Friday, August 27, 2021

On Mudflats and Rough Textures


This has been the week of too many appointments, and my brain is fried.

So I'm grateful for my friend Rain's Thursday Art Date,
because her prompt of Rough Textures is fun and easy to respond to.
I've taken photos of textures for many years.

Any surface has a texture, and texture is the way a surface looks and feels.
Some textures are pleasing, and some are definitely not!

Take mudflats, for example.
They have an icky uneven surface that sent me into fits as a toddler.
My mother loved to roll in mudflats when she was young.
She relished the cool touch of mud on a hot summer's day.
She rolled in mudflats an adult too,
and she couldn't believe they freaked her daughter out.

Mudflats on the Edge of the Sand Bar to Bear Island
The Scallywag Run  
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  
All Rights Reserved



I hate mudflats.
What my mother found silky, I found rough and sticky.

When I stepped in the goo, my foot sank into the sucking mud. 
I have too many scary memories of my brother and me
tossing rocks into mudflats and watching them swallowed by mud.

And there are things in the mud:
fragments of rock and shell, bits of slimy seaweed and kelp, and sharp clams.
I've never seen a clamdigger rolling in the mud.

Clamdigger on the Mudflats
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 3, 2015
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  
All Rights Reserved



I'm working on drawing a cottonwood tree, but it's taking me a long time.
It's that damn bark!  Rough-textured for sure!
I'll share the finished drawing at a later date. 

Here are some rough-textured pictures
that caught my eye as I scanned my photo collection,
beginning with one more pleasing than mudflats.

The Back of Eros Alato Con Mano
Winged Eros with Hand (2013 ~ bronze)
by Igor Mitoraj 
Regio VIII, Ancient Pompeii, Italy
May 20, 2016
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Hadrosaur Jaw (Duck-Billed Dinosaur)
Royal British Columbia Museum
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
September 16, 2015
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Among the Cottonwoods
Parker, Colorado, USA
December 13, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





A Portion of The Royal Lion Hunt
from Nineveh, North Palace
Assyrian 645-635 BC
British Museum 
London United Kingdom
May 31, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Lobster for Dinner 
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
September 16, 2015
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Sólheimajökull ~ an Outlet Glacier
from Mýrdalsjökull, Iceland's fourth largest glacier
Iceland
June 13, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Thatched Roof
Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 14, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




Castle Valley Overlook
Near Orangeville, Utah, USA
January 4, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






The Army Museum with Its Rough-Textured Walls
Halifax Citadel National Historic Site
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 8, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption 
Siena  Italy
September 20, 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Sea Ice on the Bay  
Hudson's Bay, Ontario, Canada
June 15, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Plaster Body Cast of Pompeii Victims
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Denver, Colorado, USA
January 9, 2013
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Lady Bug and Thistles
Along Piney Creek
Aurora, Colorado, USA
June 20, 2020
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Fundy Trapper in Choppy Water
Bay of Fundy
Point Prim (Near Digby), Nova Scotia, Canada
July 29, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





The Flood Tablet ~ 7th Century BC
Eleventh Tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic
(How the gods sent a flood to destroy the world.
Upnapishtim built an ark to house living things,
and after the flood, he sent out birds to look for dry land.)
British Museum
May 31, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Aspen Trunks
Breckenridge, Colorado, USA
September 20, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Next week I will be posting on Wednesday, September 1,
for the Insecure Writer's Support Group's monthly Get-together. 
Stay happy and safe!




Till next time ~
Fundy Blue



On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved









 

Friday, August 20, 2021

Back from Vegas and TAD's Reflections and Mirrors

Terry and I have just returned from a much-needed break in Las Vegas.
It was so good to get out of town!
No cooking, no cleaning, no worries ~ just sleeping and having fun.

Terry and I
8 East in Circa Resort & Casino 
Fremont Street, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 13, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved


I lugged my computer along on our trip with plans to do some things online and off.
But that didn't happen!  I was too tired at the end of each day,
perhaps from the heat or sensory overload.


Sensory Overload
From the Plaza Entrance Looking Toward Fremont Street 
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 12, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved


We stayed Downtown the whole time, except for one brief Strip trip
to the new Resorts World built on the site of the former Stardust Resort and Casino.

Resorts World (Hilton, Crockfords, and Conrad Hotels)
Terry and His Bud Jon
Walking from Self Parking to Resorts World 
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 12, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved


Resorts World was beautiful, but I won't rush back.
It's expensive, the layout is confusing, and there are much better places to gamble.
The highlight was enjoying ridiculously caloric confections at Starbucks.
And I did love the Big Ball.

Terry and Jon at Starbucks
Resorts World
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 12, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved






The Big Ball
Resorts World
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 12, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved


Much to my delight, live music is back on Fremont Street.
I spent hours listening to music in front of the various stages on Fremont.
My favorite band ~ which I won't name ~ was back but with a new front man.
I was really really sad, because the former front man was fabulous.
This new front man has awesome pipes,
but he lacks the strutting, flamboyant charisma of the former Jeffrey St. Germain.

Very Much Missed ~ Jeffrey St. Germain
Fremont Street 
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
June 16, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved


Luckily I discovered a new band, Blue String Theory,
which I watched for over seven hours during multiple performances.
They were fantastic: gritty, versatile, excellent singers and musicians.

Blue String Theory
Fremont Street
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 14, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved





Brian Pollack (left) and Scott Van Zen of Blue String Theory
Fremont Street
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 14, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved




On our last night in Vegas, Terry took me to Andiamo Steakhouse in the D for dinner.
If I can't get to Italy, at least I can enjoy delicious food
and excellent service with an Italian twist.
And then there are the wines and desserts!

Andiamo Steakhouse
Fremont Street, Las Vegas 


We had a lovely surprise at the end of our dinner.
A couple who had been sitting at a nearby table treated Terry and me to dessert.
We were shocked and delighted.
We couldn't thank them because they departed before our desserts arrived.

Some Andiamo Steakhouse Desserts
My favorite crème brûlée is in the lower right.
Fremont Street, Las Vegas 


I snagged a window seat on our flights to and from Vegas.
I love to fly over the southwestern states because the rocks are largely exposed,
and I can see magnificent formations and structures below me.

A favorite sight I watch for every time is Waterpocket Fold in southern Utah.
This structure is a large wrinkle in the Earth's crust,
a south-southeast trending monoclinal fold that extends for nearly 100 miles.  
(For more information click here:  National Park Service)

The Waterpocket Fold, Looking North
The white jagged rocks on the left (west) are the beautiful Jurassic Navajo Sandstones.
The strike valley on the right (east) is largely Cretaceous Mancos Shale.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA 
September 25, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved


But in both directions on this trip almost everything was smothered in smoke.
I caught occasional glimpses of the landscapes below,
and sometimes I saw huge thunderheads breaking through the pall.

A Line of Thunderheads
Somewhere over the southwestern USA
August 17, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved


It's great to be home again.  I slept most of yesterday.
Burning the candle at both ends isn't working so well for me anymore.

I am continuing to participate in my friend Rain's Thursday Art Date.
The theme this week is Reflections and Mirrors.
Below I am sharing some of my photos for this theme.

Middle Pond
Along Piney Creek
Aurora, Colorado, USA
March 21, 2020
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved






A Skilled Bartender!
The Vue Bar in the D
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
June 19, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved






Dining by the Grand Canal
Venice Italy
May 24, 2016
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved






Self Portrait
The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 12, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved






Middle Pond
Along Piney Creek
Aurora, Colorado, USA
March 29, 2020
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved






The Plaza Entrance
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 12, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved






Turtles and a Seagull Sunning
in Water Reflecting Summer Leaves
Beacon Hill Park, Victoria,  British Columbia, Canada
July 27, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved






Reflection in a Dirty Window
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 14, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved






Fishing Boats at the Digby Wharf
Digby, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 1, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved





My Reflection in the Big Ball in a Mirror Phase
Resorts World
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
August 12, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved






Reflection of DIA's Iconic "Tents" in the "Whale Tail"
Denver International Airport and Westin Hotel
Denver, Colorado, USA   August 17, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved


I've been trying to capture that DIA photo for years as I've taken off or landed at the airport.
Finally, as we landed in Denver after our Vegas trip, I got it,
strong reflections of the "tents" in the "whale tail."
I never know what's going to happen as I take a photo from a taxiing plane.
But my theory is that if you take enough shots, you'll eventually get what you want.
And how lucky was it to catch that bus with the letters "DEN" on it!
Luck is always good!

Stay happy and safe!




Till next time ~
Fundy Blue



On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved