Best Seat in the House

Our view at Rocky's Pizzeria.


We are fans of their great vegetarian pizza.



The bread is made in house.



It's great to serve yourself a slice of this love in the nice sunlight.

As the Seasons Change

I keep beauty at the focal point of each day.


What great blossoms in the desert.

Quite a Thought

Timeless

Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.


- Lao Tzu


The sands of time are of no worry to me.

Location:Venice Beach

This Time We're Spinning

On a day off from Teavana, I find myself still working hard and I look outside and smile.


The sun is always shining.


I've got to reach out make it mine.
It is a joy to be reveling in the energy that everyones emitting.

Continued Unfolding

These pictures were taken on a sweet fourth of July bike ride downtown in Baton Rouge, LA.





There are scenes that become so familiar that they come to you in times when you are deep it thought. A bridge, a levee, and a bike path.





The silhouette of the the lights on the counter relights a place in my heart that holds fond memories. I try to harness this feeling in every deep breath. It helps me to exhale any present bit that isn't worth taking in.





I love how we as humans paint our ceilings as we like to paint our skies. We are innately dazzled by a sky dotted with bits of light.





On that particular fourth of July, I rested below the steps of the levee with Julie.





We paid extra attention to the details because we suddenly knew that change was coming. We watched our hearts explode in brilliant flashes, lighting up the familiar Mississippi as though it were simply a looking glass.





I like to transfer my feelings into the scenes I see unfolding before my eyes. It's as though I channel my presence into the present and when it's all said and done the many details of the moment paint more details than mere pictures.





I still experience the surprise of this shot of the river smiling at me.
We smiled because we knew that the frames we caught were the serendipity in the shutter speed of the camera.
Simultaneously experiencing something then reliving it in capture frames can be a tickling experience.





We had no choice but to let our fears rain down their glittery trail. They are an important brilliance if you don't hold onto them. In a moment they shed light on what needs to be seen.





The path that unfolded for us was brilliant in it's fear, uncertainty, and unknowing. And yet this was all fun. It is all fun. I admire feeling these feels.





After all, each one of our lives is like a flash of the universe. Each lifetime sees it's mapping out of constellations and motion of the stars.





For me it's simple to see the universal all around us.





Whether life brilliantly flashes or quietly passes it is all such a beautiful thing.





I feel complete in each beautiful scene; a whole life in each moment.
I never leave behind or hold on unnecessarily. I revisit and newly adventure daily. I culminate and create.
Time folds back onto itself and refolds for later unfolding.

An Exercise in Being

Breathe.

As the full moon approaches life will either feel likes it's accelerating too quickly or that it's not moving at all.

Recognizing the motion is key. A good practice is to ground yourself in the moment with an undeniable truth of the present.


This mountain is beautiful every moment that I see it. The camera does no justice to the display of colors and texture that this landscape exudes. The sunlight dances along the crevices of the valley in such a brilliant way.

This allows the tides of life's greater oceans to pass through rather than wash me out to sea.

There is a certain harmony within allowing yourself to coexist.

Look Around Rather than Behind

'Rely not on the teacher, but on the teaching. Rely not on the words of the teaching, but on the spirit of the words. Rely not on theory, but on experience. Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do not believe anything because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything because it is written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and the benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.'
-Buddha

Preferred Memories

In a moment that I am feeling underwhelmed by my personal performance throughout the day, I stop and take in the scene.


I find myself in the beautiful surroundings of my job listening to melodic instrumental music coming from a restaurant and the sounds of the fountains.
As the waves on the breeze, I must let this pass through me.

With all things, why not chose the best details to hold onto?

Samsara - That Which Always Moves

There is certainly a brilliance to a rising sun in the desert.


With this sunrise I celebrated the arrival of my parents. They came for a visit for the first time since my leaving from Louisiana.
I suppose it simply has not been long enough for me to feel the distance of the west coast from that familiar home in Louisiana.


Floral reminders of my father's gardens popped up everywhere in Leo's home.


We celebrated Julie's birthday with a belated chocolate cake and semi-awkward birthday wishes. My mom was out for the mordida but due to my dad's help the push into the cake was avoided.


I contemplate their visit as the sun sets.
There's a certain emotional turbulence for which family gatherings are famous. Breathing and awareness are key. Yet in all situations in which strength is required, the bit that slips through the cracks exposes the impermanence of the fortitude.


Each blossom unfolds its delicate presence. We ponder this presences and give to each bloom a meaning.
There's beauty to the bizarre, happiness that comes from the overwhelming, and always a moment forward that leaves behind the moments shed.

It is in the vulnerable simplicity of our nature that we dream up an existence beyond the love and beauty of our lives.

Essence

'This entire cosmos, whatever is still or moving, is pervaded by the divine.'
Isha Upanishad

Enchanted Foods

According to the compass of our home, our kitchen is the area of knowledge and self-cultivation.


To me, that makes sense because once we stocked the kitchen with food and function, the space became a home.


With lots of citrus in the home, I am hoping to finally be pushed to play with the new juicer. For some reason I am overwhelmed to try it out.


However I've certainly had some new culinary adventures. Unsweetened dried coconut is magical atop plain yogurt and fresh strawberries. It ties it all together.


Our most recent stab at buckwheat pancakes was topped with great fresh fruit and a new mixture. Honey, blackstrap molasses, and yogurt combined made quite the delight.


A new magical dish emerged when blackstrap molasses met the tasty goodness of ground turkey and wheat pasta. The combo of garlic, onions, mushrooms, red and yellow bellpeppers, sun dried tomatoes, and a bit of tomato sauce was a culinary adventure for sure.

It's funny how just a few pots and one pan is no limitation to enjoying great satisfaction from cooking food with love. With an abundance of fresh produce and love the ordinary is surpassed daily.

Don't Forget to Breathe

A moment in the evening with a gentle breeze can be the freshest breath of air.

Make It Mine

We shall see how our adventure in our new apartment goes.


I'm confident in our big imagination. :)