Finding Peace of Mind

Sometimes the world gets crazy.  Nothing seems real or safe or familiar...until you can steal some time to get away to a place where things have not changed much for years and years.  That is where I went last week.

At Last

My summer danced by like the buZZ-iness of bees fortifying a new hive with sustenance.  Each activity came and went and left me with a bit of whip-lash.  Now com the months of peace and thoughtfulness and restoration.

I drove and then walked to a nearby beach with loved ones.  The wind waved flags of fall everywhere.

 

The beach is so mellow and solitary when not covered in summer frolicking nomads.  The wind is now louder than the laughter of former beach guests and it seems to mimic the rush of the cooler season pushing forward.

It is the perfect time to get lost in thoughts and ponder creative plans and pretend you are someone else.

That's Awkward!

"Buddhism teaches that we should embrace awkwardness; that this feeling is a signal that we are on the right path toward growth. By embracing awkwardness, we begin to drop the ego's desire to project an image that defends us from experiencing our true, tender selves. We might think that others are impressed when we appear sophisticated, professional, witty, cool, or clever, but this teaching reminds us that we are most impressive when we are authentic." from Five Minutes on Mondays by Alan Lurie, Rabbi, Managing Director of a real estate firm and licensed architect.

Inviting View

Early one morning while I was cruising the Danube (doesn't THAT sound exotic) and sipping my coffee, I was able to capture this lovely path to who knows where!

The Hopeful Opportunist

There is an interesting story about a crow and the ring from a Monarch to a commoner that I learned on this trip...but that is for another time and blog.  Here I was resting at the fountain of a Downton Abbey style garden and attracted the attention of the local crow...clearly the tourists feed these opportunistic birds.  He started to get closer and closer until he realized I had absolutely no intention of pulling something out of my purse for him and he walked away casually and with dejection.

Lanterns

"Physalis alkekengi (Bladder cherry, Chinese lantern, Japanese lantern, or Winter cherry; Japanese: hōzuki), related to the Cape Gooseberry" according to Wikipedia. I had never grown these before and this is what I got in a very sparse production from seeds I planted months ago.  My bugs LOVE it.

Then this is what I came across in Nuremburg, Germany at a flower stall!

Bright autumn lanterns

To light my fall garden path

A glow so warm

It holds back the cool evening mist

And makes me pause

And smile.

Retreats to Sooth the Soul

Cities must share their noise, space and murky air with the thousands or millions of people that stay there.  Budapest, Hungary is no exception.  But just like New York, Paris, or Tokyo, citizens, tourists and lovers often retreat to the open green spaces that are sprinkled here and there for restoring the soul.  People in Hungary love the shade of the big old sycamore trees, love the botanical displays, pause to admire the plants that trail over and across old buildings and play with the "wildlife" when the weekend holiday allows.  It is so easy to relax and pretend there is no war torn history to this area.

Searching for Blue

Summer time and the living is not so easy.  It is more humid and hot and sticky and full of bugs and afternoon thunderstorms and moss covered lawns and forces you to sloooow down and pause in between the rushing.

I decided that there was not enough cool blue in my life and so I digitally painted over some of the photos to add a breath of cool air.

Liriope - monkey grass.

Hyacinth Bean

Annual asters peaking out from under some HUGE celosia.

A tiny blue butterfly on garlic chives.