My words exactly!

I just came back from a weekend in Philadelphia celebrating Dr. Erica's 30th birthday. Among the festivities was a visit to the Philadelphia Art Museum where I found two totally opposite spots for the color red. Below is a bumper sticker on the back of a Land Cruiser in the parking lot with words I live by daily. We had gone to see the Marc Chagall exhibit called Paris Through The Window: Marc Chagall and His Circle. On the way out, there hung one of Vincent van Gogh's many sunflowers. My heart always skips a beat when I see his brush-stroke signature, also in red. More red @ Ruby Tuesday.

Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul.

Vincent van Gogh

summer dreaming

Winter slogs along but, me, I'm dreaming of rides in the lush summer farmland...thus these two photos taken on the same ride northwest of the Twin Cities in a past summer. Today, reading an essay on van Gogh, I found Vincent's quote meaningful as I post these photos:

'Let's not forget that small emotions

are the great captains of our lives.'

See more sky views --from any season--at Skywatch Friday.

Today's Flowers blooms again!

Who can look up at sunflowers in a clear blue sky without thinking of our old friend, Vincent van Gogh and how he saw sunflowers? To compliment my photo, below is a reproduction of a painting by Paul Gauguin, called Van Gogh Painting Sunflowers. Gauguin supposedly found Van Gogh's painting style intolerably messy and indicative of his bouts of insanity.

I took my photograph yesterday when the sky was really that blue and this sunflower was actually reaching for the sun. Their size and stature are a surprise at first. And then their color always leaves me speechless, where I remain, at least until I find the next flower.

See more flowers at Luiz's meme, Today's Flowers. You'll see beautiful flowers from all over the globe, places we only dream about visiting, and then. . . you'll want to join in the fun!

Remembering my favorite things makes me blue.

Ever since I was little and was dressed in blue more often than not I thought that the color blue belonged to me. Then came pre-adolescence when I wanted to paint my bedroom blue that my dad informed me blue was for boys and I endured a pink room for a long time. Today I can say with assurance that blue, with its many variations, is one of my favorite things.

There is no blue without yellow and without orange.

Vincent Van Gogh

Mrs. Beauregarde: [after Violet has turned into a blueberry] I can't have a blueberry for a daughter. How is she supposed to compete?
Veruca Salt: You could put her in a county fair. [from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory]

Thanks to Blue at Behind Kyanite's Door for her Favorite Things Thursday. To join in or see more favorite things, go here.