Evening in Aberystwyth

I waited for over an hour for the sun to set over the water at Aberystwyth. My reward for such patience was not as good as I had hoped, but it was a good relax time for us, simply strolling along the walkway, watching others doing the same thing we were, and enjoying this beauty-filled spot on the Wales coast.

The coast north of  town, where we had driven that afternoon.

Interesting sea serpent benches

A discarded pair of jeans left us wondering about the story behind them--who left them, and why?

The castle above beckoned but after our long day we were tired and resisted its call.

Tile panels in alcove seats told the story of the city and the castle. We saw other such seats, a place for people to just sit and watch the water, out of the weather.

These steep, winding stairs led down to the water but we didn't try that either! The tide was just coming in so there were some very slippery rocks down below.

A plaque commemorating the completion of the sea wall and walkway in 1903. What a job that must have been! The work could surely only have been done while the tide was out?

Who is that on the castle?

Just one lonely seagull, keeping watch.

Little boys doing what little boys do, throwing rocks in the water. Always makes me smile. Children haven't really changed much in many ways, have they?

Slowly old Sol began to sink...

This photo was taken with my camera,

 and this one with my cell phone. Sometimes I must look like a mad woman, swapping between the two, but I was posting photos on Facebook as we traveled so I was using both most of the time.

As we made our way back to the car, we spotted these chairs in a circle, a work of sculpture made to be used.

This graffiti on a wall along the walkway was another stop and ponder moment. I felt some of that myself.

"Don't cry for me, Aberystwyth." We were on our way again in the morning, this time driving away from the sea and over the moors to Merthyr Tydfil.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Relax Time, and a Stunning Sunset

Now I can breathe, at least for a little while, because the taxes are done and submitted. What a load off my mind! Once all the data is gathered and organized it's really a breeze. But oh, that gathering and organizing. The thing I really dislike is how much time-in-the-chair it takes. There are so many other things I''d like to be doing but once a year I tie myself down and just get it done.

And now it is done and time to move on to other projects, like getting the Oral Traditions Tent organized for the West Virginia Folk Festival in June. That was on my to-do this morning. In less than two weeks I'll be off to Columbus to present my ghost stories workshop so that is the next priority--right after a storytelling show at a small elementary school in Gilmer county. Mix in some furniture to paint and some garden work, and I think my days will be full of things I love to do, instead of numbers and spreadsheets.

Speaking of relaxing, we had an incredible evening last Friday as we sat by the firepit watching the sun set. Nature put on an amazing show for us, and it was pure pleasure to watch the sky continually changing colors until the last light faded away. What blessings surround is daily, if we only take the time to stop and notice them.

Here are some of the photos I took of that sunset evening. It started simply enough,

and I thought this was pretty already. I really had no idea what was in store for us.

 I can never get my photos lined up straight, but wanted to show how the pink extended all around us.

And then indigo night, and the last embers of the fire providing the only remaining glow.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Winter's Glory: Ice and Birds

Winter brings many beautiful sights to us, from snowy hills to flocks of feeding birds to breathtaking sunsets.
I try to capture what I can in pictures; here are a few recent ones:

 I was on the phone with an AT&T tech, trying to figure out why my phone suddenly ate so much of my data allowance when I looked out the window and saw the sun shining on the icicles hanging from the roof. "Just a minute," I said, and grabbed my camera for a couple quick shots.

 A tree full of birds!

 The feeders have been super busy too.

 Inside the birds are also pretty colorful.

Smaller birds seem to like this feeder.

Can you name all the different kinds of birds in the photos?

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

On the Road Again

This has been a busy storytelling week compared to the rest of this winter. I was in the center of the state on Tuesday, telling stories to students at an elementary school. Tomorrow I will be at another school, this one just one county away, and Saturday evening I'll be telling stories in Athens, Ohio.

It feels good to get back into my storytelling groove. I have two new stories from West Virginia's history that have been going very well, and I have pulled out some that have not been on my list for a while. Stories seem to gain a freshness when they are left to rest for a while;  perhaps time to rest brings more richness and brighter images and the stories seem to have a new energy.

I worked on calls today, lining up summer programs, following up on other storytelling projects and tying up loose ends. It's been a productive day, lots of multitasking and mess but in the end a lot got done.

Now I am off to bed to be fresh for an early start tomorrow. I'll leave you with some pics of this evening's beautiful sunset, a sign, I hope, of a good day to come.

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

July

July spills a surfeit of vegetables onto my kitchen floor--
fire red tomatoes, golden squash,
green cucumbers and royal purple beans
tumble from white enamel washpans and broken oak baskets.
They glow like rampant jewels

retrieved from long-lost treasure chests buried in the garden loam.

It is mid-summer; the bounty is effortless and wanton.
I choose only the best to be preserved for winter use.
The imperfect offerings are tossed aside—
a scarred skin or a spot where a box turtle has nibbled a hole
is enough to send a tomato to the garbage bucket;
the chickens will enjoy a feast of discards.

In winter, the bruised tomato and spotted bean
would be carefully trimmed and the good parts
saved to be added to a simmering pot of hearty soup.
In winter, soup from even imperfect vegetables
recalls the freshness of summer.

In July it is the chickens who savor the leavings.

After the lavish destruction and careful preservation of the day

--cut, chop, boil, freeze, store--

I rock in my chair on the porch,

listen to the chickens' contented cackles,
survey the gardens and plan tomorrow's work.
The ruby sun filters through leaves

already suggesting the coming autumn gold.

How the Sun Rose

by Emily Dickinson

I'll tell you how the sun rose--

A ribbon at a time.

The steeples swam in amethyst,

The news like squirrels ran.

The hills untied their bonnets,

The bobolinks begun.

Then I said softly to myself,

"That must have been the sun!"

But how he set, I know not.

There seemed a purple stile

Which little yellow boys and girls

Were climbing all the while

Till, when they reached the other side

A dominie in gray

Put gently up the evening bars,

And led the flock away.

Christmas Evening Sunset

Christmas evening when we returned home the sky was ablaze with color. I ran into the house, got my camera and got back up on the ridge in time to capture the display. Surely a glorious end to a special day.

The light was almost gone as I turned in at the top of the driveway, and saw the tiny lights of my home below.