A Professor's Hair Diary

I've about given up on my hair experiment for the semester. The problem isn't the hairstyles, it's finding someone to take the pictures.
Grace has moved out, and many mornings, my husband decides to catch a later bus, so he is still in bed when I'm running out the door to work.
It seems selfish to force him out of bed on a chilly morning just to take my picture. I've tried asking the barista at Starbucks to take it if she's not busy, or the secretary in the English Department at school, but it all seems a little ridiculous.
I try taking the picture myself, but it just doesn't work out.

Like the time I tried to do two braids and then pin them up on either side.

I ended up doing one ponytail braid.

Another day I did a loose side braid and took a picture of myself in the classroom after all the students had left.

Monday, I did a ponytail and walked to work. Enjoying some of the lights on the 4-mile trek, but my hair was a real wreck afterwards . Must have been a lot of moisture in the air.

Wednesday I did a high bun that I bobby pinned down. I tried to take a selfie while sitting in the bookstore study area, but I don't think you can even see the bun.

It's all been too much to worry about, perhaps. But I am eventually going to figure out how to do a milkmaid braid, like this:

Saturday Snapshot -- Experiments

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On Wednesday, as I was dashing between classes from building to building, I passed this balloon experiment. I didn't get to stay long enough to see what happened, but did enjoy seeing the students beginning to surround the professor wondering what was going on.

I imagine the experiment had something to do with physics or chemistry. Since the balloon was floating it obviously was filled with helium.

Hope something piqued your curiosity this week too.

Saturday Snapshots -- Interesting Things

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I'm always looking for interesting things. When I parked at work on Friday, I loved seeing these tiny piles of stacked stones. Apparently, they're meant to imitate cairns, which is Gaelic and the stones were balanced to memorialize loved ones. Now stacked stones might be anywhere, even in parking lots.

After a sleepless night because of family worries, I cancelled my run and instead went for a walk this morning. Our little city was preparing for a race with flags marking the routes, and I saw this elaborate colorful drawing. 

And finally, as I neared the end of my walk on this gloomy sky day, I noticed this delightfully pink tree. And I couldn't resist taking a picture.

I hope everyone else is finding joy today, wherever you can. 

Saturday Snapshot -- April Snow

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We woke up this morning to find that Spring has abandoned us and winter returned in full force.
I tried to go for a run but stinging nettles of icy pellets attacked my face, so I came home. My husband agreed to go for a walk with me, so we could be bundled up.
The weather continued to be cold and blustery, but we paused to take some pictures of the snow on the freshly bloomed flowers.

We also took a tulip selfie. This woman always has gorgeous tulips every spring. It feels like Holland.

The snow also looked picturesque on the creeping phlox.

The weather should return to the Spring later this week. Hope you're having a lovely weekend, bad weather or no.

Saturday Snapshots -- Early Spring

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My morning excursions are some of my favorite times of the day, of the week.
Earlier this week, the sky glowed a beautiful pink as the sun rose.

And then the pink segued into a lovely golden sky. 

I feel fortunate that I can get outside and experience it. 

This morning, I ran with my friends on a bike trail in the country and we stopped along a vernal pool, yes, one of those spring pools that doesn't appear the rest of the  year, and listened to the spring peepers along with some bird song. There isn't much to see, but the sounds are inspiring.

Hope everyone else finds some joy in their weekend. 

The End of an Era

Yesterday, my youngest turned 20.
No more teenagers in my house.
It doesn't really seem that different though.
I have two kids living at home. Grace has finished college, is working full time and acts in shows so she has rehearsal most evenings.
Tucker has been on and off at college. He's currently studying videography and living at home. Sometimes I wonder whether he'll end up moving to France with us when we go next May.
I have so few recent pictures of Tucker, that I had to crop a family photo to get one of him.
I started off his birthday by going to the local donut store and buying a box of donuts for when he woke up.
I also got a helium balloon to attach to the box because I'm a sappy mom and I wanted him to feel special. As the youngest, his birthday has sometimes gotten pushed aside, like the time my husband found out on Tucker's birthday that  his job was going through layoffs. It put a damper on the celebration to say the least.
And March is usually busy when the older kids are around with sports activities or college prep things.
He can't really complain though since he had two years home alone with the other kids gone to college. He definitely enjoys being an only child.

Tucker is a bit on the quiet side now, but that is not his usual nature. As you can see from this picture, he has enjoyed the spotlight. 

And even though he tries to be unassuming, he has had his share of fame in swimming and on stage.

My boys chilling on a whitewater rafting trip. I hear they had a lot of fun. 

And here, my youngest trying to warm up in my arms after a swim. Those were pretty perfect times. 

I'm glad to see him growing up and eager to see how his life goes, but I'm grateful for the times I got to cuddle him too. 

Saturday Snapshot -- Cats and Runs and Chocolate

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Today I started off my day with a 10-mile run through my small city and on into the next suburb. For some reasons, there's a cornfield in the middle of the city, and a paved path going through it.

So I took the opportunity to run along the path and found a small brook. Probably, the brook isn't there except in the spring time as the snow melts -- a vernal pool.

I texted my husband around mile 7 and asked if he wanted to meet me at the coffee shop where I would end my run. So we met and bought hot drinks. As we walked home, me sweaty and worn out, we stopped at the salon, and they had time to give him a haircut, so I walked home alone.
When he arrived home later, he deposited a boy of chocolates on the table. "It's your birthday week," he reminded me.

Hope it's going to be a good one.

I made the bed the other morning, and the cat, who isn't allowed to sleep with us at night anymore because he disturbs me, had curled up on the pillows. He refused to move and was still there at noon.

So, my running is going well, my writing is going well, and my family is loving and supportive. Those are the things I'll hold onto as I enter my birthday week.

Saturday Snapshots -- Friends

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In spite of the hectic holiday season in December, we managed to gather as friends on a couple different nights.
This is a picture of us at Italian Market in Italian Village. These friends were the parents in my homeschooling group. They were my village that helped raise my children, assuring me, cautioning me, loving me.
Only one of these couples has a child they still homeschool, but that hasn't broken the bond of friendship.
It's so great that so many of us could enjoy each other the week after Christmas.

I hope everyone has an equally supportive group of friends that they see, if only occasionally, as we do. 

Saturday Snapshot -- Sunrise

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Friday evening, I went to the first same-sex marriage that I've attended. The Supreme Court ruling in June made same-sex marriage legal in Ohio.

This morning on my run, I spotted a lovely sunrise. 

How many times a year will it peek through at this exact spot? 

Of course, the picture is never as good as the real thing. You'll have to take my word for it. 

Maybe I'll get a picture of the full moon tonight so I can juxtapose them. 

Glorious Morning

This morning was glorious, not just the weather, but the fact that I didn't have to go to work.
I've been teaching six days a week, but one of my colleges just finished until Aug. 31, so I'm only working three days a week.
Don't feel bad for me though; the number of hours I work is pretty pitiful. It just mentally took its toll because I didn't have two full days off.
This morning, I decided to ride my bike to the gym. The bike trail is smooth and safe, but I take my life in my hands a bit getting to the bike trail.

Our town definitely needs to work on that. Part of the ride is along a four-lane road. I figured early in the morning, I should be safe.
After my workout at the gym, I got on my bike to ride back home, but the intense blue of the sky convinced me to keep going.

This low-head dam hasn't been removed yet.

I was one of those obnoxious people saying "Morning!" to anyone I passed. Most of them were on their way to work, however, so their greetings were not as effusive as mine.

My attempt at an artsy photo of downtown Columbus. 

On my way to the gym, I passed a family walking on the trail. A mother with a little boy, maybe five  years old, and a grandmother. When I rode my bike to downtown Columbus, I passed them again. They had walked all that way. I can't imagine my kids able to walk that far when they were little. People have lives that we know nothing about. They greeted me with a cheery hello each time I saw them, because I turned around from downtown and rode back home.

On the bike path near Confluence Park, which is where the Scioto and Olentangy rivers come together, I saw a love lock. Etched on the lock were the names Chris and Sara. Then the date, 7/13/09. Since it's the only lock attached there since 2009, I guess this bridge isn't going to become one of those "love locks" bridges that becomes weighed down by locks.

Here's the lock on the bridge. 

When I returned home, I convinced Grace to get out of bed and to walk to the coffee shop with me. Usually, in August, the air in Ohio is heavy with humidity, but the past few days, the humidity has dispersed and that makes the sky sparkle.
We enjoyed a bonding mother/daughter time before she had to get ready for work.
Then Tucker came into the kitchen,  ready for work, and we actually had a good talk. He's going to consider maybe going back to college. I'll take that little sign of hope.

Dreaming of France -- Dramatic Paris Evening

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

There is something magical about the evening in Paris.
Earl and I didn't do a lot of touristy things in Paris during our last visit, but we made it a point to head down to the Louvre and the Seine as the sun was setting.
Luckily for me, my little iPhone caught some lovely pictures.
Here's the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, which is just across the street from the Louvre pyramid.

I know that I posted a picture of the Louvre pyramid on Facebook, but I'm not sure if I posted it on my blog, so here's how it looked as the clouds gathered and the sun began to set that evening.

And we also have an evening shot of the Eiffel Tower in the distance with a tiny sickle of the moon above it. The photo may not show it, but Venus nestled close by to the moon too. A gorgeous sky that night. 

This picture must have definitely been taken during the blue hour. 

Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. Please leave a comment and visit each other's blogs to see how others are Dreaming of France too.

Dreaming of France -- Saying Goodbye

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Tonight, we watched the sunset on our vacation. We fly home in the morning.
We've had a lovely visit soaking up the culture along with eating and drinking our way through cities.
I lucked onto a lovely photo as the evening fell near the Louvre.

The clouds look dramatic and the pyramid at the Louvre is lovely lit up.

And then, while we waited for the Eiffel Tower to sparkle, I knelt down and took a shot through the pillars of the bridge. Which bridge, you may ask? I never could keep them straight. The one near the Obelisk.

You can see a sliver of the moon at the top of the photo. Venus was shining just above it too.

Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. I have cameras full of more photos I can use for Dreaming of France and some interesting stories to tell too. I hope you'll come back and join me.

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Dreaming of France -- A Wet but Glorious Day

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

Today we set off to explore France, in spite of the persistent rain. According to the weather, we would have a two-hour window without rain. But the weather was wrong. Nevertheless, we visited Isle sur la Sorgue, about an hour away from Aix en Provence. Isle sur la Sorgue has a market on Sundays, and has many antiques shops every day.
We aren't in the market for antiques, or the lovely food products, but we still enjoyed strolling through the streets of the town. La Sorgue is a river that comes from a source so deep that no one knows what the source is, according to our friend Delana who played tour guide today.
The river is a striking green color, and it isn't even Saint Patrick's Day yet.

The long grasses in the river reminded me of mermaids for some reason.

The town has many canals, directing the rushing green water through gates. Sometimes the water gushes, sometimes it calmly flows.

And that's where Earl and I spent the day, as we pose here in front of a canal, which is mostly hidden by our umbrella.

Dreaming of France -- Traveling With Kids

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

Traveling with kids is always a hit or miss experience, and most of the time both hit and miss. We had some brilliant moments and some excruciating ones last time we took all the kids to Europe. We always looked for things to entertain them.
One day, while staying in Bandol along the Mediterranean, Earl took the kids to a nearby zoo. In the US, we take our zoos seriously. They're a little more laid back in France. You can buy popcorn or caramel corn to feed the animals.

 So the animals were anxious to greet visitors.

But my favorite pictures from the zoo were of my children goofing around. 

I love that Tucker, my youngest, was such a joker here. He had just turned 10 and could be his true self. 

Today, he turns 19, and he has become a serious guy without much room for making a fool of himself.

But we'll always have these memories and hope the true Tucker reappears in a few years.

Thanks for playing along and please visit each other's blogs and leave comments.