Seven days after Easter: Kaptain Karl watches birds in the dogwood tree at sunrise.
This is Sunday’s picture of the dogwood we’ve been watching. We’re counting the number of days after Easter she blossoms. Still only one guess — mine. I said 21 days. This is not much of a guessing pool. Hey wait. I’m a Gemini. That means I get a guess for my other personality. My alter ego is far more optimistic — 11 days.
Sometimes I am so jealous of the Kaptain.
He gets to lay around and do nothing ALL the time.
It’s not fair.
Karlito is a little big for that cat tower though.
He’ll let you know in no uncertain terms if you get too close.
See?
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 6:30 am
Six days after Easter: This is the day on which we first observe the emergence of leaves on the dogwood we are watching. Pathetically, the pool only has one entry: mine. I am guessing she’ll be at full blossom by Day 21 after Easter. What’s your guess?
Both of the pictures in today’s post were taken Saturday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. See the leaf buds on this one? I love watching trees grow!
As a little bonus spring shot, this is the view from my desk at The Times. Those are Natasha’s flowers. Thanks, Natasha, for the pretty view!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 6:38 am
This is Peanut.
She lives in an apartment building in Manhattan. I always wondered what it would be like to be a small child growing up in Manhattan. Sure she has access to many a playground — there’s one at ground level at their building, and a big one with lots of great equipment right across the street. But Peanut loves to play in the hallway! I LOVE this picture!
This is in the playground across the street. It was really cold that day and Peanut couldn’t seem to decide what she wanted to do. I love this picture for the emotional uncertainty on Peanut’s face, and the watchful, yet patient eyes of her parents behind her.
I love that picture in black and white too and couldn’t decide which I liked better. I LOVE her red coat, so I had to present it both ways. The black and white would look awesome as part of a wall display on a richly colored wall. But the color one would look great on a white wall. Which one do you like better?
Isn’t she adorable? So sweet too.
Hanging with dad on the roof. (Literally.)
This is almost all of Peanut’s family…
…Peanut’s new little baby brother- or sister-to-be is lovingly called “Sushi.”
Peanut is the little girl’s nickname. “Peanut” was what they called her before she was born.
I love this picture! It really shows off mom’s true figure!
I love this one too! So much great light in their apartment! I think it’s so cool when moms-to-be document their pregnancy with beautiful photographs!
I love this one of mom and dad’s hands around the baby. Beautiful light and shadows, and I love the rings too.
Peanut loved playing with mom and dad on a fun Sunday in New York!
She has such gorgeous eyes!
Can’t wait to meet you, Sushi!
Their slide show is private, but if you’d like to see — it’s SO fun — just email the family for the link!
Peace,
mamarazzi
Oooh, one more! Isn’t this the coolest “mamarazzi” picture? LOVE IT!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 9:04 am
Four days after Easter: This bud is near the top of the tree. This could take weeks!
In case you’re new to the blog, we’re watching to see how many days after Easter my dogwood blossoms. Let’s start a pool! I’ll start the bidding at 21 days after Easter for fully opened blossoms over most of the tree.
Remember Twirly? Bradley says I should make a “wanted” poster with this picture. He’s seriously squirrel obsessed.
Wanted: one dogwood that can survive a winter’s worth of squirrel claws.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 3:14 pm
Three days after Easter: Did I say I would POST a picture of my dogwood every day until she blossoms, or just TAKE one? Well, in any case, for my dogwood followers, here’s yesterday’s picture, a close-up on manual focus. I have really bad eyes, so manual focus is iffy at best. I love the hint of the crown of thorns in this shot though.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 6:33 pm
Sometimes it’s hard for me to visualize how my pictures will look up on the wall. So I designed templates in photoshop that allow me to change the wall color, and put pictures up on a virtual wall so I can get an idea how they all work together.
Above, I’m showing Janet a layout for the sitting area at the top of her stairs. This is a family unportrait as an 11×14 print matted in a 16×20 black frame and three unmatted 4×6 prints in black frames.
Janet sent me a snapshot of the wall she wanted to put pictures on, so I had an idea of the space and where the light would come from. Here’s the snapshot she sent me, below:
I estimated the space needed to hang the frames at around 36 inches wide by 24 inches tall. In most of the examples shown below, my clients would purchase the prints from me, and buy frames from any standard decorating store or frame shop.
Janet sent me this one too, above, and I figured she could use another layout for the opposite wall.
This is a much smaller display, and could either be used on that opposite wall, to the right, or, it could be used on the window wall, to the left of the window, as a full corner of Family Art with the plan to decorate the opposite wall similarly after her family’s next photo shoot.
Janet sent me this one of a wall in the master bedroom above a couch. Isn’t that so cool she has a couch in the master bedroom? I love it! I love being able to visualize the available space, and what the photographs would be hanging above or beside.
In this case, I felt that simplicity was in order, so I chose black and white pictures, and emphasized the relationships between mom and dad and each child.
Isn’t Janet GORGEOUS? WOW!
The side images are ones I know Janet loves: one of her and her daughter on the trampoline, and one of her husband and son checking out trucks in the dining room. These are 4×6 prints matted in 8×10 frames for a larger white mat, giving that wall a little extra contrast and light.
Those frames can be found online and in many stores like Kohl’s and Michael’s. You can also buy mats with smaller mat openings for 8×10 and larger frames at places like Michael’s and Pearl Arts & Crafts.
Above, here’s another way to showcase those same images, but this time, the layout would work well above a king or queen headboard. I changed the wall color just to demonstrate how easy it is to visualize wall displays in different rooms. Notice also that I used 8×10 prints in 11×14 frames for the side images in this one.
Janet also asked for a layout of images for her daughter’s room. I poked through the image gallery from their photo shoot to see if I could remember what the wall color was, and I believe it’s a very soft yellow. I also remember that there isn’t a lot of wall space in her room because of awesome architectural details like angled ceilings.
But there was a nice empty space above the twin bed, on its long side (not above the headboard, but above the bed itself) and there was space above the dresser.
I like big prints because they look so awesome, but Janet could easily take this layout and use smaller images — a 5×7 as the centerpiece and 4×6’s as the side images. Still, I’m certain the larger display will look more like wall art and less like snapshots so I say GO FOR IT!
And then I started to think: What if they painted the wall pink since I was there last? Here you go! PINK WALLS!
Above, a layout for her son’s room. When I was there last, his wall was a neutral taupe color, but this layout would work on just about any color wall because the colors of their images were so great with the colors of the fall leaves!
Applying my new wall display system to other clients, I started to wonder what it might look like for a client who is stuck with white walls in an apartment where painting isn’t allowed. Above, look how easy it is for me to change both the wall color and the mat color in a consultation with my clients!
My new templates are SO easy to work with! I made a huge Photoshop file with masks for the actual sizes, and everything from the frames to the mats to the images are proportioned as they would be for an actual wall display. (Then I sized the whole thing down so it would be workable on a smaller scale.)
Of course, the actual frame size depends on the width of the frame you buy, but this gives you a great visualization of how it might look to put certain images together at various sizes.
Above, the last time was at Kate’s house, she asked for advice on displaying images of her children above her upright piano on a wall painted a deep rust color. At the time, I could only imagine black and white images working in that space, but now that I’ve put it together, I love the colors!
In this case, I used my favorite image/frame combo, a 19×13 image in a black 26×20 frame. I call this my “JWS Signature Print.” I special-order these frames because I LOVE them! Displayed under very high quality UV-coated acrylic, the print will last hundreds of years. It’s a very light substance, too, so even though it’s a large frame, it’s not heavy and is perfect for display in a child’s room, family room or playroom! (For blog readers who attend my church, this is the frame I used to display that awesome image from The Last Supper dramatization. It’s still on display in the Narthex.)
Here’s another focal point display idea for a richly painted wall. One large “JWS signature print” surrounded by 6×4 prints in 8×10 frames.
Bookmark the blog and come back often for more wall display ideas!
And remember: when you’ve got beautiful images of your family, you have no need for Rockwell! If you take the time to build a display, I promise that you will cherish your Family Art for decades. Think about all the benefits:
* Beautiful images of YOUR family.
* If you want, you can keep those images up and add to the display over the years, OR, you can update the images as your family grows.
* Trust me when I say that your friends and family will be WOWED by your Family Art! The bigger the better, I say!
Coming soon: more canvas gallery wraps, storyboard displays and other fun ideas! And keep in mind that if you’re having trouble deciding which images will work best together on your wall, send me a list of favorites, measurements of the wall space you’d like to decorate, the wall color or a snapshot of the space you’d like to hang your family art, and I’ll post some ideas for you too!
And to my wonderful clients, Janet and Kate, THANKS for lending me your adorable children and asking my advice about wall displays. I am so thrilled to be able to offer this service to all my clients now! You’re the best!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:13 am
We’ve been watching all week to see if the dogwood might blossom in time for Easter. Considering the fact that she normally blossoms around the middle of April, I figured there wasn’t much chance this year. But we watched anyway, just to see if there would be any sign of life in the winter bud. While she has looked pretty much the same every day in terms of bud-opening, or not opening, she certainly is colorful when we look closely!
The picture above was taken before the sunrise Easter service at my church, at around 6:30 a.m. The golden color is the light in the dining room glowing in the window. She’s not blossoming in time for Easter, but true to my promise, look for a picture a day until she does blossom!
The rest of the pictures below follow in chronological order, generally, through my Easter Sunday, starting with the sunrise service in the church cemetery, above.
That’s Bradley singing in the choir — he’s the tall one in the center in the tie. I promised him that every year after he sings at the sunrise service, I’ll take him to Dunkin’ Donuts. That’s worth getting up at 6 for. No?
The light was beautiful.
But man, it was COLD! Somebody said it was around 30 degrees when the service started.
Love the light in this one too.
In between services, I took the obligatory boys-dressed-up-for-Easter picture. Gregory just LOVES having his picture taken. He sang at the 9 o’clock in a robe three sizes too small. Next year, I promise, Gregory will have a robe that fits.
My choir fully appreciates Brenda, our director/organist, especially after the later services on Easter Sunday when she plays that Toccata for the postlude. I always know it’s Easter when I hear that Toccata. And I love to hear Amy sing “Was It a Morning Like This?” I especially like the lyrics, “Did the grass sing? Did the earth rejoice to feel You again?” Thanks, Amy and Brenda, for being such a big part of Easter for me!
I’m not saying a word.
The senior choir sings at two indoor services on Easter. In between, we are treated to omelettes courtesy of Ramon. (I paid for mine with a picture.)
My omelette was delicious and there were NO BUGS!
All joking aside, Ramon, you are the OMELETTE KING of the Easter feast! Thanks!
After church, I went hunting for proof of spring. Found it in one little tulip on the verge of blooming in my backyard…
…Found it in the games of wiffle ball too…
…and in the bird watching.
Found spring in the outdoor child supervising.
…And more wiffle ball.
I love this picture of all my boys.
Did I mention the G-rex loves having his picture taken? (Not really, but he LOVES being on the blog so I promised I’d get a post done for him as long as he gave me a nice picture! Yay!)
Was it a beautiful day or WHAT?!
Name that park. (That’s TOO easy!)
It’s still cold enough for ice skating.
Bradley is the man of many colors today. From choir boy in a tie at sunrise, to bird watcher, wiffle player, military virologist (yeah, don’t ask, trust me on that one)…
…to slurping jello through a straw in the evening.
I love my family!
Thank you to all my blog readers for taking this “Walk Through Holy Week” with me. I’ll continue to update you on the dogwood until she blossoms. I have faith that she will eventually show us her colors, reminding us of her Easter story, even if Easter has come and gone so early.
Peace, my friends,
jules
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 10:28 pm
This is my new favorite “unportrait” of Bradley and Gregory! Love the angles, the light, the sky, the clouds, the honey locust trees, the depth, everything! COOL! We were out all afternoon playing on this beautiful Saturday before Easter, and I took lots of pictures of my sweet boys. LOVE YOU, GUYS!
Later on, as I started to edit the pictures in the waning light of sunset, I was talking to my mom on the phone — she lives in Charleston where the dogwoods are in full blossom and I’m SO jealous — and she asked me if I knew why Easter is so early this year.
By the way, here’s today’s dogwood mugshot. (And some more randomly scattered throughout this disorganized post.) My dogwood is not going to blossom by Easter morning. But we knew that already and can still appreciate the Charleston dogwoods, thanks to my friend, Jill.
So anyway, the timing of Easter for us Western Christians (as opposed to Eastern Orthodox Christians) is based on a complicated formula of the Gregorian calendar, as in Pope Gregory XIII. (My Gregory will like reading that one!)
Generally speaking, Easter falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox.
But that’s not entirely true.
Because the “full moon” of which we speak is not the ACTUAL full moon, but an ecclesiastical full moon, which just means that it’s the full moon as determined from tables, and not necessarily the exact date of the astronomical full moon.
But, thankfully, that table of full moons is pretty close to the astronomical one. Phew!
So, Easter falls on the first Sunday…
… following the ecclesiastical full moon…
…that occurs on or after…
… the day of the vernal equinox.
This ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation. (Day 1 of a tabular lunation corresponds to the ecclesiastical new moon.)
(Got a headache yet?)
… And since the vernal equinox is fixed as March 21…
… that means that Easter can never fall before March 22 or later than April 25.
The vernal equinox occurred on March 20 this year, and the ecclesiastical full moon occurred on March 21, so, happy Easter tomorrow!
Just remember, you can’t go by the astronomical full moon…
… because there are differences between the astronomical full moon and the ecclesiastical one. Lunar motion is a complex system!
In 1962, for example, the astronomical full moon was on March 21, 6 hours AFTER the astronomical equinox. The ecclesiastical full moon was on March 20 and BEFORE the ecclesiastical equinox on March 21. If the date of Easter was determined by the astronomical full moon, Easter would have been on March 25 in 1962. But following the rules, Easter was not until the Sunday that came after the next ecclesiastical full moon on Wednesday, April 18. So Easter Sunday fell on April 22 in 1962. My brothers, Steve and Bill, age 2 and 4 then, would have had a grand and fully warm Easter that year!
And I most definitely have a headache!
So for my mom, down in Charleston with the blossoming dogwoods, here’s a pretty bud for you and the gift of answering your question, “Why does Easter fall so early this year?” (Information gleaned from the United States Naval Observatory and various calendars and astronomical tables.)
Above, that’s my dogwood from the point of view of the squirrel-proof bird feeder looking up at the sky.
Incidentally, here’s a little Julie tidbit for all my loyal blog readers…
… my mom was BORN on Easter Sunday! Her name is Easter! Her birthday won’t fall on Easter again until 2018, on which date, she says, she will turn 4 years old.
…Because thanks to leap year and the ecclesiastical moons and the vernal equinox and the… oh never mind… I have to be at church at 6:40 a.m. GOODNIGHT!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 8:17 pm
At last night’s Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service, the bell in the Sanctuary tolled 33 times in complete darkness, once for each year of Jesus’ life on earth. After the last bell, and a moment of silence in a crowded Sanctuary, the pastor lit the Christ candle, symbol of hope for what is to come on Easter morning, and yet we leave the Sanctuary in darkness, speaking little, if at all, to our friends as we headed toward Good Friday.
Instead, we listened to the profound silence.
As I was walking into the church last night, the sky was beautiful against the trees and clouds. Can you see the moon? (Bottom center.) Bradley and I have always thought of pink clouds as being a symbol of hope, so I thought it was interesting that I’d be walking into church last night and notice pink clouds.
This morning Bradley and I watched the alternate DVD version of the movie “I Am Legend” with a different ending from the theatrical one.
SPOILER ALERT. Not to worry. If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, my discussion will not spoil if for you, so keep reading.
A voiceover in the alternate version says, “You are not alone. There is hope. Keep listening.”
That’s the message of Easter! Because I committed myself to writing about Holy Week, I’ve been listening very carefully, and watching with an open mind, waiting for inspiration.
The great thing is: It was there all along! All I had to do was open my eyes and ears.
I hear it in the seasons, too, watching the trees. Above, today’s dogwood mugshot.
We’ve been watching her all week. And even though I’m pretty sure MY dogwood won’t blossom in time for Easter morning, the dogwoods SOMEwhere are blossoming!
In fact, just today, my friend, Jill, in Charleston, took pictures of her blossoming dogwood and posted them on her blog JUST FOR US! See? Keep listening and watching.
There is hope!
Coming tomorrow on my walk: don’t know yet. I’m still waiting for inspiration.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 4:05 pm
The title of this post should have been “A Day of Random Reflections” because that’s what it’s turned out to be. My life has a weird randomness to it that has my head spinning.
I’ll start with the first pictures of the day, taken around 2 a.m. at the Metuchen train station, above.
That truck was too tall to fit under the train trellis. It rammed into the bridge and sheared off the top of the cab.
I’m just letting you know in case you heard a really loud crash some time last night and wondered what it was.
I thought the parking sign was interesting covered with rain drops and glowing in the streetlight. The randomness of the little reflections combined with “24″ as in round-the-clock randomness — see? That sign is my life.
Ever since I got my new camera, I wondered if I could take a picture of the church courtyard at night with no flash, and actually get a decent shot. It worked!
First thing this morning, I checked on the dogwood.
Still not much movement in the blossoming department, but the pictures are challenging my graphic edgyness. I like the one above for it’s random focus, yet nicely spaced intervals.
I took this one of Bradley working at the computer, trying to see if I could get a cool reflection in his glasses. Ah, not so cool, but I still like the picture. It has a graphic composition of balanced corners that I like.
To complete the circle of randomness, I went to the Concert for Peace at Gregory’s school today. That’s Gregory, the tall one in the tie.
Above, and below: random pictures from the concert.
(Wide angle lens.)
(Sisters.)
Just after the bow at the end of the concert. (He bowed into her head!)
I’m heading out the door in a minute. My choir is singing at the Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service at church, my favorite worship service of the whole year, and the one which will end my randomness for the day. The church will grow darker as the service progresses through the story of Jesus’s last night, ending with the Sanctuary in complete darkness, the symbol of the darkness of the tomb. And then one candle, the Christ candle will be lit…
Coming tomorrow on my walk: Hope.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 5:41 pm
