Sun-drenched

Sun-drenched, Böblingen, Germany, August 2012, Canon PowerShot S90, 
28mm, 1/1600 sec @ f2, ISO 80, 0 EV, no flash © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

We grew sunflowers in our yard here in Germany this year.  Not sure we'll do it again, but it was fun to see them finally bloom and really soak up the sun.  Not to mention the birds and the bees that liked visiting them as well.

They are sure eye-catching against a blue sky.  Love it.

Day 27: Do a little dance

Dancing with the Flowers, Amherst, NH, September 2007,

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, 35mm focal length equiv. 114mm, Exposure 1/200 sec @ f5.8, ISO 80, no flash, 

 © Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Sometimes, you just gotta dance!  So get up and start moving.

You don't even need any music ... you can sing the tune in your head.

That's all I wanted to say.  Hope you have a happy day.  And do a little dance!

Flower Buzz, Amherst, NH, September 2007,

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, focal length 4.6mm, Exposure 1/400 sec @ f2.8, ISO 80, no flash, 

 © Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

• Donation:  Big Brother Big Sister Foundation of Greater Manchester, NH
• Exercise:  Short walk with Frito in the woods (30 mins)

Day 4: Follow your nose

Follow Your Nose, Böblingen, Germany, August 2010,

Panasonic DMC-ZS7, 35mm focal length equiv. 25mm, Exposure 1/30 sec @ f3.3, ISO 100, with flash

© Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

I have a habit of rising early in the morning, before anyone else is awake.  I like to spend some quiet time, by myself, reflecting and investigating.  Sometimes I just "follow my nose" and watch as my e-mail leads me to one web-site, and that to another, pursuing some thread of possible interest.

I will admit -- it can be a time waster.  But it can also take you places you would never have come across had you stayed within your typical patterns.  It's almost a multimedia "free association" process.  I'm sure Sigmund Freud could make lots of observations.

And to what end, this following of one's nose?  Well, like my buzzing buddy in the photo -- who knows?  Your nose never knows ;-)  You may just end up pollinating one friend or another with some of the ideas you learned about, and from that, who knows what flowers might blossom.

So follow your nose, and make some time for serendipity to happen.

• Donation:  Alzheimer's Association
  
• Exercise:  My first ever spin class (60 mins); boy, those guy (and gals) are certainly masochists ;-)

What's the buzz?

What's the buzz?, Garden patio, Böblingen, Germany, August 2010,
Panasonic DMC-ZS7, Focal length 4.1mm, Exposure 1/640 sec @ f5.4, ISO 100, with flash
© Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Are you keeping up? You know, all that buzzing sound you hear? Are you plugged into it? You wouldn't want to miss a beat, right?

Well, here's the thing. When you step back, and see where all that buzzing is coming from, it's not from our friend here, but rather from the media, social networking, and good old-fashioned gossiping. Talking up who's right and who's wrong. Making sure you are suitably outraged by the talking-point that someone created that morning. Or, sadly, perhaps just giving into our fears and propagating their "advertisement".

You know that's what it is, and also what it is not. It's not deep understanding, calm reflection, or diving below the surface to find the substance of the story. Instead, it's superficial, here today / gone tomorrow, emotion-provoking, lizard-brain reactivity.

So choose your sources wisely. Tune out any that are not adding to the depths of your own personal insights. If you have begun to find that ever-present wisdom, and these hot-topics and themes are not resonating, trust your instincts. Tune them out, turn them off, and unsubscribe from those that do not have your sincere interests at heart.

And then you will be able to tune into the beauty and wonder of the everyday just this-ness of our world.

And that is something that will give you a very nice buzz.