Being Sara

Yesterday I had the opportunity to see the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. I have seen a few exhibits down there, some I have enjoyed and others that I was less impressed with. Ansel Adams now ranks in my all time favorites. Most people can easily recognize many of Adam’s black and white photography. What I enjoyed was learning more about the man behind the photograph. The photographs that Adams is most well-known for were not taken until much later in his career. He was greatly influenced by other photographers in his day, and four of them formed the “f/64″ club, named after the sharp imagery they strove to portray. It was not until this revelation in the 30’s that Adams began snapping some of the shots that are so familiar to us today. Most of his earlier work uses softer exposures and they look more like pen and ink drawings than the do photographs. It was also amazing to see the range of Adam’s work. As a casual observer, when I thought of Ansel Adams, I thought of his beautiful black and white landscape photography. In this exhibit I had the opportunity to see everything from landscapes throughout the West to protraits of Pueblo Indians to close up shots of kitchen utensils. Adams sometimes took commercial jobs to supplement his income. While these photographs were taken with the specific goal as an advertisement, they are now proudly displayed as artwork in the MFA. Ansel Adams had a fascinating life, starting out homeschooled, then deciding he wanted to be a professional musician, and then finally giving into his passion, photography. With so many of his photographs on display in one place, it becomes easy to see how Adams changed and grew throughout his lifetime. This was an excellent exhibit that will be on display at the MFA through December 31. I would encourage anyone who has the free time (and money) to make the trip - it is well worth the expense.

ansel adams, mfa, museum of fine arts, photography, black and white photography, art, exhibits of art

As most of my friends know, one of my hobbies is crocheting. I have a hard time sitting still while watching television, so most evenings I like to crochet while relaxing on the couch. Zach has suggested on several occasions that I should blog my favorite crochet patterns. So, as I find patterns that I like, I’ll post them here. Recently, I’ve been getting patterns from Crochet Patterns Central. I’ve been into doilies lately, so you’ll likely find links to doily patterns here for a while…

- Cotillion
- Baroque Inspiration
- Autumn Reflections
- Corner Etagere
- Blooming Bullions
- Passion Flower
- Winter’s First Snow
- Net Stitch Flower
- Bobbles
- Dainty Doily

crochet, thread crochet, patterns, doily, crafts

I think every blogger should begin a blog by explaining why they are blogging. Many of my friends blog - you can check them out at nosheep.net (of course), gracefulshrimp.com, maisonbisson.com, . So, part of my influence was peer pressure and curiosity. All of my friends blog on a regular basis and seem to find it enjoyable, so I wonder what all the fuss is about. Second, I do agree with my husband, Zach and our friend Casey, who feel that everyone should contribute to the “google economy”. I hadn’t started blogging before now because I didn’t know what I could contribute that would be valuable. Zach was the one who finally figured it out for me. I am an assessment worker for the Division for Children Youth and Families. My days are spent working with families who may or may not be able to keep their children safe. I see kids every day who have been abused or neglected, and some of their situations are incredibly sad, frustrating, and sometimes quite scary. After a particularly tough day at work, I’ll get home, and there are usually a few people there, and they will chat about how things are going at ITS (at PSU where most of them work). Sometimes they will be frustrated at something or someone for breaking a setting on a server, or doing something within the organization that doesn’t mesh with their goals. When this happens, I feel entirely disconnected from the conversation - I feel like I don’t belong in this happy relaxed world. I’m still reeling from the parents who want to give their kids away, or who are so high on drugs that they have a hard time remembering how many kids they actually have. So, my goal in blogging is to let a few more people into my world, into my head. My hope is that maybe if someone reads this, they will have a little more insight into me, and I won’t feel so disconnected. I see this blog as a little doorway into my head, similar to how John Cusack and Cameron Diaz were able to walk into John Malkovich’s head. Enjoy the trip!
blog,blogging