December 28, 2016 – January 8, 2017
Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset!
Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears…
–Written in 1964 by Sheldon Harnick with music by Jerry Bock
This song doesn’t have quite the same meaning for me as sung in Fiddler on the Roof and many wedding ceremonies today. In fact Sheldon Harnick rewrote some of the verses in 2011 to make the song suitable for same-sex weddings. Yet it’s a beautifully sentimental song and I like to sing the chorus. Don’t worry, I don’t sing around others and I’m not getting married.
Shadow fun along the tracks
Since returning home from Christmas in Utah I’ve spent several evenings watching the sunsets. I’m not usually awake for sunrises. Then comes a new year. And much like the last one I’m sure it will come laden with both happiness and tears because such is the way of life.
Notice railroad tracks out window
But right now, my house is a mess. Barely unpacked from holiday travels with projects spread out on every available seat including my butt at the desk. Where it has spent an inordinate amount of time lately. I start mornings over coffee, checking social media and emails, working on blog posts, processing and labeling photos (not all are processed until used). And suddenly I notice it’s late in the afternoon and I’ve barely moved. Swiftly fly the days.
Through the window
Berta is now able to drive herself to PT. I had concerns yet am confident she wouldn’t drive if she couldn’t drive safely. So I get to stay home and I am secretly happy about that. Warm and snug. Watching the trains go by. I think my house marks the honking point for the eastbound.
Over the Bradshaw Mountains to Prescott
Thursday I had a lunch date with two ladies that work at the North Rim and winter in and around Prescott, 1pm at Applebees. And best surprise was our 4th arrival after getting a late FB message. What a delight. We chattered away over an excellent and reasonably priced lunch. I promised them not to share the photo of us all taken by our entertaining waiter.
Friday I had two dates. I went with Berta to Wickenburg for her PT, and she drove only one month since having a knee replacement. That evening I joined friends at the local pizza joint in Peeples Valley. The T-Bird Cafe offers marvelous food and the company was divine. However it was a terrible 12 mile drive home in the rainy dark.
Don’t believe I’ve become a social butterfly, but it’s a good thing I had so many dates that week as I didn’t go out for New Year’s Eve. That’s nothing new. New Year’s Eve proved to be another rainy night so didn’t catch any colorful sunset. But I did manage to stay awake until midnight so no surprise I missed the cloudy New Year morning.
The first day of the year progressed through marvelous cloud formations to clear and sunny but also included rain and wind. I am amazed the cottonwood outside my desk window still has leaves. Looked like a promising sunset so I went out and glad I did because I saw my first rainbow this year and it was a double. Good thing I’m not a drinking woman. Or a gambler, as the clouds were too thick for a colorful sunset.
Monday I drove Berta to Prescott to visit a mutual friend of ours in the hospital. Then spent the rest of the day, and way too late into the night, looking into websites to sell my photos on.
Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset,
Swiftly flow the days,
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers,
Blossoming even as they gaze…
After 18 hours of reading and learning I joined Pixels.com/Fine Art America. And since then I’ve planted the seeds by opening a new website specifically for selling my photos. More coming on that.
About the only time I left the house was for promising sunsets. Or just a shot from the door.
I also set up the portable light box I recently bought which turns out to be a little bigger than I expected. The Fovitec studioPRO I ordered has more parts than my truck. Had to refer to their video to get the box open. It’s sort of like one of those windshield screens that you twist and shout because it won’t go back the way it came packaged. Actually I haven’t tried putting it away yet and will probably have to refer to the video again. Everything came well packed which means mass packaging. And I’ll keep it to eventually pack away. Plan to continue photographing jewelry I want to eventually sell. And then there’s that darn knitting project of a sweater that I’d like to finish before summer.
Ya know, I always saw myself as being focused on one project at a time, not a multi-tasker. But after writing this I’ve reevaluated that opinion. Oops, time to go catch another sunset. I’m loving these railroad tracks.
And of course I’m dreaming of the next road trip which will take me into the southern Arizona desert to Quartzsite in just a couple weeks.
BTW, I don’t remember growing older. What they hey?
Sunrise, Sunset sung by Perry Como who I grew up loving to listen to.
Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don’t remember growing older,
When did they?
When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?
Wasn’t it yesterday when they were small?
Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset,
Swiftly flow the days,
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers,
Blossoming even as they gaze…
Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset!
Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears…
One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears…
Those photos up the track are just amazing and so good to see the inside of your home now I know where everything is. That light box looks quite effective and rather too big than too small. Knitting you can keep, I am happy doing crochet but knitting just bores me to tears. Have a great week. Hugs Diane
Thanks Diane. The tracks have been fun for photographing. Hopefully my house wasn’t this messy when you saw it. I like both knitting and crochet.
Really like that sunset over the double set of railway tracks. Well done. I remember Perry Como from his TV show years ago, always liked his gentle manner of singing and I like his version of Sunrise-Sunset. I even had a Perry Como sweater. Remember them, they buttoned at the bottom.
Thanks Al. Those are the same tracks you used to live by in Congress. I adored Perry Como as a little girl, sweater or no. Hope you’re having fun out there in the desert.
Fiddler on the Roof! ??? Perry Como? It’s a favorite next to If I were a Rich Man 🙂 … Great perspective of the railroad tracks meeting at the horizon!
OK Jeff, now my earworm for the night is “If I were a Rich Man….” Thanks. I’m having fun with that perspective.
These are more wonderful photographs Gaelyn. I’m glad you are putting them out there and taking steps to make their sale a reality. I think the rainbow was sent to you.
Thank you Sherry. We’ll see if I can sell any in this competitive market. Rainbows are always a special gift.
Those train tracks have given you a beautiful medium for fantastic photos! Just love those sunsets along the tracks:) You certainly are a busy person! Who has time to work:)
They have been a great line up for sunset. Winter is the time for me to get er done before returning to work. Now I know how you retired folks stay so busy.
Hi! I’m new here, came over from My Life in the Charente blog. I LOVE your pictures and look forward to looking backward in your blog and seeing what you have posted before. I don’t blog, just live vicariously through folks like yourself. I especially enjoy travel blogs and nature pictures. I traveled extensively as a child throughout the US, as my father needed to travel for his job, and during the summers, we would go with him. He worked on Vandenburg AFB in CA, White Sands Proving Grounds in NM, we spent a summer in Denver, CO, and on the way back to NY state, we would travel to see all the sights in between! Thanks to him, I have been to almost every state! Traveling back in the fifties and sixties was a LOT different than it is now! But I will enjoy seeing how you do it! – Wendy
Hi Wendy. Welcome to the blog and thank you. I haven’t been traveling much lately, unfortunately, but that will change in a couple of weeks. You’ll have lots to read about past travels though. Must have been fun a a kid to travel and see so much of the country. Yes, it has changed a lot since I first hit the road back in the 70s.
I have always loved that song. And I really like that sunset through the trees photo.
Thank you Donna.