Photo An Hour #3

I did a Photo An Hour with my macro lens on June tenth, and I have a ton of photos I love.  I went through them multiple times trying to narrow down my selection, and even though I only photographed between six thirty in the morning and six thirty in the evening, I have nearly twenty photos!  I don't want to inundate you, and slow down everyone's computers more than I already do, so I'm going to break this into two posts.  :) Enjoy!

6:30am - 7:30am

Everything is going to flower in the garden right now, and I'm sad it's the end of the broccoli and lettuce/spinach.  Though, the flowers are lovely.  So we let them keep growing, even though we probably should have pulled them, and planted something else by now.  Oh, right, what was I doing in the garden this early?  Letting Moose out.  That's the second thing I do every morning, right after I put in my contacts.  

7:30am - 8:30am

Speaking of Moose.  What a silly dog this little man is.  He doesn't leave the back door if I don't go outside with him, and he needs to go on two walks a day.  If I delay his walk at all, he bounces everywhere at home AND on the walk!!!  He's so darn excitable, and cute!  I can't get enough of him.  He's always good for a laugh.  

8:30am - 9:30am

While on our walk I spotted two awesome fungi!  I never noticed seeing the Devil's Dip Stick around before, but a while back Kaylah on The Dainty Squid posted some photos, and I was enthralled.  I wanted to find one, and I just so happened to down the street from my house!  I don't normally walk with Moose and my camera, but I had to head back out with it to get both these awesome finds.  I love the colors in the conch mushroom.  Not a typical mushroom color for this area.  

10:30am - 11:30am

Checking out my pocket contents on the back deck.  A doggie poo bag, some rocks, a button, and a penny.  If I see a button or penny on the ground, it will end up in my pocket.  I have a hard time resisting collecting a rock on every walk I go on.  I could probably fill a house with rocks, if I didn't curb my rock addiction.  Hehe.  

11:30am - 12:30pm

Working on a DIY.  I was enjoying sitting out in the sunshine.  I have to smile watching the sun create dancing shadows over my handy craft.  

12:30pm - 1:30pm

Salad for lunch.  We grew all the greens ourselves!  So tasty.  I also threw on some cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, chick peas, zucchini triangles, bacon bits, parmesan cheese, and blue cheese dressing.  When I was little my salads would mostly consist of chickpeas and tomatoes drenched in blue cheese dressing.  Well, I guess some things don't change.    

1:30pm 2:30pm

Laying out in the backyard while working on my DIY.  

This Is where I'll leave you for tonight.  Sorry this post is so late.  I kept putting it off, and half forgetting that I hadn't completed it yet.  Happy DIYing, chris.  

Historic Park McCullough House

Hope your week has been awesome thus far.  Here is the last leg of my Vermont photos.  My other Vermont photos included photos of Bennington College's graduation with Peter Dinklage, and a set of outfit photos, some of which were taken at the location of today's photos.  

This is the Historic Park McCullough House in North Bennington, Vermont.  It's a lovely estate that used to be open for tours, but since tourism has been down with the economy they weren't able to keep the place staffed for tours.  The property and gardens are still maintained and open for the public.   

         

They recently started renting out the carriage house for weddings and other types of special events.  

This is a tiny play house that was constructed for one of the children. Isn't it cute?

We strolled around the gardens, and talked to an awesome gardener.  

I wish Bennington's winters weren't so brutal, and long we'd move there permanently.  It's one of those places, where I walk around town, and even though all the locals know I'm not from there, I feel accepted and welcome.  I'm pretty socially awkward, and avoid talking to strangers, but it's so easy to talk to people in Bennington.  We talked to more strangers walking around town in one afternoon, than we do in a month in Delaware.  Just a different type of people, and way of life I suppose.  Aaron and I are visiting some friends in upstate New York in a few weeks, and we are thinking we might stop off in Bennington again.  

Have a lovely end of your work week, and happy DIYing, chris.  

Jack of All Trades ... Master of None.

I have a lot of interest and passions.  I've always thought that was a good trait, because I've always had an easy time learning new things.  Wait, are you missing the connection there?  I do that a lot.  Things connect in my head, and make complete sense, but then I say them out loud, and everyone is left confused.  Back to my point, learning new things has always been easy, because with my many hobbies and abilities I understand how to do a vast number of things.  All those tidbits of knowledge help me grasp new concepts easily.  This is going to sound super hippie dippy, but I've noticed a lot of things you do in life are interconnected.  Like understanding chemistry can help your gardening, or history can help your math skills.  Or maybe more obviously anatomy can help a dancer, or understanding architecture can help an interior designer.  

As important and useful as those things are, I have been busy gathering many skills while not honing my true talents.  To be honest I'm not even sure what my 'true talents' are.  When I graduated high school, and left for college (wow, ten years ago!) I thought I would get a degree in psychology, and be a psychologist or social worker by now.  When I got to college I realized I didn't enjoy all the dry psycho-analytical scientific readings, or the arduous papers that followed them.  My college encouraged the students to take a well-rounded course load.  I tacked on an Intro to Visual Arts course my first semester, because I loved my photography class in high school.  Half the semester I was in an Intro to Drawing class, and the other half I was in an Intro to Architecture class.  I loved those classes the most, and I would put my all into the assignments.  I knew early on that I wanted to spend all my time in the visual arts building.  I was able to get into a beginning photography and printmaking classes my second semester, and I stuck with that path.  I love both of those art forms.  They truly are interconnected.  Photography wouldn't exist if it wasn't for printmaking.  

My one issue with both these crafts, is they are super expensive, and not easy to get into independently.  Yet there aren't many entry level jobs out there either.  Sometimes I wish I had gotten a degree in graphic design.  Or maybe I should have combined my degree with education, and given into becoming a teacher.  I guess what I'm saying, is I'm not sure how helpful my degree has been.  Sure I learned a lot of things, and I'm glad I gained that knowledge, but am I glad I gained all that debt?  Did my college degree help get me where I am today?  I'm not sure that the answer to those questions is yes, and that's depressing.  

It kicks me in the butt, and screams I need to make a change with my life.  That is a big part of the reason I started this blog.  On the onset of this thing I was not well connected to the blogging community, and I didn't know how many people were already out here doing this.  It's seems shameful to admit now, but it's true.  So when I started I didn't think anyone would read this, little less that I would find so many people with similar interest.  Though with all these amazing blogs, and finding Pinterest and Chictopia and the Gawkerverse, I feel like I'm losing myself in the sea of creativity.  

A friend recently asked me what my plan is.  I felt completely vulnerable, and didn't know how to answer her.  I've been thinking about my 'Plan' for a LONG time, and I know where I want to be, but I'm afraid to put it out there.  I'm terrified of failure, and I don't want to open my heart for all to see, only for it to be left out in the cold.  A big part of me wants to type up my goals in a bullet point list, and post them for the whole internet to see.  A larger part is petrified of my accountability to that list, and the idea of someone asking me if I've reached XYZ goal yet.  What if along the way my goals change?  What about that list then?  Plus if I'm afraid to tell a friend over the phone, isn't the internet way too public and permanent?  

I feel totally accountable to this blog, especially since I named it 365 Days of DIY.  I don't think it would be possible for me to skip a day of blogging.  Honestly, I have pangs of regret that I haven't been able to post a new DIY every single day.  Sometimes I worry I'm letting down all the people that followed my blog because of my Paper Pulp Seedling Cups post.  Like maybe they expect me to be less into fashion and material things, because I also enjoy being sustainable and thrifty.  Those two things seem to be totally contradictory.  How can I make a list of clothing and cutesy products, yet be concerned about recycling and not buying more non-necessary material goods?    I guess that's just who I am.  I hope you enjoy reading my blog and keep coming back, because each follower I gain or like on facebook I get encourages me to work a little hard.  I truly appreciate anyone who takes time out of their busy lives to read my words, and look at my photography on a regular basis.  Thank you readers!!!  Happy DIYing, chris.