Are you smelling the flowers?

It’s been up to three weeks since I’ve arrived in the States and we had some really crazy but wonderful days in the same time! Amidst a funeral, 2 weddings (one being ours, happening at the end of this week), 2 job interviews, my fiance’s last exams, graduation and the start of a new job, plus all the other things in between, I honestly think that we redefined the term “busy”! :)

Even so, I tried to sneak peek here and there and take some time to just enjoy the new sights and smells around me…everything is so green and bursting with life in Virginia! the birds are singing like crazy next to our window! and the smell of the grass, and the earth….we are definitely getting ready for summer!

No photos yet though but I remembered Waterhouse’s lyrical and ethereal paintings…this comes pretty close because that’s how I feel every time I walk in the park or near a bush of flowers, or a tree… :)

John William Waterhouse, “My sweet rose”, 1908

More about him and his art, here!

Are you guys enjoying the approaching of summer? and what are your favorite flowers? :) Leaving Austria, everything was in bloom there too but the lilac was EVERYWHERE and the smell….you just couldn’t get enough!

End of Summer…

No, summer is not over yet, but I need to be reminded that it will be, quite soon.

Summers have this elusive quality. No matter what you do, how hard you try and enjoy them, they escape way too soon and in the end, you feel that you haven’t had enough. Not the same with winters, who always have their way in driving me mad with the cold and the darkness, especially when the spring is near,  in late March/April when the snow and the cold are still present. That’s when I feel that I am about to lose it.

This summer has been no different. Hectic, terribly hot, full of traveling, people, changes, not a moment to breathe (except now) and just like all the others before, it is almost gone. It can be too much, it can be too good, but I’d rather have this any day now.

And because it is still too hot, I dream of haystacks to jump on, of soft breezes, generous trees in offering rest and shadow, quietness, solitude and nature close at hand…at least from inside my city room.

Claude Monet, “Wheatstacks, end of summer”, 1890-91. Found at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Maria Tanase/Nigel Kennedy, while it is still summer…

In the mood for some Maria Tanase, one of Romania’s most beloved and talented folk singers.

Because it is (still) summer, because the sun shines just as powerfully as it did in July, and because this song makes me feel like dancing. And if all of this wasn’t enough, another master is paying her a wonderful tribute: Nigel Kennedy.

He is a breathtaking violinist, do check him out if you haven’t already!

Summer…

Viehofen Lake, Sankt Polten, Austria. End of May, 2011

Summer is here! yaaaayyy!! :) we had a wonderful weather so far. Sunny, filled with a creamy light, a bit of wind but, not harsh and bitter as during the winter. Anaaand, the swimming season is officially open! Everyone was at the lake this past week and I enjoyed my first swim. Austrian winters, as I’ve learned this past year, can be very cold and dark, but the spring and summer are really making it up for it by giving us so many wonderful days of sun, cool breezes, green parks… joyful and smiling people on the streets.

Just before…

Little girl in Vienna, Karlsplatz, just before she touched the water. May 22nd, 2011.

Amos Lee – Flower

I love this man! his music helped me go through the summer of 2008. Literally. Looking back, biking to work every morning listening to his music, under the hot American sun, facing the enormously high hills, up and down, has become one of the best memories I have from that time. His music gave me a moment solely to myself, it gave me comfort, hope and helped me prepare, mentally, for the day.

Here’s a song from his new album, “Mission Bell“, brilliantly written and recorded!

Thank you, Amos, for all your wonderful songs and the messages that they convey!

Time for some visual delight :)

William Merritt Chase, “Idle Hours”, 1894.

Summer. Sun. Young beautiful women. Gorgeous flowery dresses. Sea. Free time. Good company. White washed beaches. Parasols. Children. And…a good book :)

Frank Weston Benson, “The Reader”. 1862 – 1951.

Could an ideal summer get any better than this??

January Rain

Oh, I love this piece of music! I find it so soothing and relaxing! I also use it for meditation. Whenever I close my eyes and listen to it, I can feel the myriads of galaxies and stars gradually unveiling on a Croatian night sky, as I have often seen last summer, filling me with a wordless sense of awe and humbleness. In a good way. And I miss it.

And by the way, we did have, here in Sankt Polten, a rainy January. But the skies have cleared up in the last couple of days. As they usually do if only we have the patience to wait :)

Sneak peak

Mangalia, Romania. July, 2010

Colorfy your building!

Mangalia, Romania. July, 2010

In a post-communist Romania, that’s still full of past era’s remnants and with limited personal resources, one needs to be creative to brighten up the gray buildings :)