the color.  It is already like an old friend before I apply it to the walls.

Back to my collection of old prints, I chose a theme for this grouping.  Themes of old English cottages, vegetation, floral, nature, sky, water and a couple of snow scenes.

The hardest part for me of doing such a grouping is, "where to begin"?  I began by working around two switch plates which I used my magic eraser for removing in this photo.  I use the smallest nail possible for hanging, none of the works were very heavy.  

My next and last grouping in my studio will be of old photographs ... photographs of people.  Some will be of loved ones and others will be of "instant ancestors".  Two remaining walls after my second and last grouping will be blank.  Not wanting too much busyness in this room.  My easel will be against one blank wall and the wall to my right of my table will remain picture free.

Thank you for taking the time to read this far!

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Being Positive

In my previous blogpost, I had mentioned buying a vintage cobalt blue sake decanter.  For a few days I have been seeing a couple of red spots in our thicket at the border of our backyard.  I found this beautiful blue decanter at a jewelry store of all places.  They had a few rummage type items out front for sale.

About the little vine I placed in the "vase" before I made the photo.  I found out the vine is known as hummingbird vine and also referred to as "rampant" and "invasive". Also, would you believe "cow itch vine?" We don't have very much of it since I saw only two blooms of it.

The main thing was I got in some photography practice and learned something new today about a plant.  I also remembered to lower my ISO on my camera since I am only using the manual feature.   I could have had the bloom a little lighter in the photo.  It is hard sometimes to be positive in today's world. "This happy face I'm wearing, the world didn't give it to me and the world can't take it away!" Striving to be positive, today I made an attempt and learned a little along the way.


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Another Day Trip

Clint and I have started exploring our world around us, going on day trips
around this area.  Tuesday we headed for Fort Payne, Al.  We stopped in
nearby Mentone, AL, and discovered the Wildflower Cafe.
Quirky comes to mind when describing this delightful place.

There was art and more art.  After I ordered in the restaurant, I left the
table to go exploring.  The good news is I did not have much time to explore,
our wonderful lunch was ready in no time.  

Patrons have left their business cards under the glass topped tables in the restaurant.  I could not help but do the same.  :-D

We both had some delicious ham and cheese quiche.  Clint had fruit with his
and I had a small salad with some wonderful blue cheese dressing with a kick.

Later we had just turned to head up to Desota State Park.  It is a narrow
and winding road.  Yes, this truck with a huge load of hay turned right'
in front of us.  A few minutes later, when it was safe, he motioned
us around him.

Clint and I have always had a fondness for Fort Payne, AL.  It had been more than ten years since we had returned to this area.  It was reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, trying to remember where old places used to be located.  There have been many changes there, mostly positive from what we could see.  I was happy to see some of the old thrift stores still there.  I did find a treasure, an old cobalt blue saki decanter ... embossed with a floral silver design. Only $2!


P.S.  Today's photo were all made with my Samsung cell phone.



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Different Kind of Monday Morning

It has been so long since I have posted anything on my blog, I hope I have not forgotten how to do it.  Sometimes I miss posting on it, one thing I have always thought about my blog was that it was a digital scrapbook of our lives.  I seriously need to get back to it.  Even now, if I am looking for a photo or other information from my blogging days I want to look up, I Google my own blog post and find it. 

My most recent search was for my chocolate pie monograms made from bittersweet chocolate.  It is easier to Google than try to find the cook book with the information.

Clint satisfies his desire for writing by keeping a daily diary.  One of his ways I should say includes song writing,too.  As I am pecking away on this post in my studio, he is in the living room studying and writing a Sunday school lesson on Amos.  He is one of four rotating Sunday school teachers who teach in our Sunday school class.  This reminds me I did do some similar writing.  Recently it was my time for having the opening prayer.  We had a hectic but wonderful week and here comes Saturday night and I have no prayer written.  This brings back some of my school days of not getting homework done in time.  I got busy on the prayer, got it typed out and ready for the next morning.  Clint and I feel that a good prayer does not have to be long.  

Speaking of it being a different kind of Monday morning, I slept later this morning than I can remember in recent history.  I am referring to years.  Just before Clint opened the bedroom door to see if I was still alive, I had just awakened.  He had some errands to run so I passed going with him.  I had a more important job of just trying to come back to life.  It was a relaxing morning.  Coffee and armed with a pair of scissors, I went through the May 2015 issue of Country Living magazine.  I cut out some recipes and photos of groupings of frames.  That is something I am currently working on, hanging many old pieces of art work, prints, photos and paintings.  I want to hand them in groups with a theme.  This collection is the result of years of me gathering these little treasures.  Old gold leaf frames are a favorite.

Recently we made the decision to get plantation shutters.  We enjoy them so much.

My how time flies.  Why is it the first step seems the hardest?.  Here is my first step back to blogging on my life's scrapbook.  Thanks to anyone who might read this.  See you again, soon!

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International Space Station Photo

December at the Beach 2014

Panama City Beach sunset, December 11, 2014.

For a long time Clint kept saying he wanted to get away somewhere.  When I was working it was hard to take off from work and now we are free!  It sure feels good to be free.  We were thinking of revisiting places we had already visited, perhaps Charleston and then to the beach.  A beach on the east coast.

It had been a long time since we had been to Florida, at least fourteen years.  We came up with Panama City Beach and we arrived here last night.  It is beautiful and we are getting ready to walk on the beach.  

On the way to Florida, we stopped at Clint's mom's place and we spent two nights visiting her.
We had a wonderful meal in the dining room where she resides.  This is what she ordered,
Shrimp Supreme.

Clint had steak and baked potato, you can't go wrong that that choice.  I had
Eggplant Parmesan and it was very good.

Tonight we go in search of oysters on the half shell.  I think a better title for this post would be
Eating Our Way South".


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Pixie Dog Portrait

Yesterday I completed a pencil drawing of my sister's dog Pixie.  

A Few Scenes From My Summer

Another one of my dreamy moonscapes.  

A rich Beefy Mexican casserole.  Yes, it was delicious.

Made this at a traffic stop close to our house.  I snapped this

from inside the car at a stop light.

In June I made this photo from the Knoxville City and County Building.

I served on a jury involving a wrongful death aka as a malpractice suit.  For two weeks

I dressed up and was in court around 8:30 am.  I spent approximately 87 hours

with eleven other jurors.  It was amazing how we all seemed to bond with each

other.  It was a very emotional time but we gave it our all.  It was hard for

me to sleep for several nights afterwards.

I have forgotten the name of this complex in downtown Knoxville.

This photo reminds me of a vintage linen paper postcard.

A cuban sandwich I had at Market Square.

Had the cuban sandwich here at Cocoa Moon Fusion Grill, walked in and did not realize it

was such a bar.  Of course the strongest drink was my

water with lemon.

Audrey Flack's sculpture in the Whittle complex
in downtown Knoxville:
Beloved Woman of Justice

We are always amazed with the shadows in this house, when the sun

both rises and sets.

I am really enjoying our Siruis.  Willie's Roadhouse

is another favorite site.

This photo evolved into  "The Road to Nowhere" with a little

help from me.

The supermoon of July 16, 2014.

During some of my jury days, I would take my lunch and eat 

on a park bench.  Great people watching in the area.

Another beautiful scene before going into work.

The beautiful courtyard at our church, one of several.

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Eleven Years

Such busy days ... yesterday was our 11th year wedding anniversary!  I came home to flowers, a very special letter and quiche for dinner.  

Thank you, Clint!

Some Silliness on a Saturday

Easter weekend I was making potato salad.  I was cutting up a green pepper when I noticed
this horned green monster with ghastly teeth and gaping mouth staring back at me.

Honestly, I could not have "sculpted' this from that green pepper if I had tried.  :~D

Snow Scenes from February 2014

It has been so long since I have posted anything on my blog.  We have actually enjoyed seeing the snow.  I stayed up a little later last night.  Last night I made a couple of photos from our front porch and our deck out back.  It was surprising this morning to awaken to much deeper snow than last night.  I feel a little isolated where we live because of a lack of sidewalks.  I have always been a walker and can't walk anywhere around here except on our little lane, our dead end lane.

Not to be deterred and equipped with my camera, I put on Clint's new warm hooded jacket and headed out for a walk this morning. One can almost say, most of the photos shown here were 

made in my "own back yard" ... meaning our little lane.

Last night I was playing around with my new camera.  It was pouring
down snow in this photo.  This was made from our
deck out back.

Last night while stepping out on our front porch and leaning over a bit,
 I captured this scene from our neighbor's front yard.

I crouched down under our mail box for this design. :-)

The entrance to our lane.

   

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After I returned from my walk, I saw this hawk in a far away tree from our living room.



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