Camper

A New Day

Because this news is so exciting and important to me, I wanted to share it with all of you here at Camper. Several months ago I joined two of my online photography friends to begin planning a collaborative blog. This blog is meant to be a community where women can find acceptance and encouragement, tears and laughter, humor and pathos. A place where we would like to encourage others to be courageous enough to follow their hearts and embrace the inner artist that may be hiding within.

No matter what your particular brand of creativity -- photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, needlework, design, writing, illustrating -- we want to encourage you in the same way that others have encouraged us and given us the ability to pursue our dreams, to push our creativity further than we ever dreamed possible.

Were it not for the encouragement and acceptance that I found in online photo classes and groups, I would not have grown as a photographer, I would never have thought about blogging, I would not have found the joy that I find in writing. It's my turn to reach out to others in the same spirit of encouragment that I've found online.

Please join me and my friends at Focusing on Life where our very first post appears today. There are ten of us and we will each post once every two weeks, Monday through Friday.

I hope to see you there ... but don't leave us here at Camper because we'll still be posting here with our look at life through a mult-generational lens.

Dotti

Express Yourself

It should be known that Campbell has never had a problem expressing herself!  From the advent of what is now the classic Campbell face:

to the miriad faces that she makes daily to her above average verbal skills - you are rarely left wondering how Campbell feels about any given issue.  As Mom mentioned yesterday, Campbell is getting to the age where she is expressing herself more artistically as well.  Yesterday it was taking pictures.  A few days ago she was making up stories about how excited she was to go to Disney World next week.

Well, as happens with all little girls Campbell has reached the age of wanting to express her sense of style - as well as assert her independence - by choosing her own clothes. For the most part she does a pretty good job and definitely has a very clear view of what she likes and doesn't like fashion wise. But from time to time she puts together ensembles that definitely reflect her own sense of style.  

There have been several such outfits I've thought as I was taking them off at bed time - "I should have taken a picture of her today!"  Like the striped leggins paired with the psychedelic flower dress and rain boots or red cable knit stockings, jean skirt, pink striped tank top and clear plastic Cinderella slippers or . . . . You get the point!  Some of the ensembles are very entertaining.  Here is an example from a few days ago.  It's actually one of the tamer ones, but I would definitely call it shabby chic.

Photos by Campbell

Yesterday Campbell decided she'd like to take a photo of the cup that holds her colorful markers. With a little bit of help from me, this is what she managed. Not bad for a 4-year old holding a camera that is too big for her.

When I posted this on my Flickr page last night, I got several nice complements which, needless to say, stroked her ego! This morning I showed her how the image looked on the internet and she was motivated to take another photo, again with a camera that was a bit unwieldy for her to handle alone. You can see the results of that effort below.

Campbell's interest in taking photos waxes and wanes but she does seem to have a good eye for composition, color and style. As we've mentioned before, Campbell is a bit of a girlie girl and consequently, something of a fashionista. Sometimes it seems she's 4 going on 13 because her opinions about clothes are so firm, she either likes an outfit or she doesn't. There's no persuading her otherwise once her mind is made up.

I'm not sure where all this is going to lead us but I am sure that it should prove to be an interesting journey.While raising our children is the most rewarding job we'll ever have, it's also the toughest, made more so by the fact that children don't come with owner's manuals.

But is there any job that's more important?

Dotti

More Color Therapy

For a person who loves color, winter in Central Kentucky is a real challenge. The grey skies with cold temperatures create an unhappy scenario for me. Fortunately, a few years ago I discovered one way to beat the winter blahs: photography. In particular, photographing colorful things and what could be better than tulips from the supermarket.

Here I am with my latest exercise in color therapy. I’ve added some Kim Klassen textures to these photos. Textures are layers of artwork and designs added to the digital images in order to enhance the original photos, making them more artistic.

Since I happen to be taking Kim’s current class, Beyond Layers, the appearance of tulips in our home is a welcome happenstance. And since this week’s assignment is “less is more” I decided to have some fun.

 

The first bunch of tulips were these lovely yellow ones.

 

This is a lone, red tulip, well past its prime but still photogenic.

And finally, the tulips that I have in my work space.

Yes, I indulge myself in the winter, even in my work space, with flowers for color therapy and candles for light therapy. Spring with its color and sunshine can’t get here soon enough for me!

Dotti

 

Musing on 2011

One of my recent photo assignments for a Flickr group was to gather together some of my favorite photos from 2011.  Oh my goodness!  What a difficult task that proved to be!  I felt like somebody had asked me to choose which of my children was my favorite. Of course, I only have one child so that's not something I'll ever be confronted with but you get the point.  While my photos are not as precious as my family, many of them are special to me, some for pure artistry, others for warm memories.

As I tackled this task, I couldn't help but ruminate on the year just past.  It was a good year! There are so many fun memories tucked in my photo files.  Small wonder I back them up in three places! I can also look back and see how my work has improved . . . or not.  I certainly hope it's the former rather than the latter.

But, my oh my - where does the time go? It seems that days are long (though never long enough) and years are short.  Krista keeps remarking about how big Campbell is getting.  Even though that's to be expected, I understand exactly what she means. There was a time when I thought my little girl would never grow up.  But look at her now!  A mother of her own 4-year-old daughter. I'm glad she cherishes these wonderful early years with Campbell because once they're gone, they're gone.

But not one to be glum, I look forward to the many good times ahead.  Yes, Campbell is growing up way too fast but it is such an exciting journey.  How can our hearts and minds ever hold all the precious memories we're creating together?

One thing is for sure, I'm glad my camera is never far from my side.  I probably have at least 15,000 pictures on my hard drives, I've made a dozen or more photo books, I've printed and framed many of our favorites.  And there's a reason for all of this: I want to preserve as many of our precious family memories as I can.  This is my legacy to my daughter and granddaughter.

Dotti

Winter Color

What do you do in the winter for color therapy? I buy flowers at the grocery store and bring them home not only to adorn our house but because they are great to photograph. And tulips are just about the best thing in the world to photograph indoors during the cold and grey of winter. They're great to photograph outdoors in the spring, too, but that's another post.

I've said for years the thing that bothers me most about winter is not the cold (although I don't like it) but the absence of color and sun. Thus far this winter, we've had an abundance of sunshine, moderate temperatures and no snow but, of course, there's no promise how long that will last! Typically our winters are full of grey skies. So a few years ago I began the practice of importing color into our house with supermarket flowers.

During the winter, the late afternoon sun shining through our kitchen window is mesmerizing. The angle and the light are magical. When there are flowers sitting on the kitchen table (which is often), I can't overcome the temptation to grab the camera and snap the shutter. Again and again. This afternoon I was inspired to do a light study with my tulips.

That's my prescription for winter color therapy. What about you? What do you do to infuse some color into your life in winter?

Dotti

Life is Awesome

It's funny, I hadn't read Mom's last post until just now when I got on to throw up this quick reflection but somehow they dovetail nicely since mine also focuses - a little - on a single word: Awesome.

My day job is a bit unconventional.  I run a national leadership development program so in addition to at times mundane program management, I am tasked with keeping in touch with and engaging our program alumni.  Part of doing that is seeking to keep them inspired and guiding them on a continuing journey of self-improvement.  So, I regularly find myself on not so mundane websites like TED seeking inspiration.  While on one of those searches this morning I came across this video that absolutely wowed me. It struck a chord personally and, was a great fit for my professional self as well.

On the personal side - my holiday break was one of mixed emotions. While I enjoy the actual tasks of my job, it is located 53 miles from our house and necessitates two hours on the road daily to commute.  That didn't bother me much when I started six years ago, then I had Campbell and the older she gets the harder losing that time gets. I had a rare job prospect in the little town we live in just before Christmas and was one of two finalists for the position.  Unfortunately I got word on Dec. 22 that I did not get the job.  I was devastated.  I had dreams of a "normal" life being home when my child woke-up in the morning, being able to help do her hair before school, saving a TON of money on gas . . . . I called my Mom sobbing, she immediately rushed over to help me calm down and to reassure Campbell that her Mommy was no crazier than she'd ever been and that everything would be okay.

At first I thought the timing of the news was the worst possible - right before Christmas.  Those first 24 hours or so I struggled to be the least bit festive as my child anticpated Christmas morning.  But then I sat in church on Christmas Eve and watched my baby color with her Daddy (because neither had any interest in the service going on around them).  Our church's candlelight Christmas Eve service has always been one of my favorite nights of the year and I spent that hour thankful for the pew full of loved ones I had around me and finding a new sense of peace with my station in life. The next morning we were all treated to the huge smiles and ectatic jumping for joy of a delighted Campbell who found out she was going to Disney World.  It turns out the timing for that bad news was actually perfect.

 

(Campbell upon realizing she is Disney bound)

All of these recent feelings and events were brought to mind as I watched the "Awesome video" and I sit here reveling in how truly lucky I am.  I still have to drive two hours a day and that still stinks.  But I have a decent paying job and one that I enjoy doing.  I have an amazing husband who never complains about being stuck with 90% of the parenting duties and shuttling to/from school, etc. And now, Campbell is spending her time away from me with Dotdot instead of in a daycare environment and she is already flourishing (she can read 17 words now, thank you very much!).  Plus, in 27 days we're going to Disney World!  

My life's not too shabby . . . . in fact, it's pretty awesome!

(Now to teach Daddy how to do Campbell's hair before real school starts next fall!  A little girl can't go to kindergarten with bed head!)

2012 - Renew

There's a new trend that's been emerging the past few years on the internet, one that I heard about this time last year but didn't pay much heed to. To be honest, I thought it was hokey. The idea is that instead of making resolutions (which I don't do either) you choose a word to guide you through the year on a journey to personal growth. It just didn't resonate with me.

But life is funny. I was doing some mindless shopping while on our family vacation in June when I came across a little pile of small, polished, enamel stones inscribed with words. I looked at them, read them, fingered them, walked away, came back. There was one word in particular that seemed to call me: INSPIRE. On a whim, I bought it. When I got home, I placed it near my computer where it still sits. My idea was that it would remind me to try to inspire others (particularly Campbell) to be all that they can be, to find the joy in life. But I think the stone has done more to inspire me then it has propelled me to inspire others. I've used it a number of times in photos over the past months.

 

Fast forward to December 2011, Christmas Day, to be exact. I hadn't given any thought to choosing a word for 2012, in fact, I was still working on "Inspire" since I'd only had it for six months. But the "word gods" had other ideas.

While hanging around on Christmas morning, camera in hand, of course, I spotted Krista's coffee mug. Because I find mugs an interesting subject to photograph, I snapped  a few shots. It wasn't until later in the day when I was downloading my photos that I spotted the word on the mug: RENEW.

My heart beat a little quicker and my mind started working. Renew. That's exactly where I considered myself to be at this time in my life as I enter the retirement phase of my life story. December 28 was my last day "at work". I would become a stay-at-home person after more than 26 years, I would become primary daycare provider for Campbell when she was not at school and her parents were not at work, and I would become a "photographer". This was indeed a time of renewal for me.

And so, my word for 2012 found me. It inspired (ah! there's that word again!) me to write a prompt about words for our Flickr photo group and it propelled me to take a year-long online course, One Little Word. This is all new territory for me but the skeptic in me is being hushed and I find myself eagerly joining my photography pals in exploring the word renew and the possibilities that it might bring to me in 2012.

What about you? Do you make resolutions or do you choose a word each year to inspire you through your journey?

 Dotti

Happy New Year!!!

All of us here at Camper wish all of you

the happiest of new years.

Krista, Campbell and Dotti

Sea Change Ahead

After 26 plus years in my job at a small liberal arts college, I have retired. Today was my final day. I've pondered this day seriously for the past year and early in August, after I'd decided on the date, I informed my supervisor of my decision. For the past five months, I've been preparing myself mentally and emotionally for this day.

How would I feel when I walked out of my office, out of the building where I'd worked 14 of my 26 years? The building I'd played such a key role in designing and furnishing? The office that was built to my needs and specifications? How would it feel to turn all that over to somebody else?

I was surprisingly dry-eyed, no doubt due in part to the fact that there were only two other people there working with me today, one the person I've been training to replace me and the other was the only person still in our department who was working there when I started my career at the college in 1985.

In my heart and in my head, I've known that I was ready for this moment but before I departed that space where I'd spent so many hours, I snapped a few shots to hold in my memory and to share with you.

The  scene before me every time I entered the door of my office.

The beautiful face that greeted me the last few months every time I turned on my computer and countless times throughout the day.

The  view as I sat in my chair, often looking at pictures of my family. I kept a lot of photos in my office. Not only did they inspire me and calm me, they reminded me of who I am and what's important on those all too frequent occasions when the stress of work seemed overwhelming.

And finally, the window behind my computer monitor that I've looked out of thousands of times to watch the scene below unfold. Today it was deserted because of Christmas break but often it was filled with college students running to and fro.

My daughter and son-in-law graduated from this college. Maybe someday their daughter will attend this college, and again, maybe not. I spent more than 26 years of my life here buying things and designing interior spaces in every single building on this campus. I'm proud of my work. I'm grateful for the many good people I've worked with on campus and off, colleagues from other schools.

But, I'm ready for the next chapter. There's a life outside Centre College waiting for me. A life spent providing quality daycare for my granddaughter. There are countless photos out there to be taken. So much to learn to help me be a better photographer, a better artist. There are so many places out there yet to be visited with my husband, daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law.

Yes ... I'm ready.

Dotti

Christmas + 2

The  long-awaited Christmas celebration is now history. We had a wonderful Christmas weekend and hope you did, too. The day after brings some welcome quiet and tranquility. Since our festivities begin with Christmas Eve -- church, Christmas Eve Tea, and "magic" family pictures -- we have two special days to celebrate and share with one another.

These are cranberry orange scones that have become a staple on our menu which is patterned after a High British Tea. Krista tells me this is her favorite holiday tradition. It takes a bit of preparation but it is something we all enjoy, complete with a pretty table and lots of candlelight.

Following the tea, we take family photos using the tripod and self-timer on the camera. This year we decided to have some fun with mustaches. Needless to say, there were giggles all around. As always, the best part of every holiday is just hanging out with each other.

Finally, a thought to leave with you as we approach the new year. I know that once the Christmas festivities are complete, I feel the need for renewal. The week between Christmas and New Year's is the perfect time for it. I don't look back at New Year's as much as I look forward ... forward to the adventures ahead.

How about you? What adventures does 2012 have in store for you? I have several things lined up which you'll be hearing about on these pages so ...

More to come ...

Dotti

The countdown has begun for Santa and his elves ... as well as children all the world over. Santa is certain to be making his list and checking it twice. Do you see your hometown on his list? I don't see mine so I hope it's in the rolled up part that I can't see. Surely it is!

Happy Christmas to all ... and to all a good-night!

Dotti

Christmas Musings

Christmas season is in full swing in our family, as I'm sure it is in yours. How it's possible, I don't know, but I think I've taken a record number of photos this holiday season. For the second year in a row, I'm participating in Tracey Clark's Picture the Holidays series. It was so much fun last year, I decided to do it again this year.

The fun thing for me as a photographer is to see how I've improved ... or IF I've improved ... in the time that has elapsed since the first class in December 2010. I have to confess that I'm quite pleased with this year's batch,  so by way of sending you an early Christmas greeting, I thought I'd share a few of these Christmas pictures with you. If by some chance you're having trouble embracing the Christmas spirit this year, perhaps this will help you.

What is Christmas without candy canes?

Even the resident cyclist is full of holiday cheer this year.

A special ornament for the Christmas tree.

A tiny stocking ornament that's been around for a long time.

Maybe the cutest Rock Santa in the world.

Just in case you doubted that Santa's workshop was a busy place.

And finally, the reason for the season.

Dotti

 

Day of Infamy

No, I'm not old enough to remember Pearl Harbor but I've heard about Pearl Harbor for as far back as I can remember. I grew up in a time when World War II was not a distant memory as it is now but a very real and present memory for my parents and grandparents. My mother and father were always very history oriented and as such used to take us on numerous family outings to historic sites and landmarks. So stories about Pearl Harbor and World War II made an indelible impression on my young mind.

Fast forward to November 2010. My husband, known on these pages as "Peepaw", and I were fortunate enough to go to Hawaii. It was the trip of a lifetime, one we'd long wanted to take and there was no way I was leaving the shores of Hawaii without a trip to Ford Island and Pearl Harbor.

We decided to make the trip on a Sunday morning, purposely chosen because the infamous attack happened on a quiet Sunday morning. We rose before dawn and walked quietly to the bus stop to meet the bus that would take us to Pearl Harbor as the sun rose over the islands. Since it was November the crowds were not as dense as they might be other times of the year so there was no waiting or pushing or crowding. There was a kind of hush over the site. I think everybody there had a deep sense of the momentous events that unfolded in that place almost 69 years before that day in November 2010.

Every visit to Pearl Harbor should begin by viewing the very well produced short film about the attack. Although I'd read more narratives and watched more movies than I can count, I had a feeling of awe as I watched it. There were quite a few Japanese folks visiting that day and I couldn't help but wonder what their feelings were, what they'd learned in history classes as young Japanese students. How different were the facts they learned from the facts we young American students learned? Were they ashamed? Proud? Angry? Indignant at the way the story is portrayed on American soil? After all, there are two sides to every story.

As we walked away from the movie toward the launch site for the short boat ride to the Arizona memorial, I looked all around me at the clear blue Hawaiian sky, past the surrounding mountains and just imagined how it might have been when those Japanese aircraft came seemingly out of nowhere to do the unthinkable: attack Pearl Harbor. How in the world did they traverse the 4000 miles from Japan to Honolulu without being detected? How deafening the sound of engines and machine gun fire must have been breaking the quiet of a beautiful Hawaiian morning, second only in horror to the screams of men as they were shot, wounded, burned and killed. The panic. The rage. The disbelief that our naval forces must have felt. More than 2400 Americans, young Americans, lost their lives that day and many others were wounded. The proud American naval fleet was decimated. It would take more than two years to recover and in the meantime, our armed forces suffered many more losses before the tide of the war turned.

Today marks the 70th anniversary of what President Franklin D. Roosevelt went on to call " ... the day that shall live in infamy." Much to my dismay, I fear that young people today don't understand the ramifications of that terrible day. Or that terrible war. But as Americans, we owe much to those people who lost their lives not only on December 7, 1941, but over the course of the next 4 years.

Won't you take a moment today to remember their sacrifices?

Dotti

Dear Campbell: 53 Months

I am reminded daily that you are, indeed, my child (and your Daddy shakes his head daily at this fact as well).  Whether it is the manner in which you dismiss Daddy's foolish antics with a hand on your hip and face that says "really?" or your new found obsession with puzzles - not a day goes by that something doesn't happen to make a pretty good case for nature's role in who you are.  This week's first real taste of winter with it's chilly temperatures and cold rain that is forecast to turn to our first showers of snow have provided the latest dose of proof.  Yesterday, upon making a quick dash from the car to the house in the cold rain, you announced emphatically that you were "done with this silly winter business and ready for sunshine and a beach!"  That's my girl!

What you don't know yet is this winter has a pretty awesome surprise in store - a trip to Disney World!  As I get set to turn my calendar to December the anticipation of seeing your face on Christmas morning when  you figure out what's up and then knowing that come the first week in February we are all headed to what will hopefully be sunny Florida make the impending arrival of winter a little more bearable.

And for anyone silly enough to doubt that your level of excitement will be anything but earth shattering I simply say when asked the other day if you could go anywhere in the world where would it be you quickly, without hesitation answered "Disney World!"  When my answer to the same question was, instead, Italy you broke down in tears wondering why I didn't want to go to Disney World, too.  So I began explaining the concept of a bucket list to you and noted that going to Italy with your Dotdot has long been at the top of my list of life dreams.

You latched on to this idea of making a list of life dreams (hilarious in its own right since you have, hopefully, only just begun to live your life) and soon had a long list of things to put in your bucket. It goes without saying that #1 is going to Disney World now followed at #2 by going to Italy with Mommy and Dotdot.  Also on the list was backpacking through Europe, going to NYC, reading and watching all the Harry Potter books and movies, visiting Harry Potter World, being the smartest kid in your class like Hermione, riding a school bus to school, visiting the Van Trapp family house in Austria, and getting a French bulldog.  

Every now and then in the ensuing days you have said "ooooh, add that to my list!" when you've seen something  you want to do or heard of somewhere you want to see. I love the idea that you are already making a bucket list of your own. I know I have gladly scraped and scrounged to save the money so that we can help you cross of #1.  Once that's done I plan to set my sights on saving to make #2 a reality as well.  In truth, I hope that I can help you make all of your dreams come true (though I haven't figured out where I'm going to find that real life prince for you to marry).

But in the end I just like that you are dreaming and learning to work for those dreams.  After all, with no dreams to look forward to life looses a lot of the fun factor!  Dreams - whether big or small - are what make getting out of bed each day worthwhile.

So dream sweet girl!  And above all else - live knowing you are my wildest dream come true!

All my love-

Mommy