charming gardeners

San Franciso Sunset 12.06.08


Bird in Tree 12.05.08


Backyard Sunset 12.04.08


Inspiration 12.03.08


Morning Fog 12.02.08


Red Leaf on Hood 12.01.08


Car Wash 11.30.08





Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.- Marcel Proust

This post is my 25th post, it takes me 156 days into this project. I have shot well over 3000 photos since I started, but that is a conservative estimate, it may be more like 5000. Part of me does not want to know, because that would be admitting that a simple desire has become more than simple. I thank everyone for the kind support they give me, if you have been lurking around and have not dropped me a line, please do so. It is fun to see how many people are watching this project grow. There is a comment button on the bottom of each post, feel free to use it. I promise to read them.

Have a great week.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

Hope, Faith, Love and Forgiveness

Fall's Bounty 11.07.08


Trees in Sky 11.06.08


Fallen Leaves 11.05.08


Palm Leaves 11.04.08


Water Puddle 11.03.08


Cloudy Sky 11.02.08


Cal Field 11.01.08





Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.


Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.


Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.


No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.

-- Reinhold Niebuhr

Purpose

This is the true joy in life,

the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one;

the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap;

the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. - George Bernard Shaw

Enjoy the update for the week. I was on the road traveling a bit, so I will post the second half of the week soon.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton

3 Days in the Country

Starr vineyards 10.16.08

Pond Reflections 10.16.08

Acorns and Fallen Leaves 10.16.08

Branches 10.16.08

Spinkler in the Field 10.15.08

Farm Life 10.15.08

Rolling Hills filled with Oak Trees 10.15.08

Mt. St. Helena in the distance 10.15.08

Archer Family Vineyards 10.15.08

Shadows of an Oak Tree 10.14.08

Private drive 10.14.08

For three days this week I had focus, well at least in one area of life I did.

We are fortunate enough to live on the Northwest end of Santa Rosa, there are not many houses past our little area, it is filled with farms, small towns, vineyards and wineries. I often drive alternate roads to my regular places, just to mix up the views outside my front window. One afternoon, I took a drive down Starr Road from Windsor to Santa Rosa, it is a twisty rural road filled with farms, vineyards and wineries. It lies just between the Sonoma County airport and the Russian River. At each bend in the road, the view changes, you will for sure experience what we natives call some “Sonoma-roma” as you get close to the dairy farm near Mark West Station Road. That day the sunlight was just perfect, so in this quest to chase light that I am on, I went out there for 3 days to see what I could find. It did not disappoint.

One day in the country, Is worth a month in town. - Christina Georgina Rossetti

Enjoy three days on Starr Road!

Sidenote~~If you want to see Sonoma County for yourself, Horizon Air has daily non-stop service from LA, Seattle, Portland and Las Vegas. Word has it that they even let you bring home 12 bottles of wine without charging you an extra fee, so feel free to stock up on our wonderful wines.

-Monique Jervan-Chilton