Saturday, September 29, 2012

A Different Final Resting Place


Not everyone is actually buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Until I went to visit my neighbor Frank at his final resting place, I had never visited the Columbarium there. It's located behind Section 60 at the cemetery and a place where many of our veterans and their family members' cremated remains are placed instead of buried on the grounds with tombstones.

Some might find mausoleums like this one cold and compacted unlike the more open, sprawling feeling of a more traditional burial field. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Whether due to its location or design, walking among the walls of the Columbarium was so peaceful and private. It was as solemn an experience as walking through and pausing at Arlington's famous marble tombstones.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Pampas Grass in Sunlight


The outdoors is not my friend right now.

When I step outside, I'm assaulted by ragweed, pollen and other evil elements that cause me to sneeze and feel miserable. It's hard to see nature's beauty when your eyes are swollen and teary.

Thankfully, I take lots of photographs when I am outside, ensuring several days of blog posts while I stay indoors during this horrendous allergy season.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Blue and Light


No color alteration was needed to be create this image. It's all natural.

Playing with the shadows and light generated by this Sunday sunrise, I captured Lincoln's visage in shadow and sunlight.

Onlookers might see this final composition as a symbol of the light and dark surrounded Lincoln's life. Perhaps that's what sculptor Daniel Chester French had in mind when positioning the seated statue facing the rising sun.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Wondering What's Going to Happen


Today's thought is courtesy of one of my favorite childhood authors and the creator of Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne:

“"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.”

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Register and Rock the Vote


Abraham Lincoln wants you to vote. Ok, he didn't tell me that personally. However, we all know that he worked very hard -- and at great cost -- to preserve our nation's union. I think he would appreciate citizens executing their duty and vote to maintain and preserve our democracy.

Today is National Voter Registration Day. Each election year, millions of eligible voters do not vote because they are not registered. As result, millions of voices are not heard at election time because they can't cast their voter ballot.

Why aren't they registered? Perhaps they moved since the last election and didn't register for their new residence. Maybe they are a student going away to college and haven't registered in their college state or didn't request absentee voter status in their home state. Some many even be naturalized citizens or recently turned 18 and not yet registered.

Regardless of your situation, if you're an eligible voter, you need to register and add your voice in November.

Think of elections as shareholder meetings for a publicly-traded company. At those meetings, shareholders tell the company what they want them to do. That's what voters do during elections; we give our direction for the country when we cast our ballot. Voting is our way of influencing policymakers and federal, state and local policy. Want things to be different? Register before the voter registration deadline and then rock the vote in November.

While I won't advocate here who you should vote for in the 2012 presidential election, I will advocate for you to vote. We may disagree on what is the best direction for this country, but I hope that we agree on the importance of casting our ballots and sharing our voice in November.

UPDATE 9/25/12 9:57 AM: Don't know the voter registration and absentee ballot request deadlines are for your state. Check out this great resource page from the U.S. Vote Foundation which lists out all of the election voting deadlines for each state.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Front Row Seat for Sunrise


Every morning, President Abraham Lincoln (or at least his statue) gets a front row seat for watching the sun rise over the Reflecting Pool. From his vantage point, it is quite a view.

Lincoln's position at the base of the National Mall also provides photographers with an opportunity to watch the sunrise light wash over the seated Lincoln as well.

While strange to turn your back to the rising sun, photographing Lincoln during this moment is totally worth it. The natural light softens Lincoln's white marble, making him look more life-like and human.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Rising with the Sun at the Lincoln Memorial


During the work week, I often arrive at the office early to get a jump start on my email inbox and cross a few items off my daily task list. I don't enjoy rising early for work, and grumbling usually follows my alarm clock alert.

However, something different happens when the alarm goes off in the wee hours of the morning for sunrise photo trips. Waking up before the sun -- even on a Sunday morning -- to photograph the sunrise never feels like a chore or even hardship.

As a photographer, the light that time of day is so inspiring that I can't resist the opportunity to visit new or familiar places as the sun rises. Plus, there's is nothing more energizing than being present and watching a new day begin.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Strange Sisterhood


Today's thought comes courtesy of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo from her personal diary:

I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it's true I'm here, and I'm just as strange as you.
Thanks Frida. It's nice to know we're not alone in our "strangeness" or uniqueness.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Into Honest Ground


Billy Joel once sang:
Honesty is such a lonely word.
Everyone is so untrue.
Honesty is hardly ever heard.
And mostly what I need from you.
Living in a swing state during campaign season, like the song says, "Honesty is hardly ever heard." Between receiving robo calls from both political parties plus all of the television commercials, all I hear and see is one exaggerated campaign message after another.

I just want political candidates to be honest. Perhaps, I'm not the average American voter. The plain, honest truth can be as persuasive as a hyped-up or completely inaccurate truth.

Talking heads with their 24/7 analysis and commentary rarely factor into my voting decision making process. I seek out facts rather than fiction, and then use my best judgment to pick my candidate or pick positions on ballot initiatives.

Why can't political discourse be as simple as this moment on Iwo Jima during World War II? The Marines had an objective to advance and secure Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima and once secured, set an American flag at the top. Granted this famous moment was actually the second time the flag was placed on Mount Suribachi, but their action was simple and precise -- just place the flag in the ground.

Political ads should be as honest, simple and precise as this flag-raising. But, I won't hold my breath. I doubt my dream campaign season will be happening any time soon.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Sunrise for Wellness


Happy National Wellness Week! Celebrated every third week of September, SAMHSA's National Wellness Week encourages individuals, families, and communities across the country to improve their health behaviors, while also exploring their talents, skills, interests, social connections, and environment to incorporate other dimensions of wellness.

Today, people around the country are contributing personal art and written compositions for the Artistic Expression for Wellness activity to express their own journey to wellness and the hope and promise of recovery.

Photography has always been a therapeutic and healing activity for me. Its pursuit forces me outdoors to explore new places and experiences. Looking through my camera's viewfinder offers new perspectives and another method to "get out of my own head" and see situations and the world differently. The photographic process calms and centers me. It is a great outlet during very stressful periods in my life.

Today, in honor of National Wellness Week, I traveled to the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington and photographed Wednesday's sunrise. In spite of cloudy skies and surprisingly cold temperatures, I captured some really picturesque moments as the sun rose behind the monument. Today's image could almost be mistaken for a painting.

Being at the memorial at sunrise with my camera was a healthy, creative way to start my day. We should all take steps each day to consider all of our dimensions of health and work harder to live healthier, well lives. If we do, we can live longer and happier.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Eerie Lincoln Memorial


What do you do when you're waiting at a long traffic light in the nation's capital? Take a photograph using your iPhone of your surroundings, of course!

I promise I don't talk or text on my phone while driving (and you shouldn't either), but occasionally when the car isn't moving, I do grab my cell phone and snap a quick picture of life happening around me.

Quickly snapping a picture through a wet car window can result in a great photographic moment, like this one of an eerie Lincoln Memorial during a rainy twilight.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Neptune Fountain at Walt Disney World


After walking around Epcot Center and touring the countries of the World Showcase, my traveling feet began to feel itchy.

I've yet to travel across the Atlantic to explore Europe. It's one of the things on my bucket list. I'm hoping that before the end of 2013, I'll be able to scratch at least one of the European countries off my list.

Until then, I will just enjoy our domestic tributes to European treasures like this ode at Epcot to the Trevi Fountain in Rome. While this Neptune Fountain is no where close to the Trevi Fountain, it's still beautiful and will do for now.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Not Waiting for the Big Show


Saint Francis of Assisi once said:
Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
This insightful statement could be in the running for my mantra for 2013.

When passing by the outdoor America Gardens Theatre at the Walt Disney Resort last weekend, this lone bird perched on one of the empty seats caught my eye and camera. It seemed as if the bird was just waiting for the performance to begin.

It's a great reminder of how we can't just sit by and wait for things to happen. We could just wait and wait forever before anything ever happens. We create action.

Thus, no sitting and waiting for us. As Saint Francis suggests, we must take initiative and start doing the necessary, so eventually we will be making the impossible happen.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Launching into Something Great


Not sure who said this quote, but when you are standing on the top of the world -- or Rockefeller Center in New York City -- it is a thought worth contemplating.
An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it’s going to launch you into something great.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Looking Lovely


Yesterday, September 13 was Roald Dahl Day. It's held every year to celebrate the birthday of the bestselling children's book author.

As a young reader, Dahl books weren't my favorites.

From Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryJames and the Giant Peach and Matilda, I enjoyed reading Dahl's imaginative tales and characters, and yet shied away from the darkness and at times, pessimism that lurked in the corners of his books. I would usually read his novels once; they never made the "read once a year" book pile.

While I don't expect young adult readers to be light and airy, I think they should express some hopefulness and optimism for the future. Dahl books often failed to strike the right balance between light and dark for me.

In spite of this fact, Dahl was an exceptional writer and imparted great kernels of wisdom in his stories. Here's one of my favorites from his book, The Twits:

If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it. 
A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Being Truly Artistic


As you gaze at this lovely white koi fish swimming in a pond outside of a restaurant I visited in Orlando, ponder this also lovely thought by the great Vincent Van Gogh:
I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people. 
Well said, Vincent.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Dealing with Life's Dilemmas


Life seems to be one big long series of dilemmas and it's exhausting.

Decisions need to be made all the time. What do I eat for lunch? How frequently should we meet for that work project? When is the best time to travel for the holidays?

Some dilemmas are minor and others much larger. There are dilemmas that take only minutes to resolve and other dilemmas that take weeks, months or even years to determine a resolution.

Looking out at the horizon or at a sunset like the one in today's photograph creates the false illusion that the world is simple and easy. Perhaps the "illusion" is really the truth. It's possible that the "complicated world" story is what we tell ourselves to feel better about our habit of making life more difficult than it needs to be.

Maybe we should just quiet our minds by thinking of a peaceful ocean to resolve dilemmas quickly and easily and find solutions when there seems to be none.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Anniversary Sensitivity


Eleven years ago today, an unspeakable tragedy occurred in New York City, Washington, DC, and a field in Pennsylvania. The shock and sadness of that day still reverberates from those communities to the rest of the country and around the world.

For people who have experienced trauma, anniversaries can be difficult days. Often, the marking of the anniversary of a tragic event in a person's life can trigger uncontrollable feelings and emotional reactions to seemly "normal" moments and situations.

September 11th is an anniversary that we who experienced that day and the challenging months and years that followed all share. We should speak softly and calmly about this day with others to avoid triggering difficult issues for family, friends and colleagues who may not have addressed or recovered from this public traumatic experience.

Beyond 9/11, we should always try to be sensitive to others every day. We don't know everyone's history and what traumatic experiences they may carry. Paying attention to verbal and nonverbal cues during conversations and interactions can help you navigate the waters of lived experience and avoid those triggers that can be so painful for trauma survivors.

What better way can we honor those who perished on this day eleven years ago than by being better, more sensitive people and helping others work through their trauma to become better, more whole people as well.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Yes, This is Good


What do you get when you watch the sun setting, clouds forming interestingly, and the wind whipping up the river water? A great photo moment.

Even though the dolphin-manatee cruise boat was moving briskly, I was still able to steady my camera to take this photograph of the sunset on the Indian River in Orlando, Florida.

It's just another image that reaffirms for me that there must be a higher power. It's hard to believe that all of this beauty was created and orchestrated by just natural order. At some point, some entity -- and I'll leave you to name it -- put this nature canvas together, stood back and said, "Yes, this is good."

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Sailed into the Mystic


Not sure why, but this photograph reminds me of Van Morrison's song "Into the Mystic." I took it yesterday of my friend's dad looking at the sunset during a dolphin-manatee cruise of Orlando's Indian River.

I'll let you decide. Here's the first verse of "Into the Mystic":

We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic.
Doesn't it fit perfectly? Here he was looking so peaceful as we sailed toward the setting sun.

Perhaps Morrison intended a different translation for this song, but that's what the song means to me. Being out on the water with good friends making special memories.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Loving Robert Wyland


You may not know Robert Wyland's name, but I'm sure you've seen his work. Wyland is best known for painting at least 100 large-scale murals of marine life on buildings all around the world. If you've visited the Long Beach Convention Center in California, you have already appreciated one of his largest mural masterpieces.

During the family weekend trip to Laguna Beach in August, we stopped in his gallery there. Before we walked through the doors, I always believed that Wyland, who began this work as a conservationist protecting marine wildlife, was only a painter of large-scale murals and art prints.

What we learned is that Wyland is also an accomplished sculptor, photographer and illustrator of wildlife as well. His gallery was filled with his original pieces depicting the beauty and preciousness of wildlife in our oceans and jungles. This fountain of an adult dolphin and its baby swimming in the waves was sculpted by Wyland and welcomes visitors at the entrance of his gallery. In person, the playful dolphins look so real, you wouldn't be surprised if they started talking to you.

Exploring Wyland's art leaves you with this feeling of urgency to do more to protect and conserve our precious wildlife. Wyland is more than just a master artist; he is also a masterful social change communicator as well.

What I admire most about him is that he turned his talent and passion into a career that creates change. He identified and cultivated his greatest ability -- being an artist -- and turned it into a profitable career that  supports his love of marine life and commitment to protect it for future generations. Don't we all wish we could do that too?

Friday, September 7, 2012

The Real Goofy


Meet my dad, Peter. If you ever loved the Disney character Goofy, you would really love my father.

Like Goofy, my father is incredibly silly. However, please don't mistake this for lack of intelligence. I think  people mistake silly people to be stupid people, which is hardly ever accurate.

To be truly silly, you must be very sharp-witted and have great intellect. Being silly is like playing chess; you always need to be thinking three or four steps ahead, visualizing where this act or gag will go and assessing how far you can go as well. It's that foresight and strategic thinking that makes that "Goofy" in your life -- and we all have at least one -- hilarious and brilliant at the same time.

Today's photograph of the Borde family's Goofy was taken during a day trip to Laguna Beach to celebrate my Dad's birthday. I stopped to take photographs of the bougainvillea growing on this wall when my father stopped me and said, "Wait. Take this picture instead. Me in the bougainvillea. Now, THAT'S a great shot!" Then he proceeded to make several funny faces as he stood among the blossoms. This one was the most natural of the group.

It was a ridiculous moment, but beautifully sums up one of the many characteristics I love about my Dad. He is a person of great commitment and integrity and has a strong work ethic, but is also someone who has a contagious laugh and knows when to use it.

It's my greatest wish that in the coming years, he'll get to use that silly muscle more often than the responsible grownup one he has needed to use more often. If he doesn't, I'm not sure how the next generation of Bordes ever be able to learn how to be the next family Goofy. It's definitely tradition that must be passed on.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Staring at the Waves


There is not a time I look out at the ocean and not wonder about the meaning of life. I'm fairly confident that as kid at the beach I only focused on swimming in the waves and playing in the sand. As an adult, I have a different appreciation for the ocean.

When visiting friends who lived near the beach in Monterrey, California earlier this year, I could barely sleep because the sound of the waves crashing was so loud. Eventually, I adjusted and let the waves crashing lull me to sleep. What dreams I dreamed those nights! Fantastical stories in which I was the heroine. I don't remember the details, but when I awoke, I felt energized and ready for the day's adventures.

Time spent at the seaside is time well spent. Not only do you get a fabulous view with courtesy sun rays from the heavens, you get a lovely spot to contemplate the universe's biggest questions while evolving your soul. Too intense? Never fear. You could just sit in the sand and catch some sun while watching the tide roll away.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Loving Instagram


When digital cameras arrived on the scene, I balked and said I would be sticking with film cameras. Then, I got a digital camera in my hand and said "sayonara" to 35mm film.

When people started taking photos with their cell phones, I said, "That's ridiculous!" I kept taking pictures with my digital camera until I became an iPhone user and fell in love with always having a decent camera in my pocket.

When friends started using an iPhone app and social photo network called Instagram, I insisted that it's a fluke. Why use a phone app to take photographs when your phone can take great pictures and post them directly to more popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter? Then, I started using it and was converted.

I'll admit I'm a slow tech adopter, but when I commit, I commit. The reason for my conversion? Being able to add automatic filters to my photographs with a touch of one button.

I've always loved adding sepia tone to photographs and with the early rise filter on Instragram, I can alter the color of iPhone photographs quickly and easily. Also, how cool are square-shaped images? With white borders? Love it. I even just printed one of my Instagram photos on canvas.

Today's image of my friend's dog, Agave, is one of my favorite Instagram photographs I've taken so far. It looks like a photograph taken with an older 35mm camera with fancy lighting and light shapers. So, what did I use to take this picture? Just the Instagram app on my iPhone. Awesome.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Both Light and Dark


Today, I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes from J.K. Rowling's brilliant Harry Potter series. The following quote was said by Sirius Black, Harry's godfather as he tried to ease Harry's concerns about his growing dark magic ability.
"We have all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the power we choose to act on. That's who we really are."
It's a simple idea, yet one that we humans struggle with. It is hard for us to accept that we are each capable of both great goodness and great evil. It would be easier to believe that we are born either one or the other. But the coupling of goodness and darkness is essential to our evolution.

As George Lucas suggested in the Star Wars series, we can choose to embrace the light or dark forces as both reside within us. Once we make the choice, it can define us but it is not definitive; we can still switch sides.

We don't have to look to only pop culture to understand this viewpoint. Most of the world's religions have similar explanations for mankind's dual nature. Since then, modern storytellers like Rowling and Lucas are weaving the same tale.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Celebrating Hard Work and Respites


Across America today, people are observing Labor Day, a federal holiday celebrating the economic and social contributions of workers in the United States. Wikipedia states that it is a day celebrating American workers, but since we are a nation built on the backs of American and non-American workers alike, broadening it to all workers in this country is more appropriate.

So how do we celebrate this day on the first Monday of September each year? We give workers the day off, of course, and encourage them to attend parades, parties and special events. It's a day for hard workers to relax and stop and smell the flowers.

After more than ten years of working, I relish federal holidays and bonus days off. In the hustle and bustle of busy work schedules, it's hard to find the time to enjoy life's moments and fully appreciate the beauty around us.

I came across these flowers on my way to work one spring morning. I debated whether it was worth stopping to photograph the blossoms with my iPhone camera and be a few minutes late for work. I hesitated for a moment and then decided to walk away. After walking a few minutes, I returned to the flowers with my iPhone camera in hand. For some reason, these flowers haunted me and I knew that if I didn't take the picture I would regret it.

That's the importance of taking breaks, respites and holidays. Taking time off allows us to lessen our regrets for not taking moments which will haunt us later. Whether we spend time with our family or friends, or relax indoors, or even visit someplace new on Labor Day, taking that respite will improve our wellness and reduce that weighty burden of missed opportunities.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Gray Clouds After the Rain


Don't you wish rain storms were as romantic in real life as they are in the movies? I can think of hundreds of films that have a scene when the rain falls and the characters caught in the storm either laugh, cry, shout in anger, fall in love or even dance. And while those scenes make for great movie moments, they aren't very realistic.

We rarely witness rain-filled film scenes depicting how people really behave when it rains. In a summer full of thunderstorms, I've witnessed people in the rain rushing about with their umbrellas, grumbling and complaining about the weather. They drive too fast in their cars. While there are a few who feel joy as the drops fall, abandoning themselves and their umbrellas in the downpour, I've never witnessed dancing during rain showers like Gene Kelly in "Singing in the Rain."

I belong to the group who huddle under umbrellas and avoid stepping in puddles during a storm. But, when the sky begins to clear and it's spotted with gray clouds and blue sky, I do find myself whistling. I'll even admit to skipping a little bit on my way once the rain stops falling.

After the storm passes, everything seems lighter. Then, laughing, singing, dancing and the like seem as natural a reaction as it does in our favorite movies.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Gotcha


Yesterday, I bemoaned how challenging it was to capture Ms. Brigitta on camera. Well, today's photograph proves how patience is definitely a virtue.

Also a virtue? Being very, very quiet. Silence fools your photo subject into thinking that you are no longer interested in taking their photograph. Assured they are safe from cameras, they will leave their hiding space face first and hopefully walk right towards your waiting camera lens.

Brigitta, you are very crafty. But, I am very patient. I knew you and my camera (or at the very least my iPhone) would come face to face eventually. And what a very adorable face it is. It was totally worth the wait.