Exploration # 5 The First Thing You See.

A collection based on the first found object you see on your walk. You decide the connection between the items.

Ho hum... another collection thing. I'm not really feeling the collection activity again so soon but I guess I shall make the most of it.

The first item I found was a short rusty nail and a few short steps from there a long roofing nail. What to do with this collection. My mind started racing in many different directions with a lot of ideas. My week had taken an unwelcome turn so I decided to play up on it. See if you can piece the connection together.

And the winner is...

things that cause pain or discomfort.

Exploration #4 Daily Walk

Whew, I'm exhausted! That was one long walk. It was hard to collect thirty things. I drive to and from work so it made my collecting a bit of a challenge. I chose to collect things from my travels during work and play. I tried very hard not to pick up things that were trash, however, other than things placed by mother nature I suppose it is all trash. I guess it could also be considered treasure depending on your perspective. Here is my list as well as my photos of my collection.

1) Plastic disc thing. 2) Pop top. 3) Kmart Rewards Card. 4) Jingle Bell :)

5) 25cent sticker. 6) Used white candle. 7) Broken plastic fork. 8) Pink key identifier.

9) Orange balloon. 10) Silver hook. 11) Green glass stone. 12) Paper clip. 13) Gold elastic.

14) Orange curling ribbon. 15) Church literature. 16) Army pin. 17 ) Used Glade refill

18) Gold screw with plastic clip. 19) Wiggly eye. 20) Silver nut.

21) Arby's receipt for a jamocha shake. 22) egg roll bag. 23) Label from adhesive back.

24) Wood chip. 25) Pebble/stone 26) Green leaf 27) Dried flower of some kind.

28) Piece of a mushroom. 29) Red berries 30) White nut pod?



BONUS ITEM... Just because it caught my fancy. It was too big to put in my collection bag.

Exploration #3 - Light

I chose to do the alternate exercise: Pay attention to light patterns, reflections, and projections. Consider that they are everywhere and document them. I thought this exercise was going to be a real challenge and I was a bit hesitant to get started. It was somewhat challenging but before I knew it I was in with both feet and finding myself looking at things differently.

Reflection of my little bath time buddie:)
Reflections: Window blinds reflecting into many small circles. I'm not sure how the light made the blinds appear that orange yellow color. They are ivory color blinds.







Lights from the ceiling fan creating shadows on the ceiling.

A photo taken through a glass table top. It shows the light from above .

Candles illuminating shadows on the wall.

Mottled light reflecting from surrounding sources.

Exploration #2

"Things you notice on your travels or experiences you have." I decided to make my focus on the five senses. The following represents those senses:

SIGHT- 6/28/10 10:58 a.m. - Parking lot

While waiting for the line at the bank to go down, I pulled over to a shady spot in the parking lot and decided to enjoy a few peaceful moments while I sipped at my coffee. I pulled in under a canopy of green that cooled my car the moment I pulled in. As I sat there, I noticed the many shades of greenery out my window. I was also impressed with all the different shapes and designs. I made a sketch of what I saw. ( I now keep a pen, pencils, paper and my camera close at hand) :) I'm not the best artist but when I look at my sketch I am immediately whisked away to those few peaceful moments under my canopy of green.

SOUND - 6/27/10 11:45 a.m. Swimming Pool

I was working cleaning out the pool and kept hearing what sounded almost like little children playing and fighting. I kept cleaning the pool but I finally had to stop and see what was causing the noise. I looked all around and noticed a bunch of squirrels running back and forth between two trees in the front yard. At first glance, I thought they were fighting over territory or something. There seemed to be about eight of them. I continued to watch and to my amazement it was a whole "family" of squirrels. Big ones, medium size ones and tiny ones. I was pleasantly surprised :) I stopped cleaning the pool and decided to float around and observe them for awhile. I really enjoyed watching them chase each other as they scurried from branch to branch. They sounded like they were really enjoying themselves.

TASTE- 6/28/10 6:45 p.m. Kitchen

Yum! I stopped on my way home from work and decided to treat myself to a special dinner of Tiramisu. I savored each bite of the moist lady fingers drenched in a dark robust flavored coffee. Between the layers were extra little burst of expresso cream liquer and the coffee flavored icing was just right. It was light and not to overpowering. A great compliment to the little piece of heaven. I was sure to devour each bite which included licking every morsel from the fork.

TOUCH - 6/30/10 7:30 a.m. Bathroom

Our cat is a bit of an odd cookie. He aways burst into the bathroom anytime someone closes the door. He is very curious and always on a quest to check out what is going on. If you happen to be doing any business on the toilet he insists he must join you on your lap. As he settles in and gets comfortable I find that I too enjoy the time he is nestled in. His coat has the feel of a rich cashmere sweater. He always has a slight hint of baby powder smell to his fur. (not sure how). In addition to enjoying the feel of his soft coat between my fingers, I find myself lulled by the soft purr and watching his tummy fall and rise as he drifts off to sleep.

SMELL - 7/1/10 2:45 p.m. Bathroom

Some odors have a very distinct smell. Fingernail polish is one of them. As I was getting ready to return to work from my lunch break, my daughter popped in to "freshen" her nail poilish. In a matter of seconds the whole bathroom was full of the bitter aroma. If you weren't careful you could almost taste it. As I drove back to my office I would still get small whiffs of the smell. I'm not sure if the small particles of scent landed on me or were stuck inside my nose temporarily.