Negative space is an element I enjoy incorporating in my photographs. I have discovered some folks enjoy negative space, while others do not. They want the area filled in with something. Anything! Just do not leave all that empty space. Sort of like putting one beautiful slice of a garden tomato on a huge dinner plate. Fill that plate up for goodness sake!
I can understand this philosophy. Being wasteful is not a bragging point. However, I appreciate the way the negative space emphasizes the beauty of the one or two objects in the photo. Or for that matter also in a flower arrangement, and even sculptures. It leaves a space for the viewers imagination to fill in with their own experiences and ideas.
So take a stroll through this gallery. Fill in your own stories, and share your thoughts. Have fun!
Negative space in sculpture in the gardens at Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, VA.
Today is an official “feel sorry for myself” kind of day. I shall be brief. However, I do implore you to take the small, important pieces of advice I offer this pretty summer morning here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
I have had three mishaps in the past three weeks. July 7th, I slipped in a hotel tub while getting out. Took a stiff hit to my head and backside. Know the worst of it all? I even looked at that rubber bath mat that I should have put down before getting in. Use it!
Last week my sweet bike decided to buck me off right onto the pavement. Good grief, and they say a horse has a mind of its’ own! Yeah? Well, so does a bike.
However, the mishap this early morning at 2 a.m. was the straw that broke the camels’ back. I tripped hard over our dog at that dark hour. I never have seen her sleeping in that spot. The right side of my face slammed firmly with the edge of the door jam, and I landed with a hard thump on the tile flooring. This one really hurt.
With a grateful heart and needed help, my husband and daughter took excellent care of me. I do not look too bad this morning, though the both of them are calling me Scarface! A merry heart does good like medicine. Hey! They are trying to make me feel better. It worked.
So the painful lesson learned? Use a nightlight! Here is a photo of one I purchased long ago while visiting my twinster in Colorado. It has a new home here in our bedroom area. Now we will be able to see where the dogs and cats are peacefully sleeping. Or at least trying to sans the crazy humans that have to get up in wee hours of the morning.
Sweet dreams.
This fun nightlight will surely help avert those painful trip-ups over our pets that are sleeping in their ‘never do sleep here’ spots.
What a silly question you may be thinking. However, it may not be so silly after all. Years ago, while at a homeschooling convention in Richmond, VA, my friend and I noticed an excited bunch of folks gathering outside the mall in the courtyard. We asked the food service fella what it was all about. He said there was a milk cow out there for folks to see! Really? All that excitement over a milk cow? How odd we thought. Everyone knows what a milk cow looks like, right? Actually, no.
A lot of years have gone by since that day. It seems a milk cow is not the only thing folks think comes from Costco, the local grocery store, or farmer’s markets. So here is another insight into our lack of food source knowledge:
Beef does not come from food markets either. Neither does chicken, pork, lamb, duck, or fish. Or anything for that matter.
This seems like a no-brainer to the majority of us. But please do not ask a youngster if chocolate milk comes from a cow!
This is not to say we all should have our own milk cows or grow our own beef. However, we would do well to remember that all these grocery store items and meats are grown with care (mostly) by many farmers. However, growing a few vegetables regardless of home location is rewarding, not to mention delicious.
All this comes to my mind today because our Herefords went to the slaughter house two days to be processed. It is one of the hardest times on the farm for me. Death is hard but it is a part of life.
Why not visit your local farms? Many farms are open to visitors. It is fascinating to experience a working dairy, or cattle farm. Have your child help gather eggs with the local egg lady. A summer spent working on one of the farms would have a lasting impression on anyone. Donning a pair of muck boots and getting down and dirty on the farm gives everyone an appreciation for the farmer that works to bring us all this good food.
Our children need to know where our food comes from. It helps us understand the hardships of growing food and feeding this big country of ours. Perhaps, just perhaps, we would cease being so wasteful and careless with our sustenance.
You are welcome to stop by our little farm and meet these critters that live here. Hold a chicken, pick a bean from the garden, toss some hay out to the animals, take a tractor ride, sit on some sweet smelling hay. You and your kids will be glad you did!
one_local_gal 