World Wide Photowalk- Kirkwood, Mo

World Wide Photowalk- Kirkwood, Mo, a photo by SoulNoir on Flickr.

World Wide Photowalk- Kirkwood, Mo

Moving Over

I have moved to a new address. Soulnoir is now at http://soulnoirdesigns.com/blog

I look forward to seeing you here.

Journaling with Turquoise Nails

This time last year, journaling with turquoise nails.

I was dreaming of getting the GF1 I ultimately got, wearing a lovely blue nail polish, feeling blessed that summer furlough was over and planning for fall. Life is good in many ways.

Today it is back to work to start a new year.

Pinterest

There are always new time-sinks on the internet. There is the new blogging-social platform, Tumblr. I have never quite gotten the hang of it nor do I have the content necessary to feed it. This summer, I succumbed to Pinterest. I had a hard time getting the hang of the site. Now, it is getting to be quite enjoyable.

I have a couple of projects in mind that would benefit from the type of electronic inspiration board it provides. I can follow everything from outfits I would like to sew to décor and landscaping ideas. How about keeping and sharing your “wish list”. No one can say, “Wow. I didn’t know that was what you wanted for your birthday”. Hint. Pinterest users can “tweet” their new pins!  I am really looking forward to Fashion Week. Pinterest will come in handy.

Take a moment to see my growing board.

Weeds and Flora

With the extended heat wave, the weeds seem to be the only plants winning. Sadly portions of my yard are an example.

 

In loving maintained spaces, you see the bright colors of summer.

Simone, the Thinker

Panasonic, DMC FZ18

This time, last year…Simone, in concentration. What is she thinking about?

A Love Supreme

After recording A Love Supreme in 1964, John Coltrane only played it in its entirety once in concert. During the 1965 Antibes Jazz Festival, the performance was broadcast on French radio. It’s worth hearing for its historical value alone.

In a 1966 interview, Coltrane discussed religion and spirituality. “I’ve always felt that even though a man was not a Christian, he still has to know the truth some way or another. Or if he was a Christian, he could know the truth” he said. “The truth itself doesn’t have any name on it to me. And each man has to find this for himself, I think.” This is the mindset of John Coltrane that is so vividly mastered in the Love Supreme suite.

The suite consists of  

four parts:   “Acknowledgement” (which contains the mantra that gave the suite its name), “Resolution”, “Pursuance”, and “Psalm.” It is intended to be a spiritual album, broadly representative of a personal struggle for purity, and expresses the artist’s deep gratitude as he admits to his talent and instrument as being owned not by him but by a spiritual higher power”. John Coltrane’s quartet included McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones.  The live Love Supreme performance was re-mastered and released in a 2002 two-CD set by Impulse! Records. This includes the original album and additional studio outtakes. The live performance played in Antibes, France is a bit different that the one recorded earlier in a studio. (A Love Supreme by Ashley Kahn).

This is Sunday morning music to me. It has influenced many musicians from varied genres of music. A Love Supreme is one of the top selling albums of all time. Here is a brief video of the quartet playing a portion of A Love Supreme.

A Love Supreme, John Coltrane

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Love_Supreme

Blouse Part 1

I’m always looking  for blouse patterns. I consider it at least attempting to step up my game. I often wear knit t-shirts. That feels a bit more casual than a blouse. I feel more comfortable making the casual, simple choice of a knit t-shirt. I am trying not to fall in a to casual rut.

I made two blouses recently that I am really looking forward to wearing. Vogue 9973 is a out of print pattern. It is a simple loose fitting pullover blouse. I still hate making button holes.Pullover blouses are the best of both the t-shirt and blouse world.  The ruffled collar gives it a little something. When the weather cools, it will set off a cardigan.

My mother still laughs about how much I loved polka dots as a child.I spent hours trying to pry the dots off of my grandmother’s dress.  I suppose the affinity lingers. I like the black and white. It is crisp.

Another blouse to follow.

MTBF

“All manmade things have an MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure). Everything eventually breaks”. Scott Bourne, Photofocus.com

The Selby, Misha Shauna

The Selby focuses on Misha Shauna. The photographs of the child in mid-air made be howl. I love it. It is a precious moment. It is trust. That moment can only happen once. It was captured in a photograph. Photographs are powerful.