The alley...

"...he didn't know the distance from despair to hope,

but he knew that hope didn't sleep in alleys."

- Monarchs and Mendicants

"Hope Didn't Sleep in Alleys"
London, England

I always find it magical to recognize the extraordinary, when others might only see the ordinary. Never underestimate the allure of an alley.  Sometimes hope for a good photograph DOES sleep there.

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"What do you see...

"Sign of the Times"

Election Day in the Philly suburbs

(Samsung Galaxy)

Followed this Vietnam vet while en route to grocery shopping yesterday, after I cast my vote.  The election pundits and media kept promoting Pennsylvania as firmly in the Democratic and Hillary camp.  And if history provided any clues, they would be correct to make that assumption.  But it just didn't reflect what I was actually seeing all around me.  

"What we do see depends mainly on what we look for.

...In the same field the farmer will notice the crop,

the geologists the fossils,

botanists the flowers,

artists the coloring...

Though we may all look at the same things,

it does not all follow that we should see them."

-John Lubbock

Regardless of for whom we cast our vote yesterday, today we are all viewing our country in a new light. For some it glows brighter, and for some dimmer.  It all depends on what we choose to see.  I'm always going to choose to see the light.

God Bless America.

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Always seeing something...

...never seeing nothing,

being a photographer."

-Walter De Mulder

"Never Seeing Nothing"
Somerset, Pennsylvania

Sometimes it's a curse.  But mostly a blessing.

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Common everyday blessings...

"As the years pass,

I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common every day blessings

of our common every day lives

for which we should be truly grateful.

They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness...

"Bright Sunshine on a Cold Day"

Somerset, Pennsylvania

Just the pure air to breathe, and the strength to breathe it;

warmth and shelter...

the bright sunshine on a cold day;

and a cool breeze when the day is warm."

-Laura Ingalls Wilder

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Sweet dreams are made of this...

"Sweet Dreams are Made of This"
Grand#1
Samsung Galaxy

Who am I to disagree?  Since Grand#1 was sweet dreamin' using moi as her personal Sealy Posturepedic, it was impossible to grab my Canon to capture her sweet face.  Samsung Galaxy to the rescue.

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And what happened then?...

Well in Omi-ville they say...her heart grew three sizes that day.  (disclaimer:  I think it was more!)

Aveline (a-vah-leen) Lillian
nickname:  Lila
aka: Grand #1

8 lb. 11 oz.

August 29, 2016

Cincinnati, Ohio

And then the true meaning of "grandparent-hood" came through.   And the Omi found the love of ten Omi's, plus two!

"And then they were three"
Cincinnati, Ohio

Even tho Thing #2 wanted me to be present at the birth...logistics always taunted me with the possibility I wouldn't make it.  That's what happens when Omi lives in Philly and Grand #1's parents live in Cincy. If we could just eliminate western Pennsylvania (apologies to the 'burgh)  and Eastern Ohio I'd be a much happier Omi.   Luckily, I made it in time!  And took photographs, just to prove it.

"My girls"

Cincinnati, Ohio

"I'm a girl"

Cincinnati, Ohio

(major props to Thing #2.1 who endured sleeping on a hospital bed directly under the air conditioning vent for the duration.  BRRRR!)

Of course I had an impromptu "photo shoot" before Grand#1 left the hospital.  Lucky for me, Thing #2 packed her hospital bag with a few wardrobe changes. She is operating under the mantra "the bigger the bow, the better the mama".

Grand #1, all packed up and ready to head home.  I hope her parents are ready, 'cause I think she's gonna be a heartbreaker.

"Homeward Bound"
Cincinnati, Ohio

So here's the thing.  It's not like I've never participated in childbirth before.  Afterall, I have three of my own.  Full disclosure, I must have had my eyes shut the entire time because I never saw a thing!  I want to thank Thing #2 and #2.1 for asking me to be there at the birth of my Grand #1.  To truly SEE a miracle entering my life was the best gift I've ever been given.  BUT...that doesn't mean the rest of my family needs to give up trying.  Just sayin'.

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Now she knows...

Dear Daughter,

If I could give you one thing in life,

I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes.

Only then would you realize how very special you are to me...

"Now She Knows"
Good Samaritan Hospital
(one day old)
Cincinnati, Ohio

...And now, I hope you know.

The kind of love you probably thought you understood, 

truly didn't until you became a mother yourself.

The utterly astounding realization that this kind of love couldn't exist...

until your daughter did.

As you look into the eyes of your daughter, 

realize I do the same with you my daughter.

When you see how profoundly special your daughter is, 

trust that I see the same in you my daughter.

You are taking the first steps in sincerely comprehending the magical depth

of a mother's love for her daughter.

Making the decision to have a child is life changing.  

It is to decide forever to relinquish control of your heart.

To allow your heart to wander where it is unprotected, because it now travels with your daughter.

It is joyous.  It is scary.

There are times you are in total control of your heart.  

But there are also times your heart walks out the door, 

and you won't breathe until it returns home safe and unharmed.

It's a blessing we are oblivious to this side effect of motherhood until we are fully committed to the journey.  

It's God's little "gotcha" joke on moms, to remind us of whom truly IS in control.

There are so very many reasons I love my little grand daughter.

But the greatest of these is her existence allows me to give you the one gift I've wanted to give you your entire life.

For you to see yourself through my eyes,
and to realize how extraordinarily special you are to me.
I hope you take the time to look.

You are my sunshine,

Mom

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So, this happened...

August 29, 20016.  The day my heart exploded.

"She's Got the Whole World in Her Hands"
Cincinnati, Ohio
(my first Grand)

Aveline Lillian.  You.  Are.  Perfect.  Because Omi says so.

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August...

"It was June,

and the world smelled of roses."

-Maude Hart Lovelace

"The World Smelled of Roses"
Ocean City, New Jersey

Except...it is August.

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Confessions of an Olympics junkie...

Every two years alternating 'twixt summer and winter Olympiads I am totally hooked.  Glued to the television and the myriad of channels covering Olympic sports ranging from the usual suspects, to the "no way THAT is an Olympic sport!".  And in the case of Rio?  I've succumbed to modern technology and found a new additional fix for my obsession...Internet streaming.   Yep, Olympic coverage verging on 24/7. And yes, I feel vastly superior to those not watching Rio, but out meandering the streets searching for the elusive Pokemon.  Just don't tell me that will be one of those new Olympic sports added for Tokyo in 2020.

I have never had the honor of attending an Olympic Game as a spectator.  But I have had the pleasure of visiting Olympic sights in Lake Placid, Athens, Barcelona, and most recently...Squaw Valley, California.  The history of the athletes, and their stories, that walked the same soil (or snow) moves me like few other places.

So.  Many.  Emotions.

"Olympic Flame"
Squaw Valley, California

"Home of the 1960 Winter Olympics"
Squaw Valley, California



"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning, but taking part;
the essential thing in life is not conquering, but fighting well."

-Pierre de Coubertin, founder Olympic International Committee

"Ascent"
(transport to the winter Olympic venues)
Squaw Valley, California

"We Have Arrived"
Squaw Valley, California


"The Olympics are a beautiful metaphor for world cooperation,
the kind of international competition that's wholesome and healthy,
an interplay between countries that represents the best in us all."

-John Williams

Pride.  Spirit.  Unity.  Dedication and sacrifice.  A multitude of stories illustrating commitment and hard work.  The universe works in strange ways, but always with a purpose.  I do not find it ironic at all that the world needs a reminder of these virtues every few years.  Maybe even more so this year. It's just what the world needs, and at the exact right time.  A timely memo.  A not so gentle nudge to be the best you can be.

"Olympic Rings"
Squaw Valley, California
(Lake Tahoe in the background)

"Olympic gold medals aren't really made of gold.

They are made of sweat, determination, 

and a lot of a hard-to-find alloy called guts."

-Dan Gable, Olympic wrestler

"It is the inspiration of the Olympic Games that drives people not only to compete but to improve,
and to bring lasting spiritual and moral benefits to the athletes
and inspiration to those lucky enough to witness the athletic dedication.

-Herb Elliott, Olympic mid-distance runner

"Most other competitions are individual achievements,
but the Olympic Games is something that belongs to everybody."

-Scott Hamilton, Olympic figure skater

Maybe someday I will be lucky enough to witness Olympic athletic dedication in person.  Honestly, I don't know how I would actually be able to handle it tho. The level of stress, anxiety and nerves I experience watching from my couch while chowing down on a pint of Ben & Jerry's boggles my mind...AND my scale.

  

"Excellence"
Squaw Valley, California

"The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport,

and maybe in life itself."

-Dawn Fraser, Olympic swimmer

The Olympic Games are sometimes the only exposure we have to certain countries.  They show the human side of nations that we may be unfamiliar with.  OR, they show an all too familiar side of a nation that we had a very different preconception of.  When the only "sport" many of us excel at is sitting on our sofas, watching television, and passing judgment via social media...perhaps partaking, even virtually, the quest for excellence can change the world.  Even if only for a few weeks.

My name is Kathy, and I am an Olympics junkie.  And for a few weeks, the world is a better place.

That's.  My.  Confession.

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