sailing on a summer breeze

islands and bridges

I've been struggling with building bridges. My energy healer says I can no longer be an island. I must be available for and actively seek out partnership and collaboration. I'm accustomed to doing on my own and working on my own and being on my own. For goodness sake, my blog is called The Island of Rose - that says it all. I happened upon a quote yesterday that touched my heart and only confuses things more...

Be islands unto yourselves,

refugees unto yourselves,

seeking no external refuge.

Buddha

building bridges

I had a session with my energy healer today. I've been feeling frustrated and discouraged, in a few ways, but mostly in my photography business. I went to see her to help me clear whatever is within me that is blocking my growth and enjoyment and success. I won't bore you with details. It was a wonderful session. She is incredible. (Her name is Joyce. You can find her here.)

There is one thing I want to share with you...At one point she looked at me and said I'm energetically not allowing partnership and collaboration. She said I'm on an island and there is no way for anyone else to cross over. I stared at her, blinked a few times, and quietly said, "That's the name of my blog...the island of rose." She smiled and said that I can't be an island anymore.

So I'm building a bridge - an energy bridge, a rainbow bridge. Everyone is invited to my island. Stay a while; stay a long time. All are welcome...

I don't have any photos of bridges - which is kind of ironic in itself. Instead, here's a photo of a driftwood tipi on one of my favorite beaches.

longing for the sea...

It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins

the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean,

and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears.

We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea

- whether it is to sail or to watch it -

we are going back from whence we came.

John F. Kennedy

foto friday

Going back to the root goal of my photography - having my photos available to those who want them, I've decided to make Fridays a sharing day. I will provide a different photo each Friday that you can download and print for your personal use. The photo is in pdf form. You will need Adobe Reader to open the file. You can download Reader for free here. I'm new to this downloading stuff and am using dropbox to facilitate the transfer. If you have any problems downloading the photo, please let me know.

10 mile

download 6x9 pdf here

wish i was there

I've been dreaming of the ocean. It was only three weeks ago that I was at Salmon Creek on the Sonoma Coast, but my soul was not filled. The last couple of days have been hard. Not hard hard, just icky. I'm feeling alone and separated and uncertain. I want the ocean. I need the ocean. J is going with her Dad to the mountains for the holiday weekend. I've been toying with the idea of driving to Fort Bragg for one day. I'd only have one day because I need to be back to take care of the neighbor's cats. It would only be 9 hours on the road for about two or three hours of ocean time! When I was young, I wouldn't even hesitate. Am I getting old!!!

The last time I was in Fort Bragg, J and I sat in the sand and watched the sun set. Then we went back to our hotel room on the beach. We left the sliding glass door open and listened to the surf. J watched tv, played with Barbies, and jumped on the bed - kind of all at the same time. I actually read a book. Okay, I played with the Barbies too, and after J went to sleep I read the book. It was a glorious time...

Fort Bragg, California

October 2011

then and now

I needed some inspiration today. Couldn't come up with something exciting to blog about. I asked J what I should write about and she said "you." Well, that's not very exciting. So instead I decided to write a post about her.

I've been thinking a lot about the ocean lately. We went to the Sonoma Coast for a couple of days last week, but I want more. J loves the beach, as well. She hated it when she was a baby and toddler - too much noise, wind, and the waves were too much for her. I was devastated that my daughter didn't love the ocean as much as I did. Through the years, I've brought her with me, letting her stay in the car if she preferred. When she was about 3 or 4, suddenly the love of the ocean clicked in. Now she loves it as much as I do. Yay!

then - January 2006 - and now - August 2012

foto friday

In celebration of two glorious days at the beach, the photo available today is from Salmon Creek along the Sonoma County coastline in Northern California.

Going back to the root goal of my photography - having my photos available to those who want them, I've decided to make Fridays a sharing day. I will provide a different photo each Friday that you can download and print for your personal use. The photo is in pdf form. You will need Adobe Reader to open the file. You can download Reader for free here. I'm new to this downloading stuff and am using dropbox to facilitate the transfer. If you have any problems downloading the photo, please let me know.

Salmon Creek

download 6x9 pdf here

off

J and I are headed to Petaluma for a couple of days - to visit Grandma, to visit the fair and carnival, to visit the ocean. We both love seeing Grandma, of course. The fair and carnival is for J. When the fair came to our town, I was in the hospital with pneumonia and couldn't take her. So, I promised to take her to the Sonoma County Fair when it came around. The ocean is for me. Well, J loves it, too. But I need it! We'll probably go to Salmon Creek, maybe Goat Rock. I don't know. Maybe every beach along the Sonoma Coast!

Here are some photos of Salmon Creek. Taken the day after Christmas last year.

BTW - there won't be any posts on Wednesday and Thursday. I won't have my computer. Be back Friday with a free foto...

2012

I keep hearing and reading wishes for 2012 to be better than 2011. I'm with you wholeheartedly - 2011 was a very challenging year. My take is a little different though...There are always going to be challenges. Big ones, little ones. A challenge-free life might actually be pretty boring - and it sure wouldn't hold the opportunities for self-realization and growth. I accept there will be challenges in 2012. We're only seven days in and there already have been! What I ask, what I wish for this year and forever more is not less challenge, but greater wisdom and ability to meet the challenges in the most appropriate ways.

Check back the end of this year. We'll see how I do with that!

And a photo, just to remind myself to roll with it...

feathers and a fighter

On the day after Christmas, J and I visited the ocean. We drove out to Salmon Creek, one of the California Sonoma Coast Beaches, where we watched birds, enjoyed families enjoying each other, ran from the waves, and collected feathers. I love feathers and can't help but collect them when I see them - fallen feathers only, of course. J is the same. I don't know where she got that from! She is so sweet. Rarely a day goes by that she doesn't bring me a gift home from school - either a feather or a stone. I love rocks, too. Salmon Creek Beach is inhabited mostly by sea gulls. There are feathers everywhere. I was struck by the beautiful still lifes the feathers, driftwood, and sea weed formed. We left the feathers in the still lifes - too beautiful to disturb by human hands. We collected "stray" feathers. Lots of them!

... and a fallen soldier