Ode to the Woods

{it’s absolutely impossible to convey through these photos how immense these trees are…}

We went into the woods one day last month.  Not just any woods…the redwoods….

Muir Woods, to be precise.  Just beyond a drive across the beautiful Golden Gate Bride in San Francisco--quite a wonder in and of itself!

A trip taken with my parents, who’d never  been there before, and my niece, newly moved-in with us for a while…a daytrip planned and much anticipated…

I’d hoped for time there like we’d had before…quiet, peaceful, reflective…with almost no one else there…

…but that was not to be.  We pulled up to BUSLOADS of visitors.  I was so very disappointed.  I’d wanted my parents to experience the peace there that I’d felt before…………..

But I needn’t have worried.

You hardly noticed another soul in the trees around you, though hundreds joined us on the paths through the woods that day….

The trees seemed to inspire a reverence usually reserved for beautiful chapels, cathedrals…sacred places…

…this certainly feels like a sacred place to me…

…silence.  Hardly a laugh, raised voice or joke was to be heard.  No cell phones rang, no music…just the quiet, appreciative sounds, echoing my own.  The quiet click of a camera…and the silence and wisdom of the trees…

{this is ONE tree!}

Come and walk with me…

All around, the un-earthly earthiness of it all.  Trees taller than you can imagine—the breadth and age of them unreal…

Moss and stone…

Light and shadow…

What did I learn from the woods that day?

  {the birthdate of this tree?  909 A.D.!}

The beauty that the centuries bring…that age, in itself, is beautiful…

…and that wrinkles are actually quite a wonderful thing…….

 

 

That, no matter how old we are, there is always something new to be learned, to be appreciated…to admire…

That the freshness of  youth mingled with aged wisdom is a very beautiful thing…

{baby redwood trees just waiting for time…}

That even in the midst of all our realities, we can still find a fairyland in our own “backyard”…

{just the perfect home for a small family of elves…}

That we should never forget to look down for small beauties laid at our feet…

 

And that family time—no matter where we are—is the very best time of all…

{my sweet little “chipmunk” daughter, Annie—3 days after all four wisdom teeth were removed!}

{my photographer daughter, Sarah, captures her Grandma’s beautiful smile}

As you walk down your path of life today, I wish you a day full of peace, reflection and wonder at the world around you…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Muir Woods,redwoods,family

The Confectionary

Classically trained to the level of masters in the art of baking in their homeland of Switzerland, Theodore and Marie dreamed of opening a bakery of their own…

Coming to America to begin life anew, they settled in the wild west…a small town found, perfect for their growing family, and growing plans…

They worked hard—never complaining.  While Theodore had many civic and church duties to tend to, Marie tended her babes and stayed up late into the night sewing all the clothes for her children…

{beautiful vintage “buttons” from the CD}

…baking for all—bread each and every night…cookies and sweets…not much sleep was had for the hard-working Marie.

She also made beautiful wedding cakes to order…25 cents a cake. 

             {fancy Victorian cakes found online}

And she was grateful for each and every penny…

After years of planning and saving, the time was right.  A building built in the center of town.  New bakery equipment and ovens were installed in the confectionary, as they would call it…a new home for the family built in the back—their dreams, at last, were coming true!

One evening, just before the shop was to open, a heavy-hearted Marie came to her husband… “I’m so sorry, Theodore…you will have to do this alone.  I won’t be there to help you.” 

A feeling?  A premonition?  We will never know…

Shocked, Theodore immediately called for the local doctor, who hurried over to the Brandley house to care for Marie.  The patient he left to answer the urgent call had typhoid…and the doctor did not wash his hands afterwards…they just didn’t understand this simple safeguard yet…

Marie was delivered that night of a miscarriage…and contracted typhoid herself.  After a few weeks of suffering, she passed away…

Her daughter, my beloved great-grandmother, Anna, remembers it as a time of unspeakable sorrow for their little family…

{my great-grandmother, Anna, the only girl…just a couple of years before her mother’s death}

“I was 10 years old”, she writes, “just when I needed my mother the most…Everything now seemed lost.  How could we go on without her love, courage, and the wonderful mother she was?”

The ovens and equipment were sold.  The plans were given up for other things…and life DID go on.  Marie’s love, teaching and example continued to help and bless the lives of her family, even after she was gone…

{the newest page for my family heritage book…sweet Marie}

I knew her daughter, and saw evidence of Marie’s love and teachings myself.  A far sweeter legacy than a confectionary could ever be….

Julie

{all papers & images on my heritage page (except for the Victorian hand brooch) found on Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD}

LiveJournal Tags: Marie Elizabeth Naegeli Brandley,Theodore Brandley,Anna Meier Brandley Ostlund,confectionary,cakes,Crafty Secrets

Springy Things

Hello, my friends!

Just a few things to share with you today…had a bit of a creative binge earlier this week thanks to Vintage Street Market!

I don’t make a lot of tags, but for some reason, that’s what was inspiring me…

First, a very feminine gift tag for a sister or best girlfriend…

 

…it’s so fun to start with a basic idea & then look through your stash to find just the perfect “toppers”!  LOVE those vintage flocked millinery flowers…must find more!

Next…did your grandmothers have special little “pin keeps” in their sewing supplies?  Mine did, which was what inspired this little project…

…my very own little pin keep.  A perfectly sized, clear plastic container found at Michaels was just the thing…

…topped & surrounded by very realistic-looking paper “buttons”, lace & twirly twine…just right for showing off a few pretties…

And lastly, a little memory tag…just for me!

…Easter in Southern California, just about 1967 {note the last number on the Bingo card—wasn’t that a lucky coincidence?!}

My younger brother Steve & I, hunting for eggs in the back yard, wearing our Easter finery…hard to believe that little red-headed brother of mine just turned 47 this week…!

More millinery flowers, some vintage mother-of-pearl buttons stand in for eggs, some lace and a bit of vintage-inspired tinsel makes the perfect “grass” for my little tag…

Well, that’s about it for me today!  Sending you all the happiest wishes for a lovely Easter weekend…

Julie

{all products used in these projects (unless otherwise noted) are from Vintage Street Market.  I used their “Dimestore Vogue” Paper Sheets & Tags kit, “Twirly Twine” sets, Bingo cards, tinsel, crepe paper in all three projects.}

LiveJournal Tags: Easter,tags,Vintage Street Market,Dimestore Vogue,Twirly Twine,pins