Fog and Sound

The sound of the lake was amazing that afternoon when the fog hung over the lake like a shroud.   Maybe it was heightened because the lake was hidden behind a curtain.  The continuous swish in and out as the waves met the sand on the beach could be heard loud and clear and strong while I was still climbing down the dunes to the shoreline.  Long before I could see the waves, I could hear them. There was no other sound; no wind or calling gull; just wave after wave after wave washing in with simple white caps, reminding me that although the lake couldn't be seen, its power was still there.

Walking pink

Two weeks ago my daughters, my granddaughter

and I walked in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer walk in Indianapolis on a team to honor and support a young woman very dear to our hearts.  My husband dropped me off on the campus of IUPUI at seven o'clock on a chilly but sunny April morning.  With camera in hand, I walked a block to Military Park where the event was being held, arriving just in time for the start of the Pink Parade.  Since I was so much earlier than the others I was meeting, I wandered over to watch.  

The Pink Parade is a march of survivors, beginning with the newest one year or less, and going all the way up to 50 and 60 year survivors.  Our dear friend began her battle seven months ago so I knew she would be one of the first in the parade.  It was difficult to keep my camera focused through the tears that welled up when I spotted Renae walking in that parade of survivors.   Accompanied by her husband, she looked strong, confident and beautiful and at that moment, my heart broke and swelled with pride all at the same time.  There are no words to describe the battle these women face every day, the strength they exhibit and the examples they set before us.  I am looking forward to seeing Renae in that parade again for many years to come, and marches like this will help make it possible.

Downtown LaPorte photowalk

"I'll take it," I said to the woman in the downtown LaPorte antique store.  She had just taken a vintage pearl necklace out of the showcase for me.   The price was right and it was a unique piece.  So I stepped up to the counter, set down my camera on the glass top and began to reach for my purse.  As soon as she spotted my camera, she struck up a conversation about it, and I knew from having previously been in the store that she was a kindred photographer spirit.  It was evident to her keen eye that it was a gorgeous Indiana Saturday morning, I was armed with my camera and I was headed out for a photo walk. My husband was downstairs sorting through an entire basement of vinyl and knowing he was probably going to be there a while, I turned for the stairs to let him know I was heading out.  My new photographer kindred spirit friend, however, shooed me out the front door with assurances that when my husband emerged from the bowels of the antique store, precious vinyl treasures in hand, she would let him know where I was.

Indiana towns have a character all their own and LaPorte is no exception.  If all those wonderful old facades and brick walls could talk, what stories they would tell.  I strolled up one street and down another, around blocks and through alleyways, gazing into dusty storefront windows and admiring the sturdy small-town Indiana architecture.  I wandered and explored and photographed for several hours that day. My phone buzzed with the text that simply said, "Where are you?" while I was a block down the street and I took a few last photos as I made my way back to the antique store where my photo walk had begun.  It had been a fantastic morning.

Glimpses of Spring

Brown leaves, wispy dried grasses and brown patches of last year's mulch are left uncovered after snow has melted into late March and early April days.  Suddenly you see it - that splash of color there in the midst of the drab and lifeless.  Crocus' defy the chilly temperatures of early spring mornings and frosty spring nights.  They open their petals in spite of that last feeble attempt by winter to hold on.  It is the first glimpse of a beauty lying just beneath the surface waiting, waiting.  Soon color will be all around us but for now, that special spot of purple and yellow in my front yard is enough. 

The Magenta Barn

Traveling to other parts of this country always makes my eye so much more aware of the images to be found right here at home.  Driving down a random county road, intent simply on getting from one place to the other, I was pleasantly surprised by this wonderful barn, covered in the most fantastic coat of magenta paint and set back from the road on a gorgeous summer afternoon.

March at the lake

This lake . . . . it never ceases to leave me in awe of its wonder, its power, its beauty.  Every season, every day has its own images.   

Music Among Friends

It was Friday night in the first week of December and it was cold, clear and dark. We parked the car on the main street that runs through that sleepy small town.  It was so quiet, but when the door of an old brick storefront opened across the street, light and the sound of music and people spilled out.  We were headed there for a CD release party hosted by Commoner, a local band we had supported through a recent kickstarter project. We were going to gather the items we had received as supporters, as well as hear their live debut.  

Commoner began with five friends and musicians who would frequently sit together, sharing equally their love for the Lord and for music.  They decided that what happened so easily when they were together,  could be shared outward, and so the band was born.

The old storefront is being slowly renovated into coffee house where people will be able to savor locally roasted coffees, relax, visit and where the band can routinely play their earthy, self-written songs of praise.  That old, unfinished building was drafty and cold, and the coffee pots were emptied as soon as they could be refilled, but twinkling strands of Christmas lights draped the walls, the crowd was warm, the music was uplifting and the musicians were joyfilled.  It is a place we look forward to visiting again.