June, 2011

30 Jun

There is beauty all around us…

By Silver Blue | 1 comment

1

…if we will just open our eyes and see.

How many times have you looked at something and not really seen it? I know I have, far too many times.

Dynamic angles, pattern, and stonework. The Freemason Street Baptist Church in Norfolk.

Across the street, MacArthur Center Mall:

…with the deco elevators….

…angled ceilings…

(and another view of them), along with…

…some awesome light fixtures. All things you’d never notice unless you took the time to stop and “look up.” Too often, we forget to do this, because we’re in such a rush to get everything done.

Finally, an external parking garage lends more angles to be enjoyed:

So…slow down, you move too fast…you’ve got to make the morning last…*

Silver Blue, who is trying to be more observant of the world in which he lives.

*59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) – Simon and Garfunkel (and covered by Harper’s Bizarre)

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29 Jun

Once the storm passes by…

By Silver Blue

…as the song goes, “there’s got to be a morning after….if we can make it through the night…”

Sunset, from out the living room window at my parent’s house 3 years ago. Was there ever such a beautiful sight?

Moments such as these remind me how small and insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe I really am.

Silver Blue, who wishes to “float more, steer less; love more, fear less”*

(*A quote by John Halcyon Styn)

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28 Jun

Eating “healthier” never tasted so good!

By Silver Blue

Those who know me know that I’ve taken to attempting to eat healthier in the past few years, including preparing most of my own food (when before I was a “eat out as often as possible” kind of guy). Trust me, I am no vegan nor a vegetarian (in fact, I’m quite the carnivore), but something like this goes miles to converting me:

Red lentil soup topped with dill and cayenne pepper, and a wrap with hummus, kale, and black bean and corn salad. To die for, from Pasha Mezze in Norfolk, VA.

Silver Blue, who will be dreaming of this soup for a LONG TIME to come. 🙂

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27 Jun

Does it make you remember?

By Silver Blue

It’s amazing the things that can cause us to rocket back in time, to a timespace (Stevie Nicks used that word for her first greatest hits collection, and I find it to be very accurate) where our memories … well, they may not be as sharp as they used to be, but they still strum the chords of our herats.

Oh, how this does. From my room at my grandma’s house. The gold painted wallpaper. How something as simple as this makes me feel all of 5 years old again.

I actually wrote (when I was 13) my initials on the wallpaper in two different locations. Years later, I never could find the other.

Two other shots of the wallpaper:

and

Silver Blue, who feels like a child tonight.

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26 Jun

You’ve been “tanked”

By Silver Blue

Local car dealership, Hampton Chevrolet, gets in on supporting the local “Relay for Life”. $50 donation for the removal of the pink toilet and matching flamingos.

Wonder if anyone’s ever taken one of these and attempted to install it in their home? Or what happens if you don’t donate your $50? (Eh? You didn’t see the “No Solicitation” sign? Too damn bad. Now GIT!)

Silver Blue who confirms, Pink does not go with blue.

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24 Jun

A new vision…

By Silver Blue

…and a new computer. Awesome sound, video, memory…and I’ve been doing a lot of configuring with it, hence my lack of posts.

I leave you for the evening with your moment of Zen.

Silver Blue, who feels like I just hit the jackpot, but it takes a long time to collect the winnings.

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23 Jun

Words of Wisdom

By Silver Blue

Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love”. Turkish Proverb

Silver Blue, who needs his caffeine as much as I need air.

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21 Jun

The sun also rises…

By Silver Blue

…on your moment of Zen.

Silver Blue, who has a peaceful, easy feeling.

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20 Jun

I see dark clouds out my window…

By Silver Blue

…but every time it rains, I fall to pieces, so many memories the rain releases…I feel you, I taste you, I cannot forget…every time it rains… I get wet…*

Storm shots to me are the hardest thing to take because there’s no advance warning on lightning. So, here are four of the better ones (two with, two without lightning):

Silver Blue, thankful I’ve got, in my heart, someone who gives me shelter on a rainy day.

*Every Time It Rains, Ace of Base

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19 Jun

Someone’s in the Kitchen with…

By Silver Blue

…me.

The kitchen is considered the heart of the home. If that were really true, then my house used to be on life-support, and has since had open heart surgery.

My, what a long, long journey it’s been. The Shenandoah Forester’s kitchen looked like this (From September 1997 until January 2009):

Egad. The woman I bought the house from used the cheapest linoleum flooring she could get, and even painted the inside of the sink to hide the chip marks. Painted? Oh yes, with LATEX paint.  I discovered this the first time I did dishes and had strings of the paint come off in the hot water. Actually, the kitchen looked a lot worse than this. The original stove was “Harvest Gold” and was a Magic Chef brand sealed burner electric range circa 1960. The sink (and cabinet) was the Montgomery Ward “Signature” brand (it had the original label inside), circa 1958. The kitchen here has been painted the light blue it currently is, but originally was a horrid butter cream.

Counter space? Well, other than the miniscule bit you see above, the other side of the room wasn’t any help:

I often said there were only two plugs in the room, but I was wrong. I see here there were two sets on that one wall. Because, of course, the washer used to be in the kitchen. Don’t ask why, it just was. But not by the time I bought the house. The floor was ripped out, the sink removed, the stove donated, and…

Behold. Outlets. Contemporary stainless steel. Best of all, no cheap linoleum. By shifting the sink down, I acquired much needed countertop. The best is yet to come, though.

Additional counterspace! (the second drawer down on the left wasn’t in right when I took the photo, however.). Still, you can see how I went from no counters to being able to have room to cook! (The second set of plugs that were on the wall and would have been covered by the cabinets became what was used for the power strip along the top of the backsplash).

Looking back at the stove:

This gives you a better idea as to how much space I now have, and how small the kitchen actually IS. I affectionately refer to it as a “butt-rubbin'” kitchen, because if you get two people in it, they’re going to rub butts.

So, this is how the kitchen remained from January 2009 until June 2011. Then, my mom and I added the finishing touches. The tile to the back and side splashes.

You may remember my post regarding “But Is it Art?” where I talk about decorating with photos of my own cooking. Here you can see how it plays out.

The “island” (more like a peninsula, as it’s attached):

That, gentle readers, is how the heart of my home (the kitchen) went from life support to beating strong and proud.

Silver Blue, looking forward to getting back in and cooking up a storm!

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Days of Silver Blue

June 2011
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