News Trend I Am Not A Leaf|Actual

Autumn is upon us once again, and the scarlet leaves will soon be fluttering down.

So many times in my life this has happened. Summer gives way to fall, the seasons change, the leaves on the trees give way. And as I noticed these changes in the air yesterday, my first reaction, I'm sorry to say, was this.

Yawn

Ho-hum.

I've seen this all before

And I'm not that impressed.

Then, in a snap, I realized that I was a fool.

True, this has all happened before. Leaves change color more or less the same way each year, and the ritual repeats itself in nature's unending cycles.

But here's what's different this fall:

Me.

Now granted, my personality has not completely transformed in the last twelve months.

But I'm definitely not the exact same person I was last year, or the year before. And next year, God willing, I will most certainly be just a little bit different than I am today.

Mother Nature runs round and round in her predictable and pretty circles, but we humans grow on a greater trajectory.

Every year,

every season,

even every day,

life changes me and expands me and - if I'm keeping my head on straight - gives me endless opportunity to make myself more of who I want to be.

And that is an idea that impresses me very much indeed.

News Trend Being A Mom|Actual

Three of the five remaining state-side Streichers.

Being a mom is the hardest thing in the world.

Today I drove my third-born daughter to the airport and sent her off on a one-way ticket to Asia. She'll be gone for a year, give or take.

I tried not to notice how her face still captures the same exact expressions as when she was a baby.

I tried not to think about how tiny and vulnerable she seems, bitty little hands waving goodbye to me from the other side of the security checkpoint.

I tried not to cry, but settled for wiping away the tears as fast as they fell.

How does this happen, that babies grow old enough to fly away?

Where do the years go, so impossibly quickly?

Why do these same old predictable emotions and motherly cliches still rise up in my heart, even when I have been through these goodbyes many times before, and know perfectly well that everything really is going to be okay?

I don't really have many answers. All I know for sure is this:

Being a mom is the hardest thing in the world.

News Trend Islands Of White|Actual

White is a lame excuse for a color.

Sure, scientifically, white light is made by blending all the colors of the spectrum, and artistically, white plays a role in creating volume, perspective and negative space.

But in home decor, white represents a failure of imagination and is often employed by those who timidly refuse to take a leap into the vibrant world of bold and varied color. And the vibe of an all-white space is pretentious and overly fussy, utterly unconducive to everyday life.

Or so I used to think.

^ A tiny gallery collection of white frames disguises my ugly thermostat and lends a light touch to a dark corner of the front hall.

Thankfully, one of my students taught me a few lessons about white.

My schooling began from the moment that I first walked into Katie's family apartment,

The space was a modest modern unit, built within the past decade or so, and utterly lacking in stylish amenities or architectural charm.

But as soon as I dropped my book bag and settled on the simple couch, a profound sense of peace and order settled over me like a dove. I immediately began my search for the mysterious source of this serenity and calm.

^ I die for the cheery yellow of these hexagonal shelves, and find that the simple white objects inside, underscored by the white shelves and little lamp, help calm my eye and redirect my attention to the six-sided shapes.

Several weeks passed by - each session feeling like I was floating on a cloud - until my eye finally perceived what my soul had felt all along.

White.

Katie's entire apartment - every dish, every rug, every inch of furniture - was decorated in nothing but shades of white.

^A collection of mix-and-match white dishes and an elephant teapot bring sass and style to the dining room without overwhelming my eye with clutter.

"Oh, right," Katie laughed when I shared with her my discovery. "My mom loves white. She thinks it's calming."

Well. I couldn't have agreed more. And to be honest, my old preconceptions about color - "the more, the better" was my motto - began to crash around my mind as if blown by the winds of a blizzard.

^ Alright, I'll admit that neutrals and natural textures sometimes creep into my islands of white. But for a person whose favorite color is fire engine red, this still represents major restraint.

As my studies with Katie progressed, so did my newfound obsession with all-white living.

I noticed the many nuances of white. Like any color, there is no one shade of white but a delicious spectrum of cream, eggshell, buttermilk, ivory, linen, and of course, good old white-white.

Rather than creating a flat, one-dimensional space, these varied tints and shades came together in a cozy, dynamic and eminently livable room. The signs of use - a tiny ding in the coffee table, a smoky smudge on a sofa pillow - came across as evidence of life well-lived and lent a happy, homey vibe.

Much to my surprise, I began to crave some white space of my own.

^ My cravings for white are often directly related to my stress level. The more crazy my life, the more white I want. This arrangement came together after the wild and woolly holiday season of 2014 and I'm still feeling it.

For a few months, I puzzled over this incongruity. My home has always reflected my obsession with color, bright and bold. As much as I loved Katie's place, I couldn't imagine transitioning my whole house into an Arctic tundra. Where was a happy halfway point?

^ Inspired by an all-white Vietnamese coffee shop, of which Katie's mom would definitely approve.

I stumbled on to the perfect solution by accident.

Islands of white.

Here and there, throughout my colorful house, I've gathered small collections of white objects - books, planters, dishes, frames, vases and furniture. While these spaces don't have quite the same head-to-toe soul-soothing impact as Katie's mom's all-white home, they give my eye a much-appreciated space to land and to rest, amidst the riotous rainbow that most of my house continues to be.

^ I fully admit that this bookcase does not exactly look like an island of white. But you should have seen it before.

So thank you, dear Katie and your wonderfully wise mom, for teaching me the power and beauty and perfect practicality of the color white.

News Trend Upside Down|Actual

But as I lay in a heap on the couch, just about to doze off with Ranger sleeping peacefully nearby, I made the monumental mistake of opening my eyes to look out the window.

Oh my goodness. The maple tree out front has exploded into its breathtaking golden display and the glorious blue Pacific Northwest sky blazed beyond.

The vision dazzled me, and the deep, aesthetically-minded voice within began its despotic demands. This scene demanded a photo and there was no excuse but to go outside and take one.

Lazily, I rolled over and desperately tried to un-see that tree, and un-hear the sweet song of nature beckoning me to come out and take pictures.

Unflinchingly, my primitive self continued to demand sleep.

Torn, I searched for an answer to my dilemma that would not require standing up.

And miracle of miracles, one was provided.

There, on the nearby table, just a few inches from my outstretched hand, lay a camera. With a bit of rolling, leaning, and one extreme reach, I pulled it to my fingertips and sighed with relief.

Still sprawled across the couch, I turned my lens toward the window and snapped.

Not bad.

Inspired, I noticed my feet, pale in the autumn afternoon sunlight and contrasted by the shadowy corner.

Also not bad.

Suddenly, as I glanced around the room from my slacker's slouch, the whole room transformed. Everything looked new, fresh, and unexpected from my horizontal angle,

So I snapped some more.

^ Yes, I do have a folded paper tiger head on my wall. No regrets.

Also, my fiddle leaf fig is brushing the ceiling and I can no longer deny that it's time for a pruning.

^ My husband's side of the desk, covered in his neatly stacked but ever-present piles of stuff, looks much neater from this angle.

^ When standing right side up, these lights hide behind the shelf trim, but when viewed upside down, all my secrets are revealed.

* * * * *

Here's how the rest of my afternoon played out:

I took way more upside-down photos than anyone could ever possibly need.

I pondered deep and interesting thoughts about how changing one's point of view puts a whole new perspective on life.

And though I never got my nap, my boy Ranger snoozed peacefully till walk time.

News Trend Mount Rushmore National Monument|Actual

During our summer road trip, we saw more interesting sights that I could squeeze into my real-time posts. Now that I'm back home and have fished all 548 photos off my devices, I have a few more road trip stories to share.

To catch up on the rest of the trip, starthere.

* * * * *

I can relate to a person who loves the out-of-doors, especially the grand and majestic landscapes of the American West.

And I totally understand the human desire to leave a mark on the world, so that future generations will remember who they were and what they stood for..

But a man who combines those passions by dynamiting the face off a mountain and then chiseling in the features of his heroes?

Yeah, that pretty much blows my mind.

But that's exactly what Gutzon Borglom did when he brought to life four familiar faces of our country's founding fathers in the granite of the South Dakota skyline.

Mount Rushmore National Monument is the name of this quirky landmark, and though full of funny ups and down and peculiar musings, our stop here was one of the highlights of our road trip.

^ Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Mount Rushmore! Step right up to the viewing terrace!  Proceed down the Avenue of the Flags, featuring state banners from every corner of the country displayed with pomp and circumstance.

Undeniably elegant, this elaborate entry experience feels more like a circus than a national park. Usually, the man-made structures are designed to blend into the natural surroundings and draw little attention unto themselves, but here we were all but rolled out a red carpet.

^ Much more pleasing and reflective is this view. Cropping away the fancy details, all eyes turn to the four men whose wisdom, courage and love for country are at the heart of this special place.

George Washington: Revolutionary War general and first president. A humble and visionary leader.

Thomas Jefferson: diplomat, adventurer, scientist, and all-around awesome third president. My hero.

Theodore Roosevelt: our cowboy president who inspired the name, "teddy beardanquot; and loved nature.

Abraham Lincoln: plainspoken country boy who became president and saved the Union in her darkest day.

^ After a quiet hour of gazing at these remarkable men's likenesses and wandering through the interestingly fact-filled visitor center, we stepped back into the circus of souvenir shops and eateries.

Presidential snack food? Check. The ice cream shoppe on location features the vanilla recipe brought back from France by my personal hero and favorite founding father, Thomas Jefferson. You know I ate a cone full of that goodness and relished every drop.

^ Though our late-afternoon and evening visit was satisfyingly complete, we returned the next morning on our way out of town to grab some photos of the east-facing monument in the bright morning light.

Yep, everyone was still present and accounted for, those dynamic and responsive men frozen forever in bedrock. I found myself wondering over and again, how George, TJ, Teddy and Abe would feel about being carved into stone. My guess is that they would be honored, proud and probably a little embarrassed about all the fuss.

^ As we bid our farewell and headed west, always west toward home, I was shocked to find a last fleeting view of the monument, quite different from all the rest. Washington's face in profile, squinting in the morning sun, appeared far more natural and alive at this angle.

Keep an eye on the place, George. Stay strong and steady. We look up to you, and always will.

News Trend Seen While Staining|Actual

I snapped this photo today from my front yard. Had the camera lens been angled just a bit more toward the ground, this is the sight you would have seen:

An open garage and driveway strewn with upwards of fifty pieces of milled lumber in various stages of the staining process.

Drop cloths,

sawhorses,

odd bits of secara acak 2x4s.

Cans of stain,

paint stirrers,

paint brushes,

and half a dozen rags littered this work zone.

A large red dog, who was sure that his walk would be forgotten, was barking at full volume from inside the house.

This, as I'm sure you have gathered, was not a pleasant or relaxing scene. And that's exactly why my camera did not capture the shot.

Instead, I chose to look up, where the late afternoon October sun cast a golden glow across a row of feathery Douglas firs, and streams of white rumpled clouds flowed across the sky in fine geometric style.

Despite the chaos of my immediate surroundings, that amazing sky knocked all the wonky edges off my workaday mood and filled me with

a natural high

a simple joy

a outdoorsy peace.

Just might have been the nicest afternoon I've ever spent wearing blue latex gloves.

News Trend Counting Boards|Actual

In the interest of full disclosure, here is the nitty gritty on my aforementioned staining project.

Forty-one pieces of trim needed to be stained by yours truly.

Every single stick must be dry and ready to frame out the new windows due to arrive at the end of this week.

And so most of my weekend was devoted to this tedious and painstaking task.

My fourth-born jumped in to help out, and despite the on-and-off-again rain showers, we completed the whole crazy forty-one-piece stack.

And I should know, because, just to be sure, I counted each and every one.

^ No words are necessary to describe these photos. Instead, for your listening pleasure, I offer you the song that was stuck in my head while I worked.