Weekly West Coast 2016 - May 9 to May 15

"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera."

Dorothea Lange

I haven't been able to find out much about the circumstances of the quote above.  Without context, it's hard to know exactly what Lange meant when she made that statement.  I only know what the words mean to me now as I wander through my daily life snapping photos along the way.

I know that I'm noticing more.  I'm noticing the light on the poppies in my front yard, and I'm appreciative of the many colours of the morning sky. The act of taking these pictures gets me out of my head.  I'm not so lost in my thoughts that I'm unaware of the world around me. I'm becoming mindful, and this mindfulness is carrying over into other parts of my day. Through photography I'm learning to see without my camera.

Thanks to Hubby for helping me to select these pictures. 

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - May 2 to May 8

Sometimes, no matter how often you stop to appreciate the beauty around you, your efforts to record that beauty are foiled by uncooperative technology.

That pretty much sums up my week.

Fortunately, all is not lost.  Hubby and I strolled together more than once this weekend.  He was able to get some great pictures, and he was willing to share them with me so I can share them with you.

Thanks to Hubby for providing the photos for this week.  (You are the best James!)

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - April 25 to May 1

There is beauty everywhere.

In vacant lots.

On the road.

In the sky.

On the earth below.

By the sea.

On the shore.

It can be man-made...

Thanks to Hubby for the photo

...or nature made.

It can be found in the strangest places.

Moss growing on the side of a trash bin.

But it's there, and it's waiting for you.

Thanks to Hubby for helping me to select these pictures. 

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - April 18 to 24

 "Even living here, it's nice to be reminded of the beauty we don't always pause to appreciate."

The quote above is from an email a friend sent after seeing last week's West Coast Photos.  She articulates another reason for my starting this project.  We live in a beautiful part of the world, yet I don't always pause to appreciate it. Committing to sharing photos here ensures that I take a few moments each week to stop and enjoy this place where I live. This week I took about 150 photos.  That's a lot of a lot of pausing and appreciating. 

Thanks again to Hubby for helping me to select pictures for the week. 

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - April 11 to 17

Look at me! I actually managed a second week of West-Coast photos.  The weather wasn't as co-operative this week.  There were times where it felt more like November than April.  But I did it! I got out there even on the days when I would have rather stayed in. 

To be completely honest, that was another motive for starting this "series".  It wasn't all half-assed altruism. There were fully selfish reasons too.  I feel better when I spend time outside, but there are days when the weather and my mood conspire to keep my in.  Committing to posting photos here gets my butt out the door.  We'll see if my commitment holds up when it's really November. 

Thanks to Hubby for helping select photos for the week, and for supplying the tulip pictures below. 

Have a great week all! Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are!

Photo courtesy of my awesome Hubby.

See comment above.  Thanks J!

Weekly West Coast 2016 - April 3 to 10

A few weeks ago, when a friend moved to Ontario, I offered to send weekly photos from our west coast home. I figured she might need cheering as she digs out from yet another spring snow storm.  I'm thoughtful that way.

It occurred to me that there might be others out there who would enjoy the beauty of this part of the world, so I'm going to start sharing my favourite photos from the week here on the blog. 

Sending you warm thoughts wherever you are! Have a great week!

Butterflies and Mammaries

This post is inspired by an article I read over at Already Pretty. The author, Nadine Thornhill of Adorkable Undies, moved me to tears. Then I was moved to write and write and write. It's taken me this long to organize those ramblings into something reasonably coherent. Actually, I'm pretty sure some of these thoughts still aren't quiet coherent. I'm having a difficult time finding the words to express what I feel, but I'm going to post this anyway. If nothing else it has a picture of Neil Gaiman.)

I was shopping for black, work-appropriate trousers when the butterfly cardigan caught my eye. Though I really didn't need it, I decided to try it on anyway. My immediate impulse was to grab a large, but the saleswoman talked me into a medium. I figured it was a long shot. When buying items that button in the front the larger the better. My beyond-double-D breasts tend to be more than most buttons can handle.

I was shocked. I loved how I looked in the medium cardigan. It hugged all the right places.  Even the saleswoman had a "wow" when I opened the dressing room door. I was HOT. 

Then I bought the cardigan in large.  This, in spite of the fact that I don't love how I look in the large. Don't get me wrong. I love the sweater and all the memories it evokes. I just don't love myself in the large sweater like I did in the medium.

So, why the heck didn't I buy the smaller one?

Well, several years ago, when speaking to my boss, a client referred to me as "Chesty LaRue". Instead of reprimanding the client, my boss spoke to me about my clothing choices. She felt that my shirt might be too revealing for the some of clients that frequent our workplace.

There's much about this that still upsets me. 

Around the time of the incident at work I wore the same top to a book signing. I've included a photo below. (That's Hubby on the left and Neil Gaiman in the centre. Double swoon!) Yes, you can see some cleavage, but I am bending forward in the photograph. Even so, the lads in the picture don't seem too distracted by "that little line peeping through", and my breasts were far perkier and distracting back in those days. 

My boobs sit lower now. And yes, I do wear uber-supportive bras to give them a little lift. That's not just for appearance's sake. Leaving my breasts to their own devices is not good for my posture. And without containment they do tend to stray uncomfortably with the least bit of activity. Besides, finding clothing to fit breasts that have surpassed the double-D department is challenging. Finding clothing to fit large breasts that are rapidly approaching your waist is impossible. 

Don't get me wrong. I like my breasts. They are nicely shaped and healthy and they've been with me for years. Hell, they're real and they're SPECTACULAR! It's the reaction to my breasts that leaves me scrambling for cover. 

And scramble I do. Finding tops that fit in the shoulders, sleeves and bust can be frustrating. I often sacrifice fit elsewhere to ensure my breasts are decently covered. Long sleeves are usually a waste of time, as finding something that fits in the chest means the sleeves are miles long. Button-front anything tends to gape, or strain, or just burst open at the most inconvenient times. (I had a lovely silk blouse I wore to job interviews after university. As I walked into one interview, a strategic button burst free. There was no time to fix it. Worst. Interview. Ever.) Length can also be a problem. Shirts that cover another woman's belly don't always cover mine, as fabric that should be covering my gut tends to ride up to cover my chest. 

All those fit issues and I haven't even tackled cleavage-coverage.

And I do try to keep my cleavage covered. I make an effort to de-emphasize the size of my breasts. The incident at work isn't the only time I've been the recipient of unwanted attention because of my breast size. There was bullying in middle school. There was a job interview where, even though I was buttoned up to my chin, the interviewer spent the entire time staring at my chest. There have been innumerable bra-snappings and taunts and snide comments. After years of tolerating this kind of behaviour from others the impulse to cover my cleavage has become automatic. Putting the medium "wow" sweater back on the rack and taking the less-appealing large didn't even require thought. 

Yet sometimes cleavage peaks through in spite of my careful choices. Sometimes the extra clothing required to cover my chest is too restrictive. I do like to be able to move my arms from time to time. Sometimes it's just too hot to employ cleavage-camouflaging layers. (I tend to feel the heat more than my smaller-breasted colleagues. Must be all that extra insulation up front.) Camisoles and high-necklines and related concealment leave me red-faced, soggy-palmed, and pit-stained. Is that more professional than that controversial bit of cleavage? 

Apparently, according to my long-ago boss, it is. I was dressed unsuitably. I was responsible for that man's reaction to my breasts. His comments were my fault. Nadine's suggestion that it may be otherwise blew me away. That shift in thinking moved me to tears. It still does. 

Does this mean I'll be intentionally flaunting my cleavage any time soon? Probably not. Even now I'd still buy the larger sweater. What it does mean is that when confronted with unwanted attention, as I was a couple of weeks ago when some random pick-up truck driver felt the need to share his comments on my appearance, I'll be more forgiving...

... of myself.