Capture 52 - Week 45: Square Crop

“The square is not a subconscious form. It is the creation of intuitive reason. The face of the new art.” — Kazimir Malevich

#capture52 #capture52week45 #squarecrop #blackandwhite #roses

November • Colors of the Month

“Colour is everything, black and white is more.” – Dominic Rouse, photographer

November naturally represents an absence of color as the world turns brown and gray and the days get shorter and darker. Natural light becomes a precious commodity while artificial light distorts color and clarity. In the past, I struggled with my November photographs as my work day begins and ends in darkness. Years ago, I decided that, I would embrace the lack of color in November and post only black and white images to focus on light, shadow, texture and composition.

October 2020 in Pictures

“It was October again... a glorious October, all red and gold, with mellow mornings when the valleys were filled with delicate mists as if the spirit of autumn had poured them in for the sun to drain — amethyst, pearl, silver, rose, and smoke-blue.” — Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Links I Love • October 2020

“It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.” — Winston Churchill

Iconic green chairs in the Luxembourg Garden — October 2019

• The History of Fermob’s Luxembourg Chair (as seen in this post’s feature photo)

• My Perfect Day in Paris with Lina Nordin Gee — I really like Lina’s art and her cool Parisian/Scandinavian style.

• And speaking of our Nordic friends — What Scandinavians Can Teach Us About Embracing Winter.

• A Le Creuset Dutch Oven Is Worth Every Penny — We really enjoy ours.

• What Have You Cooked? We have certainly expanded our menu repertoire during the pandemic. Of course, we still do our tried and true, quick go-to recipes, but we have definitely ventured into uncharted territory this year. Ask me about Saturday night themed dinners!

• How Quarantine Killed the Weekend: With work changed and play curtailed, what does “time off” even mean anymore?

• Standing Tall: 7 Buildings that Shaped Wisconsin's History — I’ve only visited four of them.

• Google Maps to Gain New 'Live View' AR Features — Someday when we can travel again, this will be very useful.

• How to Learn Everything: The MasterClass Diaries — This story is equally well-written and compelling.

• The Ballet Flat Has Made its Comeback…The Proof in 8 Looks — When did it go away? These are my go-to shoes almost everyday.

• Gilmore Girls 20th Anniversary — Pop Culture References

  • Books (My results: 184/339 | 54%.) — My own list and reflections on the blog.

  • Films (My results: 206/303 | 70%)

  • Complete Soundtrack

• Pride and Prejudice Miniseries With Colin Firth Turns 25: Which Adaptation Is Best? Of course, it’s Colin Firth!

• Little Audrey’s Daydream by Sean Hepburn Ferrer - a children's book that tells his mother's story for a new generation - I preordered this book. The story and the illustrations are lovely.

• The Palais Galliera Reopens with a Major Exhibition Dedicated to Gabrielle Chanel — What are the chances that I’ll make it to Paris before this show closes in April? A girl can dream…

Currently • October 2020

“October is crisp days and cool nights, a time to curl up around the dancing flames and sink into a good book.” — John Sinor

READING: A book for business, a book for pleasure, and a children’s book about Audrey Hepburn:

• Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People — “I know my own mind. I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way. These self-perceptions are challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality” (Goodreads). I’m reading this book with its revealing activities as part of an equity book study with the admin cabinet.

• The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It — The New York Times bestselling business biography of the visionary young widow who built a champagne empire, became a legend in her tumultuous times, and showed the world how to live with style. Tilar J. Mazzeo brings to life the woman behind the label, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, in this utterly intoxicating book that is as much a fascinating journey through the process of making this temperamental wine as a biography of a uniquely tempered and fascinating woman” (Goodreads).

• Little Audrey's Daydream: The Life of Audrey Hepburn by Sean Hepburn Ferrer, Karin Hepburn Ferrer — The story and illustrations in this lovely book are as charming as Audrey herself.

LISTENING TO:

• Vince Guaraldi Radio on Pandora — I love cool jazz in the fall, especially selections from It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and other Peanuts favorites leading into the holidays.

• Halloween Party Radio on Pandora — “Thriller,” “The Monster Mash,” “Ghostbusters,” and all of my silly, spooky favorites.

WATCHING:

• Halloween favorites including the hilarious Beetlejuice, Hocus Pocus and, of course, the aforementioned It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Each year, I look forward to the wonderful Vince Guaraldi soundtrack, the very first time Lucy pulls the football away when Charlie Brown tries to kick it, Snoopy as the WWI flying ace, “I got a rock,” and — spoiler alert: “You blockhead! You kept me up all night waiting for the Great Pumpkin, and all that came was a beagle!”

• Emily in Paris — The new Netflix series is pure eye candy with its beautiful cast and Patricia Field’s creative (if totally impractical) wardrobe selections and styling, picking up right where Carrie Bradshaw left off in the “American Girl in Paris” episodes of the final season of Sex and the City. I really enjoyed the French language, the music (playlist here), and above all, the scenes around the beautiful city of Paris where all ten episodes were filmed on location. In fact, I miss Paris so much that I actually watched the series twice, but that doesn’t mean that I loved it. The show is rife with both American and French stereotypes that, although sometimes rooted in fact, present a very negative portrait of Parisians and their culture. If you’d like a reality check, watch this video by French fashion designer Justine Leconte.

ENJOYING:

• The fall colors in Door County — Brilliant foliage, tranquil rosy, sunrises, deep blue water with rolling white caps, crimson apples, amber cider, and stunning, golden sunsets — We took a couple days off to have picnics in the woods and walk along the shorelines. It was cold and windy, but just what we needed to recharge our batteries — that is, until Saturday, when hundreds of tourists suddenly appeared and we went home early.

• A chilly October Monday at home (aka “Fall Break”) — snuggling with Piper, a fire in the fireplace, café au lait with cinnamon, and a good book. As the daylight wanes and the temperatures drop, I am embracing my nordic predisposition toward koselig (the Norwegian version of hygge).

• Although I really enjoyed traveling to New York and Paris last October, I did feel a little sad about missing one of my favorite months right here in Wisconsin. Little did I know, that a quick trip to Boston in early November would be the last time I would travel for over a year. Although COVID-19 is keeping us close to home, it has afforded an opportunity to truly appreciate the beauty in our own backyard.

Capture 52 - Week 44: Creepy

“Nature is a haunted house...” ― Emily Dickinson

#capture52 #capture52week44 #creepy #peninsulastatepark #idontlikethisweekstheme