Take 12! September
Better late than never I guess-but here this month’s Take 12! (Thank you for the nudge to Bill T.- I had seriously considered not posting anything for this month.)
Where I Was At:
Literally–traveling across the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. The trip was long, but marked by an amazing array of cloudscapes that traveled with me throughout the Midwest and the South. Glorious blue skies, magnificent thunderheads and beautifully sculpted cloud formations made this trip more than memorable. It also brought home for me, the connection I have to the Plains, something I hope to explore more with a journey next year.
Mentally–This was an interior journey as well-I came to Nebraska to be with my mother for the last time. I returned home an adult orphan, unsure of what that means exactly and what it might look like, if that makes sense. Other memorable moments: listening to a bluegrass-gospel station in eastern Kentucky, particularly the song “When I Wake, To Sleep No More,” which brought a surprising moment of peace, interchanged with my own selections, among them Hank 3, “My Drinking Problem Left Today,” “Lovesick Blues,” and Elvis Costello’s “Watching the Detectives” and “Oliver’s Army.” Kentucky will never be quite the same after that part of the journey. Amidst all of this was trying to figure out what might lay ahead creatively for me.
Creatively– I did find myself as I went through the odds and ends of family things, thinking about how those experiences and memories might be translated into imagery. So, a good thing-I could feel the excitement about creating new ways of viewing family *junk.” Among the treasures brought back were my grandmother’s wedding gown and a box of baby shoes that belonged to different Greene siblings.
Images taken with iPhone 5s and processed with Formulas, Stackables, iColorama S, Pic-Tap-Go, Distressed Fx, Photo Toaster, and Snapseed-
For today: Take 12! September
I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope you manage to keep finding time and space to process and to grieve. Your shots this month are beautiful, particularly the family photos. Kia kaha (stand strong), Su.
Tough times, Meg. My deepest sympathies for your loss.
The photos represent your ‘reflective’ moods perfectly.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Meg…
I’m so sorry for your loss ,Meg ….
It is really hard but plz stand strong…
My deepest sympathies for your loss.
xxx
I’m sure your Mom would be glad to hear and see your careful consideration of her place in your life’s journey, and happy to know that out of loss comes creativity and hope. As we say in Ireland, may the road rise to meet you.
Welcome back Meg, you were missed.
Sorry about your loss. We’re the older generation now, with no parents standing between us and mortality. Makes life all the more precious.
Ah, Elvis Costello. Remember when those albums first came out?
Love the pictures. The shrine to your mom is quite touching, I remember you doing something similar for your dad. The Iowa and Tennessee clouds are quite ominous and threatening. The Kentucky skies look like a Currier and Ives take on Van Gogh. The 5 AM Leaving Home pix are rather eerie, to say the least. I love the windshield picture, reminds me of Robert Frank and Gary Winograd.
And finally — go to YouTube and pull up “Great Dream Of Heaven” by Alice Spencer and the Geyer Street Sheiks. I always find it helpful.
Your friend,
Bill
An emotive time, Meg and so glad you posted.
Oh I’m so very sorry .. How sad for you and you family. And Mums are just so very special. I lost my Mum too and think about her every day. Big hugs. Your images are magical
I’m so sorry for your loss. It sounds like it was a very fulfilling trip though and one that brought you peace. Your pictures are fabulous. Love the one in color with a sunset and birds flying: looks like a painting! Beautiful!
Michele at Angels Bark