mushrooms, rutabagas, and an eggplant (oh my!)

while walking through the grocery store picking up last-minute ingredients for dinner with the cutie, i became instantly inspired by some of the produce.

not 'inspired by food' as in hunger..
but about the textures and colors and shapes of rutabagas and turnips.

i love how they look stacked in the produce aisle..
all i can think about is how much i wish i had my camera to capture the elegance and grace of such a vegetable.

so today i popped on over to the grocery store and filled up my basket with gobs of veggies,
most of which i've never tasted,
for the sole purpose of showing off their beauty.

so please, enjoy some...

mushrooms:
..some sort of radish..
(doesn't it look like they have stitches? so cute!)

..turnips..
..red potatoes..


..eggplant..
(i just love the shape and colors of eggplant!)
..and one of my favorite fruits..
the blueberry

speaking of blueberries...
what do you call an out of focus blueberry?

a blurberry!
(ba-duh-duh-tishhh)

.honeyhuckabee

P.S. if you have any delicious recipes for these veggies, please let me know.. i only bought them for prettiness' sake! :)

oh, and another thing!

yesterday, my valentine and i went on a little outing,
(followed by a very scrumptious homemade dinner of veel scallopini..a man who cooks! i think i'll keep him)
to one of my favorite places on earth (not that i've been many places, but still..)

we went to fort baker, just past the golden gate bridge.

it isn't a very well known location, for which i'm glad.
it seems to be a hidden gem, waiting to be discovered,
and each time i go, i'm constantly delighted by it's charm.

my Valentine and i went there for him to timelapse, and for me to take still and, what i like to call, 'moving photos.'

my nikon d90 does an amazing job with video, but i feel what i do with it is less video-like,
and more like a moving photo.
the intention for these pieces is to remind people to appreciate and enjoy simplicity.

please enjoy some images and moving photos :)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pckmgsVbA-U&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ_bCoPF0tE&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]

click these links for more moving photos, as well as photos from fort baker :)
have a happy monday!
.honeyhuckabee

valentine's day outing: fort baker

yesterday, my valentine and i went on a little outing,
(followed by a very scrumptious homemade dinner of veel scallopini..a man who cooks! i think i'll keep him)
to one of my favorite places on earth (not that i've been many places, but still..)

we went to fort baker, just past the golden gate bridge.

it isn't a very well known location, for which i'm glad.
it seems to be a hidden gem, waiting to be discovered,
and each time i go, i'm constantly delighted by it's charm.

my Valentine and i went there for him to timelapse, and for me to take still and, what i like to call, 'moving photos.'

my nikon d90 does an amazing job with video, but i feel what i do with it is less video-like,
and more like a moving photo.
the intention for these pieces is to remind people to appreciate and enjoy simplicity.

please enjoy some images and moving photos :)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pckmgsVbA-U&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ_bCoPF0tE&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]

click these links for more moving photos, as well as photos from fort baker :)
have a happy monday!
.honeyhuckabee

a few things that make me smile.

happy valentine's day!

just a quick post about some things that have made me smile this week..

i got my test prints back from photoworks san francisco, and they turned out lovely!! i'm really adoring the paper, somerset velvet.
available for purchase from my shop!

micro robbie. and i finished painting my headboard!
it's completely filled with patterns of fishscales in silver paint, feels "finished" now.

i got my passport in the mail!!
now i can travel somewhere over the rainbow!

and ohhh how i love water on the windows. so cosy!

what makes you smile?

.honeyhuckabee

now open -- my online shop!

very happy to announce that my online shop is up and running!

take a peek.
have a gander.

all images are printed on Somerset Velvet paper, a high-quality paper that is archival to ninety years.
if you don't see a size you would like, just ask! custom sizes are available.
prints are matted and mounted on foam core.
also, canvas prints can be custom ordered!

if you have any other questions, see my faq!
please enjoy :)
.honeyhuckabee

breakfast & flowers.

any day that i go to the river cafe & cheese shop is a good day.

i indulge in a breakfast burrito, sometimes a spicy chai latte, and look out the windows at the flower shop just outside.
the river cafe & cheese shop, as the name suggests,  is not just a cafe, but also a cheese shop. so prettily packaged and sitting next to jams and other treats, the cafe is a feast for the eyes.

if i wasn't so shy about taking photos in public, i'd have more to show you.. but here is what i ended up with!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="nom nom "][/caption]

and of course, i can't visit the cafe without adoring the flowers next door..
it's probably a very strange thing to say, but more often than not, i am fascinated with the ground here. in the fall, leaves are scattered across the wood patio. when it is as foggy and wet as it was today, the wood is saturated with rain, and i can't help myself but wish i had my camera.

and these little sweeties worked their charm on me...i couldn't help but bring them home with me. :)
so i brought them home,
and i clipped..
and i plunked them into a pretty little blue vase...
and i looooove themmm...
hope you have a lovely friday!

.honeyhuckabee

carrots and ireland.

i may, or may not have the urge to grow carrots.
(hint: i do.)

i saw the movie "leap year," and  there was one scene with amy adams picking carrots from a garden in ireland for dinner. at a bed & breakfast.
i cannot tell you how badly i want to grow and pick carrots from a garden in ireland.
more particularly,
from my garden in ireland.

it's not just the carrots.
it's not even tomatoes.
(maybe lettuce?)
no... it's more about a simple life in a less-complicated community.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="430" caption="they're still alive!!!"][/caption]

two sidenotes:
+ i got my passport in the mail today, wheeee!! now i can flee the country at the drop of a hat!
+ the clovers in my terrarium are sprouting! :)

.honeyhuckabee

little project: mini terrarium

it probably stems from my adoration of the idea of fairies when i was younger, but i adore mini terrariums.

(speaking of fairies, did you ever see "FairyTale: A True Story?" so cute!)
teensy little beings fluttering around their own teensy little world.
i see terrariums as a little world contained in a glass jar,
(and call me 'silly' all you want, but they're so charming that i think even a fairy would want to call one home)
living..
growing..
it even "rains!"

and so, i had to make a terrarium.
and of course, i thought it would be fun to share with you.
follow along if you'd like to make your own, it's simple, really!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="steps one and two"]$[/caption]

1. in the clean glass jar, i put a layer of aquarium rocks. this layer is for water drainage, to help prevent the plants' roots from rotting.
2. after the layer of rocks, i put a layer of charcoal. this cleans the air of fumes created when the organic materials decompose.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="steps three and four"][/caption]

3. put a nice thick layer of potting soil. i landscaped it a bit so it has a couple hills...just to make it a little interesting. ;)
4. sprinkle the seeds or plant the plant of your choice! make sure that if you are planting a flower or moss, that you shake out the dirt from the roots as much as possible.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="voila!"][/caption]

5. mist your new garden generously with water. over the next few days you'll see it recycled over and over, but make sure to keep it moist inside! you may also add a little decor to your new world, if you so desire! i have a little gimpy garden gnome  watching over what should be a patch of clovers. *crosses fingers*
6. enjoy immensely.

.honeyhuckabee

simple pleasures: breakfast

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="430" caption="i heart..."][/caption]

someone asked me what my favorite simple pleasure was, and without a doubt, i knew it was a bright, early morning.

i used to go to the gym with my mom at least three times a week, and to fit it into our schedules, we went about 6:thirty or 7 in the morning. back at home, we would enjoy a freshly french-pressed cup of coffee and low-fat yogurt with berries, banana, and granola.

and this -- the simplicity of a morning off to a fresh, crisp start -- refreshed me.
the day was crisp and new,
anything could happen.

.honeyhuckabee

nest.

i have a book.

two, actually.
and they are absolutely full of images torn out from magazines about homes.

as my style changes, so do the books. images get torn out, leaving bits and piece behind, which i don't bother to clean off. sometimes these remnants serve as frames for the new pieces, as the glue holds the color back from an old picture.
the books feel cosy and loved, and i love to turn through the many pages of these ideas and those ideas.

now that i've had a chance to decorate my own room, i can't wait to share it with you!
i may have gotten a bit carried away with the whole nature-inspired theme, but i still love it.
a peacock feather-patterned rug races the hardwood floor, while mini cardboard taxidermy heads of a moose, rhino, and buck hang on my headboard.
glittered birds with crowns sit atop a birdcage next to a faux piece of white coral...while a little moss terrarium, home to a teensy plastic gnome and fawn, sits in the window.

pictures will be added soonly, as it is too night for the lighting to be any good. :)

i have been finding many sources of interior design inspiration from blogs, but would love to hear/see what it is you are working on!

.honeyhuckabee

a not-dead crab: bob

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="lovely crab: bob"][/caption]

one of the favorite photos i've taken lately is 'crabby.'

while taking pictures at fort baker just past the golden gate bridge in san francisco, i walked onto a tiny little dock and found a disassembled crab. the poor fella had been picked apart by a seagull, most likely, and left on his back.
normally, i am creeped out by things that aren't living that once were, but this time i was curious.
the lighting was rather lovely, and the dock so saturated with rain meant the tones would be precious. the crab was also sort of lovely, too... in a strange sort of way.
i stood over him to get a picture from straight-above, and what did i see through my lens? a little crab arm waving at me.

this, naturally, prompted a bit of screaming.
(i was okayyyy with it being dead, but scaring me like that just isn't cool, silly crab)

so perhaps he wasn't all that dead.
maybe he was flagging me down for help,
or just wanted to say goodbye.
he never did explain.

i named him bob.
here is the original portrait of bob.

rest in peace, bob.

.honeyhuckabee

desination: known

with every fiber of my being, i want to travel.

i want to see the world by plane, train, boat, horseback, foot...all of the above.
someday life will lead me to ireland, italy, switzerland, sweden, among many other destinations.

i yearn to live the life of a local in these places;
to find the best hone-in-the-wall eateries that tourists will never find..
to sit in the countryside and watch sheep nom their way thru the rolling hills of ireland..
to hear the happy chatter of families and friends dining outside a restaurant along the sidewalk, accompanied by local musicians singing and playing their sweet little hearts out...

it seems as though other countries know how to live.
simply.
freely.
happily.

i don't want to get so caught up in a career that i forget about simple pleasures that make life rich and full and wonderful.

my passport should be coming in about two weeks, and i am so determined to fill it with stamps, little reminders of adventures in exotic lands so seemingly far, far away.
until then, i'm planning my hop, skip, and jump across The Pond.

caught between a dream and reality.

i can't help but love the dreamlike quality of out of focus photos.

i love the softness..
i adore the lack of clarity..

feels as though i'm in a dream,
just falling asleep,
or just waking up.

caught between a dream and reality.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="447" caption="swirl."][/caption]

hushhh.

oftentimes i forget that a quiet house is a good thing.

hushhh.

i usually have some sort of background noise going -- a tv series that i don't watch or a playlist playing.
ever notice how silence can be deafening?

i need to remember the beauty of quiet.
to appreciate the sound of a tick-tick-ticking clock.
to hear beyond the silence...
similar to john cage's "4:33."

if you are unfamiliar with this piece, imaging a pianist sitting at a piano. not playing, not moving, just sitting.
instead of hearing a piece of music in the traditional manner, one hears the music of life.
chairs sqeaking,
people sneezing,
a child giggling,
the train roaring by outside,
whispers...

you hear.
this is the silence cage wanted us to appreciate.
so all i have to say for now, is.. hushhhhh.

a quick project and cardboard taxidermy

today i thought i'd share a little project i did yesterday.

behind my bed is a room divider flat against the wall, used as a headboard. it is painted white, and been just a little too dull for my taste. i've been meaning to paint on it for a long while, but could never decide what to paint.
finally, yesterday, i hopped in the car and went to the craft store to buy silver acrylic paint and a paintbrush...and when i got home, started painting without a thought.

and, i'm pretty happy with the results! i'm a huge fan of patterns found in nature, so i painted fish scales (something super simple, mostly because i have a hard time drawing  a stick figure).

the little buck you see here is made of cardboard, and i found him in my favorite store of all time in santa cruz, ca...stripe. more cardboard taxidermy can be found at their online website, cardboard safari.

i really love the playfulness the cardboard taxidermy brings, so whimsical! my bedroom is full of inspiration from nature, and i love having a sweet little deer (buck), moose (fred), and rhino (robbie) chillin in here with me. :)

i'd love to hear about any projects you might be working on, leave a comment if you please! :)

.honeyhuckabee

inspiration: fragments and sappho

tops

though i did not realize it at the time, studying sappho's fragmented poems in lyric traditions, an upper-division greek literature course, encouraged me greatly to compose my photographs as "fragments," or "glimpses."
though sappho intended for her audience to be presented with her poems wholly, time and weather have reduced most of her poems to a few legible words. the remains of these poems, being only a few words, leave so much room for readers' imagination to play.

some of my favorites of hers are,
"cloth dripping,"
"just now goldsandaled Dawn,"
"i long and seek after," and most of all,
"neither for me nor the honey bee."

these fragmented poems are so elegant, each seems like a small treasure that the reader has to stop and entertain in order to appreciate, whatever it is these words bring to mind.

these words have inspired me greatly.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="360" caption="framing"][/caption]

it wasn't until two years after creating photos in this fragmented manner, did i realize how much sappho inspired me completely subconsciously.
like sappho's readers, i hope that my audience doesn't "see" a photograph as a whole, but rather as a piece of the puzzle.
you are to fill the voids.
see what you want to.
my photos are merely here to inspire you.

.honeyhuckabee