If I Were An Animal...

...I'd be a horse.

No surprise, then, that I was born under the sign of the horse on the Chinese calendar.

Fast, high-spirited, and serviceable, I've worked like a horse all my life.

A race horse, I'm not.

Don't care to be saddled, whipped, or forced to compete with others.

 I'd  collapse under the weight of the pressure to win.

In my dreams,

I'm a horse running wild and free in the canyons of Colorado

 or cantering carelessly along the edge of a scenic sea.

In reality, though,

I'm more like a work horse, a plow horse, or Clydesdale...

 ...like the horses working the horse show in the Iowa State Fair Exhibitions Center.

Yoked and trained for the tasks, contemporary "farm teams" demonstrate the skills that old-timey horses practiced in the days before the tractor came to the farm. We watch the horses pull a cultivator between rows of corn (plastic cups set in rows) without trampling new shoots. They move stones (loads of concrete blocks) on sledges, and drag logs around difficult corners. Measured and steady, they skillfully accomplish their tasks and owners strut with pride. The exhibition seems competitive but the style of it is low-key and softspoken.The only thing judged is the excellence of the relationship between the driver and his (her) team of horses.

I can relate.

In my work as an editorial stylist, I team with a photographer to produce the best possible photographs under whatever circumstances we're given. We aren't free to create our own ideas--
the goal is to follow photo orders written by those who hire us.
When the tasks are complete, we're paid. And gently judged by those who trained us for the tasks.

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So the big question is...
If you were an animal, what would you be?

You Can't Tell A Book By Its Cover...

but you can tell a lot about a reader by her (his) book covers.

I noticed that Mimi, over at Vanilla Haven, has titles and covers similar to mine,

mainly those about simplicity and an affinity for white, light, and airy home interiors.

I promised her a post so she could compare.

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I'd love to see the bookcases of all my blogger friends...

Perhaps, for the fun of it, you'll comment here about your collections,

the overall look of your bookcases,

 and a few of your favorite titles?

It would tell me so much more about you!

Dog Days

It's that time of year again...

the sweltering heat

means a big bowl of water is a treasure.

Sometimes generous restaurants offer water at their doors

for doggie customers walking the streets.

Flopping on cool concrete can be a necessity--

unless the concrete blisters from the heat of the sun.

A tongue for air conditioning,

a dog's best friend,

and a cuddle now and then gets us through these doggie days of summer.

Autumn, when are you coming?

Walking on Water

Pedestrian Bridge along the Des Moines RiverWalk, Des Moines, Iowa

Biciclyists welcome.

Night lights, directed at the sweeping architecture of the bridge, add to walking-on-water delights.

A Breath of Heaven

Nothing like Sunday morning in a blue, blue sky.

The National Balloon Classic opened yesterday.

 From an up-close-and-personal vantage point at Pickard Park,

we came to see how launches happen.

Hot air, blasting into the body of a balloon with a fiery flame,

makes a wssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhting sound that reverberates into space.

Now the balloon, with riders aboard, is up, up, up...a little more up...and on its way.

The Classic is orchestrated so balloons avoid collisions by launching at different intervals.

Last ones out of this launching park were someone's grandparents, linked to another balloon.

 "Bye, bye!" they say, "We'll see you on the other side!"

 It's a sort of color and design heaven, hosted by open farmlands,

winds with whims, and a lot of hot air.

 We stand in awe on the ground below,

surrounded by a magical wssshshhhhshhhttttttttttttttting atmosphere,

and the peaceful parade of air travelers floats by overhead.

Heavenly.