Out and About

A few interesting photos from the woods. I laid down to shot most of them, which is a lot of fun in itself, but I really liked the idea of seeing the object from a completely different angle.

Here's some weird growth on a dead tree. It reminded me of crunched paper.

Yes, this is a photo of a hole in an old hollow log, but from this angle, it looks (to me) like a dragon's eye

I liked this fungi pic... how it pops out of the photo and you can see all its details.

This close, these new ferns look more like seahorses

Pics part 2

Heather's two boys (Austin & Justin) goofing off at the park. Mom made the face and the Buddha. I just love that Buddha.

Various Photos From 2006

Here's some pics from the first part of two thousand six.

Alex, Heather, Silas and Heather's beautiful little daughter Stephanie, Silas's masterpiece drawing, me / Heather/ and my darling daughter Chrissy at a sleepover, and my nephew Deakin and Silas as Batman & Batman.

The Prowling Tree

Doesn't this tree seem to be moving? When I saw it, I immediately invisioned it prowling through out the woods, like a big powerful cat. And when it saw me, it froze in place so I'd never know it's secret.

Bark

I was hypnotized by this single piece of bark. I sat, looking and following all the winding lines with my eyes, for what seemed like hours... though it was much, much shorter. I stuffed it in my pocket so I could share it with others, but I lost it while walking back home. Luckily, I took this photo so others could see what it was I was going on (and on) about.

I met my Role Model !!

A dream came true this weekend. I met my professional role model, Charlene Teters. I picked her up at the Dayton, Ohio airport yesterday and was absolutely thrilled to have her all to myself during the 3 hour drive to Athens. She's wonderfully warm and personable, and I really liked her. Today we (my entire family minus the toddler) had brunch with her and some friends and local folks and then we toured a local museum, with Charlene, and then listended to her two hour (inspirational) lecture. For those of you who do not know Charlene, she is an artist and a professor - but she's also called the Rosa Parks of the Native American people. Charlene Teters, from the Spokane nation in Washington, made national (and international) news in the late 80's when she was attending an Illinois college that had a chief Illini as its mascot. She took her children to a game and were mortified when the mascot came onto the arena mimicking their ceremonies, traditions, and leaders (chief). And the "mascot" was wearing 90 real eagle feathers while dancing and prancing to some fictional ideal of what an Indian dance would be like. She stood outside the stadium days later with a sign saying Indian aren't mascots, they're human beings. She is literally the face of the anti-Indian mascot movement and her courage and conviction are admirable. She is my inspiration and my role model and today I accomplished a major professional/personal goal when I not only met her, but I got to know her and, if all things work out the way I hope they do, I will actually get to work with her. (insert huge smile here)

Mr Broadway

Went to watch Alex tonight in the school play. This is his last play because he's a senior. It's sad. I love watching him act. He's quite good at it.

Errand Day and stinky fish

Si and I were out running errands today and it was such a beautiful day, I thought it would be nice to pack a little picnic and eat at Strouds Run (lake). So, we went up on top of the damn and had a little lunch of grapes, salad and water. He loved the damn, though he did keep telling me that the placed smelled like "stinky fish."

Things like this always make me happy

I was strolling through my field the other day - enjoying another warm day with the kids - and I came across this simple flower absorbing the sun's rays and aching to have its photo taken. So, it posed for me ... and this is the final result. Nice, huh?

Fav photos from this weeks walks

I've been a bit snap-happy this week and now I have several new favorite photographs to share. The weather has been perfect, and it really revs me up for a good, long walk.

A natural vase for these lovely purple flowers

A dandelion with the morning dew.

Not too sure what kind on fungi this is, but I loved it! It's so freaky and cool looking. I tried to pick one to preserve it,but it fell apart.

A beautiful gree fern glistening in the bright sunshine.

In case you were wondering...

what it is that I do at the Red Roots Educational Project. Well, the purpose of the group is to expose and explore steretotypes and misinformation pertaining to indigenous people and to re-educate the public on accurate Native history, culture, people, traditions, and events. Plus, we show these things from an indigenous perspective, and we celebrate American Indian Heritage Month. This is a banner from a project I'm working on. It explains things a bit more...

moons and such

I'd rather spend a night under the moon than a day under the sun.... and I spend a LOT of time outside at night, on my deck that's attached to my little house in the woods, listening to my peepers (or whatever else is out that night), sipping tea and pondering the days events. My mom got me hooked on star and moon gazing. And now I do it with my own kids.

If I were going crazy, would I actually know it?

Do crazy people know they're crazy, cause sometimes I wonder about my own state of mind.

Okay, so I might actually be sane, but a crazy diagnosis would explain a lot of things. For example, it would give me an excuse as to why my second book isn't out of my head just yet. I mean, it has been nearly 3 years now and still... all I have is a pile of papers and a mound of photos of a toddler who takes up ALL of my time. I have publishers interested and several fascinating topics (and equally fascinating outlines and marketing plans)... but I have nothing actually finished. Am I nuts or should I already have a book out by now??

Stop. Don't answer that. Instead, enjoy this lovely photo. I took it the other day when Silas and I were out on a walk....

my latest project

This is a BIG project I've been working on for more than 2 months now. It's a mosaic (hope I spelled that right) of a stereotypical American Indian image made from nearly 3000 stereotypical images I've either "stolen" from the internet (I can use them as long as the image is in an artistic piece criticizing the actual image itself), photographed myself, scanned in or had sent to me. I've been collecting the images for more than 2 years (and I collect actual steretypical pieces such as Indian toys, games, books, clothing, ads, etc) and then photographed each item. Whew! Then I put them into this program and printed out all 20 panels, glued them onto foam board, and collectively they made this image. So when you get upclose you see thousands of tiny images, but when you're back a ways, you get this. Now I'm finishing up the piece by taking out (in the program files) any and all images that didn't print well (some were blurry) and replacing them with something else. Then, I print again, mount on a foam board and it'll be used in an educational exhibit called Mama What's an Indian.

ugh

I'm having problems. Ugh. My old website host site is experiencing problems and I can no longer upload photos to my website (www.terrijean.com). This is sooooo frustrating! Now I have to switch hosts, which I did this week, and now I can't figure out how to work anything. Nothing! So I bought the frontpage software, which is supposed to be super easy and almost idiot proof (or so I heard) and I can't figure it out either!! What does that say about me??? So I'm stuck. I'm paying for a brand new website space and I cant figure out how to use it. tick tock tick tock ... the days keep passing by and I'm no closer to knowing how to do this. Help!

(Photo taken last year at my mom's flower garden. Wish it were my flower garden. She's got the greenest thumb I've ever seen.)

Turtle Tuesday

Out on another walk, just me and Silas, we came across this little bitty turtle sunning itself. The two of us were fascinated, standing by the creek bank until we snapped some branches and the little guy dove into the water. Silas thinks the tree looks like an elephant, and I think he's right.

The dogwood's back

The dogwood's out and I can't stop photographing them.

Another day in the country

I am a country girl. I am so country, that I still stand in awe before skyscrapers and anything with glass elevators. Much of the time, I travel more on a gravel road than a paved road, and I know what it's like to wash clothes in a ringer washer, to can veggies all day, to make homemade elderberry wine, and what it's like to run to an outhouse in the middle of the night, only to find a black snake curled up on the seat. Bleck! I've carried water, spent several summers swimming in an old sunken tub that's freezing with fresh spring water, and I've sat in the middle of an orchard with my belly full of all the apples and pears I could ever eat. I've swam in old mine pits (with beavers, no less), sat in many a'downpours, turned the TV antena so we could pick up at least ONE channel, and gathered eggs and milked the goat before breakfast. Yes, I am a country girl - and an appalachian mama... and I'd have it no other way.

yellow darling

The other day I was tending to my yard (getting ready for spring planting) and I came across this beautiful yellow darling hiding behind some lilly leaves. I grabbed my camera, got up real close and snapped this amazing shot. I think I might just frame this one.... yellow reminds me of my great grandma who passed away in 2004. It was her favorite color. She would have liked this photo.

Oh to be a busy butterfly

My horoscope said March was supposed to be this great month, full of accomplishment and money. Hmmm.... I guess I shouldn't put so much stock in an internet psychic, huh? Well, I'm kidding, actually, because I believe that people make their own lives and their own luck - and you will never get anywhere if you lay and wait on fate or a helping hand or an easy solution or the perfect time to do anything. The only way to make something of yourself is to get up every day and actually make something of yourself.

Having said that, I really dont feel like I've moved forward so much this year. Yes, I know I'm only 3 months into it... but still, I just dont feel as motivated and inspired as I need to be. I have a butt load of things to do and barely any time to get it done.

Okay... enough complaining. Here's a photo from the Ohio river. Butterflies are an obsession.

Rural-ness

I'm from an area with a lot of rural farms and hay bales and old, lonely farms are plentiful. Which is a good thing, because they make for a fine photo.

Looks like glass to me

This photo is amazing. The lights reflection, the twist and bends of the object. Doesn't it look like glass? Can you guess what it is? Would you be surprised if I said it was an upclose photo of a nearby creek? The swirling is from a limb stuck underneath the water.

Went on a little writer's retreat this month. 3 nights of quiet bliss. It was wonderful. I got a lot done, but the best part was spending one night with my daughter. She brought over pizza and we watched our Sunday ABC shows together (and in an 150 year old cabin, with a roaring fire and comfy beds - one of which is up in a gorgeous loft). I LOVE this place. I've been there several times and after each visit, I want to go back as soon as possible. I'm hoping to book another weekend sometime this summer and write my ass off.

And this photo is taken off the front porch. I was sitting out there with Maddie, enjoying the peace and quiet. Wish I had a better sunset to match the mood... but I was happy with what I got.

The Ohio River at sunset

I was looking through an old photo album and ran across this photo from a couple of years ago. It's of the Ohio River, and we were having a picnic along the rocks. It was a glorious site, and I think this photo captured the moment perfectly.

Dandelion fields forever

Though many people believe dandelions to be a weed, I hold them close to my heart, considering them one of nature's my beautiful - and delicious - flowers. The flowers taste great when fried, the leaves are fantastic - and healthy - in a salad, and the roots are medicinal. You just can't beat that! So the next time you go to pull up that yellow weed... don't toss it out. Rather, make a salad of the leaves, a lunch of the flower and a tonic from the roots. What would you do with the tonic, you ask? Put it on your hair. It's great for your scalp.

Dandelions are finally out. Here in Appalachia, we look forward to frying some up every spring. Here's how: pop the tops off of a handful of yellow dandelions. Soak them in some salt water to get the bugs off. Then blot on a paper towel. Roll them in some flour and fry in butter until crispy. Make into a sandwich and enjoy!! They are truly amazing and it never feels like spring until I make a batch of 'em up for dinner. My kids love them, and I loved it when my mom made them for me and my brother as a kid.

This photo was taken when Silas and I were out picking dandelions. He prefers the ones already seeded.