Fuzzy February

Recently I acquired a new camera lens made by Lensbaby bringing my total number of Lensbaby lenses to three.  As a hobbyist with my camera having a new lens means some enjoyable hours playing with what it can do and seeing if I can capture a few images worth saving.  As with any hobby, it is enjoyable to focus on something different than my everyday work and obligations.

This new lens, the Composer Pro II with Edge80 Optic, allows for slices of clarity within fields of blur.  On a recent walk through the Arnold Arboretum, I captured a few images of the beautiful landscape in the quiet season of winter. 

 

While there I also left a couple Valentine themed gifts.  While never a huge fan of the holiday I have always been a fan of the pink and red colors splashed in advertisements, flowers in the grocery store, and clothes in store window displays.  I put together a few gift bags with note pads and pens....

  ...and also some Valentine themed sets of washi tape to decorate all types of things (pens, vases, notebooks, charger plugs, etc.).

Over the past week I have continued to leave these sweet gifts at various locations hoping to have left them all for finders by the 14th.

 

Deck the Halls

The time has come for me to leave my annual bunch of Christmas tree ornaments.  Picking these out annually is such fun.  May the finders enjoy!

Iceland

Just back from an enjoyable vacation to Iceland.  So many travelers flying to Europe from North America take connecting flights through Iceland but don't venture outside the airport.  They are missing out on a country filled with friendly and welcoming people in the city and natural beauty in the sparsely populated rural areas.

Just outside the city the snow covered mountains rise into the distance.  City windows were filled with glowing advent stars which are a traditional Scandinavian decoration during the holidays.  The decorations were plentiful as the days are short this time of year, and the holiday decorations create a warm feeling in the darkness.

Outside the city there are lava fields, black sand beaches, volcanos, geysers and hot springs.  The country has a great deal of geothermal activity and pure water for drinking as glacial water melts and flows over waterfalls.

In recent years the capital of Reykjavik has also become a foodie destination with many restaurants serving local lamb and fish dishes along with carefully crafted cocktails. 

I did bring along some gifts, and instead of posting about them before leaving them for finders, this time I am posting after leaving them along with photos of the gifts waiting for their finders.

A pair of white gloves were left in the lobby area of the Hilton Nordica Hotel....

vaseline lip balm left on a table at the Hallgrimskirkja church...

hand sanitizing wipes at the 871 +/- 2 Museum...

 

and a bookcover at the Whales of Iceland Museum

Cold Winds of Change

One result of the clocks falling back an hour last weekend is that the darkness and cold rolls in earlier in the evening.  Most people leave work into the dark, and children wait to be picked up from practice as the leaves blow down the street and across the fields. 

In many front yards there are vibrant colored mum plants littered with leaves and pumpkins and gourds displayed to represent the last of the fall turning into winter.  With the passing of Halloween, the next holiday stop is Thanksgiving, and the snow is soon to fly.

I always try to wear my fall jackets for as long as I can with them protecting me less and less from the cold weather every day.  I occasionally break down and wear my heavy winter coat when the morning temperatures prove too cold.  There are so many times I reach into my jacket pockets and hope for a pair of gloves to help me keep my hands warm only to be disappointed when I realize they are all in my winter coats.  I have a few pairs of gloves for some lucky finders as I cannot be the only person who could use an extra pair or two. 

 

Berry Fields

Over these last few weeks as the late summer days lead into fall, I have been visiting a farm near the town in which I feel most at home where I have been able to pick my own blueberries, raspberries, tomatoes and apples.  It is a family run farm with row after row of lovingly raised products. 

Week after week I see people of all ages there enjoying time in the beautiful outdoors while picking fruit to enjoy over the coming days.  There is a small sales cabin serving as the starting point for all visitors as it has red wagons for parents and grandparents to pull the young ones in and also yellow buckets, cardboard boxes or bags to take to the fields for use when gathering the fruits.

 

Perhaps as a result of the drought that residents of the Northeast have been experiencing for the last several months, the blueberry as well as raspberry picking went well into August.  Picking 5 pounds of blueberries seemed a lot at first but with two of us eating them they would last just a week before needing to be replenished.  

Now the berries have gone by, and it is the apple and tomato rows bustling with eager pickers.

The last couple times I was at the farm I bought an apple cider donut when checking out with my fresh fruit and enjoyed it on one of the picnic tables outside the sales cabin.  The tables are right next to a pen with a couple goats who run over and love attention. 

 I left a few presents for finders.



Something New



The stores are full of back to school supplies, backpacks, new fall clothes, and individually wrapped snacks and treats for lunchboxes.  While September is not the start of a new year, it often does feel more like the start of a new one than even January does as so much of the normal hustle and bustle subsidies during the summer months and picks up again in the fall. 

 

I must say I do like to have a few new things in September (an outfit, a notebook, etc.) and even look at the grocery store for a new snack to include in the lunch I make daily to bring to work.  There is a child in all of us.

 

I have some "back to school" supplies I think someone of any age would enjoy.



 

Tap Into Your Creativity

Recently when reading a home decorating magazine, I saw a design idea involving washi tape.  Having no idea what that was I turned to the internet and soon was watching multiple YouTube videos on all the ways it can be used to decorate pens, vases, cups, electronics, etc. 

Washi tape comes in endless colors and patterns and peels off as easily as it goes on so it does not damage anything it is attached to.  I have put it on pens, iPhone chargers, etc. and find those things so much more appealing with their fun new looks.  It has also helped me not overlook my chargers when packing up and leaving hotel rooms because they stand out. 

I have several rolls to leave for finders and hope they find creative ways to decorate their own possessions.