On this photobooth Friday, prior to a long celebratory weekend, I honor those who have given their lives for our country while simultaneously wishing this world and all of it's inhabitants everlasting peace.

He'll be the one knifing through the pool, breaking personal records, bringing home ribbons.
I'll be the one hollering and clicking away on the sidelines.
Every Saturday from now through July.

Bring it.

You know, I am quite good at a few things. Very good at a select few. But then there are so many things at which I am no good at all. For example: growing plantlike objects? Not so much. I gave up on ever growing anything again fourteen years ago. I was living in Australia at the time. Growing a beautiful baby boy in my belly. Lucky enough to have a tiny window in my life where i was able to not work. This is when I decided I would give gardening one big fat go - fertility and time on my hands, a lovely back garden just waited to be tilled and filled. So I started researching how to grow an organic garden. I bought a book, determined the best plants for our region, invested in all types of seeds and topsoil. I spent a full week prepping the bed, planting the seeds, watering...and waiting. And guess what eventually grew in that meticulously tended 5' by 12' plot?

Not a goddammed thing.

Not even a sprout. I was pissed, people. But I eventually got over it - nicknamed myself the "Black Thumb" and moved on. In the ensuing years I have had a house plant here and there, a tiny cactus that hung on for awhile. I do buy little orchid plants now and then to have live flowers in the house but they all eventually die. I have heard that if you care for them that orchids will flower again but certainly not under my dark tutelage. Mine dry out to little twigs and eventually get tossed in the trash.

So imagine my surprise upon entering the laundry room the other day to see this. An abandoned and long forgotten orchid plant sitting in the window with this flower on it. It has been given no water. No attention. I do not even know how many months that this plant sat there - ignored. And then - BAM. There are even nine more little buds on their way out to say "Hi!".

I am giggly and thankful for my pretty little miracle plant. There is probably a perfectly logical explanation for this phenomena. But in a totally 'me' way I have opted to keep myself in the dark as to the wily ways of this plant and instead go all 'symbolic' instead...

In a small and sweet way, it serves as my very own reminder to perhaps be more patient, or to release or maybe even forget to tend something once in awhile.

You just never know what you might get.

_______________________

p.s. Have a happy weekend, lovely ones, a happy weekend indeed.

I hope your mama's day was lovely. Mine was filled with home grown, hand picked roses,

a new salt cellar,

and this remarkable card that is a painting that is a poem that is from my very own boy - click here to read his words - one can only imagine what kind of man he will some day become.

Happy belated Mother's (but every other too) Day.

One of the seeds I have recently planted is an application to the immeasurably fantastic opportunity called Barnstorm XXI. In their words:

The Eddie Adams Workshop (Barnstorm) is an intense four-day gathering of the top professionals in photojournalism, along with 100 carefully selected students. The Workshop's purpose is to create a forum in which an exchange of ideas, techniques, and philosophies can be shared between both established members and newcomers of the profession of picture journalism. The Workshop is tuition-free, and the 100 students are chosen based on the merit of their portfolios.

I submitted my carefully chosen words, a recommendation letter, my twenty images just today. I am visualizing myself packing my camera bag, getting on the plane to New York, arriving - full of nervous anticipation - at this event of events for my chosen field this coming October. Here are the words I sent to the committee. The words - along with the images - that I hope will gain me admittance:

"My name is Leslie Sophia Lindell and I am a Professional Photographer. I do not think I can express in two short paragraphs the extreme joy I experience each time I say that. You see, it has been a long and satisfying journey to get here.

I was twenty years old when I packed my car and moved to Los Angeles on my own. I landed a coveted Assistant job in the Art Department of A&M Records. This is where I learned to shoot – TMAX 400 my drug of choice at the time. I spent the ensuing twenty years following my creative instincts – freelance video production, a move to Australia, gallery showing of my paintings, the birth of a son, return to the US, the Director of an art gallery, departure from the creative field altogether to raise that lovely son on my own and then – THEN – the invention of the digital camera. It has drawn me back in and my life is breathtakingly changed for it. Self taught, I have been shooting professionally for one year. I am deeply dedicated, perceptive, my eye serves me well. I can only hope that you agree and I am allowed the amazing opportunity to further my knowledge by joining you at the Eddie Adams Workshop/Barnstorm XXI.

Thank you."

the images:

And here is where the favor comes in. Might you visualize this for me as well? Help me water and tend this effort? In any way you see fit. Perhaps a gentle nod in my direction, a big "hooray" at your computer screen, a raise of your next glass, or...any darn thing that you might think of? I would so appreciate it and love the idea of you being part of this dream come true.

And, don't you worry, I will let you know as soon as I do how successful we have been.

Has this week ever been a blur!

I was just one second ago wishing you a lovely weekend and now we have already arrived at a whole new one. So many planted seeds, things buzzing around, hopes for fruition - things to catch you up on. But no time. So for now, I send you buzzy happy smiles and wishes for yet another weekend of yum.