Self Portrait? Hm... Not Quite

"Self Portrait" is this week's challenge at Inspiration Avenue. O-kaaayyy.

Easy, right? Just stand in front of a mirror and click away with the camera. Sure, no problem.

The thing is, that wouldn't be a challenge for me. I did that several times when I had finally hung up the mirror that I had found at IKEA and loved so very much, as I told you here. I wanted something more... daring. Something I hadn't done before. Something that for the longest time in my life I had convinced myself I couldn't do.

So I tried. In my art journal that is mostly for my eyes only and no-one would ever see it without my agreement.

Well, it doesn't really look like me. The hair, though, comes pretty close, not quite as red perhaps. But honestly, I don't care if it doesn't look like me. It's my first attempt and for that it's quite decent. I did my best - and I discovered how very very cool charcoal pencils are. So forgiving!

Here it is, the self portrait of Carola Bartz, as she sees herself in March 2011:

Have you done a self portrait of yourself? Does it look like you? Do you like it, no matter what?

I'm linking this also to Paint Party Friday, Sneak Peek Friday, and Creative Every Day.

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WOYWW 95

Hello dear WOYWWers, how are you today? The last two days we had lovely weather and I'm hoping that it will keep like this since I am a bit tired of all the rain. I know that I have no real reason to complain, we're living in a wonderful place with great weather most of the year - I actually sound like a spoilt Californian, and I don't like that at all!!!

Perhaps some of you feel like I do - I can't get Japan out of my mind. This triple disaster has touched me in a way that is quite new to me. Perhaps it is the dignity of the Japanese people; perhaps it is me getting older. I don't know and the why really is not that important. I have these feelings; and finally I took out my watercolors and just put to paper what I felt - a big wave that got angrier with every single stroke.

During the past few days I have prepared my German class that I'm starting to teach tomorrow evening. It's called "Survival German" and is a six-weeks-course for people who want to travel to Germany (or German speaking countries) and learn some expressions, sentences, useful words, small conversations and lots of information about the country and the culture. I have been teaching this class since 2003 and am constantly changing it, learning from my students. Most of all, it's a lot of fun.

Now I guess you want to go on and see other interesting and creative desks around the world. Thanks to the wonderful Julia we come together every Wednesday and visit each other - please join us.


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Signs of Spring

Cherry blossoms

After all the rain we had, the last two days brought sunshine and the temperatures are rising. What a difference two days make! Out in my backyard spring has definitely arrived - I'm quite excited about the new growth I discovered!

The peonies have developed little buds - these are dark magenta.

The French Lilac already has flowers, and oh! how do I love its scent!

Clematis come out of the ground again and start to wind around the apple tree - in the fall they show tiny white blossoms that the bees love.

I can't wait for the wisteria to bloom. It's climbed into the dead cherry tree and is stronger than the tree now, threatening to topple it over, so I have to cut it back hard after the bloom and remove the tree.

Another clematis, huge deep pink flowers.

This is a climbing hydrangea right next to the bench in one of the shady corners.

The bees were buzzzzy in the pear tree.

Are there signs of spring where you live?

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Made in Germany 2

The building where this wisteria grows up against was in the next village. I often walked there when Kaefer still was a baby, pushing the stroller along - it was a 30 minute walk over there. This village - called Poltringen - had one of the best organic shops, called Mühle (mill) and I loved to buy fresh produce and fruit there. Usually, on our way back, Kaefer would eat all the strawberries (they were so delicious) and present her red stained clothes to me with a huge red smeared smile on her face.

Happy days.

Do you have anything German to share? A photo, a story, a memory - just leave your URL in the comments and we'll come and visit.

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Hello Spring!

"Hello Spring" - this week's challenge at Inspiration Avenue

Well, there still is not much of spring over here, so it doesn't look like in this photo at all. I took this picture exactly a year ago and at that time my little garden was just beautiful. When I look outside now I see a lot of green, but the only other color I see is the orange of the calendula (they are so reliable) and some early tulips as well as the blossoms on the pear tree and a few shy ones on the cherry tree. It certainly is a much slower start than last year. The good thing is that I don't have to water which is always a blessing - nature is providing for that (I have a low-water garden anyway).

Just to give you an idea what it looked like a year ago:

It isn't almost close to that this year. I look forward to sunnier and warmer days and all the color in my yard.

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Skywatch Friday - After the Storm

Montana's Glacier National Park

We had just experienced a thunderous rain going up the road to Logan Pass from the north-east when this beautiful rainbow appeared. Unfortunately we couldn't stop since there was a road construction with just one lane, so the earliest time to leave the road was at the parking lot at Logan Pass. The view still was stunning.

For more sky photos please go to Skywatch Friday.

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WOYWW 94 - Spring Cleaning

Books books everywhere...

Hello WOYWWers!! I hope you are all doing well. Lots of thanks for all your nice comments on my second girl last week. They really mean a lot to me. You are all so lovely!!

So what's on my desk this week? Actually - nothing!

We're having spring break this week. We were thinking about where to go - Kaefer wanted to go into the snow again, both the Geek and I wanted to go camping in Anza-Borrego in Southern California. Well, we were too late for Tahoe, and the weather forecast was full of rain for Southern California and I really don't like camping in the rain. Then I came up with a REALLY GREAT IDEA - we would stay home and DECLUTTER and CLEAN the house. Honestly, I didn't like anymore what the house looked like, we definitely had way too much stuff and I felt like living on a dump (OK, I'm exaggerating a little bit). I was dreaming of a clean house where you could get from one room to the other without falling over something or moving something in order to reach the printer or just run into stuff.

And you know what - they reluctantly agreed, with long faces and lots of eye-rolling.

Yesterday and today I worked on the bookshelves in the family room. This is what it looked like:

Horrible, right?

I cleaned out all the books and started to organize them. I made alphabetical piles, decided which books I want to keep and which ones would go to the thrift store.

There were books everywhere -

against the wall -

and right at the front door.

The books in this box will go to the thrift store.

Then I sorted everything back on the shelves. After a few hours it started to look really nice:

The little containers on top of the shelf hold sand and soil from places I visited.

I'm still not done, but I'm certainly on my way. I hope to show a final picture next week.

But you came here to see a desk - so sorry. However, if you visit Julia's blog you find a very long list of wonderful people and their desks to visit around the world. Have fun! And thanks for stopping by.

Happy WOYWW!!!

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