Autumn in the Bay Area

In the San Francisco Bay Area, autumn has definitely set in, with the winter chill not far away. Rains have been abundant; skies have been ominous; creeks have overflown; leaves have been billowing high. As I await a few rays of morning light to capture the Christmas vignettes I have staged around my home; I offer this moody set of black and white photographs, reminiscent of the long lost days of pinhole cameras. Taken just a few weeks ago before major storms hit the area, I drove by the same spot a week ago; only to find just a few rusty leaves precariously holding on for dear life to their nude branches.

Once again, I turn to the poetry and writings of Rainer Maria Rilke...

Autumn, from the Book of Images by Rainer Maria Rilke

Leaves are falling, falling as if from afar,
as if, far off in the heavens, gardens are wilting.
And as they fall, their gestures say "it's over".

In the night the heavy Earth is falling 
from out of all the stars into loneliness.

We all are falling. This hand here is falling.
Just look: it is in all of us. 

Yet there is one who holds this falling
with infinite tenderness in her hands.


This weekend some sun rays caught light of my living room; just wait... within days, I will have Christmas sparkling in a new light of photographic vignettes.
Santa is coming to town, and that in its own special way... is also good for the soul...
... Are you ready?

Tomales Bay ~ Point Reyes

It was in the early light of dawn that I set off a couple of weekends ago, for a day trip along the Bay Area coastline. Soon, I was within reach of bays, lagoons, lighthouses and the Pacific Ocean. As I meandered back and forth along the back roads of Point Reyes National Recreation Area, I fell in love with the mood of the sky, the mood of the stillness of the water, the mood of the dampness in the air, the mood of the heavy fog shrouding the land beyond. Gently, calmly, and ever so slowly, the fog lifted, revealing hilltops, hidden marshes, and oyster farms tucked just shy of the water's edge...

Quiet beaches and short hikes beckoned. Freshly harvested Tomales Bay oysters, local artisan cheeses, rustic country breads and Sonoma Valley wines replenished me.

And like each time I wander off on these solo day trips, I returned home renewed and invigorated.
Clearly, it is good for the soul.

Figurines in waiting

A summer hiatus traveling to Europe and now new inspiration abounds...

Today, by happy happenstance, I stumbled yet again on the Outdoor French Antique Market. (see previous post) This time what caught my eyes were these figurines, all waiting solemnly for a passerby to smile at them, to handle them, to cajole them into a new home. Their different moods blend together, calm and collected in the sunlight of yet another beautiful Marin County day.

In a few weeks, there will be one last market for the year~ this time I wonder what will catch my eye. Join me for a little eye candy ~ it's good for the soul.
Enjoy, Adeline

Stillness Speak

There is a marina just a short walking distance from my home. I know I could look up and notice the boats and yachts with their majestic and eclectic names, but it is the water they stand on that speaks to me. It is the warm light caressing this water that speaks to me. It speaks of quiet; it speaks of glimmering light streams, of ripples gracefully dancing in slow motion in the fading twilight of another day; it speaks of stillness I seek. It speaks to me. 

I recently read the poem "May what I do flow from me" by Rainer Maria Rilke. Perfect for my mood... Perfect for this post... do read it; it is at the end of the photos.

May what I do flow from me ~ by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke

May what I do flow from me like a river,
no forcing, and no holding back,
the way it is with children.

Then in these swelling and ebbing currents,
these deepening tides moving out, returning,
I will sing you as no one ever has,
streaming through widening channels into the open sea.
                                                                            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stillness speaks ~ it is a new day ~ there is a blessing within my reach ~ ahhh... it is good for the soul... Adeline