Makayla's Box of Treasures

Celebrations

2010-06-29T23:02:00.003+09:00

At the Crazy Rabbit we celebrate a lot - there is the Friday Night Celebration at the end of each week when we get together and celebrate what we liked about our week and any achievements we have had. Or we may have impromptu celebrations, happening in the spur of the moment simply because life is just so enjoyable and worthy of celebrating.

Sometimes we go out for pizza or we may have a BBQ at Kris and Kalyn's front yard, presently decorated with the colorful lights Kalyn got and the pretty votive candle holders we found the other day. I treasure this moments and feeling in love with my life, of wanting to celebrate it. This is how life should feel and be - a celebration! ~

Ange and Howard (the village sweetheart?)

Kris and Kalyn

Greek Festival

2010-06-29T11:12:00.005+09:00

Last Sunday we went to a Greek Festa here celebrating St. Ilias Day. The music, the food, the dances people danced were all so familiar - like a breeze that brought flavours from back home. One of the things I love about America is the deversity of cultures here. It is not only very enjoyable but it makes it so easy to feel at home ~

Yummy baklava - very light and crispy. The ladies who were serving it were the same ladies who made it. This was the first time I saw clove stuck into each piece to decorate and spice it - very nice

The band playing traditional tunes ~

~ and people dancing to them. Everybody seemed to be having FUN

My turquoise bench

2010-06-24T23:46:00.003+09:00

There was an old bench next to the yurt I live in I liked because it looked very weathered and like it had jumped right out of one of those old western movies I used to see as a child. Now it is painted in bright turquoise that contrasts nicely with the cinnamon brown of the desert and the dark green of the juniper next to it. I can see it from the road to our driveway and it is like a landmark telling me "Home".

My turquoise bench (it feels MY now, for some reason :) is a great place to sit at the end of the day and admire the beautiful sunsets over the hills in the distance or simply relax in the calm of the desert at dusk. I love it!

My friends' little daughter with a jumper matching the color of the bench :)

One of the amasing New Mexico sunsets

My new home - the yurt

2010-06-20T06:58:00.003+09:00

Here are some pictures from the yurt, my new home at the Crazy Rabbit. It is still a work in progress but I am settled down in general and love the energy of my living space. love having such a big space all to myself too. Right now it is divided in two - my private space and the living room/future Happy Days daycare section. I want to paint the bench in front of it in turquoise blue and sit there at dusk to enjoy the amasing sunsets over the distant hills. So beautiful!

My private space ~

The livingroom / daycare section

My future playground - yet to install the tarp I bought over the sandbox and (future) pool

Deva dog guarding me against mice, coyotes, unknown spirits and else :) Ever since I had her to sleep with me my safety factor has risen to the top of the scale. Now I can leave all strange night sounds to her and simply sleeeeeep ~ She happens to be a 5:30 am dog too and can't wait to be let out much after that hour. Not a big sacrifice for me since I wake up early too. I am grateful to have her - she is a great gurd dog and very smart!

The yurt at sunset ~

A new Mexican sunset - always so magical! Everyone is such a treat to see ~

More photos from the early morning desert

2010-06-20T05:51:00.006+09:00

The beautiful Ortis mountains in the distance

Chocolate smelling flowers by the road

Delicate desert flowers

Juniper ~

Expansive, beautiful desert - the road to Galisteo where we walk in the morning

Pretty flowers - a distant relative of the tomato? The plant bears tiny fruit much resembling yellow cherry tomatoes

Desert flower

Cacti by the road

Those little prickly things are the seeds of a local grass. The long 'legs' of the seeds allow the wind to carry them far - the other day we saw a real 'herd' of those little grass hedgehogs in front of the Wallmart in town. This is one very smart plant ~

Morning walks

2010-06-19T23:54:00.006+09:00

Every day at 6:30 I go with my friend Amber for a morning walk. I enjoy those a lot - the air is cool and the vista in front of us expansive. When I hear desert I tend to think of a place with no life but this is not what the high desert here is. There are cacti and junipers growing everywhere and flowers that attracts buzzing bees. The desert is alive, expansive and beautiful!

A desert flower

Our house and the yurt in the distance

The Crazy Rabbit Road we live on

Day-break

2008-12-19T10:20:00.005+09:00

A friend of mine takes beautiful sunrise pictures. Yestrerday I decided to see what the sunrise looks like where I live. I often see stupendous sunsets but never sunrises. So today, when I saw the first colors appear on the dark sky I put on my jacket and ran out. The air was crisp and fresh, cold but not uncomfortable. The bridge over the river I was heading to looks quite close but is further away than I thought. At first I walked and then broke into a run - why not, it felt good and I couldn't wait to see the sun. I met a few early morning joggers on the way - it felt so good to exchange a greeting. Early birds are soul mates it seems and the usual reserve people have here is gone. It felt good to be there, to breathe, to connect with others and all around me. I was a bit late and the sun had already risen but it was still beautiful. Peaceful yet full with energy, the day getting ready for take off. I loved the flickering lights of the city, still asleep but slowly waking up. I so loved greeting my day on that bridge. I am doing it again tomorrow!

Something a friend wrote

2008-12-18T20:12:00.007+09:00

Here is something my friend Sara wrote that goes into my box of treasures:

on the path of our dreams
the river is shallower that it seems
golden and silver sparkling beams
kindly show you the way,
the streams ....

When Fall changes to winter

2008-12-15T19:28:00.008+09:00

These are a couple of pics I took yesterday during my trip to Costco. I wish I could stop the car and take a proper shot because the golden ginko leaves contrasted so beautifully with the red leaves of the shrubs by the road. Thank God for the red lights! In the spring the streets in Tokyo are often covered by a carpet of pink sakura blossoms. In the Fall that changes to the gold of the ginko

Rays of light through the gray skies of early winter. Tokyo's suburbia seen from the roof of Costco

First Frost

2008-12-15T18:08:00.006+09:00

Today, on the way to the studio I saw my first frost for the year. It was a bright sunny day and when I looked over the top of the trees at the mountains in the distance to my delight I saw Fuji san sporting his white sparkling cap.
It was cold this morning - the temperature has dropped to 1 degree C and probably didn't go higher than 10 C during the day. The fields looked pretty covered with a blanket of white frost - the first one I saw this year. Winter has finally firmly stepped in here. I love the change of the seasons and how the vibrant energy of summer changes to the rich abundance of fall to the peace and quiet of winter to the burst of life and color of spring. Each one is beautiful and each one enjoyable in its own way. Time to bundle up warmly....

Fuji san sprakling over the mountain range in the distance. The mountain tops were 'frosted' too by yesterday's rain

Frost covering the fields

A bamboo grove near the studio

Three stalks of susuki - a leftover from Fall

Nana-chan - the studio's cat

2008-11-14T08:36:00.005+09:00

Another pretty morning. The cloud in front of Fuji san made him look like there was a mountain top floating in the sky. Very pretty clouds too.

Mt. Fuji has its snow cap again!

2008-11-13T07:25:00.006+09:00

This morning the weather is sunny again and Mt. Fuji showed itself too! I love to see its snowy face in the crisp winter mornings and its dark shaddow on the background of the sunset's colors in the evenings. Fuji viewing season is here!

Mt. Fuji showed its face again

The veiw from our veranda - 7 AM. The trees on the other bank of the river are beginning to change their colors. It will be pretty for a while!

2008-11-11T16:13:00.005+09:00

Found this great picture of Lucy Rie's bowl and a link to Shoji Yamada making pottery on a hand spun wheel in Australia.

I LOVE THIS BOWL! Am a great fan of Lucy Rie, to me one of the most beautiful potters I know.

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=CwFtg8mBW3s

A Day in Rainy Yokohama

2008-11-09T19:01:00.027+09:00

Today I went to Yokohama to meet Peter. I like when he comes for his two months long stints in Japan - it connects me to home. His birthday was a few days ago and (it is becoming a tradition now) he had invited me for a celebratory lunch, then we planned to go down the Yamashita park to China Town and see that too. The weather was cold, dark and rainy so we didn't go as far as China Town but we went to see the brick warehouses turned galleries and shops and that was nice too. I loved the way lights shone through their small windows - they looked very cozy and warm in the dark autumn day. We had a great birthday lunch at a very nice Italian restaurant. The wine was good and the pizza excellent. The nice surprise was the dessert that came as three slices of cakes of your choice! I chose some tiramisu (really wanted to try that) then a slice of orange and casiss cake and then a slice of baked panna cotta (that was the first time I've ever had the baked version). Very good, all of it. Till I remembered to take a picture it was all gone :)

The Ferris wheel at minato Mirai- would like to get on it one day and look across the bay. And see mt. Fuji if I can!

A futuristic sculpture in front of the Landmark Tower - not sure if I like it but the scale is BIG!

Minato Mirai - I love the contrast of the huge concrete buildings and the colorful small ones at their feet. Brings fun and a human touch to the place

On the way to the brick warehouses (World Porters shopping center on the left). The hotel at the background has a rectangular hole cut in its middle so the building serves as a huge frame. When you look through it from one side you see the Bay and from the other Minato Mirai. Whoever designed it didn't just put the building there but made it fit into and enhance the place. The hotel 'belongs' to it. I like that a lot!

Inside World Porters shopping center at Minato Mirai - Christmas has arrived! Halloween left and Cristmas stepped in immediately - the change of mood is palpable

With Peter toasting his birthday. Very nice side dish of fresh tomato with slices of mozzarella and a drizzling of basil in olive oil. Will try that at home

Minato Mirai with the Landmark Tower

The two old brick warehouses transformed into homes of fun shops, galleries and restaurants. They remind me of the old movie 'Puppet on a string' and the warehopuses in Holland. For some unknown reason on this day there were many Porches of every age, type and color parked at the plaza between them. A Porche gathering?!?

Almost singing in the rain. I had a great day!

This was a surprise because you walk inside the building and the first thing you hit on is a HOLE in the floor covered with glass. Quite reflexively I stepped back so not to fall in it. There are old artifacts that were found at the site on the bottom - like a walk-over mini museum. Nice idea

I loved the atmosphere inside the warehouses - the many shops and restaurants are all fun

Beautiful glass objects at one of the shops

The back of the warehouse - I find those buildings cool! The Bay Bridge connecting Tokyo and Yokohama is seen in the distance

An old bridge over one of the channels that I liked. I liked the beige building with the greenish roof in the distance too - very Yokohama both. Tokyo and Yokohama are so different. In Yokohama the influence of foriegn cultures that came to Japan with the ships that visited the port is easily felt. And I love the many channels and the low barges moving on them. A very favourite place of mine!

Some bright Fall colors in the grey of the day - beautiful!

The Christmas Tree in Queen's Court - very festive, very beautiful! At Halloween I was saying I prefered it to Christmas. Now I am not so sure about that!

Cakes, cakes, cakes - YUMMY all of them!

2008-11-08T20:58:00.013+09:00

When one walks one sees much more than when one drives. Today Sei went golfing and took the car so I went to my new pottery studio by bus. I got to walk the up hill winding road to the studio and even if it was cold and drizzling it was a very nice walk and I saw many things I had missed before.

Fall is so pretty here - I love the smell of it, the colors, the ripe persomons left on the trees for the crows to feast on, the tiny chrisantemums that are everywhere - so many things to see. I am glad I have this place to store my treasures and enjoy them when Winter comes.

From the bus window - the ichou trees (ginko) are beginning to change their colors. Soon they will be bright gold and very beautiful

The road to the studio - it smelled of wet earth and autumn leaves

It's very green on the way to the studio. The red roof showing between the trees is a hotel at the main road where we are at the city. 500 meters away it looks like the countryside

A rose who has forgotten Winter is coming

A kaki (persimon) tree - the leaves fall off to leave only the ripe bright orange fruits on the branches. To me this is one of the several things I associate with fall in Japan

An Angel Trumpet bush with branches heavy with flowers - they are everywhere now

Super straight rows of different vegetables

A kumquat tree (kinkan in Japanese) - the fruits are still green

A statue of the many hands Cannon at what looked like a cemetery

Welcome to my blog!

2008-11-08T17:28:00.004+09:00

Hello!

My name is Makayla and I love photography. I love life too. This blog will be my treasure box to put in it all the enjoyable and beautiful experiences I collect as I go through my days. It is my pleasure to share them with you!