Always a fan of the earthiness of pottery, I wasn’t prepared to be blown away by glass. To whatever deep, soulful spaces pottery invites me, I found that blown glass invites me into the celestial. I was in Tacoma when I discovered the work of Dale Chihuly. Very quickly, I realized I must have been…
Category: photography
Butterflies, Guns, and Freedom: Why I’m So Done with the 2nd Amendment
There is a reason the young Pavel Friedman wrote from Terezin in 1942 that he “Never Saw Another Butterfly.” In the Nazi-made ghetto, where freedom was squashed and guards paraded around with guns slung over their shoulders, how could something as free as a butterfly exist? I’ve been thinking about Pavel a lot lately. I’ve…
Six degrees and volcanic activity in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Seems like I’ve been gone from my blog for forever. Sometimes you need to step off, regroup. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but sometimes, you just have nothing to say. Better to remain silent. I went back to work full-time in January, adopting a 7th grade class whose teacher resigned over the…
Women’s March 2018: Oakland, CA
We marched a year ago across the country — and around the world. I had flown to DC as had hundreds of thousands. This year, I stuck closer to home, but in the intervening year, I have continued to protest and march against an administration that seems to only care for the very rich, the…
Just a Blog Away: Fishermen and Poets
There is so much creativity and wonder out there in the blogging world and I need to grab more of it in 2018. That’s one of my goals for the new year. I don’t make resolutions because resolutions are notoriously bad at holding up over time. Goals, though, are doable. Specific. They can be tracked…
November Days of Gratitude: The Camera in My Pocket
My Visual Evolution Images used to rattle around in my brain. I’d take great pains to collect them like seashells or pebbles from the beach, clenched fingers holding tight, spilling some here or there, trying to remember and savor all I’d seen. Back then, a bulky camera would weigh down my shoulders; few images would…
November Days of Gratitude: When autumn colors remind us to slow down
I stood by our mailbox, in the rain, yesterday and as I gathered all the flyers, bills, and catalogs in my arms, I noticed for a minute how beautiful and quiet our street was. The day’s light was waning even while the pavement glistened. The trees are full of color, finally. In the Bay Area,…
November Days of Gratitude: Sunset at Sea Ranch, where my heart belongs
I think one of the great secrets of life is to find that place that makes your heart sing, that place where you can rest and be. A place where your heart belongs is one of the greatest gifts. For some that might be around their kitchen table or in their backyard — and, truthfully,…
November Days of Gratitude: In the 11th Month, on the 11th Day, we remember
To those who serve, to those who have protected our freedoms — to those who understand, more than anyone else, what it means to “put country first” — to our Veterans, we thank you. We stand with you today — as we should stand with you every day. We, as a country, must ask ourselves…
November Days of Gratitude: When one day rolls into the next
My days of gratitude, in and of themselves, have been something to give thanks for. They have centered me, grounded me to the blessings in my life. It has been a slowing down of the crazy pace we’ve accepted as “normal” and given me time to reflect. Mostly. Except yesterday — when I had to…
November Days of Gratitude: The dog that rescued us
I’ve started this three times already because Toby, our yellow lab, makes it very clear that he belongs only to Husband, and I’ve wondered if I can express what he means to the rest of us. He’s a one-person kind of dog; he tolerates, and sometimes loves the rest of us, yet he is easy…
Car wash meditation: an iPhone records and rescues the mundane
I’ve been fighting a bug over the last week — one that kept me in bed for a couple of days. When you teach, you sort of expect that as one of the costs of the job: the kids get sick, so you probably will, too. In the meantime, my car — parked under a…
Barbara Ganias Comstock 