The Festival Of Orange
Today I'm serving up a stack of freshly gessoed & painted pages made from file folders. Everything I see, hear, taste, and feel in Italy will get deposited onto these sea & sky colored pages. In the evenings I will tuck them back into the ring bound travel journal. My anticipation has reached a fever pitch! Life has turned into a long string of exclamation marks.
More American Airlines jets grounded today. Grounded schmounded! Nothing can dampen my enthusiasm!
In an effort to C A L M the inner beast I went for a walk in a public garden that worships the California Poppy. With blazing petals the color of fire, the poppies line every path,
spill out onto the sidewalks, and tumble into the streets.
Oh, there are other beauties lurking there in the festival of orange, but the poppies are what silence every last manic thought. Shush the child beast.
Have you fallen lately, drowsily, into an orange sea? If you do, you will want to drown. You will ask to drown.
And if you're lucky, like I was today, permission will be granted.
A 3 acre wonderland, in the middle of the city, on a hot day in spring, rimmed in orange.
I sat to consider my good fortune.
There was a lot to consider.
And a lot of vantage points from which to do it.
Why not sit in all and take advantage of having the entire place to myself?
And the birds.
I love orange, lately. Thanks for the indulgence! Have fun in Italy! How cool. I have never been. Can't wait to see the almost certain photos.
Posted by: Karine Swenson | Monday, April 21, 2008 at 09:42 AM
What inspiration!!! Love the papers you made. They are gorgeous. Why by patterened papers, when you can make them look so AWESOME yourself, right? LOL
Posted by: Dana | Monday, April 14, 2008 at 09:16 AM
You are my favorite colorist EVER! Teach me!
Posted by: Carla Sonheim | Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 04:33 PM
Italy?
Poppies?
Rub it in whydoncha???
Seriously, I feel like I've been sitting next to you in a quiet garden. We don't have to talk, we just sit and breath together. Well....someday.
Thanks for the quiet infusion. I think that I must even Smell like warm Earth.
Lisa H
Posted by: Lisa Hoffman | Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 03:20 PM
ok, first off, I was just traveling via "next blog" button at top.
I was going to comment, and will momentarily, but, it appears I've already been here once.
All the info was being put into the boxes before I could type a letter....
So....
If color were candy, my guess is, from your vantage point in LA (?) then your eyes also have diabetes, too.
that sounds way too weird.
Really neat, bountiful colors.
(so what's with that diabetes stuff? stupid humor bone is engaged and I can't get the engine to stop)
Posted by: boneman | Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 03:12 PM
I have never seen orange poppies. My grandmother had beautiful crimson red ones every Easter. I miss poppies. Thank you for sharing them with us! They were for me, right?
xoxoxox
Posted by: Diane Cook | Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 08:59 PM
Oh oh oh, I LOVE California Poppies!! Thanks for showing them!! Laurie
Posted by: Laurie | Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 08:57 PM
thank you so much Miss Moss...
I needed a walk in a sea of orange
converging here with our gray
alas...
the Boonster's favorite colors
yes orange and gray
xox - eb.
Posted by: eb | Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 02:11 PM
You live in freakin' paradise, Miss Moss. We just finally got tulips yesterday; no irises, no poppies. Love love love the photos. I can feel spring coming now. (our flight will NOT be impeded, not to worry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Posted by: Judy Wise | Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 09:28 AM
What a beautiful park! I could spend hours there enjoying all those gorgeous flowers. I have a new found appreciation of orange, thanks to my daughter...it has become one of her favorite colors. Wishing you a wonderful trip! Can't wait to see what you put in those great painted folders! Have a safe and beautiful journey.....Pat at birdnestontheground
Posted by: Patricia Eaton | Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 08:50 AM
Thank you for the blazing festival of orange! Here in New England orange must wait for the daylilies in June. I look forward to seeing the new (or should that be "old"?) world of color you discover on your trip. I wish you buon viaggio and a wonderful adventure.
Posted by: JeriAnn | Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 07:51 AM
Beautiful photos! And I love that birdhouse! Its about 16Celcius and raining here at the moment. There are a lot of tourists wandering around dressed for summer already, but I find it a bit chilly still. I'd advise you to bring a jacket, especially for the evenings!
Posted by: nicki | Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 01:39 AM