The Lost Balloons- Travel Art By Tracey Grumbach

The Lost Balloons- digital art by Tracey Grumbach

The sun was so huge that night. I've never really experienced a sun that looked that big before as it crept toward the horizon. I've seen my fair share of sunsets, but not one quite like this. The din of the board walkers/bikers/fair goers was dimmed by the roar of the Pacific waves crashing into the Santa Monica shore and the gulls fussing over their last few chances to grab a bite before nightfall. One distinct sound I heard, though, was the sorrowful cry of a young child as the balloons she was holding were accidentally released. The helium that gave them form, lighter than the atmosphere surrounding them, gave lift to the pink spheres, guiding them away from Earth's pull toward the heavens. It was all very dreamlike and enchanting...the kind of moment you read about in a storybook and certainly a memory one wants to hold on to forever.

xo

Santa Monica Pier at Sunset- Travel Art

During my recent trip to California, I had the opportunity to walk from our hotel to the Santa Monica Pier. We stayed in a hotel very close by, so the walk was short, which was perfect because I still don't have very much endurance for exercise. After walking around the pier itself for a bit we watched the sun disappear over the horizon, kissing the Pacific Ocean as it slid to the other side of the earth. Slowly, we began the journey back to the hotel and when we had gotten a decent distance, I turned back to see this...the amazing colors the sky becomes when the sun is below the horizon. It was breath-taking and of course, I had to create something out of it. Truly, God is the most amazing artist. His taste in colors, exquisite.

Yesterday, I finally had the opportunity to upload the pictures I took with my Cannon 5D Mark III to the computer and take a look. I haven't shot with my "big camera" in a long time and to be honest, while I was excited about a few shots, I am clearly out of practice. I was a bit disappointed in myself. But, I will use that feeling to encourage myself to begin taking my camera with me again and get back into good habits.

In case you don't follow me on Facebook, I wanted to mention something I am proud about...I was blessed for the opportunity to have a piece of my work published on the front cover of a monthly local newspaper. I was honored and I really liked the process of working with the art editor, the CEO of the paper, and the deadlines during this process. I would love to have the opportunity to work with them again in the future. My goal is to use art as the mode to get my Lyme story out to the local public with the intent of helping others who may be suffering. Perhaps in the spring I will reach out to them again.

Happy Hump Day, y'all. Enjoy the sun while we've got it. If you are reading this from the southeast states, please be safe as Matthew approaches the United States. My prayers are with you. Stay safe, everyone.

xo

Sunset over the Corn

Hope is the thing with feathers-

That perches in the soul-

And sings the tune without the words-

And never stops-at all.

-Emily Dickinson

Happy Friday, y'all.  My wish for you is a Friday full of joy, hope and happiness despite the noise and chaos surrounding you. Let the hope perched inside your soul take flight.

xo

Adventure of Perception

Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by compositional logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything, but which we must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception.

~Stan Brakhage

Sunset Over the Sound

ISO-50; Exposure-13 seconds; f/22

Clouds come floating into my life,
no longer to carry rain or usher storm,
but to add color to my sunset sky.

Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds


This one moment on my vacation, the sun setting over the sound in Rodanthe, North Carolina, stole my breath away and renewed my faith in one instant. It was so powerful to see God's beauty painted across the sky and reflected in the water that I almost forgot to release the shutter to record the magnificence. We all know how quickly these moments pass...the sun is there one second and gone the next.

I hope your day was amazing.  xo

Susquehanna Sunset

As I was driving the John Deere this Friday night, trimming the fenceline of our fields, I looked up and noticed the sun was setting over the treeline and I caught my breath. The stunning beauty of the cloud formation in the sky, the dusky oranges and yellows and pinks seemed to hover in the air...watercolors sliding through the sky. At that moment, I was so glad to be alive and witnessing the quality of the light, that I turned off the tractor and just sat, watching. The next thing I noticed was the high pitched chee of the barn swallows who were skimming the grassline of the fields, catching a late dinner of insects, filling their bellies with protein for the long night ahead. I knew I couldn't sit there on the yellow seat until dark...I had a job to finish before I lost all the light, but I was so thankful to have taken that two to three minutes to just be present in my environment.

Then, Sunday evening, after a trip to the Conowingo Dam and the Union Hotel with my youngest children, my husband was driving us back home over the bridge when I hung myself precariously out the passenger window to grab this glorious sunset on my iPhone. It was breath-taking. The summer warmth, the low-in-the-sky sun, the reflection in the water...just perfect. And I remembered to be thankful again. And present. And aware. It is in moments like these when I am surrounded by nature's splendor that I feel the seeds of hope blossoming in my gut. One day I will be better. One day. Until then, I will grab on to these stolen minutes of being completely present in my environment and waiting for the next sunset.

Hoping you all had a wonderful weekend and are beginning the week with some gratitude of your own.  xo

Clouds Moving In

Sunset as the Clouds Blanket the Summer Sky

Today I am thankful for the Great Spirit, God, for knowing exactly what

I need and when I need it in my life.

I went to my first yoga class today and caught up with a longtime friend

as well as met a new friend with whom I had a lot in common.

Both of these ladies helped me out today and gave me hope for a better future...

one without as much physical pain and sickness.

I truly believe people come into our lives for a reason;

whether it be to teach us something about ourselves,

or to connect on a level that others can't.

Life unfolding is beautiful to watch and experience.

I have to learn to let go a bit more and let my spirit guide me.

That is tough for this control-freak Virgo, but I can do it.

xo